Berger 105s sorted lengths

[Link]

Good day
I bought some 105 VLDs from a member, they seem to be in 3 different lengths from ojive to face.
Most measure 1.542 to 1.547 second to 1.565 to 1.570 . Then there a few that are 1.575 to 1.580.
they came in 2 boxes both marked lot 1357 what do you think happened? Maybe 3 different lots? 33 thousandths seems like a lot of variance. They all seem to weigh the same..

PS one lot measured 1.590 -+ What's with burger any how? The measurements are including the 1 inch ojive block. That makes a .050 difference from plus to minus.
thanks Don

 

[JimPag]

Good day
I bought some 105 VLDs from a member, they seem to be in 3 different lengths from ojive to face.
Most measure 1.542 to 1.547 second to 1.565 to 1.570 . Then there a few that are 1.575 to 1.580.
they came in 2 boxes both marked lot 1357 what do you think happened? Maybe 3 different lots? 33 thousandths seems like a lot of variance. They all seem to weigh the same..

PS one lot measured 1.590 -+ What's with burger any how? The measurements are including the 1 inch ojive block. That makes a .050 difference from plus to minus.
thanks Don

My bullets are lot #2810. The partial box of 45 all measure between .537 to .539 base to ogive length when measured with my Sinclair comparator. The bulk of the bullets are .538. In my honest opinion yours are from 3 different lots.

 

[retired]

were these FACTORY sealed boxes ?
if not, i think you bought his culls.
my 30 115's are so consistent, i quit sorting.

 

[GTyner]

I just bought a 500 count of Berger 105 vlds I took 10 from each box and they were right on the money of .560/.561.The last of my last year bullets(lot A012) 10 pc. sample was .546/.547 for reference a sample of Berger 105 hybrid were .550

 

[DocBII]

Link,

Matches what I've found when measuring 1k lots of the hybrids. 2 500ct. boxes purchased at the height of the bullet scares.

HTH,
DocBII

 

[ljmontano]

I was told that when the bullets are made, all the bullets put to gather in big barrels from all the bullet making machines and are shipped to MO. where they are boxed. So you don't get a production run from each machine using the same mold.

 

[KenOath]

I was told that when the bullets are made, all the bullets put to gather in big barrels from all the bullet making machines and are shipped to MO. where they are boxed. So you don't get a production run from each machine using the same mold.

I heard the same thing but it was in reference to Sierra not Berger.. I’ve actually found the Sierra 107s to have less culls per 500 than Berger 105s..

 

[gambleone]

I was told that when the bullets are made, all the bullets put to gather in big barrels from all the bullet making machines and are shipped to MO. where they are boxed. So you don't get a production run from each machine using the same mold.

So are the lots the same, or are they mixed? Thought the same mold, the same lot??

 

[ljmontano]

different molds different machines

 

[SteveOak]

were these FACTORY sealed boxes ?
if not, i think you bought his culls.
my 30 115's are so consistent, i quit sorting.

I heard this from Walt Berger himself. Berger Bullets does not sell seconds or culls.

Link, you might want to contact Berger. That seems to be way outside of normal.

 

[timeout]

Berger's within the same lot have always been very consistent IME. It sounds like you have mixed lot numbers. Only ever checked one box of Sierra's bullets. They were so many different lengths that I moved on from them with one exception. I shoot some 22 caliber 65 grain SBT's.

 

[retired]

he BOUGHT ON LINE..not from berger, private sale.
"I bought some 105 VLDs from a member"

like i said it would appear to be culls from the seller, not berger.
i had someone here do the same with some BIB 187's.

I heard this from Walt Berger himself. Berger Bullets does not sell seconds or culls.

Link, you might want to contact Berger. That seems to be way outside of normal.

 

[tmwinds]

I was told that when the bullets are made, all the bullets put to gather in big barrels from all the bullet making machines and are shipped to MO. where they are boxed. So you don't get a production run from each machine using the same mold.

So, who told you that? Was it Berger or just some unreliable source? If your source is correct Berger will join the ranks of the mediocre. I hope your source is wrong. Maybe a Berger rep will chime in.

 

[retired]

dies, not molds,
and bullet makers understand die wear and do nto mix bullets from different dies or even lots...not at this level.
sierra quit mixing lots before they moved out of ca.

different molds different machines

 

[Scott Harris]

you have an older lot # and they look similar to what i found in those lots. the newer lots are much tighter. no big deal . youve sorted them. shoot them sorted.

 

[Link]

Yes I did say I bought from a outside source so I'm not complaining, however who would have thought Berger's would vary this much? I think this area would be the bearing surface. How much do you think this will effect accuracy?

thanks guys

 

[SteveOak]

he BOUGHT ON LINE..not from berger, private sale.
"I bought some 105 VLDs from a member"

like i said it would appear to be culls from the seller, not berger.
i had someone here do the same with some BIB 187's.

Makes sense.

I went back and read the OP more carefully. I didn't catch before that there were gaps in the bullet weights.

 

[DaveTooley]

different molds different machines

Different molds. You really need to visit need to visit one of these companies. Decades ago Sierra did mix lots. All were made on the same machine using one set of carbide "DIES" not molds. At that time when a boattail punch had to be reworked or some other adjustment made most of the time they didn't designate a new lot. These days they have much tighter controls. I'm sure Berger has the same controls. What happened here I can't explain but it's the exception not rule.

 

[DaveTooley]

Yes I did say I bought from a outside source so I'm not complaining, however who would have thought Berger's would vary this much? I think this area would be the bearing surface. How much do you think this will effect accuracy?

thanks guys

Years ago when I was testing the effects of meplats on BC we shot bullets with varying lengths. All out of the same box. There was no statistical difference in BC in the bullets we tested. Some had as much as .030" difference in bearing surface.
Just shoot em. The target will tell you what's going on.

 

[butchlambert]

Good day
I bought some 105 VLDs from a member, they seem to be in 3 different lengths from ojive to face.
Most measure 1.542 to 1.547 second to 1.565 to 1.570 . Then there a few that are 1.575 to 1.580.
they came in 2 boxes both marked lot 1357 what do you think happened? Maybe 3 different lots? 33 thousandths seems like a lot of variance. They all seem to weigh the same..

PS one lot measured 1.590 -+ What's with burger any how? The measurements are including the 1 inch ojive block. That makes a .050 difference from plus to minus.
thanks Don

With that measurement, were you measuring from the base of the cartridge to the o'give?