Bullets are the major cost in reloading. You can select a bullet for use at a given range that will combine needed accuracy, cost, and price. Some shooter feel that a bullet must have a label on the box that says match. That's simply not the case. One of the best bullets I have ever shot in 7mm is the 160 SBT Sierra. It's a soft point boat tail hunting bullet. It is also has a BC like a .308 190 but you will shoot it faster. People worry about soft points being deformed, well small amounts usually don't bother you and I simply place the loaded round point up in my ammo box. I used this bullet across the course in 1981 in a 7mm x 08. I won the State Championship that year with a 788-34X. That score stood as high on the state trophy for about 9 years and Wisconsin is one of the toughest shooting states in the country. I picked these bullets again in early 93 for use in my 7 x 57 and again I shot superior 300 yard scores and also used them back to 600 in the sniper matches.
That doesn't mean that all hunting bullets will work. I bought some bulk 120's for 6.5 made by one of the majors, they are marginally OK for standing practice at 100 yard but just don't work well enough to buy more. Buy a single box and try them first. Generally most bullets of the medium weight hunting design by Speer, Hornady , Nosler and Sierra work well for short range. However the price saving is usually so little it doesn't pay to make a special buy unless they fit a need where a match bullet doesn't work or wasn't available. The Nosler ballistic tip bullets have a very fine reputation for accuracy and are being selected by an increasing number of shooters for match use because of their performance, but they are not cheap.
In match bullets of the commercial makers Sierra is, without question, the leader. They offer the largest number of target bullets. One of Sierra's virtue is they have probably the best handle on making jackets of anybody in the world. They draw a heavy jacket which is extremely concentric. This jacket uniformity is one most important features of a bullet. If the wall is thicker on one side than the other the mass will not spin on true center. Bob at GTB who has spend 40 years making custom bullets says world wide Sierra has the best jackets.
However, Hornady knows this too and has a product improvement campaign on going and has been making some vastly improved match bullets starting with their 168's. Not every maker makes exactly the same design bullet so each make offers you something another may not. I am hoping to see Hornady look at more streamlined designs such like the VLD's and other caliber where match bullets are short such as 6.5mm.
Speer is probably the least noticed in match bullets but the few offering they have are outstanding. In tests I have seen with their 168's shot against Sierra in many groups the average group size was only a hair behind Sierra. In .308 they offer a short boat tail 190 that works well in marginal twist barrels. Some users feel they shoot right with the best custom made 190's. This could be a good choice for those wanting a long range bullet in a gas gun. The design will cause the bullet to shed a little more velocity than the others at 1000 yards but you need accuracy first. I have used a lot of 145 Speer match bullets in my 7 x57 with extremely good results, especially when coupled with 4065 for a powder.
Handmade custom bullets are being used by an increasing number of shooters. These bullets offer the extra quality hand selection and feel provide. One bullet maker tells me he throws bullets into a cull box when they don't feel right, even if they look good. The design of these bullets often differ from those of the factories. In the last few years Very Low Drag design known as VLD as taken over. These bullet simply slip through the air easier hence for the same launch velocity reach the target quicker. This means a design with a long sharp point ogive and a long boat tail. The dies to make these are very expensive and are not affordable for most reloaders with dies and presses priced in the thousands of dollars. The best dies are carbide.
These bullets, in the heavy weights, generally require some what faster twist than commonly used. Stability of a bullet is based on it's length which results in a tendency to overturn from drag on the nose. The spin of the bullet counteracts this.
I have found through observation that the VLD's require slightly less twist that an equivalent length bullet of conventional design. I assume this is due to reduced drag on the nose. Currently I feel that twist can be reduced about 10% of the revolutions per second required when compared to common bullets on which I have based my table from past experience. Testing in late 94 appears to confirm this. I think the bullet wants to spin around the center line of projection which is disturbed by muzzle blast. A discussion on this was held early in 95 with a man at Aberdeen Proving Ground tends to confirm my ideas, that we need to be careful in selection of powder and pressure, that we may be able to use much slower twist that originally thought possible.
Another point with VLD's is that you seat them farther forward so that you can use a heavy charge in small to medium cases and hence a higher velocity. This again reduces the rate of required twist. In .30 caliber using Wayne Anderson's 210 VLD we have found the velocity will increase about 100 ft/sec over the Sierra 220 and the required twist for top accuracy which with the 220 is 8 1/2 inches, but found to be inches for the 210 VLD or perhaps even a little slower. Since Wayne makes these in various weight you can cut the bullet weight to match your barrel twist. This is the way to get better long range performance from gas guns. Use Wayne's 180's and you will get to 1000 yard with out having the bullet drop back through the sonic barrier and weird shots that accompany this. We have a big advantage with Wayne as he is one of us and lives in Burlington. He shoots what he makes, check his scores.
