Custom PPC bullets

[potatoe]

Hey guys, I'm looking for some of your favorite PPC bullet makers. My build should be done in about a month but I'm having some trouble finding some custom bullets. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[artbosco]

I'm looking for some of your favorite PPC bullet makers.

I have TWO

1. Ronnie Cheek: http://www.rcheek.com/page2.shtml

and

2. Bart Sauter: http://www.bartsbullets.com/products/barts.html

Ron Hoehn [pronounced Hayne]: http://www.benchrest.com/hoehn/
usually has Bart's on the shelf, if you don't like waiting for Bart's delivery date.

 

[potatoe]

Thanks Outdoor. I'm kinda wanting to try some BT's, have you used any BT's or mini-BT's?

 

[BoydAllen]

I have started three friends with 68 gr. Bergers, with excellent results. There is a tendency to believe that to have good bullets one has to use something that is difficult to obtain. With this bullet, seat so that the rifling marks are about half as long as wide or slightly shorter. I have also started them with 322 extreme and Federal primers. Shoot a pressure series, over flags, on an easy day, one shot per load, .3 steps, on the same target, till the bolt lift gets too snug, with brass that is FL sized. Pick a load that is in a range that does not show much change in point of impact as the charge weight does. The fellows that pay attention, are are able to manage sub .2 (5 shot) groups on days that have easy conditions. I primarily shoot 133, but it is trickier to deal with, and I am not sure that I am gaining anything for my trouble. Beyond that, Bart has some 65 gr. BTs that have been hot for some time. I think that they may be on a .790 jacket. There is a new Berger that is coming out, I know the fellow that has done some testing for them, I think that I would wait a bit till it does before making a big buy. They have done a lot of in depth testing and adjusting, and I think that the results will be excellent.

 

[markr]

Good, complete answer Boyd. I might just add that just about all of the known (and some of the unknown) make great bullets as well. I believe that with right OAL, powder charge along with good brass it would be a tossup between them all. In my 30br I shoot the Berger 115 gr flatbase bullet almost exclusively.

 

[artbosco]

Thanks Outdoorsman. I'm kinda wanting to try some BT's, have you used any BT's or mini-BT's?

I only use Bart's Ultra's.

 

[Frankr]

potatoe, you could try some of the PB boat tails, im likeing them.

http://precisionballisticsllc.com/testpage.aspx

 

[mauser08]

Brady knight makes some fine bullets

 

[WyleWD]

potatoe, you could try some of the PB boat tails, im likeing them.

http://precisionballisticsllc.com/testpage.aspx

+1 on this one. His shop is down at the moment while he moves into a new home, but get in line for some of his 68gr boat tails. Great fellow to deal with in my experience. Just shot some of them again yesterday and they've beat about anything I've shot em against over the last couple of years. WD

 

[GSPV]

A word of caution...

If your chamber is cut with a long-throated reamer, BTs might not work for you.

Greg J.

 

[bozo699]

Good, complete answer Boyd. I might just add that just about all of the known (and some of the unknown) make great bullets as well. I believe that with right OAL, powder charge along with good brass it would be a tossup between them all. In my 30br I shoot the Berger 115 gr flatbase bullet almost exclusively.

His answers generally are with Boyds help I was shooting in the mid ones to low twos with 68 grain Bergers and N133 and low twos to low threes with 322 and this was obtained with little work.
Wayne.

 

[potatoe]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I've got some Don Lahr's 65's and 68's and some 68 bergers on order. I also need to find some varmint loads so I got some V-max's and Nosler BT's as well. I'll have to get ahold of a few of Bart's, I wish they sold them in bullet samples

 

[SS427]

Potatoe, I too wish someone sold a mixed bag of different bullets just to try them out. Skeetlee once offered about 5 different 6mm match bullets that he was done testing and I just missed out on getting those. I guess the drawback to this idea is if you did find a killer bullet, you probably wouldn't be able to get any more of that bullet in the same lot.

GSPV - my 6ppc chamber seems to be cut for boat tail bullets. The base of my Berger 68 grain flat base bullets seated at jam are below the sized part of my necks. When I seat them I can feel the pressure ring slip passed the last part of the sized neck. Not sure what to do, as I assume accuracy will be compromised. Can anyone recommend a flat base bullet that is shorter in length that won't do this? Perhaps a 65 grain bullet is the key?

 

[BoydAllen]

What you need to look at is the shape of the ogive, not necessarily the weight. I have some 67 gr. Tucker #3s that have about .135 in the neck with a .060 freebore, and some 62 grain Watsons that have a smaller ogive number that are made on a jacket that is .075 shorter that have as much or more in the neck. Bart's Wedge needs a shorter throat because of its shape, as well as Bruno's 00 BT. What die are you using, a Wilson neck die? A Harrell die will size most of the neck. what size groups are you getting in the best conditions, when your rifle is at peak tune? I have a gizzy that I used to make a chart of every sample bullet that I could get. One of the measurements that I calculated was the amount of bullet in the case neck. After you get 20 or so on the list, you have a resource that can come in handy. If you are worried about loosing accuracy, or shortening brass life by FL sizing, with one that is a proper fit to your chamber, I don't believe that you will, and you will gain some advantages.

