How deep to seat?

[L. Cooper]

Varmint Hunter's advice is sound. I break it all the time, however. It's like anything else that has "rules". Once you know why the rule is there, you can break it when the factors that make the rule necessary aren't there.

If you are shooting a single shot rifle there is no real need for that extra "hold" on the bullet. Any time you are going to single load each round, or just know you can be careful with each one (like I can be when I am shooting gophers with my 22-250 from a single spot in a big field) you can load them with less bearing surface and have no troubles.

For all round that will be subject to recoil in the magazine, or rough handling like when hunting, I follow V. H.'s rule about one bullet diameter of bearing surface. The rest of the time I load to the COL that produces the best accuracy and just be careful with them.