Other VLD bullets are made by Delta (Rick Mulhern) in .30 caliber, in a wide range of weights. JLk (Jimmy Knox) is well know for his .22 VLD's in 70,75, and 80 grains. Jimmy added 7mm in 168 and 180's. Jimmy is adding a 6.5 in 140 grains and I have a few samples. I have shot a number of his 7mm 180's in my 7 x 57 and won 600 yard matches, they are extremely good. GTB is Bob Cauterucio, he's the old master of the trade. It took me a few years to find out that when the hot west cost shooter, when asked what bullet they had just shot a good score with at long range said 190's, they weren't telling you they shot GTB's. They look just like Sierra's at first glance but sure shrink the group. Bob has now gone to exclusively making bullets in 6.5 and 7mm. Most of these are the VLD design and are all with Sierra jackets. He also runs many bullet jackets down from the next larger caliber to get a thicker jacket. This reduces the problem with hammering on the boat tail. Eric's 798 x 52X in the 4 gun 600 at LaCrosse in 93 was with Bob's 6.5 141 VLD made on 7mm Sierra Jacket. Bob even goes so far that he makes his own lead wire.
Walt Berger has semi -production operation going now and is the largest volume maker of custom bullets. His 6mm 105 is what really got the 6mm off the ground as a serious match caliber. He is planning to add 6.5 but I've heard both he and Jimmy Knox are waiting on J-4 Jackets. Walt is the distributor for J-4's. In some of the bullet I've seen his bullets are slightly less aggressive than some of the other VLD's but have an extremely good reputation for accuracy.
David Hammett in Louisiana makes a lot of VLD's in 6mm and has quite a following. In Wisconsin we also have Timber Beast which is now making 22's with rebated boat tail design. Rebating is suppose to give up to a 5% gain on BC.
A Caution on VLD's. Many are made with J-4 Jackets, which are thinner that Sierra's. If you push them real hard you may upset the boat tail and get an erratic shot or even a miss. It is a common problem with 243's. You may also experience slightly more fouling. Don't think that doesn't mean they won't shoot. Wayne has made bullets on both jackets with extremely good results. I just want to warn you of the difference. In 95 a new maker named Wall, who makes excellent 7mm VLD's, is being reported from the Oklahoma area.
I have also found that if you shoot VLD's extremely hard you may get an erratic shot. In 7mm at least 3 of us found that we got unexplained shots at 10 or 2 o'clock. I recall shooting a 197-13X with a 9 and 8 not called at 2 o'clock. It took about a year to really wise up and simply cut the load back about 100 ft/sec and I lost the weird shots. In 6.5 x 08 Eric and I both experience wide shots not called at 600 on a hot day when first using this caliber. I had gone 48 straight 10's with this barrel before I shot a 9 and then the world almost ended. Checking the loads heated in the sun I found the velocity on some rounds had risen from the average 2835 to well over 2900. I cut the load back to below 2800 and it worked . But the barrel won't hold zero. Apparently I had blown a chip off the surface as it fouled. It would shoot 3 rounds on the spotter and then shift 1 1/2 MOA. The barrel still the shot short range load into the X ring. In 94 I set the barrel back and lapped it lightly. It shot very well confirming that I had damaged it with too hot of loads.
Eric's barrel had slightly narrower lands and less pressure, it suffered no damage as his scores proved. I had to switch to my back up rifle the day before leaving for Camp Perry. My daughter, Carolyn, made a trip to the range to pull targets so I could get Zeros. Boy, was I worried but the first time over the match course now bumped back to the Silver team because of the rifle change and uncertain zeros I shot a 490-22X in the Rumbolt and we placed just behind the gold team. Winnequah had placed 3rd and 4th in this team match. Perhaps the strongest showing ever for regular local club teams. Hey when you've done it, brag a little, makes up for all the crying towels one uses.
The point is by keeping records of my loads and performance I was able to identify mistakes and make corrections. In the case of the gun change it was the knowledge of how the load shot and what to expect from sighter and conditions. True it won't work that well every time but the odds of an educated guess sure beat blind luck. KEEP RECORDS.
Seating, I got carried away, talked of bullets but didn't seat them. I prefer Bonanza Bench rest seaters. They have a sliding bottle that gives good alignment of bullet to case. Some shooters spin their assembled round. However I don't find that necessary with a good die. Also such spinning means most where you use short bullets with short bearings. Bench resters like to do this but they use mainly .22 and 6mm with lightweight bullets. When we use such bullets it's for short range rapid or standing where such minor changes in accuracy are masked by the shooters wobble area. I suggest if you do such you limit it to long range loads or selection of proper tools and their adjustment.
