accuracy with sierra 125gn pro hunter

[zzookkii]

Hi,
I have just bought bergara ba13 takedown rifle in 300blk.. Barell in 16 inch with 1 twist per 8 inches..
For reloading i have bought lee precision collet die set for 300 blk.. Powder is Vihtavouri N110, bullet is sierra 125gn pro hunter, brass is new starline...After shooting some 50 rounds the results are not so good..
At some 50 yards grouping is pretty good, but when I move to 100 yards the bullets are all over the target?? I really don t understand why..
Is it possible that I need to buy lee expanding die as well, because i have feeling that this sierra flat tail bullet is getting some damage when seating?
Or maybe this short bullet is just not good in barrels with high speed twist rate?
Best regards,
Zoran

[20X11]

Have you experimented with different seating depths?

[BJK]

What's the velocity? Actual measured would be best, but from the load manual is better than nothing (test barrel length?).

While you're typing, what's the actual load?

[zzookkii]

What's the velocity? Actual measured would be best, but from the load manual is better than nothing (test barrel length?).

While you're typing, what's the actual load?

Hmm I am new reloader and don t have cronograph yet.. I loaded 15,7grain Vihtavouri N110, that should be 2011 fps according to their manual.. My barrel is 16 inch with 1 in 8 twist, barrel in manual is 14 inch 1 in 8 twist..
Weird thing for me is that at 50 yards the holes are sometimes touching, but at 100 yards they are all over target (target is 6 inches).
Now I bought some bullets from Barnes 130grain ttsx, sierra game king 150 grain sbt and two packs of factory ammo sellier bellot 110 grain txrg and will test them over the week end, maybe it just doesn t like those sierra 125g short bullets

[zzookkii]

Have you experimented with different seating depths?

No, I loaded max load and am afraid of too much pressure if I shorten bullet size, i used coal 2,209..

[BJK]

The reason I asked about velocity was to find the RPM of the bullet. If my math is correct it's about 160,000 rpm. I don't know how many RPM that bullet can take but it might be coming apart. Someone with more knowledge needs to address that 'cause I just don't know.

But your question might all be for naught anyway. What is the use you have for the loads? If for plinking that bullet might work. But I think it was designed for much higher velocity if it's expected to expand for hunting. At 2000 fps you might be at the lower part of the velocity window for expansion.

Oh, and since you're reloading now you need to start to use correct terminology. Yes, you probably can't make the bullet shorter; maybe with a vise you could but it would be unusable afterward. The bullet is the copper jacketed lead that gets pushed out the barrel under pressure. It's the cartridge or round that can be made shorter. It can also be called ammo or ammunition, but to call a cartridge a "bullet" is only heard in the movies and by folks who want others not to take them seriously. Don't do it. Sorry, it's also a pet peeve of mine. Maybe I'm beating a dead horse, but for further explanation... the cartridge is composed of various parts, the case, the primer, the powder, and the bullet. The bullet being only one part of the cartridge.

Carry on.

[zzookkii]

The reason I asked about velocity was to find the RPM of the bullet. If my math is correct it's about 160,000 rpm. I don't know how many RPM that bullet can take but it might be coming apart. Someone with more knowledge needs to address that 'cause I just don't know.

But your question might all be for naught anyway. What is the use you have for the loads? If for plinking that bullet might work. But I think it was designed for much higher velocity if it's expected to expand for hunting. At 2000 fps you might be at the lower part of the velocity window for expansion.

Oh, and since you're reloading now you need to start to use correct terminology. Yes, you probably can't make the bullet shorter; maybe with a vise you could but it would be unusable afterward. The bullet is the copper jacketed lead that gets pushed out the barrel under pressure. It's the cartridge or round that can be made shorter. It can also be called ammo or ammunition, but to call a cartridge a "bullet" is only heard in the movies and by folks who want others not to take them seriously. Don't do it. Sorry, it's also a pet peeve of mine. Maybe I'm beating a dead horse, but for further explanation... the cartridge is composed of various parts, the case, the primer, the powder, and the bullet. The bullet being only one part of the cartridge.

Carry on.

Ok, I will try to use correct terminology, my bad, english is my second language.. Those bullets should have terminal velocity heavoat around 1800 fps, so they should expand some... I am thinking that because of high twist rate of barrel, rifle would shoot more accuratly if bullets are longer, but longer are usually also heavier..

[BJK]

Lots of Americans using American English also use the same terminology. It's hellyweird that was the factor in twisting the words. That's just one of the reasons I call Hollywood hellyweird.

If you contact Sierra they'll tell you the RPMs the bullets can handle and the velocity window they expand at. I have a mess of those bullets on the shelf, but I won't load them in 300BLK. I bought them for .308 Win'.

Whoops! (on me) I just read previous posts and did you start by loading max' loads?

[zzookkii]

Lots of Americans using American English also use the same terminology. It's hellyweird that was the factor in twisting the words. That's just one of the reasons I call Hollywood hellyweird.

If you contact Sierra they'll tell you the RPMs the bullets can handle and the velocity window they expand at. I have a mess of those bullets on the shelf, but I won't load them in 300BLK. I bought them for .308 Win'.

Whoops! (on me) I just read previous posts and did you start by loading max' loads?

I am not American.. Let s move on..
Why wouldn t you load that bullet in 300 blk if it s supposed to shoot anything from 100 to 230 grain in .308? With what bullets do you get good in .308?
Any recommendations for hunting round?
And yeah I started with max load according to their manual, because at lower speeds that bullet is not interesting for hunting use.. Figured it would be safe because it is manual from Vihtavouri and for that specific bullet

[dellet]

I would start with this data working up from the low load.