Reloading Berger hybrid OTM

[klemm]

Do I need to follow the Berger VLD sticky for seating depth? Or just start .010 off the lands and adjust after I decide on powder charge?

 

[FearNoWind]

I'm not acquainted with the "sticky" you make reference to but I don't believe you can rely on any published seating depth as appropriate for your rifle. I "just start .010 off the lands and adjust after I decide on powder charge".

 

[FEENIX]

I'm not acquainted with the "sticky" you make reference to but I don't believe you can rely on any published seating depth as appropriate for your rifle. I "just start .010 off the lands and adjust after I decide on powder charge".

OP is probably referring to http://www.longrangehunting.com/for...accuracy-berger-vld-bullets-your-rifle-40204/

 

[klemm]

Yes, I am referring to the info in the link that Feenix posted.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I'm not acquainted with the "sticky" you make reference to but I don't believe you can rely on any published seating depth as appropriate for your rifle. I "just start .010 off the lands and adjust after I decide on powder charge".

Same here. If I am able to get .010" off, that is where I almost always start. Usually .010-.015" is where most all of my loads are, unless I'm restricted by magazine length, then I might have to go farther than .015". I have gotten good accuracy farther out in certain rifles, but prefer to get as close to .010-.015" as possible.

 

[AZShooter]

IMO you can ignore the seating depth suggestions for VLDs. It is as easy as seating the bullet to properly fit and feed from the magazine. They truly are seating depth insensitive. Just work up your powder charge from there. All the hunting rifles I have loaded this way have responded with excellent groups.

I don't bother to actually know the distance to the lands even though I own the tools to do so! I do check a dummy round by polishing the bullet with fine steel wool and chambering it to see if it is engaging the lands. I don't like to have that condition because of the possibility of having a bullet stuck in the rifling during a hunt.

Rifles loaded with Berger hybrids to date:

7-08 168 classic hunter hybrid
284 win 168 classic hunter hybrid
Four 7 Rem mags 168 classic hunter hybrid
7/375 168 classic hunter 180 match target hybrid
338 RCM 300 gr OTM hybrid
6-284 95 gr classic hunter hybrid
four 300 RUMs 230 gr match target hybrid
300 WSM 230 gr match target hybrid
two 300 Win mags 215 Berger match target hybrid

 

[Corey Schwanz]

You certainly can do the VLD test if you'd like, but the results won't be as obvious as the VLD bullets yield. Most people are shooting them in the .010-.015 range. If you test at .010 and then at .050 and get similar results (which is what I would expect), then as you shoot and your throat erodes, you have a nice large window of seating depth where you know the bullet will still shoot well and you don't have to chase the lands. YMMV as every gun is different, but that's worked for a lot of people with the Hybrids.

 

[TonyQ]

This is what I came up when I did the bullet seating test with 230 hybrid. The number on the paper are number wrong. It is .015,.050,.090 and .130. It was a pretty big difference. http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f28/300-weatherby-bullet-seating-depth-test-167502/

 

[barefooter56]

Do I need to follow the Berger VLD sticky for seating depth? Or just start .010 off the lands and adjust after I decide on powder charge?

Klemm,
Start at .015 off the lands. Find your seating depth accuracy node first. then work up your load. Do the seating depth testing at the lowest powder charge listed for the bullet/powder/cartridge combination you are testing.

 

[Timber338]

You certainly can do the VLD test if you'd like, but the results won't be as obvious as the VLD bullets yield. Most people are shooting them in the .010-.015 range. If you test at .010 and then at .050 and get similar results (which is what I would expect), then as you shoot and your throat erodes, you have a nice large window of seating depth where you know the bullet will still shoot well and you don't have to chase the lands. YMMV as every gun is different, but that's worked for a lot of people with the Hybrids.

Corey, I shoot both the 210 VLD and 215 Hybrid out of my 300 win mag. I found .085" jump to be very noticeably more accurate with the 210... ~3/8 MOA at .085" compared to about 1 MOA at anything shorter. With the 215, seating depth is not as sensitive, I can shoot 1/2 - 3/4 MOA at just about any depth, but at .085 I am back to ~3/8 MOA.

This highlights your point that the results will not be as obvious with the hybrids ... but I was wondering if you guys at Berger have noticed that the hybrids and VLD's will typically have the same sweet spot for ultimate accuracy like I am seeing out of my gun?

If that were true, it might be easier to shoot the VLD just to find the seating depth sweet spot, and then shoot the hybrids at that same seating depth...

 

[barefooter56]

Corey, I shoot both the 210 VLD and 215 Hybrid out of my 300 win mag. I found .085" jump to be very noticeably more accurate with the 210... ~3/8 MOA at .085" compared to about 1 MOA at anything shorter. With the 215, seating depth is not as sensitive, I can shoot 1/2 - 3/4 MOA at just about any depth, but at .085 I am back to ~3/8 MOA.

This highlights your point that the results will not be as obvious with the hybrids ... but I was wondering if you guys at Berger have noticed that the hybrids and VLD's will typically have the same sweet spot for ultimate accuracy like I am seeing out of my gun?

If that were true, it might be easier to shoot the VLD just to find the seating depth sweet spot, and then shoot the hybrids at that same seating depth...

Timber338,
Sometimes it can work out that way. I've experienced it with a couple rifles. It could work to find your seating depth accuracy node with a VLD and then try other bullets at that distance off the lands. You never know till you test though.