Dummy rounds: Again, depends, I make transfers and standards I use for verifying, to call a case ‘a dummy round’ would be determined by who is going to use them. Then there is the practice round designed to be used for practice, show and parade, then there are inert.
Transfer and standards. I start by drilling the primer pocket/flash hole to a diameter that accommodates a cleaning rod for the purpose of pushing bullets out of the case and into the rifling when determining the length of the chamber for maximum COL. YES! WE all know! Weatherby rifles have free bore for jump starts/running starts, I am the fan of the running start, I want my bullets to hit the lands A-RUNNING, I do not want my bullets setting at the lands at a dead stop when everything behind it gets busy, because time is a factor. And, we all know the case COL of the case must allow the ammo to be feed through the magazine, that means loading shingle shot with disregard for the magazine, or the maximum OAL is determined by feeding through the magazine.
Back to maximum COL, when COL stands for the length of the loaded round from the head of the case to the tip of the bullet meaning the ‘O’ represents overall as in one word, Then there is COAL.
Transfers: A reloader can pile tools on the bench, tools are nice, not necessary but nice. I make transfers to adjust my seating die, that is the purpose of drilling the flash hole/primer pocket, I seat a bullet, remove the bolt then place the test case with bullet into the chamber, then, push the bullet out of the case until it contacts the lands, then I stop, I then carefully push the bullet out of the lands with a longer cleaning rod ‘carefully’. And that is it, no Hoirnady/Sinclair etc., tools and modified cases, and I have bullet hold. The neck of my drilled out cases have not been modified for easy bullet sliding, again, I am the fan of all the bullet hold I can get.
Purpose of making a transfer: I use the transfer to adjust my seating die for that chamber with that bullet, I place the transfer into the shell holder, raise the tam ‘THEN!’ adjust the seating die to the transfer, to avoid crimping the die must be adjusted off to avoid crimping first, after adjusting the die to crimp or not to crimp the seater plug is adjusted down to the bullet, once the seating plug is adjusted the height of the plug must be ZEROED with a height gage as on above the die. The height of the seating plug can be adjusted to seat the bullet off the lands by measuring the height of the seating plug.
WORKS, but more expensive, seating dies with micro adjusters, I have 7 seating dies with micro adjustable heads, but still, I have to have a transfer, other reloaders do not, they oile the tools on the bench and go back and forth with making an adjustment, remove, measure, place in the shell holder, raise the ram and start over.
I use transfers, I transfer dimensions of the chamber to the seating die with a case with the flash hole/primer pocket drilled out, if I drilled a hole through the case body I would still be required to drill the flash hole/primer pocket.
Head space: I skip head space and go straight to the length of the chamber from the shoulder/datum to the bolt face. Again, with cases with drilled out primer pocket/flash holes I form cases by controlling the length of the case from the shoulder back to the head of the case. My favorite case? The one that is too long to chamber because of the length of the case from the shoulder back to the head of the case. My favorite case must be sized to chamber, meaning I must shorten the distance from the shoulder back to the head of the case, not a problem, my presses and my dies are adjustable, all I am required to do is know how to adjust the die to the shell holder, and it helps to know how to measure the length of the case with tools from the shoulder back to the head of the caser, again, there are tools that accommodate that task, they are nice and expensive but not necessary.
Transfers, I use transfers as tools, it would cost me $80.00 ++ to purchase modified case for a Hornady/Sinclair type modified cases to accomplish the same task, I have a slight advantage, I have more bullet hold. Another method requires sheading the case neck to reduce bullet hold, again, I want all the bullet hold I can get, and, I do not have to worry if the bullet wants to stay jammed in the rifling.
F. Guffey