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Precision Reloading for 25-06 Using Berger 115 gr. VLD Hunting Bullets

IdahoOutdoorsman

Greetings!
I shoot a Tikka T-3 25-06. I've been fortunate enough to draw out on Rocky Mountain Bighorn for Idaho for 2017!!!
I've chosen the Berger VLD Hunting in 115 gr. as my bullet of choice. Right now, we've been successful at tightening our group down to approximately 1 & 1/2" at 100 yards. This is nothing spectacular, but it's getting dialed in. I'm using Hodgdon Hybrid 100 V, with 50 gr. Now I'm asking for feedback. What are your "go to" powders for this bullet? I'm eager to find the ideal powder compliment. There are so few listed in the Berger reloading book. Can you offer suggestions?
 
52.5gr of H4350 works amazingly well in my Savage with 115gr Bergers. 26" Criterion sporter is giving me 3248fps at the muzzle according to my Magneto speed and half moa. My wife used this rifle last year to take a small Coues buck at 824 yards across a big canyon. Punched right through both shoulders with a half dollar size exit on the off side. Dropped right in his tracks. I have never had good results with 100v I have tried it in a number of calibers and can never get the accuracy I am looking for with it.
 
Haven't used the Bergers yet but the 115 gr Noslers with H4831SC shoot very well. I have always used H4831SC with75 gr. VMax to 115 gr. Noslers and am very pleased with it. I use 115 gr bullets for deer and 85 gr bullets for Varmints. Try it, H4831SC, I think you will get great results. Also,are you seating the bullets like Berger suggest to find the best accuracy? Their way has always worked for me.
http://www.bergerbullets.com/getting-the-best-precision-and-accuracy-from-vld-bullets-in-your-rifle/
 
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H100V, at least for me, has been mostly a miss when it comes to getting accuracy from any cartridge I've tried it in. H4831SC is a great powder so I'd look at the recommendations above.
Now, I have a question.
Are you married to the 115 Berger? The VLD bullets are known to be somewhat sensitive to seating depth and it has been my experience with Tikka rifles that they have very long throats and very short magazine length. I once had a T3 in 223 with 8 twist and could not get anything to work as well as I thought it should. I had AICS bottom metal installed, ditched the Tikka mags and was able to get COAL out there far enough to get great results.
 
R#25 with a fed 215 produced .400 groups at 3250+ fps, SD of 9fps, 115g Nosler ballistic tips, win brass.

IMR 7828 was a good second, tad bit slower, use fed 215.

H4831 and IMR 4350 were slow crawlers in speed.

You may need a 9T to get the 115 berger to shoot tiny groups, which is why I went with the 115g ballistic tip.

My rifle had a 26" 10T, Shilen match barrel, shortish leade. The 100g with the R#25 was doing 3550, fed 215's, win brass and I was neck sizing the brass.
 
I have not had good luck with the Berger 115 VLD in any 25-06 that I owned.

Call me old fashioned, but I've found that a 115 Nosler Partitian over a near max load of H1000 is sub MOA in my rifle. I've shot deer and elk with that combination and have yet to have an animal take more then 2 steps.

MQ1
 
Lone Hunter said:
http://www.bergerbullets.com/getting-the-best-precision-and-accuracy-from-vld-bullets-in-your-rifle/
Click to expand...
By all means, follow this recommendation from Berger. My 25-06 with Berger 115 HVLD'S shot great .010" off the lands, but even better over .100" off. My rifle has plenty of mag length to accept the HVLD'S close to the lands. If yours doesn't, you may find the Berger's will shoot when seated at the shorter OAL's. My go to powder with the 115's is 4841 SC. Start low and work up. The Berger HVLD's are an excellent choice! That being said, your rifle may not like them. Have you tried any others? I have never owned a Tikka, but had a factory barrel REM. 25-06 that I could not find a bullet/ powder combo that would group. You may have a barrel issue. For a hunting rifle I like #3 contour custom barrels.
 
Wow! Thank you everyone for the responses! Lots of great suggestions to research further. Does anyone know what the barrel twist is on a Tikka T-3 25-06? I do currently have a number of the suggested powders in my inventory. Other than the aforementioned H100V, I have also shot H-4831SC in this rifle using the Barnes 117gr. SSTs, I have followed Berger's recommendation to minimize the "free jump" to the lands and grooves. I started at .010 and my gun didn't like that. .050 however, is what has produced the 1/2" groups. It doesn't like COAL over 2.684! I have H4831, H4350, & a little H4350SC, H4895, IMR4350, IMR4320, H-CFE223, IMR8208XBR, and Alliant Reloader17.
I'm pretty sold on the 115 Berger VLD Hunting as my bullet, with CCI 200 primers. It's the brass and the powder that remain to be resolved at this point.
I'm confident there is a perfect combination out there, I just need your help identifying it. I'm confident in the rifle, as it's brought down plenty of game for my son. I'm eager to hear your thoughts and suggestions.
 
