AusVarmint

Hi
I have a 7mm saum with a 26in 1in 9 twist built on the latest Winchester short mag action
My question is do the Berger 168gn vlds have a common sweat spot in jump ? Say .020 - .040 - .060 - .080 ?
I have tried bergers suggestion on load test with there vlds but nothing seems to stand out ? I have tried 2209 with CCI BR2 and 2213sc with Fred 215M gold match
Any help.would be great thanks

Don't have a saum but in my 284 they go best jammed.
In my 280ai they kiss the lands.
In my 7mm mag they jump 25 thou.
So my expierence is its a barrel by barrel thing.
Someone else may have a magical number but i start on the lands and find the sweet speed spot and then fiddle the seating depth.
Good luck.
Cheers

Most VLDs I have used like 10th jamb
Tim

I have used a lot of the 168gn VLDs and mine always preferred .010" jam in a few barrels as well.

Wow hey guess what? 10 thou jam, 284 shehane.

Sort of the cart before the horse scenario. How well do these bullets shoot at a standard 20 thou jump and just varying powder charge? If you're not getting some sort of reasonable groups there then seating depth variation will not achieve much. Poor grouping to begin with cannot rely on seating depth for tight groups. Optimum powder charge has to be found first. For that you need to set a seating depth and not move it. Try three or four powders to find the optimum powder first. When that is found and the optimum powder charge for that best powder is found, then and only then test seating depth. It is remiss of any handloader to expect someone elses results to work in your case. Have an open mind and think like Sherlock but one thing common with all the good handloaders is that seating depth is the last piece of the puzzle.
If nothing works then you have a problem. Change bullets to 168 SMKs that have a tangent ogive that are usually more forgiving than secant ogive VLDs. If they don't shoot, then the barrel is not worth owning. That is not tongue in cheek, i have never seen a barrel worth owning that will not put those bullets into a singular hole. I cannot say the same for the Bergers.