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OK.
Yup.
It looks like the "groove" will serve the same purpose as a "crimping groove" or "cannelure groove". There might be another (more industry specific) word for it. But at this point.... "I'm comfortable".

Note......
Some people might say that the grooved or the more pronounced cannelure style of bullet is "less accurate" than a smooth side bullet. Of course quality control has a lot to do with all that. Then, you'll note that a smooth sided bullet is usually found on Match Bullets. So probably.....there is something to that?

And, there is always the issue of possible deformation of the bullet when it's "crimped" into a brass case. Yeah.....one could go with a light or heavy. Or even, a barely there (say close to "slip") fit into the cartridge case.

Of course remember......
Recoil and feeding (from magazine or just placed into a chamber) will dictate much of what you're doing (trying for).

ME.....I don't want the bullet "telescoping" into the case or moving just a little (to change things up).

YES, Yes, yes.....there are many ways for different people to Get-R-Done.

ME....I stick with the two die sets. I use the 2nd die supplied (combo seater/crimper) with a moderate crimp for my semi auto ammo. Same for my ammo being put through my bolt action. LOL....KISS or just lazy. Whatever. It's usually "Good Enough" (for me).

But then......some people might insist......about using a third die - the FCD (Factory Crimp Die). They may just say that it's THE way to go (with a moderate to heavy crimp) with every cartridge produced. Especially, if/when loading for a semi auto or full auto firearm. They say that it adds to consistency. Like, trimming and annealing with every firing.

So then......
Which groove and/or what COAL (cartridge over all length) to use?

OK......that's where the "EXPERIMENTATION" comes in. And, keeping good notes.

As I said before......
The cannelure is (for me) a "suggestion". Though, normally a good one. Then, there is something to be said about just copying the COAL from a factory cartridge. Hummm......a cartridge that has the same or close enough bullet. Wink, wink....

So then......
Since I normally have only one die set per caliber. YEAH, fussing (even a little bit) with the settings or playing with different bullets, etc....etc...... is a slight problem with getting consistency. For me......I'm normally happy with choosing to get it set up "just right or close enough" to the last time. Assuming that the last batch that I made passed my expectations.

Remember, I'm lazy. Not to mention that I ain't shooting for a Gold Medal here.

Others will probably disagree. Whatever. That's OK too.

Aloha, Mark

So I wouldn't change course mid stream, probably ideally I may have started with the lapua recipe from the start but its also just a guide.
That being said, Its not a big deal.
*Edit: .050" under isn't crazy just so long as you follow safe practices. As long as your "downloading" some and not going straight to max load. Generally people do want to load as long as possible to get max velocity and max case volume so you can get the most powder and most velocity potential for longest range in the end ultimately.

What's your recipe?
Is it a standard load out of a book? Are you starting at min load and working up like you should? I assume your current COAL is the one recommended by the book load your using? Or at least loading max MINUS 10% if either of the latter two I wouldn't worry there's quite a bit of safety margin built into loading and that's why you start with minus 10% etc.
What's your increments?
i am at minimum powder 18.000 lil'gun i had data for 125 gr @ min 17.8 and 115 gr @ min 20.2 so i went low guess and set @ 18.00 figured .2 more for 2gr lighter projectile. (if i take the min 17.8 for 125gr and 20.2 for 115 gr and the bullet weight was 10gr dif gives me a rough # of 0.24 of powder per gr it seems) so i went 0.20 more for the 123gr to start thinking i was prob 0.2 on light side of min load.

case length is 1.350 on the min 1.355 on almost all the rest. (converted 223/556 brass)

and of course the 123 lapua fmj
 
Last Edited:
RE : About powder choice and case capacity.

Not a 300 Black Out.
BUT, But, but....
Food for thought.....

1663963134617.png

Yeah Rrrright....
Some women might claim that length doesn't matter.

WAIT, Wait, wait.......WHAT????

Aloha, Mark

PS.....the original caption to the photo said the 123 grn bullet was on the left and a 150 gr bullet was used on the right. Also note where the cannelure on the right bullet end up.
 
