Quote Originally Posted by leo158 View Post
How does one go about sitting the bullet depth if have not the correct tools? Can I make a dummy bullet with no primer and seat in shell then close bolt to have it seat against lands then maybe give the die set screw say a 1/4 turn after it touches? Or not a good idea? I should of bought the tools today to make this easier but I forgot about that at the time.

I will be useing Varget and 55gr nosler ballistic tips with starting of 35gr. Max load is 36.5. I just worrie about the bullet on the land and to much pressure building up. If I could take the spring out of my bolt so it falls freely,I could get closer to the idea position. As in this video below. Thanks all for all your help. I have learned alot from here. Thank you, Dan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv-D1mEI514
Leo158,
Some of the participants here have developed pretty creative ways to measure bullet depth using cleaning rods, rod stops and other familiar aids. Perhaps they will chime in with a few recommendations.

I bit the bullet(pun intended) and purchased the following: a) Hornady Lock-N-Load (LnL) Overall Length Gauge (bolt action; b) Hornady Lock-N-Load Bullet Comparator with 6 inserts; c) Frankfort Arsenal 6" Dial Caliper; d) One each of 3/16" and 1/4" x 4' dowl rods. All of these are available from any of the regular suppliers of reloading equipment. I had to purchase the dowl rods at my local hardware store. Including shipping, these tools cost me less than $100.00. To me, using these tools has been very beneficial for achieving the most consistent bullet seating depth.

Instructions for using the various gauges and caliper are enclosed with each tool. If one reads slowly and thinks about what he is reading it will all make sense after a while. You will then be able to make a "dummy" round without primer or powder for each of the bullets you plan to shoot. Set the seater depth of your seater die to each of the "dummy" rounds you have manufactured.

Good luck.