Have you had success getting Nosler ABLR bullets to group well?

[Mike D Texas]

If so please post your method. I've shot hundreds of these things in various calibers and I just cannot get them to produce what I consider an acceptable group. I really want to run these bullets because they should be an excellent hunting bullet and I get outstanding velocities with them in all my rifles. I just havent found the magic trick to good groups with these yet.

This is yesterday's example. 260AI with a 24" 7.5 twist Brux barrel. This barrel will hammer .25 MOA groups all day long with 140 Berger VLD hunting bullets. The shots below are (5) 5 round groups in a ladder increasing .3 grains at each target. The only one I deem even somewhat acceptable is the center target And I know the gun is much more capable than that.

 

[JMW67]

sold everyone I had for the same reason

 

[xsn10s]

If so please post your method. I've shot hundreds of these things in various calibers and I just cannot get them to produce what I consider an acceptable group. I really want to run these bullets because they should be an excellent hunting bullet and I get outstanding velocities with them in all my rifles. I just havent found the magic trick to good groups with these yet.

This is yesterday's example. 260AI with a 24" 7.5 twist Brux barrel. This barrel will hammer .25 MOA groups all day long with 140 Berger VLd hunting bullets. The shots below are (5) 5 round groups in a ladder increasing .3 grains at each target. The only one I deem even somewhat acceptable is the center target And I know the gun is much more capable than that.

I haven't got to try the ABLR's but the AB's have something in common. Due to the manufacturing process they have a soft jacket and foul very easily. So to get the best accuracy it's very common to have to start with a perfectly clean barrel with no other jacket material in the barrel. And I mean no other jacket material in there. Kind of like when developing mono bullet loads. I hope that helps.

 

[badthirtyone]

I have had pretty good luck so far in loading the 142 ABLR's in 6.5 CM.

These are some of my work up targets from last summer. Shot at 200 yards.

I think they definitely show promise, and I am hoping to get in the .3 MOA range consistently.

I am still working up in charge weight, as I was not super impressed with the velo's I was getting (2750's), but I'm also not trying to get 3k out of these, so when I have more time on my hands I am going to continue the work-up and would be happy at 2850-ish.

Keep in mind that my initial results were with virgin brass, so I expect to be able to get more velocity & more consistent results on the second firing of this brass.

Details/Specifics of above targets

Rifle - Savage 10T-SR
Barrel - 24"
Twist - 8
Brass - Virgin Hornady 6.5CM
Primer - Fed GM210M
Powder - H4350 - various weights, pictured are 42.5 & 43 gr
Bullet - 142 ABLR
COAL - 2.867"
Jump - .010" off lands
Distance - 200 yds

I got what I would consider mid-process into these loadings, but had to focus on some other long range rifles and issues last year, so I have yet to re-visit these. Again, I'd say that I was overall very happy with them, and believe that they show good/great promise.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

There are a few bullets that won't shoot in ANY of my rifles. Old style Barnes X (pre-groove), Nosler E-tips, and the ABLR bullets. Some say to load the ABLRs .100" off but that didn't work for me either. I use the balance of what I have for fouling clean barrels.

FWIW - I load for one of my buddies. His 6.5 Creed shoots very well with the 142 ABLR. But I found it overly destructive at moderate range. An 8 point buck which was shot in the neck at about 100yds had the whole side of his neck blown off. A smaller doe (unknown distance) had an exit hole in her chest that you was bigger then your fist.

 

[gbett308]

Try to adjust your COAL, that did the trick for me.

 

[Idaho Lefty]

Personally , We're STAYING with,.. Berger's
Will, Neck shoot, a Bull at under, 100 yards and "Boiler Room" him, past that, to, 700 yards !
Super 1/2 MOA, accuracy for US, in 7mm-08 with, the 168 HVLDS and 140 gr. Cl. Hunters, in the .270 WSM !
Reg. AccuBonds and ELD-X's were, OK, but,.. "Killed slowly" ,.. for us ( on last 2 Bulls ).
Did think, long and hard about, the ABLR's as, I think it's a great "concept",.. but,.. no !

