How to choose a bullet to do load development?

[HTSmith]

There may not be a short way to get at what I'm after, but there are a lot of smart cookies on this board, so I'll ask. I just got a new 6 Dasher barrel fitted and I'm pretty new at the dasher. I'm lucky enough have 5 different bullets to try in the 103 to 108 Grain range. Is there a test that will give me an idea of which bullet my barrel likes best, without doing powder and seating depth work up on each one? Thanks for any insight.

 

[ebb]

If there is I've never heard of it.

 

[DGP4]

If it were me, I'd just try to keep it to one variable at a time. In this case use the same powder, case and primer along with seating depth and see which bullet performs best, Take it from there.

 

[NorCalMikie]

You load to THAT bullet. Pick your bullet and build accordingly.
Got any idea of the free bore? I'd be going lighter than heavier like the 103 or 108s.
Once the long free bore is cut, you can't go back without a chamber re cut.

 

[HTSmith]

You load to THAT bullet. Pick your bullet and build accordingly.
Got any idea of the free bore? I'd be going lighter than heavier like the 103 or 108s.
Once the long free bore is cut, you can't go back without a chamber re cut.

The reamer was .105" freebore. The 103's and 104's have the heel just out of the shoulder/neck. The 107's and 108's not so much.

 

[wvlongshot]

You just narrowed down your choices without firing a shot. Just try the shorter ones first.

 

[INTJ]

In general.....

Berger 108s are the easy button when it comes to tuning. May not be the best choice for 1000 yds but are exceptional at 600

The VLD type 103 to 105s are better for 1000 yds, Berger 105s can be harder to tune. The handmade 103-105s like Barts, Roy Hunters, and Vapor Trails are top notch.

For the Dasher, H4895 with BR4s at somewhere between 30-32 grains usually tunes well. Varget with CCI 450s and 31-33 often works well. Bullets usually like anywhere from .009 jam to .015 off.

There are rough guidelines only, and you may find something different. The .105 freebore isn't optimum for the Berger 108s, but is about perfect for the 103-105s.

 

[NorCalMikie]

The 103's and 104's have the heel just out of the shoulder/neck.

Will the bullet be into or just at the lands if wanted, and still be just at the shoulder/neck junction? Just curious.

 

[HTSmith]

Will the bullet be into or just at the lands if wanted, and still be just at the shoulder/neck junction? Just curious.

Yes, just out of shoulder and right at the lands.

 

[ShootDots]

When I am ready to build a competition rifle, there are a few considerations that are at the top of my list.
What is the reason for this build: 1.) 300 yard, 500? 600 or 1000 yard, in MY case F-Open. Then I decide on a cartridge, i.e. a 600 yard rifle>>>then consideration #2: what are the primary wind conditions it will be used in. If they are generally "calm", less than say 8m.p.h., a 6 Dasher, 6.5 x 47 Lapua or some such cartridge in that vicinity. Then once I settle on a cartridge, I will build that cartridge around a specific bullet I have in mind for that cartridge and the job I expect it to do. Then I will decide on the action, barrel stock etc..to build around that cartridge for my intended purpose. I do this in the order I listed above. That is how I determine the bullet that will be used.. I know it seems like a "long way around" to find the bullet>>>>however, this procedure has worked very well for me over the years. When I started in F-Class, I did NOT use this procedure and it cost me a lot of $$$s and lost time, as well as many, many lost matches!

 

[HTSmith]

When I am ready to build a competition rifle, there are a few considerations that are at the top of my list.
What is the reason for this build: 1.) 300 yard, 500? 600 or 1000 yard, in MY case F-Open. Then I decide on a cartridge, i.e. a 600 yard rifle>>>then consideration #2: what are the primary wind conditions it will be used in. If they are generally "calm", less than say 8m.p.h., a 6 Dasher, 6.5 x 47 Lapua or some such cartridge in that vicinity. Then once I settle on a cartridge, I will build that cartridge around a specific bullet I have in mind for that cartridge and the job I expect it to do. Then I will decide on the action, barrel stock etc..to build around that cartridge for my intended purpose. I do this in the order I listed above. That is how I determine the bullet that will be used.. I know it seems like a "long way around" to find the bullet>>>>however, this procedure has worked very well for me over the years. When I started in F-Class, I did NOT use this procedure and it cost me a lot of $$$s and lost time, as well as many, many lost matches!

When I grow up I wanna be like you . I (used to) really enjoy load testing, but with components hard (often impossible) to find and very expensive, I'm wanting to use fewer rounds to find a load. I thought I had found "the bullet" a couple of years ago, only to get a new lot of them and I never could get them to shoot like the old ones. A question--is the heel of the bullet being down past the shoulder necessarily a bad thing?

 

[ShootDots]

When I grow up I wanna be like you . I (used to) really enjoy load testing, but with components hard (often impossible) to find and very expensive, I'm wanting to use fewer rounds to find a load. I thought I had found "the bullet" a couple of years ago, only to get a new lot of them and I never could get them to shoot like the old ones. A question--is the heel of the bullet being down past the shoulder necessarily a bad thing?

The actual boattail part NO.. However, begin to engage the bearing surface down there with a donut at the neck / shoulder junction and your problems just began..

 

[INTJ]

When I grow up I wanna be like you . I (used to) really enjoy load testing, but with components hard (often impossible) to find and very expensive, I'm wanting to use fewer rounds to find a load. I thought I had found "the bullet" a couple of years ago, only to get a new lot of them and I never could get them to shoot like the old ones. A question--is the heel of the bullet being down past the shoulder necessarily a bad thing?

To use fewer rounds to find a load, do almost all your testing at 600-1000 yds--the longer the better. Load up 12 round tests. Four loads with three shots each. Color the bullets from the ogive forward. Shoot them round-robin style at the same POI and look for overlap. You'll need 3-5 rounds to make sure you are centered on target. I don't think there is a faster or better way to find loads.