SmallCaliberCentral

I finally got out to the range last night to do some load testing and to my surprise my gun (Remington 700 SPS) can't shoot 39gr
Blitz Kings worth spit. I would have needed a yard stick to measure the groups. It did much better with the 40gr Vmax. At 100 yards
I got a group of .805" which is disappointing since I was averaging 3 shot groups of 3/8" with Hornady 40gr Vmax factory ammo. I'm
using Hornady brass, Remington 7 1/2 primers, and IMR 8208 XBR powder. I'm going keep experimenting with different powder weights and COL to try and shrink my groups and hopefully better my factory ammo groupings.

I thought the same thing when I first tried the thirty-niners. I had read numerous posts where most everyone loved em. I was using BL-C(2) as it seemed the most popular powder for that bullet. My groups were ok, but not as good as I knew they could be. So I took the best group, 29.7gr of the above mentioned powder, and started adjusting the seating depth. I found that at .040" off the lands my group all of a sudden became the bug hole I was looking for. At .050" it was all over the board. So, I would suggest maybe try adjusting the seating depth and see what you can get. I have been really happy with the results, but the ground squirrels have not

This might be a dumb question, but I'm a newb to reloading so I'll ask it anyway. How do I measure to see how far off the lands I am?

Tokimini wrote:This might be a dumb question, but I'm a newb to reloading so I'll ask it anyway. How do I measure to see how far off the lands I am?

No questions are dumb. better to find out from knowledgeable people before making a drastic mistake!

You will need an O.A.L gauge and a bullet comparator. You are shooting a factory rifle so, most likely, you will not get very close to the lands. Don't worry about that, as most of us shooting factory 204's find that a long bullet jump is not detrimental to the 204. Also keep in mind that if you like a repeater, you will be limited in your OAL by your magazine.
And don't be afraid to try different powders. My suggestion are RE10X, Benchmark and also H4895. For me, these have been my "Go to powders for the 204.
Just be careful in your endeavor, and keep in mind that we are playing with controlled explosives.

The guys at Sinclair Intl can help you out over the phone or net, and they have the Hornady OAL gauge in stock most of the time. You'll need the attachment for your caliper with the .20 cal insert too.

http://www.sinclairintl.com

Ask these guys any questions you have before you get started....they'll all precison shooters themselves.

Thanks for the info gentlemen.

I had the same problem too. 35gr. Bergers, 45gr. Hornady's, 34gr. Midsouth,.......no problem, but 39gr. blitz king.............terrible. Since I was looking for a load that would function in my magazine, seating them out to touch the lands or even to come close was not an option. 8208 has been really good in all of the bullets mentioned except the blitz kings. Switching to H4895 was the answer for my rifle.

My Rem 700 SPS sprays factory loaded 40gr. V-max like a shotgun but loves the 32 gr. V-max and hand loaded 39gr. Bks. I'm using the same brass and primers, ie. Hornady and Remington 7 1/2 small rifle.

What powder did you use when testing the 39gr Sierras? I'm getting good results with IMR4895 from the SPS with the 39 gr. bullets.

I got a Remington 700 204 VLS last Jan. My rifle will not group the Nosler bullets. Likes the Sierra bullets. I use IMR 4895, 4064, Varget. I seat down to 2.32.

204_Au, I'm using IMR 8208XBR. I think I'll give the 4895 or Reloader 10X a try.

IMR 4895 and 4064 have both worked well in my rifle. I'm currently using BL-C(2) and I think I'm liking the results thus far. Tac was just not a good powder for my rifle but others have liked it.