A question about bullet length

[tcoz]

I'm pretty new to reloading for precision and I have a question about buying bullets.

I’ve been loading Hornady 168gr BTHP Match bullets for a Savage 10FCP-SR. I’ve never knowingly bought seconds but recently I bought a couple hundred bullets from a member of an unnamed forum. They came loose in a plastic bag and without thinking I screwed up and dumped them in with a couple hundred bullets that I had bought in a sealed original box.

As a final step in my load development I had arrived at a base to ogive length that shot extremely well in my rifle. When I started to load the bullets that I had bought loose I found that my base to ogive length was coming out anywhere from .020 to .040 shorter and very inconsistent. Obviously these bullets were a different length so I had to measure the bullet base to ogive length of about four hundred bullets and separate them.....lesson learned.

My question is whether either different lots or second quality bullets could have accounted for this much of a difference in bullet length or is it more likely that these weren’t Hornady bullets at all but rather a different brand. They weigh 168grs and the bullet profile appears the same except on close inspection the boat tail seems very slightly different.

Although the seller didn’t say anything about these being seconds (and I didn’t ask) and the ad said they were Hornady 168gr BTHP Match #30501, I’m not going to follow up with him because I made a basic error in mixing them anyway and I now have them separated but I’m curious as to what i received. One thing I realized is that in the future I’m going to buy boxed, sealed first quality bullets when loading precision ammo.

 

[Keith Glasscock]

Unfortunately, original bullets from the same manufacturer can vary quite a bit from lot to lot. I wouldn't assume that they are seconds.

You will, however, have to reset your seating die for them. Start at the cartridge base to ogive number you are using for the other bullets you have and re-tune from there as needed.

Do check to see if either lot of bullets is touching the seating stem with the tips - that could account for the seating depth variation.

 

[tcoz]

I did reset the seating depth and also checked to make sure the bullet tip isn’t touching the seating stem.

I could definitely imagine the overall bullet length varying that much but I’m surprised the ogive to base length could. As I mentioned, I learned some valuable lessons which is always a good thing.

 

[dmoran]

As Keith stated: lot to lot can very significantly at times, just as your seeing. A good rule of thumb is: never take for granted two different lots will be the same. As well for powder, primers, and brass lots also.
Donovan

 

[Shynloco]

AS the others have said, different lots of the same weight/caliber of bullets vary, sometimes more so, depending on the manufacturer. And part of the reason is that when there is a run (manufacturer making up bullets) on bullets, they may run them on various and different machines. They then end up being mixed together and you have varying base to ojive and hence, seating differences. I wouldn't necessarily ASSUME they are seconds, especially with Hornady bullets. Personally, I have found Bergers Bullets have the least variances in measurement followed by Sierra. And in my experiences, Hornady is amongst the worst, which is why I do not shoot or load them for precision shooting. Rather I use Hornady (168's) and load them in my son's Remington 700 for desert and plinking in the AZ desert or use them for hunting as they kill prey just fine.

Alex

 

[tcoz]

Shynloco, I load 168gr SMKs in my Ruger Precision and have noticed that I don’t have to vary seating depth much at all from lot to lot in order to maintain a consistent length so that’s right in line with what you’re saying.
I load the Hornady bullets in my Savage because I was looking for a little less expensive bullet that gave me good performance which is what I’ve been getting up to now.
I have a couple thousand SMKs on hand and only about 500 Hornadys so I might just switch over to the Sierra bullets for both. I tried the 168gr A-Max in the Savage when I first got it and was disappointed with its performance.

Many thanks to everyone for your input.

 

[Laurie]

The 168gn BTHPM Hornady thirty goes back a L-O-O-O-NG way, certainly from before I started handloading and that's getting on for 40 years ago. Bullet manufacturing standards have changed a lot in recent years and consistency is WAY above what it was 10 or even 5 years ago. Manufacturers sometimes change bullet shapes slightly too over time usually for manufacturing reasons such as reducing the number of bullets stuck in dies or rejects or to make forming dies last longer. Any and all of these factors means that bullets bought loose from an unknown lot and without even an inkling of age may vary from those produced recently. It might mean they are 'poorer' than those you have in your newly made supply, but may equally just mean they are different.

The answer is to to use your comparator to do a BTO (base to ogive measurement) measurement and batch them.

 

[tcoz]

Laurie, that’s exactly what I did when I realized they were different.

 

[K22]

I've encountered the same variability with Sierra, Hornday and Noslers, lot to lot variation and have to adust my seating die. I have not kept records but if my memory is correct the variation hasn't been more that about .005".

 

[fkimble@charter.net]

Never mix different batches of bullets, primers, powder or brass. Best to always keep in factory container just in case. Hornady bullets can often be found in plastic bags. Couple resellers buy in bulk and bag them in 100,250 and even 500 count bags. But frequently 2nds will have an incompletely formed boattail.

Frank