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Ok I've just made my first ( inert) bullet. Actions and question at end.

Just a test tumbler hasn't arrived, cleaned with rag.

Lubed case
Dipped neck in mica and brushed out
Once fired brass full sized with lee die
Bullet loaded to coal 2.800"
Factory crimp die.

I intend to make more with starting charge 39 grains of n140


The question these heads were bought from a member here, ppu 175gr .308 they are fmj boat tail.

The only bullet that matches in my lyman 49th edition is a 175g HPBT

That is where I got the col and intended starting charge. Am I correct to assume this because I can't find anything anywhere for fmj 175gr


My first bullet I'm so proud

Hi Pesty,

I'm relatively new to this reloading thing as well by my take on your questions and some pointers.

First of all, terminology (to help you play nicely with the other boys and girls on here)...

- The bit that travels down the barrel is the 'bullet', not the 'head'. The head is at the other end of the cartridge where the primer goes. I get what you mean and so does everyone else but there is a bloke on here who thinks he is a badger and seems to get all testy when the wrong terminology is used.

- I think you should be fine with the starting load from the 175gr HPBT as a starting point and good to see you're starting low. But see also note below.

- You don't say what sort of rifle these will be shot from, but for most purposes the common opinion seems to be that you don't need to crimp cartridges like the 7.62 x 51 for use in a bolt action rifle. I certainly don't. From what I understand, the crimp is often useful when the round is used in heavier applications, such as in automatic rifles.

- Aside from your own manual, it is also worth looking for official load data online. For example the Vihtavuori data for .308 Win can be found on their website, here. From that page, there are two 175 grain bullets listed and the starting loads for N140 are 35.3gr and 38.0gr. With these three different starting figures, I might start a little lower than 39.0 if I were you.

Hope that helps,

AlieN

Great stuff I'll,check the link now. Thanks for the info and tips

Rifle is tickka t3x supper varmint with I believe a 1/11 twist

Oh my understanding which may be incorrect is the factory crimp die is different to the normal crimp and is safe on the necks and may increase accuracy it that's just what I've read always ready to be corrected. I put a very light crimp on it anyway

Oh my main worry was the oal. Both those listed in link are .005 shorter than my load issue?

Maximum in that link is quite a bit lower than the lyman manual

I generally refer to 'bullets' but 'bullet heads' is pretty much how every seller on the Internet refers to them. I'm not sure why but for some reason people call cast bullets 'boolits'.

You do not need to crimp.
If you are using N140 you should use Vitavouri load data. Google Vitavouri lots of load data on the web.
The bullet is the thing that travels down the barrel. The head refers to a part of the case. As all ready stated in a earlier post.

The reference to bullet head is totally meaningless.

It was device used by some retailers to help them simplify orders as some people were referring to loaded rounds as bullets so the retailers started calling them bullet heads to try and differentiate so you can see the mess that using the wrong terminology can cause.

Also bullet head is meaningless in itself, as the bullet is the projectile not the loaded round what does bullet head mean, the tip of the bullet?

Calling it the head is totally wrong as the head is the end of the case where the primer goes. It is also potentially confusing to new starters and I have seen dangerous situations arise because if this inexact terminology.

Just because the world and his wife chooses to use meaningless words to describe things doesn't make it right or helpful, if people are as sloppy about this in their approach to hand loading what else are they going to be sloppy about.

Cast Boolits came from a bit of fun on a forum we created some years ago. It is just that a bit of fun and was never intended to be taken seriously or be adopted as the general term for cast projectiles.

Crimp is up there with case expander plugs, an abomination. Any self respecting handloader should bin these items, Why on earth do you feel the need to do this to your cases especially as you aren't loading for a revolver or underlever where a it could be argued that crimp may serve some purpose, not that I have ever found it so?

Nice looking round though.

Well done on your first effort! I still remember closing the bolt on the first round I had built myself, I was always impressed when that first shot hit the target remarkably close to where I was aiming!

39 grains is a good start point for the 175 grain and should get you up to around 2400fps, I assume it is the B-366?

As stated above, do not crimp as it offers no advantage on a bolt action rifle and can significantly increase the chamber pressure.

N140 is ideally too fast for 175gr bullets 150 would be better suited and less likely to give early pressure signs
I was using N140 with 165gr for a few years and tried N150 and got the desired FPS without pressure signs obtained when using N140 for the same FPS

Slightly negative but don't be surprised if you're grouping isn't great, I tried the PPU 174 & 175gr bullets and found them to be very poor, large variations in both weights and sizes.

The PPU 168gr match are better for consistency but still nowhere near as good as Sierra MatchKings, Nosler Custom Competition or Lapua Scenars etc.

Well done that man!

Yes, you are correct for using another 175gr projectile as a starting point. Never go to the max load straight off the bat. I was a bit confused regarding overall length too when I was starting. Was it a maximum or a minimum? What happens if you change it?

Most overall lengths are put in place so that bullets will fit in magazines. People tend to increase the overall length so that the bullet has less distance to "jump" into the lands of the rifling. This change does have an impact on pressure so if you intend to modify your overall length you should back the load off slightly and work back up.

I concur with Dromia's advice for ditching the crimping die. Crimping is only required for certain applications. I use it for .357magnum as I have a tube magazine in my Marlin. If you don't crimp these bullets then the recoil of the rifle can cause the bullet to be seated farther back into the case. Not a great idea when you load ten rounds into the magazine! For bolt action rifles you don't need to worry about crimp.

The misnomer from head is probably because someone stood a bullet upright and assumed the point bit was the head cause it was at the top. If you look at the bottom of the case where the primer goes in there are markings on the brass, e.g. ".308win PPU" and these markings are called "headstamps" and have the same name around the world. How someone came up with the idea that bullets had a "headstamp" and "bullet head" at both opposites I will never know.

I digress - shoot them, have fun, then load 'em again!