Precision Reloading For Long Range Hunting by Jerry Teo

[Mysticplayer]

The biggest area to pay attention to is runout or bullet wobble. Try and keep to 4 thou or less measured on the bullet just back from where it bends to form its tip. Sending the bullet cock eyed down the pipe is not condusive to great accuracy.

Neck turning makes it easier to measure runout as you are not worried that your measurements are screwed up by a bumpy neck.

Measure runout after firing, sizing and seating. If any runout is created, you can narrow down the problem and resolve.

Test bullets of quality. Many hunting bullets were never designed or manf to be tack drivers. Poly tipped hunting bullets from Hornady and Nosler are excellent as well as the many match bullets from Berger, Sierra and possibly Lapua (some types don't expand reliably).

Good luck with your load work up.

Jerry

 

[Mysticplayer]

Best Group Ever

Been working with a new Pac Nor prethreaded/chambered SS Super match heavy barrel and got this awesome test group at 200yds. My best 3 shot group ever at this distance.

The math is off. Should be 0.056" and 0.028min.

Nothing fancy in the components - 80gr Bergers, Win brass, CCI 450 primers, Varget. Lee collet die and RCBS standard seating die for a 221 Fireball.

Other groups show the pipe can shoot in the 1's so am very pleased for a long range varminting rig.

Jerry

 

[overbore]

Well Done Sir!!!

Those of us who have been perfecting our techniques for long years will find solid accurate information from you for great loading-reloading. We Old Farts, can add "O" rings under our dies, use K&M expanders and neck turners and tweak at the edges of your excellent procedures but I wish to thank you for cogent and concise facts in a readable format. Mega Kudos!!! Overbore

 

[parothead]

CCI Primers for mag use(7MM STW)

Do the CCI BR 2 Primers work well for mag rounds as well? Thanks for a great article.

PH

 

[Mysticplayer]

The only real way to know is to test it. There are so many variables in the likes/dislikes of a rifle, that you really have to shoot to see what works.

In general, I lean on the Fed 215M in magnum cases but there are some who get by with a reg type primer.

Jerry

 

[ODAVID]

Mysticplayer: Please explain this comment more fully "The biggest area to pay attention to is runout or bullet wobble. Try and keep to 4 thou or less measured on the bullet just back from where it bends to form its tip. " Are you referring to the ogave of the loaded bullet or back by the neck-shoulder junction of the loaded bullet.


Also I would like someone to explain if adding orings under the dies actually help. Do I have to reset the die length all over again . I think So??????


And further. I would like experience suggestions on eliminating runout cause by the tension created inside the neck from the "inside plunger" of the FL die. Can the "inside plunger" of the FL die be just removed after neck turning????? and elinating the creation of runout??????????????????????????

So many questions I appreciate helpful actual experiences
THANK YOU
ODAVID

 

[Mysticplayer]

Reducing runout means that the bullet is better aligned with the bore axis.

Imagine a football being thrown. The ones that go the most accurate and furthest have the least amount of wobble. The tip rotates inline front and rear.

If you ammo has alot of runout, the bullet engraves off center and exits with the tip wobbling around the axis of flight. Just like a poorly thrown football. Doesn't go as far and may not go where desired.

The only way to know what works it measure your brass with a runout guage. Your fired brass should show no runout at the shoulder or web. The necks should be true as well.

After sizing, measure the neck and see if any runout was induced. If FL sizing, also check the shoulder and web. The dies with the expander ball can pull the necks off center if the rod is not true.

I use Lee collet neck sizers and many use bushing sizers to get rid of this potential problem. I have several FL sizers that work just fine so you really have to check to see what your die is doing.

I don't bother putting anything under the lock ring. There is more then enough slop in the shell holder to allow the case to center in the die.

the biggest area to cause runout is in the seating. Here the seating plug may not be aligned with the incoming bullet and case pushing the bullet in off center.

OR, the cavity in the plug is not the right shape to make the length and ogive of the bullet. The most common thing I have found is that the cavity is too short allowing the VLD bullets to bottom out before the ogive is supported by the plug. You are now trying to balance the bullet on its tip before seating.

Lots of room for moving around.

The Seaters from Forster and Redding improve on this because the sliding sleeve can support the case better and their plugs seem to be reamed for pointy bullets - but that is not always the case.

The reg. seater can work just fine but you need to measure runout to be sure.

In dies that use an expander ball, removing that stem may lead to very high neck tensions. However, with neck turned brass, might be just perfect. Only way to know is to size and test in your rifle.

