22 CAL 90GR VLD Bergers Tumbling

SidTheKidd · #1 05-20-2011, 08:03 PM

I have an interesting situation with my 22-243 win. I was hoping to shoot the 90gr VLD out of my gun. The gun has a 1:7 twist. Which is what Berger recommends. I was shooting the 90gr VLD with a charge of 44 grn retumbo. I managed to chronograph them before they started tumbling and was getting around 3175 fps.
The bullets that I was shooting were a pretty old batch of 90gr VLD's. Lot # 000827 to be exact. Are these bullets different in some way from the newer ones? I have a unopened box of new 90 grn VLD's Lot # 3166. Wondering if it would be worth it to try them too?

Does anyone have a suggestion on why they would be tumbling out of the gun?

The gun shoots 80 Amaxs really well 5 shot group in the .5's with a velocity of 3350 fps.

Thanks in advance.

loaders_loft · #2 05-20-2011, 11:05 PM

you should contact berger on monday and see what they say

DZelenka · #3 05-20-2011, 11:27 PM

About 5 years ago a number of us shot 90 gr JLK VLDs out of service rifles and match rifles. Even with .22 BRs, we always used a 1:6.5" twist to stabilize them. I know that Berger says that 1:7" is the minimum, but no one that I knew shooting the 90s ever had luck with a twist that slow.

Dan

backwoods83 · #4 05-20-2011, 11:36 PM

Slow em down to about 3050fps and give it a try.

Mikecr · #5 05-21-2011, 08:23 AM

backwoods is all over it.
Your twist is fine, but your energy/RPM's exceed the bullet's integrity. It's falling apart.

Reduced velocity or newer Bergers(thicker jackets) would probably fix it.

SidTheKidd · #6 05-21-2011, 10:27 AM

Yeah I was wondering if the newer 90 VLDs have a thicker jacket. I know that the ones that I loaded were pretty old. Did they change them since the 90 VLDs came out?

I kinna want to keep my speeds up as high as I can go. I like the grouping and speed that I am getting with the 80 Amaxs, plus I think that I can go faster with them...3450ish.

The 90 VLDs going 3200 with a BC of 550 would be pretty awesome ballistically, which is what I am shooting for out of this gun.

Thanks for all the replys already,
Sid

Mikecr · #7 05-21-2011, 11:55 AM

How bout an experiment we can all learn from?
Incrementally download with your old VLDs.
Backwoods is thinkin they'll hold together at ~3050fps, I think ~3015fps.
Show us the velocity where failures consistently stop.

Then,
Incrementally upload with new VLDs, same thing in reverse.

This will tell us how well Berger's recent efforts payed off.