Reloading the berger bullets

[Thompsonj]

I understand about starting close to the lands and working bullet back. But what about powder. How do you choose which powder and what grain you want to load with?

 

[deadidarren]

Not just Berger Bullets but every bullet I choose gets put in the lands 0.010 to 0.015 then a powder charge is worked up and then I adjust sitting death to see if I can improve that load only ever had 2 that worked better off the lands everything else I own bullet is jammed into it lands i just load accordingly and as for the choice of powder I use whatever fills the case .

 

[FEENIX]

I understand about starting close to the lands and working bullet back. But what about powder. How do you choose which powder and what grain you want to load with?

Contact Berger Tech support, and they will provide you with a list of recommended powders for the bullet you will use. It shows min and max loads, i.e.,

 

[Tiny Tim]

Use a manual for loading. Start at the minimum charge weight and work up from there. Sadly, in current conditions, powder choice may be more about availability.

In most cases an internet search will reveal a powder for most cartridges that a majority of people like for that specific caliber/bullet weight.

Also, many reloading manuals give you case fill percentages. Generally a powder that fills to near 100 percent will be most consistent. Hope this is helpful.

 

[Thompsonj]

Do you choose one at random, say RE33. You start low then work high. What seating depth do you start with for that powder? Start .020 off lands and work powder charges?

 

[Slick8]

I treat bergers like any other bullet with the only difference being they typically have a shorter bearing surface.

Like said above, if you don't have berger manual get one or call berger and they'll help you out.

I choose powder based on the cartridge I'm shooting and like said above, what I can get my hands on.

I typically start my loads at -.020 off the lands. Most hybrids will be great at -.020 off so that's been my typical starting point and work up powder with a 300 yard ladder test.

What cartridge bullet are you planning to shoot?

 

[FEENIX]

Do you choose one at random, say RE33. You start low then work high. What seating depth do you start with for that powder? Start .020 off lands and work powder charges?

You start with a powder you already have/can acquire. "I" begin near max and work up slowly. "I" start mine .010-.020" off the lands.

 

[Capt RB]

Every manual has information about how to choose to optimize the cartridge. Without that you are relying on basically hersay for lack of a better term. I look for optimum case fill near 100% and seatiing on a repeater will be .010 and less coal for fitting into the magazine. If I need a longer coal in a repeater I need a different bullet. Get a manual or several from the mfgr of the product(s) you want to use and you will be better served. If you feel you don't have time for that just remember you are setting off an explosion of 50,000psi and up less than 12 inches from your brain.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I understand about starting close to the lands and working bullet back. But what about powder. How do you choose which powder and what grain you want to load with?

As a new handloader, you should have a few reloading manuals to use for reference. The data in them will vary. Some of the manuals will indicate "most accurate powder". I'd start there, knowing that it has a good potential to work well with most rifles. Nothing is guaranteed but it's a good place to start. I like the Nosler manual, but I've got several other too.

Because your rifle and components are never an exact match to what was used to develop the data in the books, you need to start on the low end of recommended powder charges and work up.

 

[Rick Richard]

As mentioned contact Berger or purchase one of their manuals. I start about mid point on the recommended load and add .5 grains for large calibers or .3 for smaller until desired accuracy. I then work with seating the projectile for fine tuning…I start at .030 OTL. Good luck

 

[birddog 68]

Berger Bullets' Eric Stecker has just made available a tech bulletin in Word format.

You may download it here to save it one your own computer or read it online.



Getting the Best Precision and Accuracy from VLD bullets in Your Rifle

Background

VLD bullets are designed with a secant ogive. This ogive shape allows bullets to be more efficient in flight (retain more velocity = less drop and wind deflection). While this result is desirable for many rifle shooters the secant ogive on the VLD bullets produces another result in many rifles. It can be difficult to get the VLD to group well (poor accuracy).

For years we encouraged shooters to use a base of cartridge to end of bearing surface OAL (I will use the term COAL to represent this dimension) which allows the VLD to touch the rifling or to be jammed in the rifling. This provided excellent results for many shooters but there were others who did not achieve top performance with the VLD jammed in their rifling. These shooters were left with the belief that the VLD bullets just won't shoot in their rifle.

Other groups of shooters were discouraged by our recommendation to touch the rifling. Some of these shooters knew that at some point during a target competition they will be asked to remove a live round. With the bullet jammed in the rifling there was a good chance the bullet will stick in the barrel which could result in an action full of powder. This is hard on a shooter during a match.

Yet another group of shooters who were discouraged by our recommendation to touch the rifling are those who feed through magazines or have long throats. Magazine length rounds loaded with VLDs could not touch the lands in most rifles (this is the specific reason that for years we said VLD bullets do not work well in a magazine). When a rifle could be single fed but was chambered with a long throat a loaded round that was as long as possible still would not touch the rifling.

