7mm and Berger 168 VLD

[txsendero]

Hoping you guys can offer some suggestions on where I can go from here. 7mm Rem Mag, 26" barrel, trying to get the 168 Berger VLD to shoot well. Worked up to 71.5 gr. Retumbo in half grain increments, then started trying seating depths from .005" off lands to .020" off, in .005" increments. The loads @ 71 gr and 70.5 gr seated .005" off the lands are promising, with 2 in same hole, and 1 out (sometimes 1st and 2nd in same hole, sometimes 1st and 3rd in same hole), but still nothing better than about 1-1/2" group. Using Federal brass, CCI 250 primers. I would really like to shoot these bullets, but right now my best groups are actually Rem factory ammo w/150 gr. Sciroccos (3/4"). Any ideas on what to try next?

 

[Magnus]

I have a custom with a 30" tube and I shoot the 168gr VDLs! I use H4831, Federal GM primer, Nosler brass and seat the bullets on the rifling!
Hope this gives you an idea!

 

[tjonh2001]

give h4831 a try

the thing with berger vlds it can take awhile to find your load. i think it took me around 1o different loads till i started to see improvment. i am useing a remignton 700 in 7mmwsm with a 28" broughton barrel. i shoot the 168 bergers with h4831, this has been my best powder. i am also using this in my 6x47 lapua with 105 vlds. try some h4831 they seem to like it.

 

[shootinfool]

I use 64.9 gr of 7828 ssc in a winchester casing with a federal lrm primer. I seat the bullet .005 into the lands and grooves of the barrel. Consistant sub 1/2 moa all day long. It took alot of working up loads with different powder and seating depths to find this one. About the only powder that I didn't try was Retumbo. Is there any work done to the gun? what distance are you shooting at, 100, 200?

 

[txsendero]

It is a Sendero that has been glass bedded by Briley, has a 2.5 lb Rifle Basix trigger, and the action and barrel have been cryoed, and has a Briley muzzle brake.

 

[shootinfool]

Try pushing them into the lands and grooves anywhere from .005-.015. I know when I started working up a load for my rem 700 pss in 7mm mag, I starded at .005 and worked my way out to .020. The shot groups varried and some were good and some were bad but most werren't repeatable. One day one combo would work out and the next it wouldn't be good. I talked with walt berger and he said to try putting them into the lands and grooves. This would make sure that the bullet is strait with the barrel. This might not work in some guns that aren't trued up. When I tried this, it solved the problem 100%. All the groups with the 7828 ssc powder were about half inch at 100. I was very pleased with this. I also read a post on here earlier that with the vld's you want to shoot at 2 or 300 yards instead of grouping at 100. This will allow the bullet to stabilize with some extra flight time. I tried this and the gun was shooting at about 1/3-1/2 moa. Hope this helps.

 

[wnroscoe]

Berger VLD Bullets

Find one of your cases that has an ID of .282" to .2825", apply sizing die wax or another type of case lube on the bearing surface of the bullet, seat it long and close the bolt on it. It's my finding that this will be approx. .010" +- 005" in the lands. This is where all of my Bergers have shot. VLD's are seating depth sensitive but this method has worked for me very well. Good luck and good shooting.

William

 

[linksmechanic]

I seat my 180's in to the land's and shoot in the .2's consistently w/ a stock sendero II w/ trigger turned down. Retumbo shoots the best for me as does nosler brass and 215 gm primers.

 

[adam32]

Can you guys still use your rifles as repeaters? I am trying to get the 168 VLD's to shoot good in my Ruger, but the longest I can make them is 3.33 to still fit in my mag. Right now they are shooting all over.

 

[shootinfool]

Yes, I can still fit rounds into the mag. I have heard alot of people that buy stock guns can't seat them out to the lands and grooves and still fit bullets in the mag though. If your gun has lots of "head space" then it will have to be seated out further to touch the lands and grooves which will make the round too long to fit in the mag. As far as I know the only way to fix this is to replace the barrel with a custom that is fit to your action which would reduce this gap. I think that this is a problem with the stock guns all around. I could be wrong about this though.

 

[drenge]

Sight in for longer range to allow bullet to stabilize????

My question is: How can this be??? Your bullet does not have fletchings on it like arrows. I always thought your bullet is either stabilized right out of the muzzle because of the right twist rate in your barrel (and the quality of your barrel), barrel harmonics (the right node), or it's not. Either the quarterback throws a lame duck or a tight spiral - not a lame duck that suddenly turns into a tight spiral.

How can a bullet that is on a plus moa path at 100 yards suddenly be .5 moa at 300? It can't just change directions from it's established course. I understand sighting in at 300 yards (and 800 plus for that matter) for reasons of validating your trajectory or measuring extreme spreads, etc. But allowing your bullet to stabilize???

 

[txsendero]

Well, after trying a Redding FL S Type bushing die, got the Berger 168 VLD to go 3035 fps and is shooting a bit better than .5" groups w/73 grains Retumbo @ .020" off the lands, WW brass, Fed 215 primers. Took a while to find, but worth it now.

 

[ol mike]

Sight in for longer range to allow bullet to stabilize????

My question is: How can this be??? Your bullet does not have fletchings on it like arrows. I always thought your bullet is either stabilized right out of the muzzle because of the right twist rate in your barrel (and the quality of your barrel), barrel harmonics (the right node), or it's not. Either the quarterback throws a lame duck or a tight spiral - not a lame duck that suddenly turns into a tight spiral.

How can a bullet that is on a plus moa path at 100 yards suddenly be .5 moa at 300? It can't just change directions from it's established course. I understand sighting in at 300 yards (and 800 plus for that matter) for reasons of validating your trajectory or measuring extreme spreads, etc. But allowing your bullet to stabilize???

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It's true -sometimes the bullet hasn't " gone to sleep " at 100yds. ,it takes a little longer for the long vld bullets to fully stabilize.

Many people have seen 3/4" groups at 100yds. print 3/4" groups at 200-250yds.

 

[gamedog]

I've shot this combo in a buddies custom rifle. My first experience shooting over 400 yards.
We started shooting at 930 yards and ended out to 1100 yards.
That's all it took for me to be hooked
No looking back!