Seating length should be off the lands some what. I generally figure about .025. I use dummy rounds to determine when I get contact and simply back down the require amount. A vernier calipers is a must and I would suggest an electronic digital type, while extra cost they simply work better. You can use lay out die or alike to see touch of the bullet. There are also some gages sold to do this, you'll have to work with each to see if it does the job. I am doubtful of these due to difference in bullet shapes and throat wear. Some people want to seat firmly in the lands. As a general rule this is not wise. The reason is that the bullet can't touch equally each time due to bullet variations within the same lot and wear or fouling in the bore. When the bullet touches you will get a spike in pressure. In tests with pressure guns I find this to be about 5000 CUP. That is a significant figure if you touch once and then don't. A slight run up generally provides the best uniformity.
In 95, Enco and other offer low priced micrometer sets. Enco has been offering on sales a 3 piece 0 to 3 inch digital micrometer set for less than $90. The micrometer sets may be a better option as they provide better accuracy reading to 1/10,000 and can be used to check bullets and various parts. If you go the micrometer route check out low priced conventional calipers. In the March sale the digital 0 to 3 set sell for $89.99. A conventional set 0 to 3 at $29.95 or 0 to 4 at $39.95. The larger set would cover all seating lengths. A conventional vernier scale calipers o to 6 sell for $12.99 and they offer a dial type for as low as $29.99. Don't wait to buy these tools. With the shrinking value of the dollar they will be going up as they are all imports. Watch for the sales. Enco has a new one about every month. Their Chicago line is 800-860-3400, local calls 312-745-3500. Or write Enco Manufacturing Co.; 5000 W. Bloomingdale Ave., Chicago, IL 60639.
There are cases where long seating does help. I have found such in .308 my 220's with 4064 shot better long but not touching. Using 4895 with 168's I seat short for rapid fire but the group will improve for slow fire if I long seat. Found this out shooting the league with the 200/600 target. Rapid fire does present a problem as long seating in most cases just won't work, you have to seat for function as a shot not fired is 10 points lost, a flier may only be the lose of an X or a point. I found in my switch to Reloader 15 with 168's the load was not sensitive to seating length and the change from rapid fire seating to long seating wasn't a significant change. Again records must be kept and all items examined on how they influence one another.
In these loads priming is important. The long seat changes the way a given powder burns early in ignition. Bob Jensen seats bullets with a lose sliding fit in cases sized in a special die. He also ran tests with primers used to propel air rifle pellets. He found Federal 210M primer to be the most uniform. RWS which he also used were weaker and not as constant. When fired in the rifle the weaker RWS primer shot the best with bullet engagement but the 210's did not negating any gain from contact. In fact quite a few shooter who research this find usually the small jump is better. You must touch the lands, is another one of those sound good tales that get printed in the pulp gun magazines or spread by word of mouth. Problem is, a lot of people simply accept what sounds good as true, yet it may really have no bearing in fact.
CAUTIONS; when loading don't smoke and wear safety glasses. Never function test ammo through a rifle unless you have the firing pin removed and then treat the rifle as loaded and will fire. Be careful of primers they are the one item that can exploded from a blow or fire. Many a shooter has been surprised with bangs from his trash burner when lost primers ends up there.
Powder can break down from age, look for rust like dust or moisture appearing on the grains. Powder should be stored where it is cool and dry. Ideally a freezer because the low temperature reduces deterioration. Year ago shooters in this area bought large quantities of surplus powder that was beginning to break down. We stored it in freezer and used it quickly when loaded. At least one person didn't do this and had a fire. Others had old ammo simply not fire. If you have any doubt simply flush it down a toilet if you live in an apartment or scatter it on your lawn. It will then fertilize your lawn.
Don't use cartridge cases that have been exposed to fire. The head of a case is hard, it gets this way from work hardening during manufacture. If you fire a case with an annealed head it will fail and may cause injury. If you anneal necks set the case in about a 1/2 inch of water and just turn the neck dull red. The water keeps the base from annealing. Case neck splitting can often be reduced by periodically annealing the neck
Examples of old wives tales. Barrels must be straight to shoot. Truth, unless bent, resulting in walk or a sharp corner the bullet doesn't sense the minor bow of a barrel until you exceed 4 km/sec. I have built barrels that go to 8 Km/sec. Groove diameter must be tight and extremely uniform In the early 60's Bob Jablonowski had a late 50's M70 match that he won the state championship with and shot a 250 on a possible 250 course of fire, the old 5V target. After pulling the barrel and air gauging it, I found the barrel was .0015 larger at the muzzle than the breech. Everyone would say it can't shoot but it did. The reason is that in single point rifling, the rifling head rides on the lands. The bore reamer was defective and as it wore in, it cut a funnel type hole which caused the inverse on the grooves. The lands drive the bullet not the grooves and they kept tightening on the bullets as it passed through the bore. Would I suggest making such, of course not but this has remained with me for many years and why I went to deeper rifling and odd number of lands. I have made a point to check not simply barrels that don't work, but also ones that do. Common mistakes often credited with horrible results can be found in good barrels. That means, what is the real problem may not be the obvious error. Hand loading is much alike. We look at easy to measure discrepancies and therefore miss the real problem. Lot to lot change of primers, powder, or bullet jackets usually cause far more problems than runout in spinning, variation in charge weigh, or seating length.
