Seating depth

[william l evans]

I have a armi sharps 45-70. I set-up two dummy loads using a 405gr wfn and the 535gr. postell boolets. I seated them long and
loaded them in the breech. I then seated them a little at a time until they would chamber and the block would close. They are touching
the rifiling,but not engraving. Is this the proper seating depth? The 405gr slug sticks out .030 farther that the crimp grove. The 535gr
sticks out .220 farther than where I would normally taper crimp it. Which method would likely produce the best accuracy.

I shoot the 405gr wfn in my 1886 crimped in the crimping groove just shy of the rifiling, it shoots accurately. I am using 15gr. of unique and would like to be
able to use the 405gr in either gun. Is setting the crimp .030 short of the rifiling in the sharps too far?

[koger]

Try both bullets, 5 shots each,seated to crimp an touching, load for what works the best!

[country gent]

Try it and see. alot will depend on fit in the rifles throat. I have some loads hat are off the rifling and do fine while others need to be "on" the rifling. What I would recommend is to start with you load 10-15 rds and work up in length .010 in length each group to touching. Let the rifle tell you what it wants. By on the rifling I normally am .005-.010 off it. These rifles have little camming action and a slightly to long round binds them up, even rounds that go with thumb pressure after a days match or testing your thumb is pretty tender.

THe 535 Lyman postel shoots very good in my 45 caliber rifles, 3-45-70 and 1 45-90.I load it as above just barely of the rifling and a full dose of 1 1/2 F Olde Ensforde. Have shot it to 500 yds with good effect. My rifles are a pedersoli 1874 Long Range soule long range rear and wind Gage front. A Remington roller with badger barrel 32"s long. MVA long range soule and wind Gage front. and a BRC brochardt with BRC barrel and 6x mva scope. these are the 45-70s. Th 45-90 is a C Sharps Hepburn with 34" green mountain barrel. This rifle has no real throat and the leade is right off the case mouth. A nice set up for paper patched bullets. I seldom recommend a crimp in the single shots and the lightest neck tension. I hand seat all my ammo to the powder wad stack. BUt this is for BP

[marlinman93]

It's a good place to start, and see how they shoot. Don't worry about crimp grooves, or even crimping. Just use enough crimp to hold tension on the bullet so they don't slip.