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Am I being too picky about OAL


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I bought a new 650 about 6 weeks ago. I've had a 550b for about 5 yrs now. I can't seem to get consistent OAL's on my 650 (well I have this problem on my 550 too). On most of the rounds, the OAL vary by about .005 to .006. I've a few that vary by .010. Is this anything to be concerned about or am I just being too picky. And yes, the headstamp on the brass is mixed.

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6 minutes ago, mikeinctown said:

What bullets are you loading? In addition to what Jack says, bulet coatings will cause the OAl to vary. Using lube on the brass also helps decrease the variance as the press is running smoother.

They are 230gr RN 45acp, plated. I got them from Extreme Bullet Co.

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Your variations are well within tolerances. As far as the machine goes, adjust the seat die with a fired case in station 1, so you have the same upward pressure on the toolhead during setup that you do when progressively reloading. Beyond that, the remaining variation is from one bullet to the next. This is only ammunition, so don't expect .000" variation in reloading components.

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Getting a clamped tool head helped with OAL variation, but as previously stated: Full shell plate vs partially empty will have effects on OAL . Also mixed brass and bullet consistency have effects on OAL. If you are only getting .005 extreme spread on mixed brass I wouldn't sweat it, just make sure that the highest end will still fit your barrel. 

Edited by MHitchcock
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variance is normal, just live with it or tinker till you die trying to get variance to zero.

 

Take some time to measure your bullets too. I'd wager a weeks pay that bullet (projectile) overall length varies a good bit. Do as the others said, make sure everything fits your gun and go shoot.

 

Clamped Tool head - See UniqueTek Toolhead 

Edited by SCTaylor
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17 minutes ago, SCTaylor said:

variance is normal, just live with it or tinker till you die trying to get variance to zero.

 

Take some time to measure your bullets too. I'd wager a weeks pay that bullet (projectile) overall length varies a good bit. Do as the others said, make sure everything fits your gun and go shoot.

 

Clamped Tool head - See UniqueTek Toolhead 

Tinker till you die! That's funny but true in this case. lol

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Just now, lgh said:

 

Funny! Everybody gets variance in OAL. Don't worry about the variance you have as long as everything chambers OK.


Yeah, I know. My degree is in mathematics, so it bugs me when things aren't exact. Glad to here I'm not doing something wrong.

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Redding micrometer adjust seating die was not good for my oal variability (coated bullets) called Redding and they said a lot of folks remove the spring for lead bullets. Need to try it again but am now using the Dillon die. 

 

On my 1050, the lock ring set down as far as possible, while still allowing free movement, gives me the most consistent oal (about + - .003-004 now, a smidge more than twice that with the ring set looser). 

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for  me  .010 variance  is  too much. this  press  is  able of  much better. i  get  .003  variance  with mixed  headstamp. bullet  profile VS  seating die  is  the  factor  that  can mess  with  consistent  coal.  as  example, my dillon seater  doesn't  like  zeros  9mm  147 JHP...seems  like  the hollow  point '''petals'''  are  so  sharp  then    hooking  on the  insert edge  .  then i  get .010  spread  and  sometimes more. back  with RN's  or  FMJ's  the  consistency  get back  to .003 variance.

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25 minutes ago, sigsauerfan said:

for  me  .010 variance  is  too much. this  press  is  able of  much better. i  get  .003  variance  with mixed  headstamp. bullet  profile VS  seating die  is  the  factor  that  can mess  with  consistent  coal.  as  example, my dillon seater  doesn't  like  zeros  9mm  147 JHP...seems  like  the hollow  point '''petals'''  are  so  sharp  then    hooking  on the  insert edge  .  then i  get .010  spread  and  sometimes more. back  with RN's  or  FMJ's  the  consistency  get back  to .003 variance.

 

For some of mine that differ by .010, the cases are only differ by .005, so I figure the difference is how deep the primer is seated in one vs. the other or the length of the bullets differ

Edited by GregInAtl
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On ‎9‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 8:56 PM, David.Hylton said:

My ammo generally runs  +/- .005. I haven't had any issues. It is only about the thickness of a human hair.

This has also been my experience. +/- .005. I attribute this to the number of times I have reloaded the brass. Anything under .005 gets pulled for fear of overpressure. Anything over .005 will still feed in my Trubor.

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