colinbentley wrote:if I can ever find the powder I need somewhere near Mildura I hope to prepare my first batch of ammo.But that is not why I need advice. I am reloading for 243 Wnchester. All the handloading books and on the net the maximum length for a 243 cartridge is no longer than 2.710 inches. I have made up a dummy round at 2.70 inches. Is that safe or should it be less ? The factory bullets however measure 2.645. which is pretty much midway between the minimum and maximum lengths recommended. I'm a little confused. Also I simply don't understand headspace. What is it and how do I avoid it ?As you can tell reloading at this level is something I haven't been involved in. I understand the dangers of not knowing what the hell your doing.
colinbentley wrote:Thanks guys I think I understand headspace. As I'm only necksizing it appears it shouldn't be a problem But is my dummy (no not me) cartridge OK at 2.70 inches. ?
colinbentley wrote:I actually used the rifle itself as the bullet seating press......an idea I got from a website video.
colinbentley wrote:I actually used the rifle itself as the bullet seating press......an idea I got from a website video. So I know it will chamber OK .My brass if anything is short as it's the first time it has been reused after being fired in my rifle. It will be a while before I have to consider case trimming.The more I learn the more I realize what I don't know.I don't wonder many people just fire factory ammo. But where is the fun in that ?
Wm.Traynor wrote:colinbentley wrote:I actually used the rifle itself as the bullet seating press......an idea I got from a website video./quote]
Not to labour the point but as long as you do that for each bullet shape, you will be OK, pressurewise. That is, they won't jam in the rifling.
Supaduke wrote:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headspace_(firearms)
Read that first
Basically not enough headspace you start deforming shoulders by crushing them, or case mouths get bent in or forced into the rifling. Too much headspace and the case has too much room to expand and you can get a case rupture.
The reality is modern guns and brass are way over engineeried and can easily deal with fairly sloppy tolerances.
It's why fireformed brass is best. The cartridge is fired and expands to fit the chamber perfectly , then relaxes slightly. Neck sizing only maintains this perfect mould of your chamber. But the ammo is now rifle specific and may struggle to properly chamber in a different rifle. Full length resizing returns the brass to factory spec.
juststarting wrote:Headspace, the amount of space between the bolt face and the case (primer end). We are talking tiny here, under 1mm here... Depends on how far the shoulder on the case shifted.
colinbentley wrote:I may be new to reloading but I'm not silly enough to use the rifle to seat a live cartridge. No I used a dummy, that is no powder or primer.
colinbentley wrote:I may be new to reloading but I'm not silly enough to use the rifle to seat a live cartridge. No I used a dummy, that is no powder or primer.
colinbentley wrote:I have spent in excess of 20 hours on the web viewing handloading videos, have read from cover to cover "The ABCs of Reloading" by C. Rodney James and am in the process of reading Reloading Manual 14 put out by Speer Bullets. I am a very pedantic person. I don't think I'm stupid but I am careful hence my questions. A pont that has to be answered is why do the length of factory rounds sit between the minimum and maximum, lengths.? Are they simply playing it safe ?
Oldbloke wrote:I think he is doing this to determin coal.
Size a fired case so that only 1mm of the lip of the case neck is sized, or use pliers to tighten the neck a touch
Insert a projectile so that it is just started into the case neck
Liberally coat the the ogive and bullet body with lee lube to prevent the bullet jaming into the lands and pulling back out again giving a false reading
Chamber the cartridge, then extract it. This is your Max COAL into the lands.
Repeat this three or four times to be sure.
I do it this way.
colinbentley wrote:The bullet was a Sierra Gameking Spitzer Boat tail. It was loose in the brass case and I closed the bolt very slowly.
colinbentley wrote:I removed it and that's what it measured. The rifle is a Ruger M77 mark2, if that has any bearing on it, which I doubt.