Last Edited:
i am at minimum powder 18.000 lil'gun i had data for 125 gr @ min 17.8 and 115 gr @ min 20.2 so i went low guess and set @ 18.00 figured .2 more for 2gr lighter projectile. (if i take the min 17.8 for 125gr and 20.2 for 115 gr and the bullet weight was 10gr dif gives me a rough # of 0.24 of powder per gr it seems) so i went 0.20 more for the 123gr to start thinking i was prob 0.2 on light side of min load.

case length is 1.350 on the min 1.355 on almost all the rest. (converted 223/556 bras)

and of course the 123 lapua fmj
115 is pretty far off. I'd just toss all that data (and assumptions.) The math isn't straight linear. Its a pressure curve!
use the 125 data. Thats close enough and often a manual groups bullets *within 2 grains as the same load. Like I said they make it pretty safe for some error because its inherently dangerous. So more wiggle room ads in safety.

So from what I see it looks like you did use the 125 gn data (17.8) and added .2gn's? If so that will be fine.
I recently stopped using the min loads and now usually start @ max - 10% and work up from there depending and how close the load is to what I'm starting with.

My opinion is your fine. If you want to shoot them go for it. If you want to mod your recipe down the roadz I'd go ahead and do it now or the primers and expensive bullets will be wasted. But me it sounds like id shoot these, and go from there.
I'd def. make sure you clean up those burrs around the case mouths before doing anything. Its sucks and its time consuming but necessary.
 
Last Edited:
RE : About powder choice and case capacity.

Not a 300 Black Out.
BUT, But, but....
Food for thought.....

View attachment 1281069

Yeah Rrrright....
Some women might claim that length doesn't matter.

WAIT, Wait, wait.......WHAT????

Aloha, Mark

PS.....the original caption to the photo said the 123 grn bullet was on the left and a 150 gr bullet was used on the right. Also note where the cannelure on the right bullet end up.
So in my case what im gathering is depth can be anywhere? as long as .308 of projectile is in the neck?

see pic. should i be aiming for BLUE arrow, as i thought this was the cannelure area to seat depth.
OR are these marks useless?
is YELLOW A suggested min depth? i havnt mic'd it but seems to be approx same height as diameter.
THE RED ARROW, does it represent anything?
If this was a smooth bullet. i would be most like only concerned with getting at least .308 in the case then shoot for load data or make sure in in saami COAL specs.

Of course i know, after all is said and done, its all about mag fit, will it chamber and will it cycle and shoot!

graphic bullet.jpg
 
Bigger picture on seating depth:

A SAAMI spec is intended to make sure that a round will load and operate correctly in any gun that is chambered according to the spec.

If your round is slightly longer or shorter than SAAMI, it doesn't mean the round is dangerous in any way.

COAL priorities:
1 - A round that will fit in the magazine and feed reliably.
2 - Distance to lands.

Example:
AR15 standard COAL for use with magazines is 2.250". This length will operate in just about any AR magazine.
The bullet is actually waay back off the lands when it is chambered.
I have a 20" AR upper with NM front sights. I rarely use it. One of things I use it for is 200yard turkey head silhouettes at our annual Turkey shoot.
For that purpose, I have my own "match" load with a Nosler CC 69gr hpbt seated for a COAL that is 0.020" off the lands of that barrel.
I developed this load by measuring the distance to lands, and then subtracting 0.020".
The idea is that a jump of 0.015" to 0.030" is usually very accurate when all the other factors (brass, primer, charge, crimp) are taken into account.
That particular round has a COAL of about 2.28" (can't remember exact number off the top of my head).
It won't fit in any AR15 magazine.
The way I use it: insert an empty mag so the bolt locks open every shot, and then hand feed the gun each shot.
Why? Because it's fun to hit Turkey heads with an A2 AR when guys next to you are struggling to hit them with a scoped bolt gun. More specifically, I do it because it's good for noobs. It's educational. They get a better understanding of the potential of iron sights.

Hand-feeding individual rounds is a common practice in all types of competition.
Some people work really hard to develop half-minute ammo, and they don't want the rough action of chambering to affect their round, so they hand feed each shot.

