Hornady’s overall-length gauge with modified case, bullet comparator assembly, and dial caliper together will precisely determine the ogive-to-case-head dimension so that you can adjust your seating die accordingly.

When I began writing this column, we changed the name from "Precision Reloading" to "Practical Reloading." If you noticed, you may have wondered, "Why?" The reason's simple. I'm an engineer by training and experience. Typically, my approach to accomplishing a task or solving a problem is to determine a workable and, preferably, simple scheme. So characterizing the human genome would surely bore me to death--even if I had any idea how to do it. I apply these same engineering methods to handloading with usually safe and satisfactory results.

However, paying special attention to a specific detail can help ensure optimum performance. For example, I always prep rifle brass primer pockets. Properly seating primers means each one will ignite consistently, and uniform internal ballistics often lead to improved performance.

Another factor that can significantly affect a handload's accuracy is the position of the bullet relative to the throat leade--i.e., the initial tapered part of the rifling. Conventional wisdom holds that accuracy is best if the bullet is almost touching the rifling when the cartridge is chambered. The concept is logical if you consider that the bullet is essentially constrained between the case mouth and the rifling, so when it begins to move, it remains precisely aligned with the bore.

When I first started to reload, I read about how to seat bullets correctly. Many earlier loading manuals noted how deep to seat the bullet into the case. Of course, because you can't see the heel of the bullet when it's inside the neck, you had to measure the bullet's length, subtract the specified seating depth, add the case length, and then adjust the overall cartridge length accordingly. Today's manuals typically specify cartridge overall length (COL) instead of the bulletseating depth.

The chamber shape for any specific cartridge varies from one firearm to the next, so depending on the specific throat and leade dimensions, the bullet may need to be seated farther into the case in order to not jam into the rifling. Of course, if a rifle has a box magazine, the absolute maximum overall cartridge length is constrained by the magazine clearance--unless you want to use it as a single-shot.

Back when I started, I determined maximum COL by inserting a cleaning rod with a flatnose jag attached into the bore until it touched the boltface. Then I wrapped a piece of masking tape around the rod at the muzzle to mark how far it entered the barrel. Next, I opened the bolt, stuck a bullet nose-first into the throat, and reinserted the cleaning rod. Using my finger to hold the bullet firmly in place, I wrapped another piece of tape around the rod at the muzzle.

By measuring between the two pieces of tape, I had the maximum COL for that specific bullet in my rifle. The relative precision of this method depended greatly on whether someone else applied the tape while I held the rifle steady and kept the bullet firmly in place.

Next, I adjusted the seating die stem to obtain the desired COL. Of course, proper quality control requires that you spot-check the cartridge length occasionally using a caliper. Quite often, it varied plus or minus a few thousandths of an inch even if I seated each bullet carefully. Pretty soon, I learned the shape and condition of the bullet tip significantly affected the measurement. I often had to adjust the stem to ensure that the COL was consistent yet within the magazine limit.