Another tool like this with perhaps more influence is a dial gage rig to test the uniformity of the case wall near the base. The theory is that it changes the thrust on the bolt head hence causing flex of a differing degree on the action. Greighton Auddette did some research on this and I have a gage he made. Again I suggest that for the Hi-power shooter the best thing is to use these gages is sort out bad lots of case or select the best for long range. If you can shoot regularly over 195 with good x-counts it might be worth while trying sorted cases with your gun to see if it helps. I have tried this and neck turning and really haven't found it that worth while, except I have no excuse, to let myself off the hook, for a bad shot.
Chronographs are getting to be very low priced. I think it's worth while to get one, perhaps share the cost with your shooting buddy. It gives you a handle on velocity and it's variation that can cut time out of test shooting. For any advanced level shooter it is now a necessity to be competitive.
Ammo Boxes. I prefer the use of 50 round plastic ammo boxes to store my ammo in. They are inexpensive and available in several sizes. I attach my loading labels right to the top of the box. During shooting I use the rows to double check my round count. In slow fire prone I go to the center and shoot my 2 sighters. Then I go back to the first row and proceed in columns of 5. In matches except for sighters or problems shots I give my attention to the shooting not the score book. The ammo box tells me where I am. On completion I mark my last shots and zeros in and then enter the score from the score card. I do listen to the scorer call out shots to be sure we agree.
In Rapid fire loading from rows of 5 also gives you a check on loading blind magazines such as the M-14 and the AR's. In some caliber's I shoot some hunting bullets like in my 7 x 57. The plastic box allows them to set point up so the point don't get hammered. When you pick up your fired brass also gives you a quick double check on what you've got. I shoot a lot of nickel brass now and that adds to the cost, getting it back helps.
Group testing isn't something I do a lot of. When I do such it may be at the range in a practice where I simply don't fiddle with sight and plots the shots at 600. Occasionally I will go to the local range and shoot 100 yards. On the heavy recoil rifles I shoot the groups prone and note bad calls. The rifles we shoot often have too much recoil to give the best performance from the bench. Remember the gun recoils before the bullet leaves the muzzle. If you shoot groups that way try some good known loads and compare against that, not the measurement. It all gets back to records and comparisons.
My log Book is laid out like this:
Sample from 1993 using 6.5 x 08 Rds on barrel 725
Aug. 29, 93 Lacrosse 80 shot 200 Standing 194-3 Elva 1 1/2 Wind 0 Rds fired 22
REM Case CCIBR2 Primer 200 sit RF 99-5 1 3/4 0
37 1/2 - N150 99-4 1 1/2 0 22
120 MK 300 Prone RF 100-6 5 0
100-5 5 0 22
REM BR case REM 7 1/2 Primer 600 198-14 15 1/2 1/2R 22
44.7 - N160
GTB 141 Total score 790-37 Rds on barrel 813
Sept. 6, 93 PLSC-practice
REM Case CCIBR2 primer 100 stand 197-3 -1 1/2L
37- N150 100 sit RF 96-0 48
120 REM soft point bulk Found load is not shooting. Shot some prone, it's not a very good bullet.
Rds on barrel 861
Sometimes I will sketch in where groups were by score as I enter all data by hand in a 3 ring binder. I use sheets with plastic strips so they won't tear out easily. Sometimes I copy pages from the score book or include other notes such as wind and temperature. I keep all my old score books so if I miss something I can go back to them. Like everyone else I started with fewer records. However as time went buy I have found them to be of increasing value. I find I often trace back result into the early 80's and wish I kept such records back into the 60's.
Useful information; the new VihtaVouri powders how then line up against more familiar powders.
N133 is faster than N135 and should be useful in small cases.
N 135 per the manufactures list falls between 4895 and 4064. This is the burning rate but not necessarily the actual charge rate. However it should be close as a starting point. Always start low and work up. I have been hearing of excellent results when used with 168's in the 308.
N140 is listed as slower than 4320 but faster than Reloader 15. Wayne says like 4064. I have shot more of this and it appears to be with about a grain of my N150 loads in my 6.5 x 08. In my last tests it appears to have an edge over N150 when using reduced velocities. I have had numerous good reports from customer using it in .308's.
N150 is listed as slightly faster than 4350. I have found that this powder performs exceptional well over a wide range of loads. It's ability to fire at reduced charge without loss of performance is exceptional. They list it in medium size cases often 5 or 6 grain less than 160. Result with my 6.5 x 08 looks closer to 3 1/2 grains. I suspect this is a problem relate to the pressure time curve in reading transducers, they chose the safe side on interpreting data.
