What I learned today

[Cammy]

Today I learned to find the lands on my rifle using an empty case and a bullet.

OK, here is the part that took me a couple of hours because my reloading sage (not on this site) and the you-tube guys I watched didn't explain this fully. If you are new to this as I am, in order to find the lands using a case and bullet do the following

#1 USE A ONCE FIRED CASE that has NOT been resized, preferably from you chosen rifle. Can't stress this enough
#2 DO NOT full length resize the case from step 1 and attempt this maneuver as it will lead to frustration as to why the bolt won't close.
#3 Place a bullet into the case mouth BY HAND. If the bullet won't stay in the case put the case in your sizing die and run it in until you feel it make contact. You only want to start the case mouth in the die to make it a bit smaller so it will hold the bullet.
#4 Insert very long cartridge into the chamber and close the bolt pushing the bullet into the case as it hits the lands and stops and is the pushed back into the case mouth. This is called the "Jam method"
#5 Measure for COAL or CBTO using comparator and adjust as necessary

Why do you need to know this? Why in order to determine what your COAL or CBTO will be with you selected "Jump" to the lands.
The Barnes Monolithic Copper bullets I am using are recommended to have a 0.050 "jump" I am sure that there is more reasoning for knowing the distance from Ogive to lands somewhere down further in the rabbit hole. For now, I am sharing something I learned today.

OK, you old guys can commence flaming me for something I have wrong in the above.

 

[grizzly63]

I do it for each different bullet i reload but do it differently than your method. I close the bolt with no rounds in the chamber, insert a cleaning rod in the muzzle and move it in until it is resting on the bolt face. Make a mark on the rod next to the muzzle and then remove it. Pull the bolt, insert chosen bullet into muzzle and hold it there against the rifling with a shorter cleaning rod, insert the cleaning rod through the muzzle again until it touches the tip of the bullet, make a mark on the rod. Remove rod and measure between the two marks, that is your max COAL. No special tools, no fussing with the oglive. Of course there is some variance bullet to bullet but not enough to have much of an effect on my level of shooting ability. It gives you a good starting point.

 

[nhenry]

I just take a sized case, spit the neck with a cutting wheel on my dremel, and seat a bullet like that. Has just enough neck tension to where it’s easy for the bolt to close, but it won’t get the bullet stuck in the lands when extracting

 

[Cammy]

I just take a sized case, spit the neck with a cutting wheel on my dremel, and seat a bullet like that. Has just enough neck tension to where it’s easy for the bolt to close, but it won’t get the bullet stuck in the lands when extracting

I read about the split case last night.

 

[Addicting]

Just buy the tool and modified case.

 

[Cammy]

I do it for each different bullet i reload but do it differently than your method. I close the bolt with no rounds in the chamber, insert a cleaning rod in the muzzle and move it in until it is resting on the bolt face. Make a mark on the rod next to the muzzle and then remove it. Pull the bolt, insert chosen bullet into muzzle and hold it there against the rifling with a shorter cleaning rod, insert the cleaning rod through the muzzle again until it touches the tip of the bullet, make a mark on the rod. Remove rod and measure between the two marks, that is your max COAL. No special tools, no fussing with the oglive. Of course there is some variance bullet to bullet but not enough to have much of an effect on my level of shooting ability. It gives you a good starting point.

I am over the top cautious with measurements. So much so that I would be questioning if the width of the pen mark skewed my COAL. LOL!

 

[Cammy]

Just buy the tool and modified case.

Done now. Hoping that my frustration will help another "new to reloading" person.