Bullet Sorting

[barnesuser28]

well i am shooting Barnes so i think i will just sort them by base to ogive just to give me a more uniform seating depth. Barnes is usually pretty consistant with weight so i dont think i will sort them by weight.
Thanks for all the advice

[Bart B]

Originally Posted by barnesuser28

well i am shooting Barnes so i think i will just sort them by base to ogive just to give me a more uniform seating depth.

What does one measure relative to the bullet base for seating depth? Bullet base to case mouth, shoulder-neck junction (inside or outside), or some other part of the case?

Does your bullet ogive-to-base gage measure at the same point on the ogive that your bullet seater contacts?

I don't think a few thousandths spread in seating depth (bullet base to something) matters. Especially when there's a few thousandths spread in case headspace (shoulder datum to case head). There's enough spread in case volume itself to mask any difference in where the bullet base is. Seating a batch of bullets all having the exact same ogive-to-base dimension will put their bases at different points relative to the case shoulder, neck and mouth equal to the differences each case has at these places.

[elkaholic]

Originally Posted by Bart B

What does one measure relative to the bullet base for seating depth? Bullet base to case mouth, shoulder-neck junction (inside or outside), or some other part of the case?

Does your bullet ogive-to-base gage measure at the same point on the ogive that your bullet seater contacts?

I don't think a few thousandths spread in seating depth (bullet base to something) matters. Especially when there's a few thousandths spread in case headspace (shoulder datum to case head). There's enough spread in case volume itself to mask any difference in where the bullet base is. Seating a batch of bullets all having the exact same ogive-to-base dimension will put their bases at different points relative to the case shoulder, neck and mouth equal to the differences each case has at these places.

I agree. You may get rid of one variable while creating another.....Rich

[rscott5028]

Most anybody can shoot 2 MOA. Or, even produce an occasional 100yd bughole.

With a little diligence, a decent rifle, and good ammo, you should be able to consistently shoot MOA at longer ranges.

With a little more effort, sub-MOA.

But, due to the law of diminishing returns, it gets increasingly difficult from there on out to tighten up groups and to do so consistently and especially with long shot strings.

Folks often report sub-quarter-MOA performance who most likely aren't consistently doing so at long range in variable conditions.

But, even with a perfect rifle/load, it doesn't take much wind shift to open up groups beyond MOA at long range.

That said, a great shooter may well outperform a mediocre shooter at long range even with a lesser rifle/ammo.

So by all means, I recommend sorting/culling in order to eliminate extremes and to boost confidence. But, don't wear yourself out and forget to practice at long range and in the wind.

Load 20 after OCD prepping, sorting, and culling. And, shoot them at 500yds or more along side 20 without the excessive culling and determine for yourself if it's worth the extra effort.

-- richard

[barnesuser28]

Originally Posted by rscott5028

Most anybody can shoot 2 MOA. Or, even produce an occasional 100yd bughole.

With a little diligence, a decent rifle, and good ammo, you should be able to consistently shoot MOA at longer ranges.

With a little more effort, sub-MOA.

But, due to the law of diminishing returns, it gets increasingly difficult from there on out to tighten up groups and to do so consistently and especially with long shot strings.

Folks often report sub-quarter-MOA performance who most likely aren't consistently doing so at long range in variable conditions.

But, even with a perfect rifle/load, it doesn't take much wind shift to open up groups beyond MOA at long range.

That said, a great shooter may well outperform a mediocre shooter at long range even with a lesser rifle/ammo.

So by all means, I recommend sorting/culling in order to eliminate extremes and to boost confidence. But, don't wear yourself out and forget to practice at long range and in the wind.

Load 20 after OCD prepping, sorting, and culling. And, shoot them at 500yds or more along side 20 without the excessive culling and determine for yourself if it's worth the extra effort.

-- richard

thanks i will definantly try that out

[Bart B]

Originally Posted by rscott5028

With a little diligence, a decent rifle, and good ammo, you should be able to consistently shoot MOA at longer ranges. With a little more effort, sub-MOA.

To do that at 600 yards, you'll need to shoot under 1/2 MOA at 100 yards. And to do that at 1000 yards, your 100 yard groups cannot exceed about 1/4 MOA. All with velocity spread not to exceed 25 fps.

Groups don't open up directly proportional with range; never have, never will.

[rscott5028]

Originally Posted by Bart B

To do that at 600 yards, you'll need to shoot under 1/2 MOA at 100 yards. And to do that at 1000 yards, your 100 yard groups cannot exceed about 1/4 MOA. All with velocity spread not to exceed 25 fps.

Groups don't open up directly proportional with range; never have, never will.

BartB,

I'm actually glad to hear you as a competitive shooter say that. Because that's been my experience in contrast to a lot of internet fodder.

-- richard