Bullet weight variance - compare Sierra Matchkings, Hornady ELD-X, Nosler Accubond LR

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Astute Observer

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So I brought out the Jewler's scale and started weighting 6.5 calibre bullets I had on hand. The scale is accurate within .02 grains. However I sorted them into bins of 0.10 grain increments, then counted them up.

100x Sierra Matchking HPBT 140 grain bullets varied from 139.84 to 140.00. There was only one bullet at 140.00, the majority were in the 139.90 - 139.96 range. Very consistent.

200x Hornady ELD-X 143 grain bullets (2 boxes from the same lot number) varied from 142.62 to 143.68. That's more than an entire grain of difference! Wildly inconsistent.

100x Nosler Accubond Long Range 129 grain bullets varied from 128.84 to 129.22. Good consistency, though not as good as the Sierra Matchkings.

All in all, I was somewhat disappointed with the variance amongst the Hornady ELD-X. Imagine loading up 10 bullets, assuming they weigh the same, then trying to do 10 round load development in .2 grain powder increments but with bullets that weigh as much as a grain different from each other!

Note, I haven't fired any of these yet, so it remains to be seen whether this varying weight impacts downrange accuracy. I fired some Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X factory ammo just to break the rifle in, they got about 1MOA, but I'm generally a 0.5MOA shooter with my handload .308s (168gr Hornady BTHP - but again, I have to weigh and sort those Hornady bullets so I make my batches all from the same approximate weight). Anyways, just saying I know I can do better than the factory stuff.

Results below:

6.5 Hornady ELD-X 143Rounds6.5 Nosler Accubond LR 129Rounds6.5 Sierra Matchking, 140Rounds
142.60 - 142.682
142.70 - 142.789
142.80 - 142.8815128.80 - 128.8811139.80 - 139.8831
142.90 - 142-9827128.90 - 128.9828139.90 - 139.9868
143.00 - 143.0835129.00 - 129.0837140.00 - 140.081
143.10 - 143.1831129.10 - 129.1819
143.20 - 143.2839129.20 - 129.285
143.30 - 143.3819
143.40 - 143.4815
143.50 - 143.586
132.60 - 143.682
 
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To the OP, you have made an strange comparison imho.

The Sierra Match King bullets are built for MATCH use and both the Nosler AccuBond LR and Hornady ELD-X bullets are built for HUNTING.

To make a fair and useful comparison, you need to compare Sierra Match King with both the Nosler Custom Competition and Hornady ELD-M lines of MATCH bullets. Other consistency comparisons would also be very useful.

Not long after the ELD lines was announced, I had found the following informative post on another website: (link here)
___________________________________
Hornady ELD Match 6.5mm 140gr Bullet Consistency

Not sure if anyone had posted any info on the consistency of these new bullets yet so I measured and weighed 25 out of a box of 100. Here's the rundown:

Base to Ogive Length = 0.690 to 0.693" (0.692" avg)
Overall Bullet Length = 1.376 to 1.378" (1.377" avg)
Weight = 139.7gr to 140.0gr (139.87gr avg)

On the ogive length, all but three were either 0.692 or 0.693", and those three oddballs were each 0.690". On the overall length, most were right on the 1.377" average with just a few being a thousandth off in either direction. Weight was where the biggest discrepancy was with 1/3 being 140.0gr and 1/3 being 139.9gr. Of the remaining 1/3, half were 139.8 and the other half were 139.7gr.
___________________________________

Hoping this helps anyone interested...
 
K-C said:
To the OP, you have made an strange comparison imho.

The Sierra Match King bullets are built for MATCH use and both the Nosler AccuBond LR and Hornady ELD-X bullets are built for HUNTING.

To make a fair and useful comparison, you need to compare Sierra Match King with both the Nosler Custom Competition and Hornady ELD-M lines of MATCH bullets. Other consistency comparisons would also be very useful.
Click to expand...

Very good point, you are right. But comparing the Nosler Accubond Long Range to the Hornady ELD-X, Nosler achieves an extreme spread of 0.38 grains, while Hornady achieves an extreme spread 1.06 grains... Nearly three times the weight variation. Both are for hunting, but Nosler did a better job in achieving mass consistency (At least in the batches I tested).

