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Bullets with cannelures - advice needed.

1K views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  blaster 
#1 ·
Specifically the .303 174gn FMJBT Hornady atop a minimum load of AR2206H.

What will happen if I don't seat it all the way down to the cannelure? I was just seating a bunch of 174gn Sierra Match Kings before it and I unthinkingly grabbed the next projectile and seated it "long", and now I'm curious.

Whether it affects the accuracy is something I'm willing to find out by experiment. I just want to be sure nothing bad will happen.

(ADI's powder charge tables are non-brand-specific and I haven't changed any other ingredient, so an incorrect load is not an issue.)
 
#2 · (Edited)
^ Nothing bad will happen as long as it fits the mag,and the bullet doesn't go into the riflings. (isn't too long and you have neck tension enough to hold the bullet without crimping.)If you have resistance chambering a round and there are rifling marks on the bullet you will have to seat them deeper.(There shouldn't be any trouble in this way) The canilure is only for crimping so you have room to crimp the mouth of the case in.You shouldn't crimp unless using the cannilure.After you fire a round or so,check OAL on the ones in the mag to be sure the bullet isnt being pushed deeper by recoil banging the bullet against the front of the magazine because of too little neck tension.I virtually never crimp anything but revolver bullets.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for that. FYI the seating depth was just over 3.1 inches, which I know from previous experience is fine in the SMLE (though it's a shade over milspec). I did some experiments with a black marker once and I got the Sierra MKs out to something like 3.2 inches before I got rifling marks.

And this will be target work from a bench, so the magazine is irrelevant.
 
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