Nosler 6mm "Custom Match" bullets

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Obtunded

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In light of the Berger debacle with their 8% reduction in BC, I needed to look at other bullet options. 107SMK's have been ok, but they were inferior to Berger.

I had Jerry bring in some of the new 6mm Nosler match bullets to try. Their BC is suppsed to be as good as the old Berger 105VLD, making it the king of the hill BC-wise.

I took out 100 bullets and weighed each. they were all very consistent (better than Berger, on par with Lapua).

They have the tiniest and most uniform meplat I have seen! better than Berger!

Length-wise, all within a thou to the ogive, BUT they are only 0.2425 (I actually think they are truly smaller than this. My digital calipers sometimes read 2420, Berger is a definite .243, Lapua is a definite .2425)

I use minimal neck tension and have been using a .243 expander mandrel, and using elastic recoil as the only neck tension. It don't work with the noslers! Out comes the neck bushing and dismembering the decapping rod in my neck sizing die. Thank god I had a bushing small enough (.266).

I suspect the .237 bore minority would find these a difficult bullet, much like the known issue with Lapuas in .237 bores. (Lapua makes the most consistent bullet on the shelf... I can't understand their under-size dimensions)

I am off to our Winter league and I have loaded a number of them to try afterwards. I will post the results this afternoon.

Ian
 
I've got 500 rounds of 140gr 6.5mm Nosler Custom Competition on order to be tested in my new Krieger barrel I have on order with you. Lets just hope they shoot.:)

once I've got them I'll break out the caliper and see what they read.
 
Obtunded said:
In light of the Berger debacle with their 8% reduction in BC, I needed to look at other bullet options. 107SMK's have been ok, but they were inferior to Berger.

I had Jerry bring in some of the new 6mm Nosler match bullets to try. Their BC is suppsed to be as good as the old Berger 105VLD, making it the king of the hill BC-wise.

I took out 100 bullets and weighed each. they were all very consistent (better than Berger, on par with Lapua).

They have the tiniest and most uniform meplat I have seen! better than Berger!

Length-wise, all within a thou to the ogive, BUT they are only 0.2425 (I actually think they are truly smaller than this. My digital calipers sometimes read 2420, Berger is a definite .243, Lapua is a definite .2425)

I use minimal neck tension and have been using a .243 expander mandrel, and using elastic recoil as the only neck tension. It don't work with the noslers! Out comes the neck bushing and dismembering the decapping rod in my neck sizing die. Thank god I had a bushing small enough (.266).

I suspect the .237 bore minority would find these a difficult bullet, much like the known issue with Lapuas in .237 bores. (Lapua makes the most consistent bullet on the shelf... I can't understand their under-size dimensions)

I am off to our Winter league and I have loaded a number of them to try afterwards. I will post the results this afternoon.

Ian
Click to expand...

So no verdict as to weather they shoot or not Ian....

Cheers

Bucky in BC.R:d:
 
I stock Noslers and have been using them in my rifles .308 168 HPBT Custom Competition and .224 69 HPBT Custom Competition... only complaint I can find with them is that the tip where the holopoint is formed they are all not uniform... I am using Noslers Bulk 1000pcs Box of Custom Competition, so I assume they are the same quality that comes in the 100 pcs and 250 pcs retail boxes... I want to crack open a factory sealed retail box to find out.

What is the reason why Berger is decreaseing there BC ?
 
So what is the difference between the 105 target VLD's and the hunting VLD's? I assume jacket thickness? The hunting 105's didn't lose the 8% and still have the G7 BC of .272.
 
Bud, Correct. Jacket thickness. The "original" VLD is still available as a hunting match bullet and they work fine. Like everything else component wise, nobody stocks them. I'm getting pretty tired of having to rely on reloading components that have to be special ordered.

Who wants to go in on opening a bullet-powder-actions-barrels-primers-dies precision mega store with me...? I was thinking of working off the same theme as the restaurant where the waitresses wear owls on their shirts.... "Hooters 'n Shooters."

Anyway, verdict on the Noslers.... they suck so far. 30-31 grains of Varget and no groups were under an inch. I went with 15 thou jam. Much more work to be done, but i went with what should have been a resonable empirical load. Nada.
 
Budweiser360 said:
So what is the difference between the 105 target VLD's and the hunting VLD's? I assume jacket thickness? The hunting 105's didn't lose the 8% and still have the G7 BC of .272.
Click to expand...

Yep, a few thou difference in jacket thickness which cause issues during manf, which leads to a change in point shape, which lowers the BC.

For the most part, the two bullets are interchangeable (at least loads will be pretty close to the same). AND I have not received a single complaint on Hunting/Orig jackets blowing up in a competition style rifle.

Trying to stock them is a real issue simply because demand far outstrips supply. But I am working on it.

Giving me some guidance on what you want will certainly help in my procurement directions and amounts.

Ian, given the tangent ogive shape, my SWAG on the Noslers would be 10 thou OFF the lands and work up from around 28gr.

Good luck,

Jerry
 
Hi Jerry,

I heard from Nosler and they confirmed the .24225 diameter, stating they "Will obturate in the bore" (WTF??). They also state the G1BC of .515. I was trying to figure out if they were tangential or secant, and I thought it looked too compounded to be a tangent. No info on it.

I chuckled at the 28 grain recommendation.... Varget has gotten so inert in the last two years that I know of nobody using anything less than 30.8 to achieve 2900. Tom F is at 32.4 grains in a 30" Smith Barrel! I am running 31.4 with the hunting match Bergers. Gonna need a drop tube soon.

I need to chrony the Noslers and I haven't gotten that far along yet. I'll do it when I get back from Sacramento.
 
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