N155 is a new offering. It is a short cut powder falling between 150 and 160. It runs through a measure better than the other two but in my experience is a little more selective in application.
N160 matches in well with 4831 and Reloader 19 per their listing. My loading confirms that. Also like 150 it seems to take a wide range of pressure with no loss in performance.
N165 They list it right at the fast edge of Reloader 22. In my 7mm REM Mag used for 1000 yard, the load and velocity, was almost exactly alike.
N170 is an extremely slow powder, listed to be slower than H1000. Very little of it has been available so I have no data. It should be a good powder for those extremely big wildcat. ( I have heard it may be renamed N167 as it a hair faster that thought previously)
N500 series is started to be marketed. It is a high energy powder producing more velocity for the same pressure. i have heard of some outstanding results with it by service shooters in the mouse-o-matic. It may be very useful with the VLD designs. Price is higher so this will probably be best used as a long range option.
Varget is a new powder by Hodgdon and appear to offer more velocity by being able to use a slower powder in smaller cases. Mid Tompkins reports good results. I haven't had chance to try it yet.
I would also like to point out something that many shooters miss, even those with a lot of experience. Powder burns by time, not the volume created as the bullets moves along the bore. That is what causes pressure excursions when the bullet hesitates in it's acceleration. This also means that when you have a large heavy bullet you do not need a large case. Select one that is only large enough to do the job. If you move excess powder along with the bullet it adds to the weight of the projectile and defeats what you are trying to do. It is the small bullet that easily accelerates that can actually make use of the huge case. These can be useful for varmint hunting where ranges are not extreme but trajectory on a small target is a problem. Distances up to about 500 yards. Antelope hunters have made use of the 7mm STW for this with 140 grain bullets because distance is hard to judge, especially for a non resident on a once a year hunt. But the STW makes a poor long range magnum for 600 to 1000 yard use.
Large powder charges and heavy bullets are very hard on barrels. Long range shooting for example at 1000 yard means the bullet may be in flight for over 1 1/2 seconds. The bullet drops at a rate of 32 ft per sec per sec. It's an accelerating rate so uniform velocity is critical. Barrel wear contributes to loss of uniformity. Also the large charge cushions the ignition sequence and the slow powders simply are harder to ignite. You will open up your velocity string and lose more than you gain plus consume a lot of $$$$.
Barrel length is one way to get more velocity, you need length with any large case and slow powders. If you use a reasonably long barrel with a medium size case not only will you gain velocity it will also be more uniform. A couple years ago I made a 36 inch barrel in .308 for General Dynamics to use for testing. I shot some of my .308 ammo through it and found the shot to shot velocity was really uniform. There was virtually no increase of velocity with medium bullets and a small amount with 220's. The case was to the small side but the increased uniformity was interesting. I don't advocate a 36 inch barrel for a match rifle but it could be a worthwhile point to consider between the shorter 24 inch barrels and the longer 28's or 30's. Barrel time will go up, a problem in standing, but in a long range gun it's all prone.
Purchasing components. Usually you can do better by buying in quantity. The price is often better, but even if not you may save on shipping cost or trips to you supplier. However, one of the most important consideration is you have a single lot. Powder often varies in charge data lot to lot. If you buy 8 pounds in 1 pound cans as needed you might end up with several lots, each requiring a change in charge weight. Primers are often subject to some change lot to lot. Considering the shortage of primer and some other supplies keeping a fair stock on hand may mean shooting or not shooting at times. People talk of rare coins for value, primers in 94 came close to being the same. In early 95 shortage in bullets and cartridge cases are visible but primer supply is better.
Cartridge cases can very from lot to lot, especially from year to year as changes in dies and material occur. Today most cases can be bought in bulk and at a good savings in cost. You can also buy in bulk nickel cases which gives you better function in bolt rifles.
Dies. In 308 it has been a problem to get dies that size the case small enough at the shoulder. If the shoulder isn't reduced enough the memory of case after firing will cause extra effort on extraction. Currently the .308 RCBS dies works very well. The small base is a misleading label as it isn't extra small but just about where it should be and the shoulder is tight. This may be more of a problem on G.I. cases with thick wall than some of the newer commercial cases.
Get a package of decapping pins and it probably would be wise to have an extra decapping rod, they can be bent or broken. If the die get scratched if can be polished out by spinning it in a lathe chuck. Use fine paper and a slotted rod to polish the inside of the die, a drop of oil helps.
If you tear the rim off the case which happens usually from lack of lube, pull the case via the following. Unscrew the decapping rod so it backs away from the base of the case. Drill out the primer pocket hole and tap it 1/4 x 28. Now find a ring to go around the case head but seats against the base of the die. Place a washer under the screw head that reaches the ring and use the screw to pull the case out. If you have access to machines you can make yourself a one piece cap to act as the puller. It will look much like a long screw type bottle cap with a hole in the center. These have been sold at times as commercial items.
