Meplat trimming and oal

20Incher

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Mar 28, 2010
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Westchester
So heres my question and I hope I dont sound stupid.Does everybody that loads trim there meplat?I was bored so I pulled out the calipers and measured some 175smk length.They ranged from 1.231 to 1.241 .So if you dont trim your meplat before reloading your oal on every reload will vary?
 
Re: Meplat trimming and oal

Do you really care as long as your measurement to the Ogive is the same what difference does it make how far the meplat is into the barrel. This is why you measure to the Ogive. I know a lot of people trim the meplat but I dont really see a point in worrying about COAL unless you are trying to fit into a magazine.
 
Re: Meplat trimming and oal

Get yourself a comparator set and measure from the base to ogive and set your dies from there. If your pointing your heads for some long range distances I would trim first then point them...but they would still be seated off the base to ogive measurement I wanted.
 
Re: Meplat trimming and oal

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 20incher</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Does everybody that loads trim there meplat?</div></div>

No. Some of us use a pointer instead of a trimmer.

Meplat trimming decreases BC (not so good) and decreases BC variance (very good)
Meplat pointing increases BC (very good) and decreases BC variance (very good)

But many people get along just fine without doing either.
 
Re: Meplat trimming and oal

A couple of internet gurus made their cyber creds endorsing meplat trimming. (They later changed their minds but the interweb guru stuck)

If you want to improve the HP type bullets put a plastic tip on them like Hornady did.

You dont NEED a device to measure ogive length. A simple black marker pen can do it just as well. Mark a long seated round, chamber it, measure the rifling scrapes, make sure its the rifling scrape, with simple caliper. Add in whatever magic number you think the jump should be and set your die for that. My dies use the ogive to push a bullet home so once you get the die set you are set.

(or you can just load to fit the magazine and be happy. I played around with OAL for single loading comps. Got to say fit the magazine rounds have won relays for me, well when I not only read the wind but did the correct thing about it!)
 
Re: Meplat trimming and oal

It all comes down to the rifle and the booolet. Each rifle is different. Each booolet is different. Some booolets arent very sensitive to seating depth like the SMK's others like the Bergers can be very sensitive to seating depths. What we are all saying here is it all depends on how accurate you want to be with your reloads. The Hornady booolet comparator and OAL guage is about 25-35 bucks cant remember exactly. Its a good cheap way to be consistant and thats what this game is all about.
 
Re: Meplat trimming and oal

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MitchAlsup</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 20incher</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Does everybody that loads trim there meplat?</div></div>

No. Some of us use a pointer instead of a trimmer.

Meplat trimming decreases BC (not so good) and decreases BC variance (very good)
Meplat pointing increases BC (very good) and decreases BC variance (very good)

But many people get along just fine without doing either.</div></div>





verily so.............
 
Re: Meplat trimming and oal

Do you really think that you will improve on bullets that guys have been experimenting with and making for the last fifty years. The hollow points that are made by some of the best benchrest shooters are about as good as they come and as good as they are going to be for a while.