 

[26Reload]

The Lrabs are designed for longer distances......all calibers....as told by Nosler rep.....500 and out....
Accubonds are designed for closer ranges....
BUT...
A few deer I've taken have had 142lrab ran from one end to the other end....with imperfect shots...but nearly perfect mushroom....
In my 65284s I'm trying to be around the magic number of 2950fps...with jump..not perfect on paper....
buddy is shooting his jammed at 2890fps and bug holing.....
They both still take game...

 

[Mike D Texas]

Personally , We're STAYING with,.. Berger's
Will, Neck shoot, a Bull at under, 100 yards and "Boiler Room" him, past that, to, 700 yards !
Super 1/2 MOA, accuracy for US, in 7mm-08 with, the 168 HVLDS and 140 gr. Cl. Hunters, in the .270 WSM !
Reg. AccuBonds and ELD-X's were, OK, but,.. "Killed slowly" ,.. for us ( on last 2 Bulls ).
Did think, long and hard about, the ABLR's as, I think it's a great "concept",.. but,.. no !

I lately have a love/hate relationship with Bergers. I've been shooting the hunting VLDs in several calibers for many years. Seems like lately (with last 2 years) something changed with them. I used to get pass throughs every single time, even on a 257 Wby at 3600fps muzzle velocity. But here lately pass through are less common if not non-existent; even on mild calibers like my 308 at 2800fps and 175 VLD hunting.

I love them because they shoot fantastic in pretty much all my rifles. I hate them because regardless of your stance on getting a pass through, I want it to pass through and leak blood from 2 holes rather than one.

Where I hunt we have a lot of CRP fields and if you don't drop them and don't have more holes leaking blood, your gonna have a tough recovery on your hands. When you are wading through 3-4' high grass it's tough.

 

[Mike D Texas]

The Lrabs are designed for longer distances......all calibers....as told by Nosler rep.....500 and out....
Accubonds are designed for closer ranges....
BUT...
A few deer I've taken have had 142lrab ran from one end to the other end....with imperfect shots...but nearly perfect mushroom....
In my 65284s I'm trying to be around the magic number of 2950fps...with jump..not perfect on paper....
buddy is shooting his jammed at 2890fps and bug holing.....
They both still take game...

I don't have a lot of play in this chamber on this gun. The reamer was set up to shoot 140 Bergers at BDL Mag length so these sit at 2.850" with 2.900" touching the lands. I've always heard they prefer a bit of jump. Maybe seating closer to the lands is the ticket.

 

[Mike D Texas]

Try to adjust your COAL, that did the trick for me.

What jump did you find yours preferred and what caliber?

 

[Mike D Texas]

I haven't got to try the ABLR's but the AB's have something in common. Due to the manufacturing process they have a soft jacket and foul very easily. So to get the best accuracy it's very common to have to start with a perfectly clean barrel with no other jacket material in the barrel. And I mean no other jacket material in there. Kind of like when developing mono bullet loads. I hope that helps.

This barrel was scrubbed prior to load testing. I did shoot 3 fouler shots with some Bergers I had but that was it.

 

[MagnumManiac]

My only question is this; how far off the lands are you seating the ABLR?
I have been using the 150g ABLR in a 270Bee since they came out, half inch groups are the norm, seated to max mag length.
Also use them in (142g ABLR) in my 264WM seated .030" off with less than half inch groups, the 129g ABLR weren't as good, but still 3/4 MoA.
The 210g ABLR out of 3 of my 300WM all group below 3/4MoA without much fuss. They are seated .040", .030" and one likes .015". Haven't tried than in my 3.4" mag length rifles, take up too much powder space.
Your middle group looks promising, have you tweaked seating depth or changed primers?

Cheers.

 

[jimbires]

I often read guys have problems getting these to shoot well , so it's not just you .

I've only played with them in 2 rifles . they do shoot ok for me .

the green tape target spot is shot from 200 yards using my 7mm mashburn super mag .


the pink colored targets are shot at 100 yards with a 260 rem . I think all the info is on the targets .