4-96 For dies like 6.5 x 08 a simple way to make dies is to drill out the die with a carbide drill. Take a regular 243 die and ream the neck to size with a carbide reamer. The die is then filled with a surface hardening compound, heated bright red and quenched in water. The die is then place in a lathe chuck and polished on the inside with fine paper. Of course you have to know the proper neck diameter. You'll need the proper size expander ball. This offers easily availability to many special wildcat using regular inexpensive factory dies. The cost of special reamers to make sizing dies will exceed $100 each making this procedure very attractive. In 6.5 x 08 we got to doing this procedure even though custom factory dies were available because we found a need for small based sizer for better rapid fire extraction. Carbide reamers and drills are available at low prices from MSC.
Powder scales. They don't have to be fancy. Magnetic dampened scale work well. You want to watch the swing of scale as the center point is the correct weight. Reading while static, by dropping in a single grain or two might not cause a response of the beam. There are electronic scales but considering the cost I put these low on the want list for a new shooter who has more urgent wants. I charge a block of cases and then pour the powder into the pan to check those I weigh. It's much faster than moving the scale pan back and forth to the measure. You also get more uniform loads. In doing such I made a long plate to hold my measure. I clamp the plate in a bench vise and have room to move the loading block around. To dump the powder when though loading I simply open the vise and tip it into a funnel in the power can. I usually correct weight charges by simply taking pinches of power in my clean fingers. I use an empty bullet box for the powder. I have found it much faster than a trickler.
Books. Each bullet manufacture puts out a book on loads for their bullets. Some of the powder companies do also. You will want to obtain several of them and use them as reference guides. They have useful information on exterior ballistics. The loads from one book to another may not agree as they all have used differing components and gun to develop the loads. When they disagree use the lighter load and work up. Trim length and other useful details are also included.
Computer programs are also available. The most useful are those covering exterior ballistics. You want a program that gives you trajectories and wind drift to 1000 yards. A few programs are based on hunting and shorter distances. They often allow for target speed and height. The best programs take into account temperature, altitude, firing angle, humidity and other factors. By comparing many factors you can select the best bullet and caliber for your use. Two of the programs I have figure the speed and force of recoil. This can be significant in selection. Example, in a study of recoil for 1000 yard rifles it was found the 338 using the new Sierra 300 grain bullet increased the recoil by 50% over that of a 300 Magnum. The wind drift using Wayne's 210 low drag was only about 1 1/2 inches greater in a 10 mile an hour wind. The choice was then to consider problems of zero shift from the heavy recoil and fatigue from such recoil versus a small lose of wind bucking ability. For me it was an easy decision and I didn't have to fire a shot. It was the 300 Magnum.
I have also used the wind diagrams in one program to build wind charts for the score book for the bullets and velocities used. This program prints out 1/4 of a circle in either inches or minutes allowing you to correct for the angle of the wind. It is easy then to make a complete clock diagram to have chart just like in your score book, but for you load.
I just purchased a new program called on Target for Windows, version 1.0 by JBM (1994). It will figure the BC of an unknown bullet from form and twist rates required based on velocities. I'm just starting to use it so will take sometime before I can say how good it works. 4-96 This program hasn't worked out well. Tom Blank has studied it and found errors. I also bought the Pejsa Ballistics program. It's in an old basic format. It seems to work OK but not up to some of the other programs.
So far the best program is Ballistic 4.10 by W. R. Frenchu (1992). This program will work in several drag functions and will produce trajectory and wind graphs. My Sierra program is about a 1987 version and is not as nice as Frenchu's. There are quite a few programs available so I guess the best thing is try and find someone who has one and see if it does what you want.
There are some programs that even give you load data. If such loads refer to current reloading manual data it shouldn't be a problem. However one I heard about calculates loads from case volume and bullet. Such a program may be useful to a person working with wildcats with no data. I would add that such a person should be an experience reloader in development of such loads. I have worked with pressure guns for 25 years and built my first wildcat in the 50's. There are factors other than simple expansion ration to a given powder that change pressures. As mentioned earlier the contact of the bullet to the land or length of freebore will change pressure. In making 243 pressure barrels I experiment with changing the throat length. I change the length .025 and the pressure changed significantly and the velocity changed by 200 ft/sec yet the bullet did not contact lands in either case. Also the change in the cross section area of the bore or the finish on the bore will also cause differing pressures. I traced a problem once that cause bolt set back in a major brand of rifle in 7mm Rem mag. The barrel was 4 groove but the groove width used was that for a 6 groove barrel. There are many variable that interact, so I fear a new reloader might get into trouble due to a limited back ground.
Chronographs are now quite low in price. I recall being in Gander Mt's outlet and they were selling out reconditioned small units for around $60. Larger model go around $200 to $300. The better ones now have printers and proof channels.
