What length jacket do I need?

[PAT303]

I'd like to start looking into 30 cal swaged bullets but don't know what length jackets are needed,Reloading International are the only company I have found that will ship jackets to Australia and their jackets are 1'' to 1.4'' in length.What do I need to make 150grn,180grn and 200grn bullets?. Thanks Pat

[just bill]

I had Larry Blackmon make be a .308 rebated boat tail open tip die based on the 1.40 Berger, hoping to get 210-220 gr, maxed out at 225+.

[Wolftracker]

It depends on what style and Ogive you are looking to make. Lead tip or open tip, boat tail or flat base? A 6 caliber ogive allows for more lead in a slightly shorter jacket than a pointier 8 ogive. I do 6's in 30 caliber and trim them down to around .900 for the 150 to 160 grain range. 1.00" works for 160 to 170 gr, etc. It also depends on jacket design. Dave Corbin's VB jacket with the inside taper requires different trim lengths than a straight walled jacket would. A pinch trimmer is a highly desirable piece of equipment. If you are making something like a Berger VLD, the 1.4 would likely be needed for a 200+ grain open tip and would probably still work well further down the weight range somewhat below 200 grains.

[Gew]

1.15 inch jacket gives me a rebated boat tail 10s lead tip 175 grain bullet.

[PAT303]

Thanks for the replies,it gives me a better idea. Pat

[BT Sniper]

If you can find some commercial bullets at the weight you are looking for it will give you a pretty good idea of what jacket length to use also Typically the length of jacket doesn't grow to much when the final bullet is formed. I'll have to check some of my bullets before and after to get a better idea. Things change more so with boat tails and longer VLD type nose profiles.

BT

[PAT303]

Brain,thanks mate.I've been getting plenty of interest in other calibres now I've got the 22's sorted,I'd like to make 150-180grns for normal 308 loads plus 200-220 for subsonic,thinking outside the square I was looking at your bump die for taking .308 180grns up to .313 for military 30s etc. Pat

[mckenziedrums]

Pat... Forget about pointy nose for subsonic... It's "pointless"

I got a round nose point form die from RCE when I ordered my regular 30 cal dies as well. I can make 220gr out of the 1.15" jackets, no problem. You could make it a little lighter with less lead on the nose but I think that's a great weight for a subsonic bullet.

I think I posted them before but here's a picture of my 220gr ones:


The 1.15 should be able to get you the 6s-8s pointy bullets for target shooting as well as up to that 220gr or a little higher in a round nose profile. I was worried I'd need the longer 1.4 jackets to get the weight I wanted so I was very happy when I found out that wasn't the case.

[PAT303]

The 220grns RN's are for shooting camels,at 2200fps woodleighs 220grns out of either a 303 or 308 are good no fuss killers,subsonic they are good when sneaking up close.

[M.A.D]

I have about 4000 1.4 inch jackets left, send me a pm , im in QLD