Was loading a 8mm Mauser round for my K98 and came across an issue that had me think twice before giving it the all clear to go and shoot it. The bullet is a 150gr Speer with the 'flat' back, not a boattail round.

Here is what I did:

- Got the measurement from my rifle to see what OAL (on the ogive) I would need to seat the bullet to so that it is .010 off the lands.
- Seated the bullet and checked my measurement to confirm this

Then I realized that there is only about .110 of the bullet left in the case. it holds firmly in place, but I have never seated a bullet this far out before and am unsure as to this being safe and/or condusive to being accurate.

Suggestions?

This is not direct advice concerning your post because I am unsure of the "correct" answer and don't want to give advice that may cause problems. However, I have always read that if the bullet is seated at least as far as the diameter of the bullet itself, you are GTG.

Again, not sure about your specific case, please allow someone with  much more experience than I to answer your question correctly.

That is EXACTLY what I've heard as well.  I also have no practical experience, so don't take my word for it.



Since 8mm = .314" you are too shallow at your .110 depth.

Never heard that before, but it's easy to remember.

I was unsure about the depth as it just seemed WAY too short for me and I wasn't planning on finding out the hard way.

That's what I've read in various reloading manuals.


You might google for a benchrest forum and ask there if you can find one.

Good advice from AeroE as usual.  

One other point, and I cannot independently verify the numbers, but QuickLoad shows a marked sensitivity of maximum chamber pressure to the amount of bullet shank in the cartridge (changing the useable case volume, ie. the COAL, changes the max. pressure quite a bit).  So, if you decide to vary the amount of engagement of bullet to case, particularly if you are headed toward decreasing useable case volume, then you should start back over with your workups.

As others have mentioned, and especailly in a Mauser action, you need at least one caliber of bullet in the case if not a full neck.  For Mausers this is critical as the bullet is what guides the loded cartridge up the feed ramp and supplies some of the torque to force the rim up under the extractor.  Because the Controlled Feeding cycle is so rough in a Mauser (and early Winchester 70's), too little bullet in the case will allow the bullet to be forced out of alignment in the chamber.  The 0.110" you mentioned will mostlikely push the bullet completely out of the cartridge mouth while feeding from the magazine.

On a side note, most military Mausers have extremely long throats.  Don't bother trying to touch the lands with your re-loads.  Just stick to the COAL listed in your manual.

MLG

On the one-caliber minimum seating depth, make sure you are measuring bearing surface, don't include the heel. In other words, a boat-tail bullet will need more overall length seated inside the case to achieve a one-caliber minimum of bearing surface than a flat-base will.



Bob

Case volume isn't as much of an issue unless you are near maximum and using faster powders.  With Varget in .223 Rem. or .308 Win, I find deep seated bullets with heavily compressed charges don't give high pressures.  Why?  Because with compressed charges, the bullet starts moving sooner, increasing the volume and keeping pressures low.



But deep seating with something like H322 or IMR 3031?  Different story.

OK, I'll be the contrarian again.

If your bullet stays fixed in the round during feeding you will be OK.

I have a 8mm I load with ~1/4" of bullet in the case neck.  Seating deeper destroys accuracy.

I used to load a 458 with 400 grain bullets in a 98 Mauser.  The rifling started pretty far out, and I could not reach the lands with a bullet on top of the case.  I made a new cannelure right above the base radius and put a hard crimp into the cannelure.  As a side benifit, I was able to load an extra 12 grains of 3031 for excellent accuracy and all the velocity I could stand.