Next bit:
Some people find the most accurate load is one that is jammed 0.005" or 0.010" into the lands.
They calculate distance to lands, and add 0.005", and load a few test rounds to that COAL, and evaluate.
Then repeat with a 0.010" jam COAL.
I've done this a few times, but I never used more than 0.008" jam. I'm not the expert, but I'm pretty sure any jam over 0.010" is unusual and extreme.

Next bit:
Berger published a white paper that encouraged loaders to experiment with very long jumps, like 0.080" and 0.120" and even higher. The paper said that you can find accuracy nodes around these values.

I have a Savage .223 bolt rifle that happens to shoot one of my standard AR15 loads very well. I discovered it by accident.
The COAL on the AR15 load is 2.250", which calculates to a 0.248" jump in the bolt gun. Yep, a quarter inch jump.
Important: the AR15 load is a 2750fps load in the AR, and not much different in the bolt gun.

This brings us to pressure.
If you are loading to maximum pressure, and your COAL is SAAMI spec so that the round will fit in any SAAMI spec magazine or chamber,
AND,
you then increase the COAL without changing anything else, so that the bullet is jammed 0.010" into the lands in your rifle,
OR,
you reduce COAL so that the bullet is MUCH farther off the lands than it was with the SAAMI COAL,
then you can encounter sudden and steep pressure increases.

How to encounter a pressure spike by changing COAL:
1 - Seat the bullet so deep that your nominal load is suddenly a compressed load. Powder-dependent.
2 - Change the COAL so that your "fast high-pressure round" is suddenly jammed way into the lands.
3 - Change the COAL so that your "fast high-pressure round" is suddenly a quarter inch off the lands instead of 0.020" off the lands. The huge increase in throat time can result in pressure spikes.

You can read how to evaluate extraction and spent brass for pressure signs. I'm sure you already have.

IME - I rarely load for maximum speed or pressure. There is always a large accuracy node in the 90%-of-max neighborhood.
Thus, when I shot those AR loads in the bolt gun, the risk of a pressure spike was pretty low because I wasn't already on the bleeding edge.

Long story short - yes, big COAL changes on hot loads can get you into trouble, but small COAL changes on nominal loads generally won't. SAAMI COAL is a guideline. And a helpful tool that allows you to be sure that your ammo will run in any standard gun. But benchrest guys regularly measure the distance to lands for their rifle, and then choose their starting COAL based on that value. They effectively ignore SAMMI COAL spec.

Hope this helps.
 
115 is pretty far off. I'd just toss all that data (and assumptions.) The math isn't straight linear. Its a pressure curve!
use the 125 data. Thats close enough and often a manual groups bullets with 2 grains as the same load. Like I said they make it pretty safe for some error because its inherently dangerous. So more wiggle room ads in safety.

So from what I see it looks like you did use the 125 gn data (17.8) and added .2gn's? If so that will be fine.
I recently stopped using the min loads and now usually start @ max - 10% and work up from there depending and how close the load is to what I'm starting with.

My opinion is your fine. If you want to shoot them go for it. If you want to mod your recipe down the roadz I'd go ahead and do it now or the primers and expensive bullets will be wasted. But me it sounds like id shoot these, and go from there.
I'd def. make sure you clean up those burrs around the case mouths before doing anything. Its sucks and its time consuming but necessary.
yes 125gr was my base min it seemed as the projectile got lighter on all data i looked call for more powder and same the other way as it gets into 200 plus gn goes down to like 8.0.

i can dial it back to 17.8 if you feel its "safer".

i am just double checking100x before i put my hands and face within 6 inches of this when firing..LOL
 
Bigger picture on seating depth:

A SAAMI spec is intended to make sure that a round will load and operate correctly in any gun that is chambered according to the spec.

If your round is slightly longer or shorter than SAAMI, it doesn't mean the round is dangerous in any way.

COAL priorities:
1 - A round that will fit in the magazine and feed reliably.
2 - Distance to lands.