Wayne and Mark just bought a nice unit for under $200. It has sky screens with 2 ft. separations and a large area. Wayne was testing groups prone while shooting through the screens. The display would hold each value and you could scroll back through the memory and see each shot and then record it. This feature allowed you do to what a printer will do but for about $100 less. A third proof screen to give a back up reading , shows a bad reading. However in most cases these reading will be far enough out that you know they are bad, so for normal use you can save by not buying this feature. The sky screen works best in overcast or clouds. Bright sunlight will cause glint on bullets and false readings. Light diffusers help but may not work when the sun is not directly over the screens.
Practice, often done alone. I have said, save some of your loading time for practice. I find that 100 yards on reduced target works very well. If you have a local range available it most likely is 100 yards. I shoot a lot at 100 yards. If I have doubts about a load I take primed cases, a powder measure and scale along with a hand tool to seat and test at the range while also getting in some practice. Targets are available for all stages reduced to 100 yards. One of the big advantages is you can see the bullets hole in your scope. One trick, cut your target out behind the center of the bull allowing light from behind. Large sections of card broad box make a handy target backing. You only need a few large 100 yard full face targets and then just keep replacing centers. Group testing on the 100/600 reduced gives you results scaled to the real thing and the practice at the same time, that is if you shoot groups prone.
Reduced loads referred to as plinker loads can also be used for shooting on limited ranges. In the early 60's we shot offhand matches in the shop after closing hours with a couple of friends. The bullet was a Speer plinker in .30 caliber pushed by a small charge of pistol powder. Another case I recall a 6 x 225 using 60 grain bullets and a small charge. It shot much like a 22 RF and gave me indoor practice for an early spring international match. The energy and velocity should be about that of a center fire pistol. The noise level low. It may be such a load can give you that extra practice. Some of the loading books give loading data for this.
4-96 BLOOP TUBES & VLD BULLETS. I installed a bloop tube on my 6.5 x 08 after the 95 Camp Perry matches. Like most shooters this was done to extent sight radius. I saw a drastic improvement in performance and lost the wild shots associated with VLD bullets. Some of this shooting was done with a scope so I wasn't simply experiencing sighting improvement. I recorded 15 twenty shot matches at 600 yards since the tube went on. During this shooting I lost only 12 points and most of these were traceable to my error in sight adjustment for wind. I recall one 9 I shot after shooting three 200's in a row, I shot the 9 and marked it in the score book before the target came back up. 3 were lost at Racine, late on a Wednesday evening when it was very dark. Another shot was lost at La Crosse dropping out the bottom, I simply went to long without cleaning. So, all 12 points lost were accounted for to shooter error.
I think what is happening is that the bullet is subject to variations in muzzle blast as it exits the muzzle. This effect appears to happen most with bullets of great length. I have noticed this in 6.5 and 7mm with reports coming from 1000 yd shooters using .30 caliber's. In my experience, slowing the velocity and using a faster burning powder has helped. The problem is seen less in 22's and 6mm's with shorter actual lengths. In some cases lost shots in the these were traceable to distorted boattails because many of these have thin jackets. My current thoughts are that the tube contains the gas from the muzzle blast producing a high density atmosphere uniformly around the bullet at exit. I think the Sierra design (7 to 8 R), being more blunt, has more point drag and is less likely to move off the projection axis then the sharp pointed VLD. This difference explains why the VLD is more likely to produce a wild shot. The high density from the tube increase the drag on the VLD correcting the tendency to wander off the intended course.
It has been suggested what I have seen is simply the damping of barrel whip. My tube is stainless steel where as other usually make these of aluminum. I point out, my barrel is a heavy with 12 flutes and was cryogenic treated. All loads seem to shoot better and I think a vibration change would still be sensitive to changes of load. Over the years, there have been numerous reports of improvement of accuracy with muzzle brakes which are screwed on, not those cut into the bore. In some cases this may be simply the reduction of recoils keeps the shooter from simply flinching as he shoots. In one recent conversation I got a report of improved grouping on a heavy bench type hunting rifle where shooter error is not likely.
I had a conversation with researcher at the Unv. of Arkansas. He feels like I do, that the wild shots are a function of length in actual length, not proportional in caliber length as commonly done for stability related to twist rate. He also pointed out that a lot of fine parts of powder, fractured by the ignition is blown out the muzzle. I have noted the problem is seen more with large cases with large charges of slow burning powder. This fit his scenario. He went on to speculate that what we may be seeing is ignition of some powder particles at the exit changing the uniformity of the muzzle blast surrounding the bullet. The bloop tube contains all the gas damping out this effect. This seems to be born out by my results as I also experienced better grouping with 120 MK's at 300 yards and 140 MK's at 600 yards. If irregular muzzle blast is a problem all bullets should be effected but we simply don't see the really wild shots with these shorter bullets.
