Can I increase my length to almost the lands, without going back to starting loads?

[hc18flyer]

I am loading 38 grains of H4895 in a 358win, under a RCBS 35-200 and want to increase my oal to .005 off the lands. Can I do so safely or do I need to start over? I am hoping to tighten my groups at moderate velocity(1900 fps) for hunting. THANKS in advance for your replies!

[Love Life]

Yes, you can do that.

As long as you have no pressure signs, and are not JAMMING deep, then you should be fine.

I prefer to do all rifle load development Jammed, and then I adjust seating depth away from the rifling if I feel it is necessary.

[Sensai]

+1 to Love Life's post. The main thing is to be sure that you are indeed off the lands. If there's any question, just back off the charge a grain or two and develope the load from pressed into the lands. Then it's always safer to shorten the OAL than to lengthen it in bottleneck cartridges, not necessarily so in pistol though. More than once, I've found a load that was developed with less powder, but touching the lands, to be more accurate and actually have a high velocity than one that was off the lands. Only your rifle can tell you what it likes. :-D

[hc18flyer]

How far into the lands would you start? Just touching? Into the lands .005? I can test some smaller charges into the lands and, 38 grain loads of H4895 off about .005. Thanks Guys!

[blwillson]

Smoke the boolit in a an unprimed case and chamber the round. Keep deepening until it doesn't contact the lands. If it's contacting the lands when fired it can spike the pressure -- that's what I've read in handloader mag

[leadman]

If you might use these loads for hunting or match shooting you may not want them into the lands. Sometimes the boolit is pulled out of the case when it is removed from the chamber. Then you have powder in your action.

it is safe to lengthen the cartridge from a short overall length to just short of the rifling. Going from a long overall length to a short overall length can raise the pressures.

[Old Coot]

Many years ago I got a new Ruger M77 243. While I was working up loads I put that 100 gr. bullet out as for as I could. In fact it was touching the lands . The loads were accurate, but had flattened and cratered primers, and were 4gr below max. Finally I backed the bullet back into the case. The pressure signs went away, and it was less accurate, but still quite a good shooting rifle.
/Blacken the nose of your bullet in a case without primer or powder and keep pushing it back into the case until it no longer contacts the rifling. Measure the COA and see just how close you are to what published values be. Record it in a book and keep all your reloading records someplace safe where they won't get ruined.
Brodie

[Sensai]

First, I'm posting about bottle neck rifle cartridges. Straight walled cartridges are an entirely different animal! The fact that the pressure will be higher with the bullet pressed into the lands is exactly why I DEVELOPE my loads with the bullet pressed into the land. When I start getting pressure signs with the bullet pressed into the lands I know two things. One is that the pressure is as high as I should go with those bullet/powder/ primer components in that rifle. The second is that I should be safe at shorter OALs. If you develope your load with the bullet off the land and go up until you get pressure signs, you will be in dangerous territory if you extend the OAL and the bullet touches the lands. To quote Dirty Harry, "A man's got to know his limitations." [emoji6]

[Love Life]

You are safe.

Even on straight walled pistol cases, .005 difference in OAL can occur just cuz' your seating die hates you, all your boolits are not the same, a small lube build up in the die, etc.