Recommended COAL for Nosler 80 BT - 243 Winchester

[John_M]

beartooth, A 3/16" wood dowel should be available from your local hardware store or lumber yard. They come in 3' and 4' lengths. I use the 4' length. The instructions accompanying your Hornady LNL OAL gauge describe how to use this dowel rod. You mention that you do not have "...the bushings..." for the LNL OAL gauge. The bushings are for the LNL Comparator - NOT the LNL OAL Gauge.

Here is the Hornady LNL Comparator I use:http://www.midwayusa.com/product/231...with-6-inserts

You need BOTH the Hornady LNL OAL gauge AND the Hornady LNL Comparator to properly measure the length of the cartridge from the base of the brass to the ogive of the seated bullet. The procedure you use to measure Cartridge Overall Length DOES give you the length of the cartridge from the base of the brass to the tip of the seated bullet. However, this measurement is useful only to determine if the cartridge will fit into the rifle's magazine. This measurement has nothing to do in determining the length of the cartridge from the base of the brass to the ogive of the bullet. You need a Comparator with the proper bushing for this base-of-brass to ogive measurement. The Comparator set in the link above includes the .24 cal. bushing you need fdor the .243. The set also includes bushings you will need for the 7mm-08 Rem. and .223 Rem. Hang in there. When I first started using these two gauges I suffered the same confusion it seems you are experiencing.

I had a long and detailed explanation of how to use these two gauges but hit an improper key on my keyboard and erased everything. Hornady provides excellent explanations with drawings of how these two gauges are used. Their directions are much clearer than anything I had prepared.

Feel free to ask if anything I have said needs clarification.

Good luck and best wishes.

Edit: You will want to assemble an unprimed dummy round for the different bullets you are using. So, you should make a dummy round for the 80 gr. Nosler BT. If you use a heavier or lighter Nosler bullet you should also make a dummy round for each of these bullets. The position of the ogive on each of these different bullets will vary a few thousandths of an inch. If measured really carefully, you will also notice that the position of the ogive varies a teensy bit on many of the bullets out of the same box. Some manufacturers are more precise than others in their manufacturing tolerances.

Edit: I agree with the excellent description provided below by thomae.