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Just adjusting seating isn't where you need to start. You need to start working your powder charge to get it pretty dialed-in, then once you find a load with a powder charge that shoots the best out of your gun, then toy around with seating depth to fine-tune to squeeze all that accuracy out of it.I'm having trouble getting a load that will shoot with 168 vlds. I started with 69.5gr of h1000 and all i have adjusted is seating depth. I started touching the lands then backed out .010 then out to .040 then out to .080 then .120 best groups were at .01 and .04 off i shot six-shot groups and none were under "1. I have retumbo, h4831, imr 4831 and re 17-25 any suggestions where to turn next? should I stick with the best group's seating depth and load an assortment of powders to see which powder groups best?
p.s. Im shooting a brand new custom shilen 28" #6 1-8 twist barreled Savage off sand bags with a sightron siii 6-24. I broke in the barrel (per shilen instructions) with low velocity (minimun powder charge) 150gr cheap bullets before i started trying to work up this load.
best group so far has been with 120gr hp varmint bullets i shot as foulers
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All of my rifles shoot Berger VLD's and they are all different brands. My Weatherby .257 Accumark shoots them just fine it has a good bit of freebore. They are getting some jump in my A-Bolt II as well, b/c I fitted them to about 0.005" inside of the magazine length so they cycle.I have had this problem with Berger bullets. When you have a rifle that shoots them they shoot well, They are very sensitive to seating depth but often they will not shoot no matter what you do. I see this in freebored rifles the most. In these cases you need to switch to the Barnes LRH. The solid copper Barnes will typically shoot when the Berger will not. On the other side the Berger will shoot when the Barnes will not. Both are great bullets so I do not want this to be anti Berger. These two bullets behave radically different in the way they ride the bore ant throat of a rifle and therefore can help a loader determine what their barrel likes. The middle of the road is the Accubond. Its thicker jacket gives it a harder feel to the barrel somewhat like the Barnes but its lead core gives it a somewhat softer feel like a Berger. Be sure to check your crown! This will make all bullets shoot astray. Let us know how you progress
I was told this by Berger himself. It does make sense that the "fatter" hunting ogive will stabilize quicker and be less finicky than the VLD design. I am waiting to see if the thicker jackets on the hunting lineup also helps. I have had major problems with the 338 bullets at high velocitys "nose slumping" and jacket distortion. Both on loading and on firing. Thanks for your 2 cents worth mud runner!
No problem man. Just trying to do my part and help. I have been curious to try the Hybrids, however, I haven't had any issues or reasons to stray from the VLD's so far. Maybe I've just been really lucky that my barrels seem to like them?I was told this by Berger himself. It does make sense that the "fatter" hunting ogive will stabilize quicker and be less finicky than the VLD design. I am waiting to see if the thicker jackets on the hunting lineup also helps. I have had major problems with the 338 bullets at high velocitys "nose slumping" and jacket distortion. Both on loading and on firing. Thanks for your 2 cents worth mud runner!
