Bullet Comparator Do you need it??

R

rickyb

New member
I just got my Hornady OAL gauge in along with the cases for my calibers. Reading the directions on this It says to use with their bullet comparator. First off I really didn't want to spend the extra bucks for this and second do I really need it. Here is how I thought I could do this when I purchased the OAL gauge. I would use lets say a Hornady 55gr Vmax with the OAL gauge and once I determined my length I could load up a round in my 22-250 and back the length I got off the gauge back .20 or .30 By doing this I would be backing off the lands. Am I missing something here or will my method work? Rick
 
I don't use mt OAL guage often but it is great when I need it.. You are correct in your method. I like to experiment with theauso I find the optimum size..
 
I don't know if you meant 20 or 30 thousandths, or 2 or 3 thousandths, but your method sounds correct.
I use a Sinclair comparator on calipers and I try to get 5 thousandths (.005) off the lands. I think the Hornady works a little different, but the end result is the same.
 
Thanks guys I did mean thousands. Could someone explain in simple terms how a bullet comparator works and why I would need it? Thanks Rick
 
No you don't need these rools. These are the types of trinkets and gizmos that cost money but are not neccessary. Then some reloaders say they don't "save" any money reloading because they have spent so much on equipment.

There are other free methods of accomplishing the same tasks those tools perform. And "most" typical reloaders won't benefit much from buying such tools. Are they worth the money? Depends on how big your budget is.
 
The comparator works by measuring to the ogive of the bullet instead of the tip.. This gives a much more accurate measurment.. If you also have a OAL gauge of some sort you pretty much know where your bullet lies in relation to the lands..
 
ricky b....the comparator has 2 other useful functions....it gives you a "standard" measurement that allows to you to share with other stoney point users what you're experiencing.....plus,it will indicate how much your barrel's throat has eroded beyond what it was when first measured.
 
rickyb,
The tool is essential if you intend to load anything longer than teh recommended length. Its very handy if you only intend loading to recommended length. You can't accurately measure where the bullet touches the lands or sits .020" from them without one. Why? because the length of a bullet varies slightly by up to .010". You can't sit .020" from teh lands if your variance is .010" and you can't sit .005" from the lands when you could be jammed into the rifling by .005".

Why do you want to go longer than recommended? Quite a few reasons, but the main ones are that sitting .020" from the lands can increase accuracy and seating the bullet out further increases case capacity which can give you more fps for the same round. Read the article on the Hornady site about seating depth and ask some one with a ballistics program like Load from a Disk about seating depth and its effect on fps.

If you want to reload consistant rounds and that is where accuracy and safety come from then you should get a simple bullet comparitor. I use a Sinclair
 
Happy Hunter said it right..! An OAL guage and comporater are well worth the money.If u are handy u can make the OAL gauge.
 
Originally Posted By: Happy_Hunterrickyb,

If you want to reload consistant rounds and that is where accuracy and safety come from then you should get a simple bullet comparitor. I use a Sinclair



Yep, you'll never get a consistent measurement of your bullet seating depth by measuring from base to bullet tip. You need to measure from base to ogive, and the comparator does that.
 
You don't need a rifle rest or sand bags to shoot off of either,but they sure do help accuracy!

I use a split neck case and a Davidson Ogive gage for the caliber available from www.sinclairintl.com

I think that the ogive gage is $12 or $14, best money you have ever spent!

Keith
 
Then does one use a custom seating stem that seats off the bullet ogive vs the nose?
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Originally Posted By: 3807patriotThen does one use a custom seating stem that seats off the bullet ogive vs the nose?
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You can keep going forever with this stuff. If you are using custom made barrels then it can be productive to use all soughts of stuf. If you are a hunter then you need to use what keeps it safe. Then there is stuff you get 'cause you want to do it. I do not need to neck turn - I do 'cause its fun. I do not need to use a Redding Comp Seating die - I do 'cause it got rid of out of round seated bullets. I do occaisionaly anneal the necks 'cause it stops necks from cracking - that's safety.

The point I make is that there are a few different hobbies going on here at the one time here. I like reloading so I do all kinds of hocus pocus stuff that will not make me a better hunter. I like to shoot targets for accuracy so I do all kinds of stuff that won't help me in the field (ie. shooting rests and wind flags) with shop bought rifles. I like to hunt, but turned necks and the fact I can shoot 1/2" groups from bag rests aren't going to make difference on a deer in the field at 150 yards.

If you want the challenge of making the best ammo on the block then go for it. I do and I enjoy it. If you want to improve your chances of hitting a coyote at 200 yards then practice shooting in field conditions. Trust me, most decent rifles that are bedded, cleaned and fed the right fodder will outshoot their owners. A concentric round does not mean anything shooting from the shoulder in the field.

So, in answer to your question: a Foster Ultra or a Redding Comp seating die is perfect for getting a consistant seating depth and a concentric round.
 
If you are only interested in whether or not your ammo will fit into your mag, just use your calipers to measure OAL (base to tip), set your powder measure once, and go for it, etc. That's (probably) good enough for hunting ammo (but it's really boring).

If you want to build accurate ammo, you need to be concerned with consistancy. By far the best way to do that is to start with the easy (and cheap) stuff, and a comparator is one of the prime examples of "easy and cheap".
 
DiRTY DOG : If you are reloading and not useing a bullet comparitor then you are "standing on the outside looking in". What are you useing,OAL? There is as much as 0.030" difference in lenght of bullets in the same box. PS: For all others. Hornady will make a modified case for you useing your fired case or buy one of their genaric cases. If you want to modife you own cases it takes a 9/32" or 7.3mm drill bit and a 5/16x36 tap, ENCO sell the taps.
 
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OK I got the HNDY bullet comparator in today and I understand that each different brand of .22 bullet will have a different measurement. Just for kicks I measured about 25 bullets out of one newly opened box of HNDY .224 55gr V maxes with the comparator and was measuring from the bullet base to the ogive and I came up with three measurement. .423,.425,.427. Will seating the bullet in the cases take care of these variances? Should I even worry about these variances? and the last question is there anything else the bullet comparator is used for other than measuring bullets off the ogive. Sorry guys just trying to learn?
 
I've found that on the .204 of mine that my Hornady OAL gauge and bullet comparator are of no use due to the deep throat. Reason being there's not enough bullet left in the modified case anywhere close, to the lands so I just load according to my mag for maximum length. Now with my .223 and 25-06, I set them both around .010" from the lands with good results.
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