setting the bullet

[pontiacpratt]

I just finished my very first handloaded batch of .308 and I've got a question.
First the recipe:
PMC brass trimmed to 2.005"
40.4 gr of Varget
Federal large rifle primer
Hornady 150 gr FM/BT bullet
COAL of 2.775" (IIRC, What the Hornady loading book said)
My question is the cannelures of well above the top of the neck. Is this normal?

[noylj]

Yes. Cannelures are set for hunting ammunition and for the lowest common denominator. Personally, I avoid bullets with cannelures except for hunting ammunition.

[pontiacpratt]

Ok thanks. The Hornady bullets were used so I don't used my 175 SMK as testers

[Southpaw45]

The bullets with cannelures were designed for use in semi auto rifles like the M1A and the M1 Garand. Crimping in the cannelure will prevent bullet set back when used is semi auto fed rifles. Most bullets made these days for hunting and target shooting lack a cannelure. If the Cannelure is exposed and the ammo chambers fine in the rifle, your OK. Just as long as your ammo is not too long and your not forcing a chambered round into the rifling when you close the bolt. You need a little free bore. Roughly any were from 10 to 20 thousands is good on most rifles. A free bore gauge comes in handy in this situation.

[rg1]

The Hornady .308 150 fmj seems to be a generic 30 caliber bullet as the cannelure is not in the right place to crimp on all the different 30 caliber rifle cases. Load to Hornady's recommended overall length for your .308 rifle and don't crimp. Not necessary if you have good case neck tension. It'd be nice if they were listed for specific 30 caliber rifles but I can see that would be a hassle for the company and probably increase the price of a good bullet.

[pontiacpratt]

Ok thanks guys. I'll feel better once I send some down range and everything goes as planned. Tuesday will be the verification of "bang" not "ka-boom". Accuracy will have to wait as my rifle has no sights at the moment. Lol

[pontiacpratt]

Update: 5 rounds fired no issues. I'm officially an amateur reloader now.

[Low-Pressure]

Update: 5 rounds fired no issues. I'm officially an amateur reloader now.

Congratulations!

[Butthead]

Congratulations! Welcome to the club. Coincidence: I just finished reloading 50 rounds of .308 using 44.0 grains of Varget and using Hornady 150gr FMJ-BT's. BTW the Hornady manual has the COL @ 2.700 in the book. That had the canalure below the brass line for me. I ended up at 2.713 which put me right at the top of the canalure and then I gave it the slightest crimp. I am doing 50 @ 44gr, 50 @ 45gr, and 50 @ 46gr to see what my rifle likes. I am also testing out 150gr & 180gr SST's as well as 168gr A-MAX's. Gonna be a fun day at the range.