Proper seating of one caliber length

[tpcollins]

I'm getting ready to load .204 Ruger for the first time and these little 32gr Nosler varmint tip are really short. From the ogive to the base, they run about .238" on average for the bullet only leaving .411" in front to the tip. But these Nosler boat tails have about a .060" chamfer so I really can't seat the bullet at one caliber length of "straight wall contact".

If I seat the ogive to the end of a cartridge neck at the minimum trim length of 1.840", the OAL is 2.251", if it's in a case at the maximum trim length of 1.850", the OAL is at the max of 2.261".

I assume I wouldn't want the ogive "below" the rim of the case neck, is it best to keep the cases trimmed at the minimum 1.840" length then . . . ? Thanks.

[ryutzy]

", the OAL is at the max of 2.261

What do you mean OAL max of 2.261? What kind of rifle are you shooting? If you are shooting a bolt action you should be able to load to at least 2.300 and still not even touch the lands in a factory rifle assuming that your magazine allows it. All you need to do is keep your brass inside the normal trim lengths preferably all identical. Most peoples loads with most 204 bullets regardless of weight tend to fall between 2.250 and 2.300 OAL with some being slightly longer. You will need to find a starting point for your gun and then shoot some groups and adjust your seating depth to find what your particular gun likes. Shooting such a short bullet will limit you somewhat, but your ogive should not be anywhere close to being inside your case mouth. Your bullet should be seated around .204 deep into your case neck, however do not get too hung up on that exact figure. Each gun is different etc, but you do need enough bullet seated into the case for stability, neck tension, etc. Load a few and start shooting. Someone else on here may be able to describe what I just said a lil better.

[tpcollins]

Your bullet should be seated around .224 deep into your case neck

So if there's a .060" boat tail on the back of the bullet, seating .224" deep gives me about .164" of bullet contact with the case neck and that is sufficient? Thanks.

[ryutzy]

Correction!!! I was wrong when I said seated .224 deep into case neck, instead I meant .204. That would give you more contact with the case neck. What you need to do is load and shoot to see where you are at. There is no exact science to figure out for your first load. It's called load development and in load development you will need to play around with your seating depth as well as powder charges to see what your gun likes. Your gun wont blow up and kill you if your bullet isn't seated quite deep enough. It might be less stable, but that is why you need to shoot to see what your gun likes. In most of the 204s people are trying to seat the bullet as close to the lands as possible which means their bullets will not be seated very deep into the case neck.