 

[SS427]

I'm using a custom FL die made by Lester Bruno. When I bought the gun and die he strongly suggested the Barts boattail bullets. These shoot pretty good. I'm stuck in the low .2s though, with only an occasional group in the .1s and so far a .0 group has eluded me. I'm hoping to do better.

Today I tried the 68 grain Bergers doing 3 shot groups. No powder charge or seating depth combo gave me any kind of hope with these bullets. I must be jinxed cause I've yet to get a Berger bullet to shoot well. These were all seated as I described in my earlier post, so I'm convinced that with the pressure ring below the necked part of the brass it is not good for accuracy.

When I bought the gun I asked Lester for a copy of the reamer print. For whatever reason he did not make that available to me, so I'm not sure exactly what the dimensions of the chamber are. I emailed Pacific Tool and Gauge and asked them for Lester's reamer print and they sent me what they had on file dated 2010. I'm fairly confident I have the right reamer print, but I don't know that for sure. Lester uses a couple brands of reamers and I have no idea if he orders them all to the same dimension or not.

 

[BoydAllen]

Because changes in components or load specifications can show such dramatic changes in accuracy, we tend to go back to the same well all the time, when seeking improvement. It could be something else...entirely...bags, or the position of the rifle on them, or something about your shooting style, how the rifle breaks away from the bags...etc. For example, I have a little problem that I am still trying to figure out. By making rather precise finger contact with the forend of my rifle, when shooting in unusually good and stable conditions, i am able to change group size from a small two to a mid to large one. The problem is that the technique is not very useful when conditions are the usual. What I want to do is to recreate the damping that I postulate that my hand provides, mechanically, some way that does not need such close tending. Another time I thought that I might improve tracking by putting more sand in my front bag. I did, but at the expense of a clear increase in vertical. There are a lot of variables, and determining which one is limiting performance can be difficult.

 

[skeetlee]

One thing i have noticed over the last few years is that everyone wants long pointy, or double ogive bullets. I personally wouldnt have any if you gave them to me. Same goes with a BT bullet." well most BT bullets" While i think the FB bullets will out shoot a BT bullet most any day, if you must shoot a BT bullet find one with a low number ogive. Something like a 7 ogive. The 7 ogive will be easier to make shoot compared to a 9 ogive bullet. for most people, i might add. The only BT bullet i will shoot is a George Ulrich 66gr little ugly. This little BT bullet have a 6 ogive and they look like an NFL football. No kidding. Do they shoot? Oh ya they shoot. The neat thing about them is that because of the blunt ogive seating depths are much easier to obtain, or find. Much less sensitive for sure. I dont share this opinion alone. Actually i have had this opinion for quite sometime. I was talking with one of the best bullet die making human beings alive the other day about this very subject. it was a pleasant surprise to find that he also has the same opinion as the one i obtained from trial and error, and putting bullets down range. Blunt ogive bullets are in general easier to make shoot, and much easier to keep your rifle shooting through the day. Better yet a 7 ogive on a FB bullet and now you have the ultimate bullet. Lots of small groups shot back in the day before all this double ogive, BT rocket shaped bullets, were even thought of. Just my two since, take it for whats its worth. Thats about 2 cents. LOL!! Most important thing is to have fun. Trying different bullets is definitely fun!! Sounds like you in the right place to me! Lots of good dudes around here for sure! Lee

 

[dirtworks5]

Skeetlee,
How does a fellow get in touch with Mr. Ulrich? I have a box of his 116 bt's for my 30br and they seem to very good. I would like to get in touch with him to order some more bullets from him.
Thanks,
Vern

 

[big bad bill]

I am a newbie at benchrest shooting and found myself getting tired of trying to get factory rifles to shoot well. Recently I visited a nearby gunsmith, who is better known for powder measures and custom dies, to order a custom 6BR Panda/Lilja with 8T and 14T barrels. I left the shop with a used 6PPC, Panda/Lilja which produced .25 to.12 groups on the first outing with 8208/BR4/Berger 68 and a $30 rest. Now I really have the “bug” and am anxious to get the 6BR built (action = 6 mo. Delivery).
The Bergers do shoot well and 8208 is not temperamental.
Bill

 

[Hammer47]

I'm using a custom FL die made by Lester Bruno. When I bought the gun and die he strongly suggested the Barts boattail bullets. These shoot pretty good. I'm stuck in the low .2s though, with only an occasional group in the .1s and so far a .0 group has eluded me. I'm hoping to do better.

Today I tried the 68 grain Bergers doing 3 shot groups. No powder charge or seating depth combo gave me any kind of hope with these bullets. I must be jinxed cause I've yet to get a Berger bullet to shoot well. These were all seated as I described in my earlier post, so I'm convinced that with the pressure ring below the necked part of the brass it is not good for accuracy.

When I bought the gun I asked Lester for a copy of the reamer print. For whatever reason he did not make that available to me, so I'm not sure exactly what the dimensions of the chamber are. I emailed Pacific Tool and Gauge and asked them for Lester's reamer print and they sent me what they had on file dated 2010. I'm fairly confident I have the right reamer print, but I don't know that for sure. Lester uses a couple brands of reamers and I have no idea if he orders them all to the same dimension or not.

The pressure ring of the bullet must ALWAYS fall in the resized area of the neck. If you are shooting a bullet that cannot be seated within the sized neck area it is wise to throat the barrel a bit longer to accomadate the bullet.