Q: Various reloading manuals that have a diagram illustrating cartridge dimensions show a shorter overall length for a particular cartridge loaded with a hollow-point bullet than a soft-point. Why is this?
When handloading for my .220 Swift, I seat bullets out so they just barely clear the lands of the rifling. The overall length of my reloads is often longer than what is listed as being maximum in the manuals, yet I seem to get the best accuracy when bullets are seated out farther.
Andrew Toth
A: Given two bullets with identical jacket form, but of soft-nose and hollow-point style, the overall length of the soft-nose bullet is greater because of the lead core extending from its nose.
Therefore, it follows that when both are seated out for the same ogive-to-rifling relationship, the overall length of the soft-point load will be greater than the same bullet loaded with the hollow point.
I found while working up loads for my .220 Wilson Arrow (a slightly altered .220 Swift) it shoots more accurately when bullets are seated out so that their ogives either just miss or kiss the lands of the rifling when the cartridge is chambered. Some rifles may be exceptions to the rule.
Hornady lists the maximum COL as 2.680” (68.07mm) with all bullet weights, but my reloads have a COL of 2.776” (70.51mm) with the 60gn V-Max, 2.736” (69.49mm) with the 60gn Berger and 2.795” (70.99mm) with the 50gn Ballistic SilverTip. All loads are superbly accurate.
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