im having problems getting consistent oals using the gen2 bergers in my 338lm.we loaded up new lapua brass sized and trimmed and found the oal was varying as much as .010 using a hornaday comparator.i checked the bullet seater tonight to make shure it wasnt pushing off the tip and its not.has anyone else had trouble with these bullets?we loaded 250 scenars before with no issues.will a vld seater plug cure the problem?any ideas?
300g berger hybrid oal issues
- Thread starter llklein
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Broz
Well-Known Member
I would look at a varience in neck tension and or how the die is set up. I have found that , if your seating die will allow it ,, to set it up to contact the shell holder with a slight camover on the press handle. This insurres that an equal stroke is made for each round, especially at the last bottom of the handle stroke. It seems most presses will vary a little depending on speed snd pressure of the stroke. This method was suggested to me by Redding. I use comp bushing dies and a T-7 press. I have loaded over 250 of the Gen 1's and now 250 of the Gen 2's and never an issue. I check every round and all are to .0005"
Jeff
Jeff
Mikecr
Well-Known Member
It might seem hokey, but I would ask Bryan Litz with Berger.
IMO, it's likely that either your seater plug or comparator are resting too high on this bullet nose.
A hybrid ogive is more tangent to the bearing(shallowing angles).
If you get too high on this the contact could wedge a bit, screwing up your actual seating consistency(espescially if oversizing the necks), or your measurement of it.
IMO, it's likely that either your seater plug or comparator are resting too high on this bullet nose.
A hybrid ogive is more tangent to the bearing(shallowing angles).
If you get too high on this the contact could wedge a bit, screwing up your actual seating consistency(espescially if oversizing the necks), or your measurement of it.
jmden
Well-Known Member
The vast majority of that ogive is secant with only a very small bit of tangent ogive right as the ogive transitions to the bearing surface.
I have heard that Redding is now making new seater plugs for the VLD's. Might not be a bad idea checking into that. I doubt even these new plugs are very near the tangent portion of the 300 Hybrid ogive, but they should contact nearer the bearing surface than a standard seater plug.
Another way to get consistent OAL is to use a micrometer seating die, if you haven't considered that yet. I picked up the micrometer portion for a 338 Lap Imp seater die I already had from Forster earlier this year and it was only about $35. You seat 'em all about 6-10 thou long and then go back, using the micrometer portion of the seating die now, and adjust the micrometer the necessary number of thousandths for each round to get the seating depth for each exact. Learned this from Shawn Carlock's video on reloading. Just a little extra $ and time for the peace of mind knowing that your OAL's are all exactly the same.
Edit: Use the same (label it) Davidson's (Carlock's recomendation) comparator for this operation to ensure that the process is as exact as possible.
I have heard that Redding is now making new seater plugs for the VLD's. Might not be a bad idea checking into that. I doubt even these new plugs are very near the tangent portion of the 300 Hybrid ogive, but they should contact nearer the bearing surface than a standard seater plug.
Another way to get consistent OAL is to use a micrometer seating die, if you haven't considered that yet. I picked up the micrometer portion for a 338 Lap Imp seater die I already had from Forster earlier this year and it was only about $35. You seat 'em all about 6-10 thou long and then go back, using the micrometer portion of the seating die now, and adjust the micrometer the necessary number of thousandths for each round to get the seating depth for each exact. Learned this from Shawn Carlock's video on reloading. Just a little extra $ and time for the peace of mind knowing that your OAL's are all exactly the same.
Edit: Use the same (label it) Davidson's (Carlock's recomendation) comparator for this operation to ensure that the process is as exact as possible.
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SHRTSHTR
Well-Known Member
llklein,
Had the same problem with oals in my 338LAI. I was was using custom Neil Jones dies. Could not get consistent lengths with the seater.
Ended up taking the seater out of my Redding 338 Lapua dies and set it up in my Bridgeport mill and do all my seating on the mill now. Worked very well and problem solved. When I get some time I need to ream out my new Redding sleeves and then I can do all my reloading with the Redding dies.
Nice to hear Redding is coming out with a VLD seater
.
Had the same problem with oals in my 338LAI. I was was using custom Neil Jones dies. Could not get consistent lengths with the seater.
Ended up taking the seater out of my Redding 338 Lapua dies and set it up in my Bridgeport mill and do all my seating on the mill now. Worked very well and problem solved. When I get some time I need to ream out my new Redding sleeves and then I can do all my reloading with the Redding dies.
Nice to hear Redding is coming out with a VLD seater
.we are using rcbs std dies.we pulled the seater out and polished it up a bit in the lathe after marking a bullet and sticking it in the seater i noticed it wasnt touching the bullet it the same place all the way around.its hitting the bullet about 3/16 up from the tip.but was quite abit higher one one side of the bullet then the other.after polishing it we had a nice clean line around the bullet .were going to try it again and if we still have issues im going to order the redding set up with the vld seater and the mic.
thanks for all the input.
thanks for all the input.
I had problem with setting off tip in a forester die, I opened it up with drill,and no problem after that.In a related ? I was shooting hybrid , my new bullets are marked pn:33106 hybrid tactical otm,are these considered gen 2?
Broz
Well-Known Member
Yes. The new run is the "Gen 2" of the design with the improved jacket design and are labeled OTM
Jeff