I had a conversation with Bruce B. who is a leading builder of 1000 yd bench guns. I related what I had learned. Bruce had been experimenting with bloop tubes. He had used tubes with 1/2" and 5/8" inside diameter and hadn't seen any improvement. Al W. had experiment with small I. D. tubes with 308's, he found that 5/8 was too small and when he opened to 3/4", the gun shot well. My tube is .812 inside and extends 6 inches past the muzzle and has no vents. Another shooter had 4 guns with tubes in .223. The tubes were 5/8" on the I. D. Two shot well and the other two didn't which appears to confirm Al's experience. In the early 70's I built a number of laboratory test barrels. These were fired with an extension tube on short pistol barrels fitted in a universal receiver, the tube was required to support the system in a steady rest on the arsenal mount. Performance was screwed up until I vented the tubes. Note, this was with very slow moving bullets. It appears the tubes must be selected in a proper diameter and possibly length to prevent accuracy lost and if just right, may result in improvement of accuracy.
Bruce had attended a party hosted by Norma at the Shot Show. He had a conversation with an engineer from Norma. They had found that their real sharp VLD bullets shot well at shorter ranges like Bruce had at 600 yards. Bruce said he found accuracy deteriorated when the bullet approached 1000 yards. They confirmed this. In the past I had been sent tracking data from Norma. They can track a bullet in flight for several 1000 yards by a radar system. The engineer said as the bullet slowed down at long ranges it appeared to encounter some problem which I would think of as a turbulence. I have a sample of their early design and it has a ogive of 15 radius or more. He said the felt the problem was related to sharp transition point of point radius to the cylindrical portion. They changed the point to what was described as an 11 to 12 radius and the problems with accuracy appeared to have been corrected. This appears to match the design of the Lapua 138 in 6.5. It's as long as the GTB 141 but visually the radius on the point is less. Reports on the 138 from Joe. H who has shot them extensively at 1000 yards in a 6.5 x 08 is that they shoot extremely well. I have shot them twice at 600 yards and both scores were 200-11X. Corky T. commented Norma view appeared to match result we've had with bullets using a tangent ogive which gives a sharp transition point. Now this doesn't mean excellent score can't be fired with sharper VLD's as they certainly are, but give us some area to think on for future developments. It also might have some bearing related to wild shots and bloop tubes.
WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, PRACTICE SHOOTING TO IMPROVE SCORES.
Updates 4-97 VLD Design not proving out
There as been more information in the last few months about what appears to be errors in the concept of super sharp bullets. My experience with the 138 Lapua with a mild radius proved even more successful than reported last year. I fired them three times more at 600 and now have 100 records rounds without a point lost. Sierra has introduced a 142 grain 6.5mm bullet. An early sample I have shows it to be a close match to the Lapua when projected side by side on one of my comparators. Early reports from those who have used the new bullet confirm its performance is outstanding.
Randy Gregory reports a conversation with Larry Miller that is extremely interesting. Now please note what I am reporting is third hand. Larry teamed up with Scott Medesha and Mid Tompkins to do some long range tests on bullets. They made some chronograph screens used at 1000 yards. The screens were made by using thin insulation board with a sheet of aluminum foil on each side. The bullet passing through the screen made contact through foil and triggered the chronograph. I assume two screen were used at a proper spacing per normal practice. Most screens of this type work by a breaking of the circuit rather than closing it so some other change must have been made. Repeated shots could be fired through the screens.
The bullets discussed were the new 140 Hornady A-Max, the sharp point approx. 17 radius GTB in 141 or 144 weight, and the new 142 Sierra. The Hornady lost more velocity than the others and apparently it couldn't be fired as fast but proved to have fine accuracy at 600 yards. The Sierra 142 and the GTB show the same velocity lost at 1000 yards. The sharp point just didn't work out as projected from short range tests. The Sierra also proved to be more accurate.
I believe the problem is a greater turbulence with the long radius. Bill Sheane spend some time with Bubba Beal at Powell River labs. They shot the new tungsten core bullets all the way to 1700 yards. Greg from PRL told me the point of impact for a 12 radius and a 15 radius projectile launched at the same speed was the same. Bill reported that in watching the bullet through the spotting scope, the 12 radius looked like a dart but there was a noticeable wake with the 15.
Wayne Anderson has moved to improve his bullet and had a 10 radius nose forming die made. The limited test to date indicate a sharp increase in performance with only a slight increase in trajectory. Bruce Bear shot an outstanding group with these new bullet at 800+ yards. Randy Gregory reports fine performance and in the first Palma match at Lodi in 97 Wayne cleaned everyone shooting his new bullet in a 180 grain version. Likewise I have learned that Bob has modified his GTB bullets by getting a nose die like Wayne's. One report from a bench rester in the east indicates extremely good results with the new GTB 6.5mm 144.
continued .....
