Dumb Question 7685

[warren5421]

I load black powder most of the time. In loading black powder I load as long as I can for the rifles and pistols, not the book OAL. I always load as close to OAL in loading manuals as I can with smokeless. "Dumb Question"Is long OAL bad in using smokeless?

[littlejack]

Depends on the circustances. In a rifle with full power loads, if you seat your projectile out far enough to jam it into the rifling, your pressure could rise to a very dangerous level when fired. Back a few thousandths off the rifling. In a revolver, you can load your projectile out long until said projectile sticks out the chambers. Then you have a problem, i.e. the cylinder won't be able to turn. In a semi-auto pistol using magazines, you would have to seat your projectiles deep enough in the case to fit in the magazine. Also, if you seat your projectile to deep, there is a good chance of over pressure when fired. Some pistols are very finicky about seating depth, and may not chamber the round if the projectile is not seated to suit that particular pistol.