Until recently, shooters who suffered from these realities were believed to be unable to achieve success with VLD bullets. Admittedly, we would receive the occasional report that a rifle shot very well when jumping the VLD bullets but we discounted these reports as anomalies. It was not until the VLD became very popular as a game hunting bullet that we were then able to learn the truth about getting the VLD bullets to shoot well in a large majority of rifles.

After we proved that the Berger VLD bullets are consistently and exceptionally capable of putting game down quickly we started promoting the VLD to hunters. We were nervous at first as we believe the VLD needed to be in the rifling to shoot well and we also knew that most hunters use a magazine and SAMMI chambers. Our ears were wide open as the feedback was received. It was surprising to hear that most shooters described precision results by saying "this is the best my rifle has ever shot."

We scratched our heads about this for awhile until we started getting feedback from hunters who were competition shooters as well. Many were the same guys who were telling us for years that the VLDs shoot great when jumped. Since a much larger number of shooters were using the VLD bullets with a jump we started comparing all the feedback and have discovered the common characteristics in successful reports which gave us the information needed to get VLD working in your rifle. We were able to relay these characteristics to several shooters who were struggling with VLD bullets. Each shooter reported success after applying our recommendation.


Getting the Best Precision and Accuracy from VLD bullets in Your Rifle

Solution

The following has been verified by numerous shooters in many rifles using bullets of different calibers and weights. It is consistent for all VLD bullets. What has been discovered is that VLD bullets shoot best when loaded to a COAL that puts the bullet in a "sweet spot". This sweet spot is a band .030 to .040 wide and is located anywhere between jamming the bullets into the lands and .150 jump off the lands.

Note: When discussing jam and jump I am referring to the distance from the area of the bearing surface that engages the rifling and the rifling itself. There are many products that allow you to measure these critical dimensions. Some are better than others. I won't be going into the methods of measuring jam and jump. If you are not familiar with this aspect of reloading it is critically important that you understand this concept before you attempt this test.

Many reloaders feel (and I tend to agree) that meaningful COAL adjustments are .002 to .005. Every once in a while I might adjust the COAL by .010 but this seems like I am moving the bullet the length of a football field. The only way a shooter will be able to benefit from this situation is to let go of this opinion that more than .010 change is too much (me included).

Trying to find the COAL that puts you in the sweet spot by moving .002 to .010 will take so long the barrel may be worn out by the time you sort it out if you don't give up first. Since the sweet spot is .030 to .040 wide we recommend that you conduct the following test to find your rifles VLD sweet spot.

Load 24 rounds at the following COAL if you are a target competition shooter who does not worry about jamming a bullet:
1. .010 into (touching) the lands (jam) 6 rounds
2. .040 off the lands (jump) 6 rounds
3. .080 off the lands (jump) 6 rounds
4. .120 off the lands (jump) 6 rounds

Load 24 rounds at the following COAL if you are a hunter (pulling a bullet out of the case with your rifling while in the field can be a hunt ending event which must be avoided) or a competition shooter who worries about pulling a bullet during a match:
1. .010 off the lands (jump) 6 rounds
2. .050 off the lands (jump) 6 rounds
3. .090 off the lands (jump) 6 rounds
4. .130 off the lands (jump) 6 rounds

Shoot 2 (separate) 3 shot groups in fair conditions to see how they group. The remarkable reality of this test is that one of these 4 COALs will outperform the other three by a considerable margin. Once you know which one of these 4 COAL shoots best then you can tweak the COAL +/- .002 or .005. Taking the time to set this test up will pay off when you find that your rifle is capable of shooting the VLD bullets very well (even at 100 yards).

Regards,
Eric Stecker
Master Bulletsmith

This is at the top of the reloading forum and should answer most of your questions.

 

[Dmagna]

Maybe you should get a few books and manuals to read. Reloading can be very dangerous, just getting the basics from good videos is good too. I am a huge fan of johnnys reloading bench on youtube.

 

[just_jon]

Maybe you should get a few books and manuals to read. Reloading can be very dangerous, just getting the basics from good videos is good too. I am a huge fan of johnnys reloading bench on youtube.

^^^THIS^^^. Dropping $25 for the Berger manual will help narrow down appropriate powders, save you money on components and possibly keep your face from getting blown off.

Berger Manual

Berger Manual

www.powdervalleyinc.com

 

[Tiny Tim]

As a new handloader, you should have a few reloading manuals to use for reference. The data in them will vary. Some of the manuals will indicate "most accurate powder". I'd start there, knowing that it has a good potential to work well with most rifles. Nothing is guaranteed but it's a good place to start. I like the Nosler manual, but I've got several other too.

Because your rifle and components are never an exact match to what was used to develop the data in the books, you need to start on the low end of recommended powder charges and work up.

As a caution, many older manuals have significantly different charge weights than currently. All good info and advice.