Jerry

 

[270VARMINT]

Jerry
Excellent article and I am in 100% agreement with most of it.
There are a few things I do different though. I do use a Lee hand primer on occasion but I don't get the feel I get with my RCBS bench primer. Honestly it's to the point that it ****es me off every time I use the Lee primer, but then I have used the RCBS for over 30 years and only got the Lee in the last couple so maybe that has something to do with it.
I like either a full length bushing die or a full length die that has had the neck reamed for the proper neck tension. Like Jerry I do not like having the expander ball pulled through the neck after resizing, it can cause crooked necks.
With moderate loads the Lee collet dies work great but with hot loads the case really needs to be FL sized each time for easy chambering. Jerry's idea of using the body die with the collet die is great though if you want to run the cases through the die twice to resize, and there's nothing wrong with that. I also do that when using the Redding competition neck sizing die. I also I still use the Lee collet die with a few rifles too. If you load light enough that you don't need to FL size it sure is great to not need to remove resizing lube.
I'll give this article 5 stars and 2 thumbs up.
Good job Jerry
James

Great article! I am always looking for more info form those who have been their so to speak!I will look into the lee die versus the RCBS i use. I really like your opinion on testing at longer distances. Ialso have done most practicing/testing at longer distances (400yrds). I have had loads that seemed good at 100 only to find they were not to impressive further out their!

 

[Kris C]

Hi Jerry, In your article you say the Lee dies give you 4-5 thou neck tension. All my Lee dies are only 2 thou. down from the caliber. I took my 280 die and honed it down to .279 from .282 and I have really good neck tension now. Is this too much? With the 2 thou the die originally had I could move the bullets by hand and had one come out slightly in a magazine. I also took my .257 down to a total of 3 thou and the bullets are really nice and snug. I have searched up and down and most artciles never say anything more than 3 and a found a couple that went as far as 4 thou. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[ODAVID]

Hello Jerry,
I realy like your informative article. I was just wondering have you tried sorting bullets either by weight or ogave or any other methods. Seems to me this could make a huge difference. Yes I know it is time consuming but results matter. Any suggestions????????

Thanks
odavid

 

[darrindlh]

Jerry,
Love the article. Do you have any experience loading the 243 win. I want to know how the bergers will shoot. And what powder works the best? Thanks

 

[Mysticplayer]

KrisC, sorry about such a late reply. You are correct, the collet die will size 2 to 3 thou as determined by the mandrel dimension. The process you have used is correct - size just enough for proper function.

ODAVID, I do not measure, sort, weigh my bullets and would avoid any brand, style or lot that requires this level of work. A quality match or hunting bullet should shoot right out of the box - why we are paying a premium.

If the bullet has wonky specs on the outside, what else is wrong? How about the location and balance of the inner lead core? How about the concentricity of the bullet jacket? how about the contact with the core and the boattail?

These we can never measure properly and are at the mercy of how the bullet was made.

I sort my bullets this way - open the box, load up with minimal runout, set up properly for the chamber, go shoot. If they don't shoot to the level I expect, get rid of them.

I have found Berger and Lapua to be consistently accurate. I have shot ALOT of Hornady bullets and they too yield excellent results however, they are not as bughole accurate as the other two brands but your barrel may say otherwise. I plink with Hornady AMax in many of my rifles and they work really well.

darrindlh, I have not shot a 243 but know many that have. The accuracy level is determined souly by the barrel and your ability to match the ammo to it. Bergers have just as good a chance to shoot well as other match quality brand.

Depending on bullet weight, H4831SC, H4350, H1000 would be suitable powders. As with all things handloading, there is only one way to find out.

Burn some powder....

Jerry

 

[pocketchange]

Greetings ALL... (1st post BTW),
Made a few changes to my bolt and noticed groups got better. Any modified their OEM bolt?
I ask in lieu of David Tubb having a new bolt.
No, I have not purchased one (maybe Christmas).
Typical chamber clearances with hunting rifles have me questioning OD neck turning in light of their design to accept different ammo brand(s) and variations (one size fits all) necessity.
For BR I can understand taking all the steps (including Wilson dies) to find the mark.
I question the effort in lite of my anal BR reload procedures.
If time allows, go forth, anything that keeps the TV cold is a move that is on target. lightbulb
Greetings to a fine Forum & Website,
pc

 

[Mysticplayer]

pc, welcome to the site.

As for OD neck turning, I feel it can be beneficial in any chamber. It has nothing to do with chamber fit and everything to do with sizing the brass better.

Bushing dies are becoming very popular. For best results, you need to control the thickness of the necks and in doing this, you also make them even. This will help keep the interior of the sized case also even and concentric helping with seating bullets with low runout.

I have yet to find a tight neck chamber shooting more accurately then a standard neck. After the bullet has left, how much the neck expands before hitting the chamber has little relevance.

But we all know that lowering runout will pay dividends especially with these long VLD bullets.

It is a small thing but it does help...

Jerry