Savage 110 7mm mag Not Group Berger vld 168g

[Jimhoodag]

I can't get my Savage 110 to group less than 3 inches at 100 yards with Berger VLD 168g bullets at 3,050 fps. I used the Berger recommended overall length, which is longer than normal. It was touching lands and grooves. I tried normal length, but it did no better.

The gun loves Hornady 139g BTSP. It will group them under one inch at 100 yards. Has anyone else had problems getting Berger VLDs to group?

Jim

[GaCop]

Welcome to the forums and the aggrevation of handloading! Each barrel is an enigma. What one barrel likes, another will spray it all over like a shot pattern. Try different powders and seating depths. If it still won't group, go to a different brand of bullet like the Hornady 168 gr. or the 162 grain A-Max. Your bound to find something other than the 139 grain to shoot well.

[Mbarnes72]

I have an older 116 in 7mag that has seen about every bullet made and will not shoot anything heavier than the 160gr Gameking and still shoots the best with 150gr GK. Some just will not shoot the heavier bullet no matter the speed or depth. It only took me the first thousand rounds to believe it.

[Dennis]

Welcome to the forums and the aggrevation of handloading! Each barrel is an enigma. What one barrel likes, another will spray it all over like a shot pattern. Try different powders and seating depths. If it still won't group, go to a different brand of bullet like the Hornady 168 gr. or the 162 grain A-Max. Your bound to find something other than the 139 grain to shoot well.

Well put, Everyone on my guns has there own pattern and load! My brother had a rifle and he could never get it to group! I finally found "one" bullet that would shoot consistanty .500 or less everytime! Tried about 10 other and they all looked like a shotgun!

Maybe 180 Bergers will do the trick!

[jsthntn247]

You are running them too fast. Try h-1000 or retumbo at 2900 fps.

[darkker]

Welcome to Litz's "superior design". ;D
They do shoot well, but are a whore to find what makes them happy.

[efw]

162 AMax is on sale through MidwayUSA this coming month... those might be worth a try!

As has been pointed out, VLDs are tough to tweak and require some fine tuning. They sure as heck ain't cheap either.

[Dennis]

What is your barrel length and what powder are you using?

Let us know the above and you might find an answer or at least a direction.

Many 7mag's are owned, so I know several would be willing to help.

[warthog97]

Check out the Berger Website. They are now recommending a fairly large jump, like 0.120" as a start. I'm working up loads for a 6.5x55 and 270, both seemed to work well with the jump. Once you verify the pressures are in check, they recommend tuning the chosen load by reducing the jump in 0.030" increments. This process has worked well for both guns I've tried it with.

Good luck.

-bnw

[dsculley]

I have a 7 mm Rem Mag that shoots the Berger 168 gr VLD well, best groups were well under .5" at 100 yds. I developed this load using the procedures recommended by Dan Newberry for find the optimal charge weight (OCW) on his website (http://optimalchargeweight.embarqspace.com/). I am currently using some Vihtavouri powder that I have on hand. I am about to switch to Retumbo, a slightly slower powder, to see if I can get a bit more accuracy out of this rifle. Since my goal is long range shooting, I really want to stay with the 168 gr.

PM me and I will be glad to share my current load with you. I easily took deer at well over 200 yds this season.

Dennis

[roootie3]

hey jimhoo..... go to bulletsamples.com and check out they're solution to buying boxes and boxes of ammo to try and find a shooter. i think it's 12 bullets to a bag and they even give you tips on how to use them. that's waht i'm doin' when i work-up my new 243.... larry

[johnp034]

I use Retumbo with the Berger 168's, its the best I've found for mine.

[bquillin]

what rate of twist is your barrel the vld are longer than other 168 grain bullets Berger recommends at least a 1-10 rate of twist