shoot4fun said:
H100V, at least for me, has been mostly a miss when it comes to getting accuracy from any cartridge I've tried it in. H4831SC is a great powder so I'd look at the recommendations above.
Now, I have a question.
Are you married to the 115 Berger? The VLD bullets are known to be somewhat sensitive to seating depth and it has been my experience with Tikka rifles that they have very long throats and very short magazine length. I once had a T3 in 223 with 8 twist and could not get anything to work as well as I thought it should. I had AICS bottom metal installed, ditched the Tikka mags and was able to get COAL out there far enough to get great results.
Click to expand...
I'm open to the 4831SC, as I've used it before in my 30-06
Lone Hunter said:
Haven't used the Bergers yet but the 115 gr Noslers with H4831SC shoot very well. I have always used H4831SC with75 gr. VMax to 115 gr. Noslers and am very pleased with it. I use 115 gr bullets for deer and 85 gr bullets for Varmints. Try it, H4831SC, I think you will get great results. Also,are you seating the bullets like Berger suggest to find the best accuracy? Their way has always worked for me.
http://www.bergerbullets.com/getting-the-best-precision-and-accuracy-from-vld-bullets-in-your-rifle/
Click to expand...
I'm open to the 4831SC as I've used it successfully before in my Model 721 Remington 30-06. That is what I used to take down my Mountain Goat. Then, I was using 165gr. Noisier Partitions. Yes, I read Berger's article on seating depth, and put it to the test. I'm surprised, but pleased with the results. .050 of the lands and groves, has proven to be what my rifle likes best.
 
AckleymanII said:
R#25 with a fed 215 produced .400 groups at 3250+ fps, SD of 9fps, 115g Nosler ballistic tips, win brass.

IMR 7828 was a good second, tad bit slower, use fed 215.

H4831 and IMR 4350 were slow crawlers in speed.

You may need a 9T to get the 115 berger to shoot tiny groups, which is why I went with the 115g ballistic tip.

My rifle had a 26" 10T, Shilen match barrel, shortish leade. The 100g with the R#25 was doing 3550, fed 215's, win brass and I was neck sizing the brass.
Click to expand...
I do have some Barnes 117gr SST ballistic tip bullets I could try, see how they perform. I know we've used them before successfully. I'm not sure what the barrel twist is on the Tikka. Do you know offhand?
 
timeout said:
By all means, follow this recommendation from Berger. My 25-06 with Berger 115 HVLD'S shot great .010" off the lands, but even better over .100" off. My rifle has plenty of mag length to accept the HVLD'S close to the lands. If yours doesn't, you may find the Berger's will shoot when seated at the shorter OAL's. My go to powder with the 115's is 4841 SC. Start low and work up. The Berger HVLD's are an excellent choice! That being said, your rifle may not like them. Have you tried any others? I have never owned a Tikka, but had a factory barrel REM. 25-06 that I could not find a bullet/ powder combo that would group. You may have a barrel issue. For a hunting rifle I like #3 contour custom barrels.
Click to expand...
Do you have a link to the contour custom barrels?
 
I had a tikka t 3 25 06. I love it got a deal on a traded for a new 25 06 and some gunsmith work. My new 25 06 will shoot sub group with 50.5gr RL22. 117gr .
 
I checked my load book because I don't trust my memory...

My best load actually is 48.0gr H4350 with annealed, full length sized Lake City 30-06 brass that was fireformed one time and Wolf Large Magnum Primers. Velocity was averaged to be 2976fps at 75 Degrees F at elevation of 700ft above sea level.

The rifle is a trued Rem 700 with a skinny Hart barrel in an Edge stock that Dan Dowling put together for me...I'm pretty sure it is a 10 twist. I have the rifle sighted in at 1.8" high at 100 yards that gives me a MPBR of 250 yards.

Because I'm in California I worked up a Barnes 100gr TSX no-lead load that shoots great too. 54.5 of H4831SC in the same fireformed Lake City brass and the same Wolf Large Rifle Magnum primer gives me a 1 hole group. The rifle is currently set up with that load to shoot 2 1/4 inches high at 100 yards, and although I have not chronographed it yet I'm confident that it holds similarly to 250 yards as the Partitian load.

The brass/primer show no excessive pressure signs for either load

MQ1
 
H4831 was my go to 25-06 load with that bullet. Near book max, but not quite. That bullet likes to be close to the lands, but vary your OAL and see what your rifle loves. In a decent rifle, a good load should be well under 1 MOA with that bullet.
 
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