Inconsistent Bullets From Nosler

[JUG BUSTER]

I reload bullets for my 270. Win and I use 150 gr. Nosler ballistic tips. According to my reloading book my bullet seating depth is 3.340. I set my die for that and started reloading. I went to the range an was not holding a consistent group at 200 yards. I reloaded some more of the same bullets and took the time to check the loads at every stage of the reloading process from trimming to primers to grains of powder. After reloading a box of 20 bullets I noticed a difference of 30 thousanths from shortest bullet to longest bullet. I know that this can throw off accuracy. I was wondering if any one else has had this problem?

 

[Mike 338]

I've noticed the Long Range Accubonds are very consistent. You can't find them 100% of the time.

 

[RT2506]

I hope you are saying that your LOADED rounds are measuring 30 thousands difference in over all length by as much as 30 thousands from tip of bullet to base of case. If your bullets all by themselves have a difference of 30 thousands in length SEND THEM BACK TO NOSLER because something is really wrong. You really need a bullet comparator that will allow you to measure your over all length from the bullets ogive to the base of case to get your real over all length. It is where the bullets ogive to lands measurement is concerned where you will find or loose accuracy. Many times the tips of bullets will be a little longer or shorter but they should have the same measurement from ogive to base of bullet. You also have to take into account that these bullets are not all made in the same forming dies. You might have gotten bullets from different dies in the same box and there might be slight differences in ogive to base measurement.

 

[pods8]

Outside of the bullet length varying (the tips can vary some, ideally the ogive is consistent in a lot): Just to be clear that is their suggested starting point, do not necessarily expect that is going to be a great (or even good) seating depth for YOUR gun, that's usually a safe depth they list for a starting point.

In my 30-06 a good seating depth for a certain bullet happens to be a COAL of 3.462 and backing away from that the accuracy goes to crap. That is what is accurate in my gun, loads shorter than that are safe to fire but they aren't accurate.

 

[MagnumManiac]

If you're measuring from case base to bullet tip, then yes, there will be discrepencies in length due to the plastic tip. If you measure to the ogive, they should be consistent if from the SAME BATCH, but I have seen differences from one box to another in ogive shape and length in the SAME WEIGHT.
I have also encountered a box of 6.5mm 140gr Accubonds that had 1 338 225gr Accubond in it and it was short on the correct number of 6.5's. I have several boxes of these, unopened, and I hope I don't find more 'unwanted' additions in them!

Cheers.
gun)

PS: Nosler bullets always shoot well in my rifles, so I can overlook a few discrepencies here and there.

 

[JUG BUSTER]

I haven't had a chance to measure an individual bullet not seated in a casing but I thought of another possible problem. I think were the bullet starts to taper down to a point is not exactly in the same place on every bullet therefore my die cannot seat the bullets to a consistent length every time.

 

[pods8]

OAL to bullet tip isn't what you are concerned with being consistent. It's ogive in relation to the rifle lands that matters. Your die is pushing on the same diameter section of the bullet every time so unless there are gross forming differences in the machine the bullets will be seated fairly consistent from a lot. Note tips will show some variation as already noted but you don't need to concern yourself much with the tip specifically.

 

[tim_w]

JugBuster,

When you get a chance you need to check the specs on the actual bullets themselves. Doing that with an comparator that measures off a position along the bullets ogive area not the tip to its base. Measure the diameter along its body (bearing surface).You also can weigh them with your powder scale.

Unless there is an issue (defective) with a lot that go past QC most of the premium bullets these days are quite consistent where it counts. Berger is the best other than some I use that are turned on a CNC microlathe. Even the Berger can have some small variation when you measure to the tip(no appreciable effect on accuracy) so it would not surprise me at all or I would even expect Nosler's to have at least the same if not larger tolerance for bullet OAL.

According to my reloading book my bullet seating depth is 3.340.

Are simply going off recommended defaults in a load manual or are these your personal notes from past loads? Its not clear to me from your post is the reason I ask. My guess is its from a published reloading manual but I wanted to be sure.

* Is this a load recipe you have used before in this gun or is this totally new in terms of this load?

* What is the actual load recipe ( powder type weight, primers, prepped brass specs, etc)?