Example:
AR15 standard COAL for use with magazines is 2.250". This length will operate in just about any AR magazine.
The bullet is actually waay back off the lands when it is chambered.
I have a 20" AR upper with NM front sights. I rarely use it. One of things I use it for is 200yard turkey head silhouettes at our annual Turkey shoot.
For that purpose, I have my own "match" load with a Nosler CC 69gr hpbt seated for a COAL that is 0.020" off the lands of that barrel.
I developed this load by measuring the distance to lands, and then subtracting 0.020".
The idea is that a jump of 0.015" to 0.030" is usually very accurate when all the other factors (brass, primer, charge, crimp) are taken into account.
That particular round has a COAL of about 2.28" (can't remember exact number off the top of my head).
It won't fit in any AR15 magazine.
The way I use it: insert an empty mag so the bolt locks open every shot, and then hand feed the gun each shot.
Why? Because it's fun to hit Turkey heads with an A2 AR when guys next to you are struggling to hit them with a scoped bolt gun. More specifically, I do it because it's good for noobs. It's educational. They get a better understanding of the potential of iron sights.

Hand-feeding individual rounds is a common practice in all types of competition.
Some people work really hard to develop half-minute ammo, and they don't want the rough action of chambering to affect their round, so they hand feed each shot.

Next bit:
Some people find the most accurate load is one that is jammed 0.005" or 0.010" into the lands.
They calculate distance to lands, and add 0.005", and load a few test rounds to that COAL, and evaluate.
Then repeat with a 0.010" jam COAL.
I've done this a few times, but I never used more than 0.008" jam. I'm not the expert, but I'm pretty sure any jam over 0.010" is unusual and extreme.

Next bit:
Berger published a white paper that encouraged loaders to experiment with very long jumps, like 0.080" and 0.120" and even higher. The paper said that you can find accuracy nodes around these values.

I have a Savage .223 bolt rifle that happens to shoot one of my standard AR15 loads very well. I discovered it by accident.
The COAL on the AR15 load is 2.250", which calculates to a 0.248" jump in the bolt gun. Yep, a quarter inch jump.
Important: the AR15 load is a 2750fps load in the AR, and not much different in the bolt gun.

This brings us to pressure.
If you are loading to maximum pressure, and your COAL is SAAMI spec so that the round will fit in any SAAMI spec magazine or chamber,
AND,
you then increase the COAL without changing anything else, so that the bullet is jammed 0.010" into the lands in your rifle,
OR,
you reduce COAL so that the bullet is MUCH farther off the lands than it was with the SAAMI COAL,
then you can encounter sudden and steep pressure increases.

How to encounter a pressure spike by changing COAL:
1 - Seat the bullet so deep that your nominal load is suddenly a compressed load. Powder-dependent.
2 - Change the COAL so that your "fast high-pressure round" is suddenly jammed way into the lands.
3 - Change the COAL so that your "fast high-pressure round" is suddenly a quarter inch off the lands instead of 0.020" off the lands. The huge increase in throat time can result in pressure spikes.

You can read how to evaluate extraction and spent brass for pressure signs. I'm sure you already have.

IME - I rarely load for maximum speed or pressure. There is always a large accuracy node in the 90%-of-max neighborhood.
Thus, when I shot those AR loads in the bolt gun, the risk of a pressure spike was pretty low because I wasn't already on the bleeding edge.

Long story short - yes, big COAL changes on hot loads can get you into trouble, but small COAL changes on nominal loads generally won't. SAAMI COAL is a guideline. And a helpful tool that allows you to be sure that your ammo will run in any standard gun. But benchrest guys regularly measure the distance to lands for their rifle, and then choose their starting COAL based on that value. They effectively ignore SAMMI COAL spec.

Hope this helps.

Not to derail the thread but that idea is genius. I never thought to just insert an empty mag into my AR to lock the bolt back when using it single shot. I've always looked clumsy holding the charging handle while looking for the bolt release, LOL. Thanks for the tip!
 
RE : The photo of the case capacity difference.

IF it were me (on my first try).......
I'd be trying for a COAL that matches (or is close enough) to a factory loaded cartridge that uses the same weight bullet.

I don't know what your powder is like. BUT, say it this way. Generally, it's NOT recommended to compress your powder. Yup.......some powders are really "fluffy". While some other powders aren't so much.

Mostly though.......
I would be looking at what my reloading manual says about this particular cartridge (considering the recommended bullet weight and powder combo).

