Base to Ogive questions

[bench]

OK I have been doing alot more bullet sorting lately to see if I can improve some of my ammo.
The base to Ogive sorting has made me think more about the difference in the base to ogive length.
So the question is what does a longer length vs a shorter length do by the time it shows on the target??
Is it just vertical difference?

 

[Jet]

Answer is it depends. Inconsistencies are more pronounced the further the target is. With a base to ogive sort you should place them in sub lots. How much difference you see is something you should test for yourself since bullet make, velocity, etc all play a role.

I find sorting bearing surface, seating stem to ogive, and base to ogive needed when sorting. My #1 priority when sorting is to look for the couple of bullets in a box of 500 that are way out of spec from the rest. They are the ones that cause you to scratch your head wondering what happened to your group. 2nd priority is to place everything in sub lots. I've tested the differences but find it varies between makes and styles.

Good Shooting

Rich

 

[coford]

I agree with Rich - we are looking for the one or two that are out of the norm. I sort all my 1000 yard bullets base to ogive - I can't prove it helps but it gives me more confidence in my loads if I know I did everything possible to make them the same. I also sort cases and primers by weight. Some people have kidded me about sorting primers but about 2 or 3 in every 500 will be off by 20% by weight. Would it causes problems - I don't know - but I'm not taking chances.

I have found the the largest improvement for me has come from making my neck tension more consistent. Once I figured that out my ammo has gotten better and my scores have gone up. FWIW

 

[jr600yd]

I sort my 1,000 yd Bullets by BTO. Usually sorting in piles of .002 difference. When I load I'll use only one group. I've found one group is not more accurate than the others but that using only that one group is more consistent. It has eliminated the "WTF, where did that come from?" syndrome when I do my part and read the wind correctly.

 

[Shynloco]

Answer is it depends. Inconsistencies are more pronounced the further the target is. With a base to ogive sort only you should place them in sub lots. How much difference you see is something you should test for yourself since bullet make, velocity, etc all play a role.

I find sorting bearing surface, seating stem to ogive, and base to ogive needed when sorting. My #1 priority when sorting is to look for the couple of bullets in a box of 500 that are way out of spec from the rest. They are the ones that cause you to scratch your head wondering what happened to your group. 2nd priority is to place everything in sub lots. I've tested the differences but find it varies between makes and styles.

Good Shooting

Rich

I have to say I agree with Rich and Gonzos. And I must also admit that I no longer sort my bullets because I only shoot 100 yds anymore and do not compete. But in talking with some friends who actually shoot the 600yd - 1K comps, they tell me that you not only need to sort (looking for the odd ball bullets) and put them in groups, but then your must trim each of those in the groups so they are uniform in length in addition to the base to ojive AND bearing surface measurements. Those step are what gives them the best accuracy. And then there is still no guarantee because of other external factors such as wind and atmospheric conditions, not to mention the weakest link in the chain, the shooter themselves. And lets face it, if you are serious about all the above, then you need a rifle capable of delivery as well, meaning a quality custom made rifle. Having said all that, I don't own a $6,000 rifle. But for my purposes,my $3500 rigs (without glass) don't stop me from trying. I just believe in knowing your limitation or at least recognizing where your potential shortcomings in reloading and shooting lie. Good luck and have fun. Best accuracy is the name of this game.

Alex

 

[M-61]

I have found that Hornady 30 Cal 110 gr spire point, which are very accurate in my 30BR, have the most variance in BTO I have seen. Within the same box it's bad, but in box to box it is crazy. For that bullet in my rifle I have to do the sorting and I am a 100yard shooter with the bullet just kissing the lands.
Chuck

 

[bench]

Thanks Guys
I do all the above just like you guys do,just to keep the WTH just happened so that I dont spend all night thinking about that group.
Now Gonzos I guess I can blame it on you for making me think about the PRIMERS

 

[T-shooter]

I've use this pictures a lot but shows what differences in 2 lots of the same Hornady match bullet. I haven't seen quite this much variance in the same lot but many will vary .010" or more in overall length. Here the bearing surface is .022" shorter (less friction in the neck and barrel). If you seated them using Hornady's bullet comparator tool (I do that on every loaded round, never from the tip) the base would be .036" less into the case making the case volume larger. These 2 factors could have a substantial impact on the velocity. I have also found some of their bullets .0004" out of round, Sierra M/Ks up to .0003". A good winter project may be to buy 500-1,000 or more lot of bullets and go through them.

 

[dedogs]

off by 20% by weight. Would it causes problems - I don't know

Why not load them and shoot them at the sighter and see? dedogs