Bullet Accuracy - Factory vs Reloads

Veener 7mm

Veener 7mm

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Background - my .300 Win Mag doesn't shoot any factory ammo very well. ~3" - 4" groups with 180 gr. Accubonds, ~1.5" - 2" with 180 gr. Trophy Coppers etc.

Question - If I were to hand load Accubonds for example, could the variation in COAL, powder type and charge etc. have that much of an affect on the accuracy to get to 1" groups or should I just stay away from them altogether?

I recently picked up dies and RL22 and would like to shoot Accubonds but don't want to waste any time / money knowing they didn't shoot well outta the box...

Maybe someone has done an exercise similar to this?

Thanks,

Veener
 
The only way to know for sure is to try them and see. Yes, handloading can take your rifle from 2+MOA to less than 1MOA if/when you find the load it likes. It may take significant time and testing to achieve that, however.


Mark
 
how many different brands/bullet weights have you tried?your rifle just does not like that make of ammo.and yes with a little work and time you should be able to get a handload that will shoot under 1".you might have to try different powders before you get one.thats part of what makes rolling your own so much fun.
 
Unless you buy match ammunition, (and even that may not be preferred by your rifle) out of the box will seldom do great. My T3 shoots unacceptable 1.5" - 2" groups with S&B 6.5X55, 140gr bullets but the first four handloads I tried; the initial groups were under an inch, and if I never screwed up a shot, most of those four loads would group under half an inch. My Rem700 in 222rem using S&B factory loads shoots near an inch consistently, but again if I don't screw up a shot, it will easily group under 3/4" with handloads. The factory rounds I mentioned are by no means trash, they achieve minute of deer accuracy. They are accurate by factory ammo standards, but fall short by target shooting standards.

You aren't wasting your time in the pursuit of accuracy, to reload. One man who enjoys measuring out consistent loads of powder will have little difficulty beating factory ammo consistency. Reloading is a basic necessity in target shooting.
 
Question - If I were to hand load Accubonds for example, could the variation in COAL, powder type and charge etc. have that much of an affect on the accuracy to get to 1" groups or should I just stay away from them altogether?


COAL, different powder, and the type of bullets used do make a difference.. I have had some bullets shoot well with one type of powder and the same bullet shoot totally different altogether with another. Some guns like the bullet seated farther off the lands than others. I know when I use the Barnes bullets they were the pickiest in regards to seating depth. I do get way better accuracy from handloads.:rockOn:
 
My gun shoots half the MOA re-loaded compared to cheap factory ammo. Federal white box I believe it was.

If you are set-up to reload, why not give it a try. You aren't out that much money to ladder test and load develop 100 rounds. By then you will have an idea.
 
It is also possible the twist rate in your rifle will work better with heavier or lighter bullets, I am just guessing of course as I have no idea what your twist is. Hand loading can at times greatly increase the accuracy of ammunition for your rifle, if I was you I would give it a shot with a few types and weights of bullets!
 
The short answer to your question is yes, you should be able to find a load that will perform in your rifle with the 180gr Accubond. I don't shoot a .300, but I find the 140gr to be quite accurate in my .270. When I was working out a load for my rifle I used the cheaper ballistic tips in the same weight to find a load that shot well, and then loaded three groups with the Accubonds - one with a charge half a grain lighter, one the same and one half a grain heavier. Your mileage may vary, but for me the results were identical between the two bullets for all three loads. You can do the same thing with the Hornady SST and the Interbond.
 
If my rifle was shooting 180 accubonds 3-4" in factory loads I'd try just about anything else first in handloads. If you are set on Accubonds at least try a different weight like a 200.

if you have a long mag box, handloads for a .300 win can be particularily rewarding.
 
Chinook78 said:
The short answer to your question is yes, you should be able to find a load that will perform in your rifle with the 180gr Accubond. I don't shoot a .300, but I find the 140gr to be quite accurate in my .270. When I was working out a load for my rifle I used the cheaper ballistic tips in the same weight to find a load that shot well, and then loaded three groups with the Accubonds - one with a charge half a grain lighter, one the same and one half a grain heavier. Your mileage may vary, but for me the results were identical between the two bullets for all three loads. You can do the same thing with the Hornady SST and the Interbond.
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Good information to know. I've picked up Accubonds and Interbonds but could not find Ballistic Tips or SSTs in stock. I'll try to do that and develop loads with them and try the same loads with the bonded bullets to save few load dev bucks.
 
Thanks for all the great info folks.

I have tried different brands and surprisingly, the Win soft points (least expensive ammo) shoot the tightest groups...go figure.

I am set up to reload already as my 7mm Rem Mag is dialed with 160 Partitions and RL22.

My rifle is a Remington 700 CDL SF with a detach mag...fairly long box and a 1:10 twist I believe. I'm certainly not opposed to trying a heavier / lighter weight bullet; always just went with the 180s as they seem optimal for hunting.
 
Veener 7mm said:
Thanks for all the great info folks.

I have tried different brands and surprisingly, the Win soft points (least expensive ammo) shoot the tightest groups...go figure.

I am set up to reload already as my 7mm Rem Mag is dialed with 160 Partitions and RL22.

My rifle is a Remington 700 CDL SF with a detach mag...fairly long box and a 1:10 twist I believe. I'm certainly not opposed to trying a heavier / lighter weight bullet; always just went with the 180s as they seem optimal for hunting.
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I'm not surprised that cheap factory ammo shoots well. Simple bullets are easy to make, flat bases are easier to get to shoot to get since the distance to lands doesn't matter nearly as much, and performancewise their bullets are selected by what will make the most people happy. Premium ammo offers bullets that were only available to the handloader at one time, but that's about it.

I use mostly 180 grain bullets in the .300 Win, which is one of my enthusiasms in cartridges. The RL22 that you already have and H1000 are great starting powders. And more than likely finishing powders too.
 
In many years of shooting i have found many differences in rifles and ammo. Some will shoot well with everything some not so good. I like to try some factory ammo just to see and get some once fired cases to work loads up. My shelves have a lot of partial boxes of bullets that i tried and didn`t like, some day they may come in handy. I have given bullets and powder to friends to try in their rifles rather than buying a bunch they don`t like, they do the same for me. I like to try different combinations.
 
did you check all the mechanical items before reloading. bedding, mount tightness, barrel touching the chanell, crown good. is the scope proven to be good? i would ensure all these things are checked out prior to wasting a lot of ammo.
 
I have done chamber casts on rifles that didnt shoot anything well. If the throat and neck are on the slack side and long or the leade not concentric with the bore load development may not be too rewarding. I like to do a chamber cast pretty quick if accuracy seems elusive.
 
chappy said:
did you check all the mechanical items before reloading. bedding, mount tightness, barrel touching the chanell, crown good. is the scope proven to be good? i would ensure all these things are checked out prior to wasting a lot of ammo.
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The scope is proven - had it on my 7mm for a few years and it never lost zero. Bases, rings etc are good as well. I bought a Bedrock Kit and will bed the rifle before taking it out again. I don't believe the Rem 700s are free floated from the factory so there is a point where a $5 bill won't go any further up the channel as it is now.
 
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