Normally (when reloading ammo)......I don't encourage myself to try to reinvent stuff. Maybe, that is how I've managed to come this far? LOL.

Aloha, Mark
 
Not to derail the thread but that idea is genius. I never thought to just insert an empty mag into my AR to lock the bolt back when using it single shot. I've always looked clumsy holding the charging handle while looking for the bolt release, LOL. Thanks for the tip!
They make specific dummy mags for this as well. I've though about having my buddy print me one. But yeah a empty works too!
 
Bigger picture on seating depth:

A SAAMI spec is intended to make sure that a round will load and operate correctly in any gun that is chambered according to the spec.

If your round is slightly longer or shorter than SAAMI, it doesn't mean the round is dangerous in any way.

COAL priorities:
1 - A round that will fit in the magazine and feed reliably.
2 - Distance to lands.

Example:
AR15 standard COAL for use with magazines is 2.250". This length will operate in just about any AR magazine.
The bullet is actually waay back off the lands when it is chambered.
I have a 20" AR upper with NM front sights. I rarely use it. One of things I use it for is 200yard turkey head silhouettes at our annual Turkey shoot.
For that purpose, I have my own "match" load with a Nosler CC 69gr hpbt seated for a COAL that is 0.020" off the lands of that barrel.
I developed this load by measuring the distance to lands, and then subtracting 0.020".
The idea is that a jump of 0.015" to 0.030" is usually very accurate when all the other factors (brass, primer, charge, crimp) are taken into account.
That particular round has a COAL of about 2.28" (can't remember exact number off the top of my head).
It won't fit in any AR15 magazine.
The way I use it: insert an empty mag so the bolt locks open every shot, and then hand feed the gun each shot.
Why? Because it's fun to hit Turkey heads with an A2 AR when guys next to you are struggling to hit them with a scoped bolt gun. More specifically, I do it because it's good for noobs. It's educational. They get a better understanding of the potential of iron sights.

Hand-feeding individual rounds is a common practice in all types of competition.
Some people work really hard to develop half-minute ammo, and they don't want the rough action of chambering to affect their round, so they hand feed each shot.

Next bit:
Some people find the most accurate load is one that is jammed 0.005" or 0.010" into the lands.
They calculate distance to lands, and add 0.005", and load a few test rounds to that COAL, and evaluate.
Then repeat with a 0.010" jam COAL.
I've done this a few times, but I never used more than 0.008" jam. I'm not the expert, but I'm pretty sure any jam over 0.010" is unusual and extreme.

Next bit:
Berger published a white paper that encouraged loaders to experiment with very long jumps, like 0.080" and 0.120" and even higher. The paper said that you can find accuracy nodes around these values.

I have a Savage .223 bolt rifle that happens to shoot one of my standard AR15 loads very well. I discovered it by accident.
The COAL on the AR15 load is 2.250", which calculates to a 0.248" jump in the bolt gun. Yep, a quarter inch jump.
Important: the AR15 load is a 2750fps load in the AR, and not much different in the bolt gun.

This brings us to pressure.
If you are loading to maximum pressure, and your COAL is SAAMI spec so that the round will fit in any SAAMI spec magazine or chamber,
AND,
you then increase the COAL without changing anything else, so that the bullet is jammed 0.010" into the lands in your rifle,
OR,
you reduce COAL so that the bullet is MUCH farther off the lands than it was with the SAAMI COAL,
then you can encounter sudden and steep pressure increases.

How to encounter a pressure spike by changing COAL:
1 - Seat the bullet so deep that your nominal load is suddenly a compressed load. Powder-dependent.
2 - Change the COAL so that your "fast high-pressure round" is suddenly jammed way into the lands.
3 - Change the COAL so that your "fast high-pressure round" is suddenly a quarter inch off the lands instead of 0.020" off the lands. The huge increase in throat time can result in pressure spikes.

You can read how to evaluate extraction and spent brass for pressure signs. I'm sure you already have.

IME - I rarely load for maximum speed or pressure. There is always a large accuracy node in the 90%-of-max neighborhood.
Thus, when I shot those AR loads in the bolt gun, the risk of a pressure spike was pretty low because I wasn't already on the bleeding edge.