And you're right, I shouldn't hold either to the consistency standard of the SMKs, but between the two brands of hunting bullets I tested, there's a noticeable difference in consistency.
 
Thank you everyone for this article. I'm a new long range shooter, and have been loading the Hornady ELD-X's and was suspecting I should change to either the ELD-M's, or maybe a different brand altogether. (My intention is target shooting, not hunting).
 
So I went home and weighed 35 of my 143gr Hornady ELD-X's (6.5mm): Heaviest was 143.6 (7 of them) and the lightest was 143.0 (3 of them). So, compare that with K-C's post and it looks like the 140gr ELD-M's had HALF of that spread, ie: .3 of a grain spread.

143.0 - 3
143.1 - 2
143.2 - 6
143.3 - 5
143.4 - 9
143.5 - 3
143.6 - 7
 
Do you check each case for H2O capacity, this would cause velocity variations also.

I'm 67 and drink too much coffee so nothing I do improves my accuracy and my best groups are fired by accident .:bangHead:

I'm waiting for laser guided bullet and then forget any and all load prep. :d
 
Weight variations may be less of a concern in regard to Ogive measurement. Sorting by ogive over weight appears to be important. Now if you do both then you may have the best and most attention deficit method for load perfection. I sort to within 1 thou ogive and batch them first. Havn't proven that weight makes any more difference. However I have found that ogive variations do show up at 900m in the form of vertical dispersion. My two c.
 
When deciding to sort any reloading components, I like to focus on these 3 areas:

Firearm... how well can it shoot regardless of what it is fed? Match rifle set ups can hit 1/4 min... SKS at2 MOA would be a gem

Bullet weight variation. As a ball park, most match bullets are going to be inside 0.3gr.. some brands and lots can be less BUT what is this mass as a percentage of the bullet weight? 0.2 of a 50gr bullet is far larger a variation then on a 300gr bullet so you should keep things in perspective.

Bullet base to ogive variation. Some bullet shapes are more tolerant of this variation... what amount matters?

So you start to test. Say I want to use BrandX bullet in my competition 1/3 MOA capable rifle. I would work up a load to find the best node. Then I would sort the bullet by weight varying but base to ogive tight... then compare to weight tight but base to ogive varying. Some brands of match bullets are so consistent, there really isn't much to sort... but if there were, I would compare to see which parameter will actually affect my target. I would test at 250yds and confirm as far as possible (max competition distance would be ideal)

If the bullet fits into the desired accuracy performance, I would use the batch with the best "sort" in matches and the rest for practise, sighters, foulers, etc.

Simple.... many times, we worry about alot of stuff that doesn't show up on target and avoid things that do. Testing answers all and each rifle can have its own quirks.

Jerry
 
Thanks for the advice Jerry! I'll definitely bust out the calipers and comparator and check the base to ogive length. Perhaps set up a matrix with a small parts bin, sorted by weight along one axis (left to right) and ogive length along the other (front to back).

Mystic Precision said:
Some brands of match bullets are so consistent, there really isn't much to sort...
Click to expand...

What brands of bullets do you find the most consistent?
 
I find the overall variance less of a concern, because I'll never load and shoot the heaviest, followed by the lightest, thus falling victim to the spread. I'll also never use those within a set tolerance and discard the rest :0 (Cause I'm not rich enough for that.) But sorting by weight, and loading and shooting from lightest to heaviest ensures that each bullet is very very close to the previous keeping groups small and consistent.
 
Astute Observer said:
Thanks for the advice Jerry! I'll definitely bust out the calipers and comparator and check the base to ogive length. Perhaps set up a matrix with a small parts bin, sorted by weight along one axis (left to right) and ogive length along the other (front to back).
Click to expand...

I have 2 comparators and measured the bearing surface on a couple hundred Berger 105gr VLDs. Ended up with 3 piles with only 6thou, or 1.2% variation. Great way to waste an hour.
 
Astute Observer said:
Thanks for the advice Jerry! I'll definitely bust out the calipers and comparator and check the base to ogive length. Perhaps set up a matrix with a small parts bin, sorted by weight along one axis (left to right) and ogive length along the other (front to back).



What brands of bullets do you find the most consistent?
Click to expand...

I like Berger, Sierra and Lapua for my match ammo. Matrix Bullets in Kamloops makes some great stuff too.

Jerry
 
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