140 AMAX Scare!

[LongRange]

The seating die could be left in the same position to seat all bullets to the same jump only if the bearing surface of the seating die were of exactly the same diameter and profile as the throat in the rifle being loaded for. Seating dies typically contact the bullet at a point significantly ahead of the ogive or even at the tip of the bullet and therefore need to be adjusted for different bullets and even for different lot numbers of the same bullets.

If we had a comparator insert that was made with the same reamer as the chamber in the rifle we're loading for we could at least load all our rounds to the same BTOL but, that unfortunately is not the case. Here's an article by Berger Bullets that I think explains the situation pretty well.

http://www.bergerbullets.com/effects...e-cbto-part-2/

this makes sense...if the tip to ogive is different then it would change the seating depth.

[charb52]

this makes sense...if the tip to ogive is different then it would change the seating depth.

isnt that what he is saying he thinks changed between batch #'s of the same bullet?

[hafejd30]

isnt that what he is saying he thinks changed between batch #'s of the same bullet?

Correct. That is my conclusion as I've tested several lots of 308 amax and smk and found little variation in them. The 6.5 amax are also varying quite a bit in the same lot. .016 from 20 I tested. The smk are within .001. Wish I had some left from 1st lot but unfortunately I don't.

[LongRange]

isnt that what he is saying he thinks changed between batch #'s of the same bullet?

I think the op was looking for an answer as well. Personally ive never had this happen or even heard of this before and im still not 100% sure what caused the seating issue but it does make sense...I could see a bullet being longer or shorter but the ogive to tip being different is kind of odd and not normal.