Seating depth or right powder which comes 1st

[Mikecr]

Hey Mikecr, where do I find Berger's seating depth test, on their website or book?

It's at the top of THIS forum section(reloading)
http://www.longrangehunting.com/for...accuracy-berger-vld-bullets-your-rifle-40204/

 

[DocB]

It's at the top of THIS forum section(reloading)
http://www.longrangehunting.com/for...accuracy-berger-vld-bullets-your-rifle-40204/

Roger That, Thanks Mike.

Doc

 

[jrock]

I always find powder first, seating depth second, and neck tention last.

Tod

This is what I'm learning although, I start with seating depths test first with VLD's with a reasonable load as they are quite sensitive in my experience. I usually take a box of loads working up powder and a seating depth set with the charge I think will work the best. That way I don't have to make multiple trips to the range just to shoot 20 rounds. Need to find a sold compact way of taking my reloading kit to the range. That would save more money.

 

[wildcat75]

I'm fairly new with this so forgive my inexperience but if your going to seat the bullet so it jams into the lands then why does the measurement ahead of the lands matter? Once you chamber a round and the bullet hits the lands won't it just stop and push back into the case as you close the bolt?

 

[davkrat]

You don't HAVE TO jam VLD bullets into the lands. Not all rifles shoot their best that way and for hunting there are very good reasons not to do it.

 

[Mike 338]

I basically do Berger's seating depth test first, while fire-forming brass.
Then, with coarse seating chosen, I move to powder with ladder testing.
Then, with powder confirmed in group shooting, I tweak(fine adj) the seating to shape grouping.

Then I decide if I need to go to another powder or not.

My reasoning for seating first is that it's affects are independent of velocity. That is, best seating, in a coarse sense, is just that at any velocity. Also, Ladders look a lot better when shot at a better seating than at worse seating.
Folks who coarse adjust seating last really should go back and re-shoot their ladders. They might have missed something better.

Agreed. I start with a powder charge about 3% below listed max (be sure that load is safe in your firearm by working your way up). I then begin with the longest seating depth that will feed in the magazine and test in .040" increments from there. Most recently in one rifle, my longest bullets shot 2-1/2" groups. The next shortest bullets shot a 7 inch group and then the bullets seated deepest shot a 1/2" group. You'll want to shoot a group of 6 bullets at each seating depth to rule out a "lucky group". I wait 5 minutes between shots and 15 to 20 minutes between groups to let the barrel cool. One of these rough seating depths should be noticeably better. Once I find a rough seating depth, I do a Newberry OCW Test (optimal charge weight test). When the Optimal Charge Weight is determined, I then fine tune the seating depth to find the sweet spot. If results at this point are unacceptable, I change powders and do the OCW test again with the bullets seated where my rifle liked them. If powder changes don't work, I start all over again with a new bullet. Lastly I test primers for slightly better accuracy or improved Extreme Spread.