Welcome to the board.
This topic should probably be in the reloading (standard chambers) section and will probably be moved.
I'm sure someone here with more experience will chime in but the COL numbers listed in the manuals are conservative in the same way that published max loads are. These numbers are based on SAAMI specs. All rifles are unique but rounds loaded to SAAMI specs should work in every factory rifle.
I am at work right now so I don't have my manuals or my records with me but if I recall correctly, with my 243 stevens and 87 gr vMax, hornady calls for a COL of ~2.64. Using the method outlined by Ammosmith with the Lee neck sizer, I came up with a number of ~2.68.
Try this method and see what you get:
http://www.ammosmith.com/rifle-reloa...ngth-gauge.php
Keep in mind that the longer you seat your bullet out the more pressure you will get in the chamber. It might be best to stick with a conservative COL and find where your nodes are. Once you found the best load then you can start tweaking bullet seating depth.
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