Long story short - yes, big COAL changes on hot loads can get you into trouble, but small COAL changes on nominal loads generally won't. SAAMI COAL is a guideline. And a helpful tool that allows you to be sure that your ammo will run in any standard gun. But benchrest guys regularly measure the distance to lands for their rifle, and then choose their starting COAL based on that value. They effectively ignore SAMMI COAL spec.

Hope this helps.
it does help of course. and thank you..
My biggest concern, and why i posted. Is it safe to shoot?
300BO
Powders at min or very close 18.00 (20.2 is max)... check
Case trimmed to acceptable length 1.350 min....check
Current rounds loaded vary COAL is between min 1.90-1.91max

NOW THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION
Safe to shoot?
OR
should i use the vihtavuori load data for COAL OF 1.976?
OR
Am i fine, but may need to seat bullet higher closer to 1.976

my biggest concern is SAFE TO SHOOT and work my way up around the 1.976 on next batch, or scarp it all and Start @ 1.976?
 
yes 125gr was my base min it seemed as the projectile got lighter on all data i looked call for more powder and same the other way as it gets into 200 plus gn goes down to like 8.0.

i can dial it back to 17.8 if you feel its "safer".

i am just double checking100x before i put my hands and face within 6 inches of this when firing..LOL
Typically from what I've seen is every .1gn increases roughly 10fps. *typically* , I wouldn't worry about it.. And .2 is a very low incremental step. I usually do .3 minimum steps. And up to .4 or .5gn.
most people usually do .5gn steps.

You're fine.
 
I should add an important note:

Distance to lands (D2L) is the distance from the bolt face to the point where the ogive of the bullet contacts the lands, in that gun.
The ogive, not the tip of the bullet.

D@L is different for each gun, and different for different bullets, because the ogive profile of different bullets is not the same.

So you can get an empty unprimed brass, and size it, and barely seat a bullet, and then gently chamber, and then gently extract that dummy round, and then measure the COAL from base to tip.

This Coal is the Coal for a round that places the bullet at the lands. For that bullet, in that gun.
If you subtract 0.020" from that Coal, then you will have a Coal that creates a 0.020" jump, for that bullet in that gun.

They make tools for these measurements, but I don't use them.
My approach has always been to make 3 dummy rounds with barely seated bullets, then chamber and extract each gently, then measure all three and average the values. Usually, with quality bullets, the 3 dummy lengths are all within 2 thousands.

Other people say this is wrong and you need to use the tool, but this is the kind of thing that a guy figures out for himself as he moves up the learning curve.

DS
 
RE : The photo of the case capacity difference.

IF it were me (on my first try).......
I'd be trying for a COAL that matches (or is close enough) to a factory loaded cartridge that uses the same weight bullet.

I don't know what your powder is like. BUT, say it this way. Generally, it's NOT recommended to compress your powder. Yup.......some powders are really "fluffy". While some other powders aren't so much.

Mostly though.......
I would be looking at what my reloading manual says about this particular cartridge (considering the recommended bullet weight and powder combo).

Normally (when reloading ammo)......I don't encourage myself to try to reinvent stuff. Maybe, that is how I've managed to come this far? LOL.

Aloha, Mark
im using lil gun and its well below neck i doubt im even close to touching powder let alone compressing it..
 
I should add an important note:

Distance to lands (D2L) is the distance from the bolt face to the point where the ogive of the bullet contacts the lands, in that gun.
The ogive, not the tip of the bullet.

D@L is different for each gun, and different for different bullets, because the ogive profile of different bullets is not the same.

So you can get an empty unprimed brass, and size it, and barely seat a bullet, and then gently chamber, and then gently extract that dummy round, and then measure the COAL from base to tip.

This Coal is the Coal for a round that places the bullet at the lands. For that bullet, in that gun.
If you subtract 0.020" from that Coal, then you will have a Coal that creates a 0.020" jump, for that bullet in that gun.

They make tools for these measurements, but I don't use them.
My approach has always been to make 3 dummy rounds with barely seated bullets, then chamber and extract each gently, then measure all three and average the values. Usually, with quality bullets, the 3 dummy lengths are all within 2 thousands.

