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Help with OAL/seating depth for 308 load using pulled bullets?

Should I load at suggested OAL (2.81") or at cannelure (2.71")?

  • Load at OAL 2.81", ignore cannelure height

    Votes: 2 50.0%
  • Load at cannelure, ignore OAL.

    Votes: 1 25.0%
  • Dibs on all your bacon if theres a Kaboom

    Votes: 1 25.0%

  • Total voters
    4
Thanks. Im not concerned about feeding issues for the shorter COL/deeper seated bullets. Im concerned about being over pressure. But sounds like that might not be an issue?

I have sorted the bullets by weight, cannelure height, length and shape as much as possible. Looks like most of them have cannelures that match typical M80. But theres a couple hundred with higher cannelure. I want to use those up first.
At 42gr, you are below some starting loads with those bullets.
Seating those couple hundred down to around 2.7" will get you better velocity/pressure and you will still be quite low in pressure compared to real M80.
Until you were up around 45gr or more, you will not have an issue seating them deeper and lightly crimping into the cannelure.

Hodgdon publishes a Ramshot TAC load with 150fmjbt bullet seated at 2.735" OAL with charges from 42.4gr min to 47.1gr max.
 
At 42gr, you are below some starting loads with those bullets.
Seating those couple hundred down to around 2.7" will get you better velocity/pressure and you will still be quite low in pressure compared to real M80.
Until you were up around 45gr or more, you will not have an issue seating them deeper and lightly crimping into the cannelure.

Hodgdon publishes a Ramshot TAC load with 150fmjbt bullet seated at 2.735" OAL with charges from 42.4gr min to 47.1gr max.
Shot my reloads today and Im satisfied. No issues at all. Ran great in both my M1A and Aero M5. Accuracy was comparable to military M80. The pic is at 100yds out of an Aero M5 18" stainless from a bipod. First 3 rounds out of the gun.

Just to recap, this load is 42.2 grains of Ramshot TAC, CCI 200 LRP, random 147gr pulled projectile, once fired Lake City brass, COL 2.78".

20250125_140835.jpg
 
I think I'm going to just load to 2.8" COL since that is COL for 7.62 NATO M80. These are just plinking rounds so all I care about is safety, not accuracy. I don't think I'll bother crimping them.


I have found the magazine to govern what your cartridge overall length is to be with an M1A.

However, you should confirm by measuring your chamber. Do this with a cleaning rod inserted in the bore with bolt closed, then again with a projectile seated and being held in place against the lands with an object. The difference in length measures would be the max cartridge length for that projectile.

Subtract 20 thousands off this difference would yield a safe overall length for reloading. But again, my experience is loading to this length prevents the cartridge fitting in the mag.
 
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