Starting to load

[kurtflys]

I have ordered some 308 Lapua brass and I still have three lbs of IMR 4895 to use for powder.
I was think about using the 175gr Berger bullet. Problem is that they list two 175gr bullets. A "VDL target and a long range BT target. I'm not sure which one is best for 1000 yard shooting. I would think the long-range bullet would be the one, but what do I know. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[Shynloco]

If may politely correct what you wrote, I suspect what you have are Sierra 175 "VLD" bullets and not VDL. That acronym (VLD) stands for Very Low Drag. And that's exactly why you'd want to use the 175 VLD rather than the standard 175 gr BT at 1K.....less drag. The standard 175 bullet has a bigger body to the front of the bullet causing greater resistance against it. Look at it this way, if you were riding a bicycle and sitting straight up on the seat and riding into the wind. You want to bend forward and down to reduce the amount of resistance against the body by sitting straight up. Same with bullets. Cutting the resistance against the bullet is what you want for more consistency and less resistance against the wind. Hope that helps.

Alex

PS. Pardon my directness and Welcome Aboard.

 

[Wingnut00]

berger 175 vld is a great bullet for the 308. The bt is a good bullet but vld is better for 1k. Good luck.

 

[joshb]

And then.........is my memory off or did I read somewhere that the 155 did better at 1k because it was still ultrasonic? I still shoot short range so I'm not up on the distance stuff.

 

[kurtflys]

If may politely correct what you wrote, I suspect what you have are Sierra 175 "VLD" bullets and not VDL. That acronym (VLD) stands for Very Low Drag. And that's exactly why you'd want to use the 175 VLD rather than the standard 175 gr BT at 1K.....less drag. The standard 175 bullet has a bigger body to the front of the bullet causing greater resistance against it. Look at it this way, if you were riding a bicycle and sitting straight up on the seat and riding into the wind. You want to bend forward and down to reduce the amount of resistance against the body by sitting straight up. Same with bullets. Cutting the resistance against the bullet is what you want for more consistency and less resistance against the wind. Hope that helps.

Alex

PS. Pardon my directness and Welcome Aboard.

thanks. I've been cycling for 30 years so i think i get it now "VLD''

 

[Shynloco]

thanks. I've been cycling for 30 years so i think i get it now "VLD''

Bet you wonder where I came up with that analogy??? Only been cycling religiously for 9 yrs now but did my 27 km this morning as I try and do every other day since. Had to drop down from the 20 milers as it started taking me too long to recover. Ageing is such as wonderful thing.

Alex

 

[kurtflys]

Bet you wonder where I came up with that analogy??? Only been cycling religiously for 9 yrs now but did my 27 km this morning as I try and do every other day since. Had to drop down from the 20 milers as it started taking me too long to recover. Ageing is such as wonderful thing.

Alex

Tell me about it. I turn 66 in a few days and I am not what I use to be on the bike but we still did a 57 mile ride yesterday and averaged around 19 mph. It' really pretty hilly here in NE Texas, and with the heat and humidity it can be a bear trying to keep cool.

 

[ShootDots]

I have ordered some 308 Lapua brass and I still have three lbs of IMR 4895 to use for powder.
I was think about using the 175gr Berger bullet. Problem is that they list two 175gr bullets. A "VDL target and a long range BT target. I'm not sure which one is best for 1000 yard shooting. I would think the long-range bullet would be the one, but what do I know. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

If I were you and am looking at shooting 1000 yards, the first thing to consider is "what twist rate does my barrel have"? If you have a 1-12, you can use up to, and including 185 VLD's. They are considerably better than a 175 anything! If you are fortunate to have a 1-9 or 1-9.5 you should use the 215 Berger Hybrids. If you have a 1-10, I would opt for the Berger 200 grain Hybrid! If you have any one of those twist rates, you would be far better off than shooting a 175 at 1000..

 

[swadiver]

185 Berger Juggernaut another good choice. for these heavier bullets the throat length, is also important, to be able to load the heavier bullets long enough so the bullet does not sit too deep in the case.

 

[ShootDots]

185 Berger Juggernaut another good choice. for these heavier bullets the throat length, is also important, to be able to load the heavier bullets long enough so the bullet does not sit too deep in the case.

"swadiver" is absolutely correct about the freebore length for the heavier projectiles. Any deficiencies can easily be rectified with a gunsmith and a "unithroater".. It would take only a few moments to open up the freebore and it is easy as pie!

 

[johnfred1965]

a few things to consider:
VLD bullets can be harder to "tune" or find a good accurate load, but usually have a higher BC.
Traditional tangent bullets like the LRBT are easier to "tune" not as sensitive to seating depth
according to Berger's website, the 175gr VLD and LRBT have the same BC so I would go with the LRBT for the ease of finding a good load.
If you choose to go up in weight a bit as some have recommmended, the 185 juggernaut is an excellent bulet and has a higher BC than the 185 VLD, but in that weight class, the Hybrid has the highest BC and that design is also made to be easy to tune.