Other people say this is wrong and you need to use the tool, but this is the kind of thing that a guy figures out for himself as he moves up the learning curve.

DS
i will work the D2L angle. if that number for this projectile is 1.976 (taking 0.020 in account from lands) then so be it.
or atleast tell me where my max is at.. then i know it will chamber without issues. Then im just concerned that its seated at least .308 in the neck. I'm guessing seating deeper will effect accuracy only as long as im not compressing powder.

Then PRESUMABLY as long as its within saami spec of COAL should be a shootable round..
 
My biggest concern, and why i posted. Is it safe to shoot?
300BO
Powders at min or very close 18.00 (20.2 is max)... check
Case trimmed to acceptable length 1.350 min....check
Current rounds loaded vary COAL is between min 1.90-1.91max

NOW THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION
Safe to shoot?
OR
should i use the vihtavuori load data for COAL OF 1.976?
OR
Am i fine, but may need to seat bullet higher closer to 1.976

my biggest concern is SAFE TO SHOOT and work my way up around the 1.976 on next batch, or scarp it all and Start @ 1.976?
Understand that when it comes to reloading, people are reluctant to tell other people, "Yes! Safe to shoot!"

If I read your data correctly, you have a minimum charge. Within bounds of reason, it is nearly impossible to create pressure risk when starting with minimum load, unless something else is terribly wrong.

If you look at a factory round, you can't really use that as a benchmark for seating depth unless you know the exact powder used in the round.
Some powders are bulky, some not.
The consideration here is case fill.
If you use a minimum charge of a very fluffy powder, it will fill the case as much or more than a maximum charge of denser powder.
Since commercial ammo is often made with powder that is not available to handloaders, this comparison is difficult or impossible.

Your loaded rounds are 1.905 average COAL.
That length is 70 thousandths shorter than VV data.
Shake the round by your ear. Can you hear the powder go chicka chicka chicka in the case?
If so, the powder is not compressed.

Use a sharpie to color the entire bullet, then carefully insert the round most of the way into the chamber, then gently close the bolt.
Then gently extract. If the lands of the barrel do not cut shiny copper marks into the black ink on the bullet, then you are not on or into the lands.

If you pass those two tests, then you have a minimum load, not compressed, and not into the lands. Very safe to shoot.

If you can't hear the chicka chicka, use a knife to score the bullet all around at the case mouth, then pull the bullet, then measure from score line to base of bullet. Then charge the case and measure from case mouth down to powder level. If the bullet measurement is greater than the case measurement, then you are compressing the charge.

It has been normal for decades to compress charges in rifle ammo. My 69gr .223 match load for a different bolt gun here is a compressed charge of 4895. Old school. Very accurate. 2800fps. Moderate pressure. No chicka chicka, ever.

However, we only compress charges intentionally. We don't do it by accident, and we don't do it with powders that are not intended to be compressed.

I can tell you that kabooms are rare and you really have to mess up pretty bad to create that kind of pressure.
However, I will tell you that everything you need to know about this round you just made, you can find out by doing the tests described above.
 
First of all do you have a pair of calipers and a set of comparitors for ogive measuring accurately? You will probably want a pair going forward.

Its not critical to know your jam. But can be handy. Or in this case where your starting more info is better just to make sure you know. The more experience you get you will see its a background factor.
Really you just want it to be accurate. You could start where your at just fine (if you want) and then find your accurate load. Then next five take that load and seat 3 to 5 rounds +.005" and next group +.010" next set +.015" and so on.
Knowing the jam won't REALLY matter because you SHOULD see pressure signs if things get too crazy (to far into the lands) then you know to stop. Take the most accurate of those groups and use that seating depth.
After that you can play with the load again just a tad. Up or down a few tenths of a grain and then that should be it.
If you happen to shoot thousands and thousands of rounds You could load 5 again seated +.005" again and shoot those. If they are more accurate thats your new seating depth.

Again you can do all this without KNOWING your B2L base to lands or D2L which is really also base to ogive. But knowing jam won't hurt and is easy to figure out. I use the same method as @baker3gun it sounds like we subscribe to the same info sources.
 

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