bullet weight and grouping

nocternal

nocternal

New member
Looking for oppinions. Will a heavier bullet typically group better than a light one or the opposite? Or do you just have to do your homework?
 
Quote:
Looking for oppinions. Will a heavier bullet typically group better than a light one or the opposite? Or do you just have to do your homework?



Depends.
Things like barrel twist, barrel length, bullet type of configeration ie boat tail or flatbase, hollow point match, soft point and so on as well as volisity etc etc., have different effects on different weight projectiles..

Both from the same barrel, not likely unless the weight difference between light to heavy is real small in defination.

Barrel makers list the weight bullets they recomend for the twist rates they offer.

Home work with your intended shooting stix is the only way to find out for sure. Check barrel twist rates if a desired weight is what you have in mind!!

Later
DF2
 
Mostly, it's homework on your particular rifle...Each rifle has it's own preferences..

Over the last two years that I've been reloading for my rifles, I've tried other shooters loads and those from the various bullet and powder companies and it still comes down to trial and error with charges, primers, and seating depths.

Fortunately, both of my .204s like the same load, while my .223s are all different..

Every thing you find published is a starting point unless it is listed as a "hot" or max. load and all reloading should be started almost a full grain below the company's published max and worked up. I will never use any 'internet' load as a starting point....
 
Do your homework there realy is no hard and fast rule every rifle is differant and has likes and dislikes. This extends to ammunition brands bullet wt bullet and powder brands and types even to primer brands. You firearm will shoot the way you find it will for you with the ammunition it likes best. I know sounds crazy but after fifty years of shooting I know it is true guns are harder to figure out than women most of the time.
 
As a rule of thumb a heavey bullet will group better at longer distances. Like others said you will have to do some testing in youre rifle. You will need to test at 100 yds and if you plan on shooting farther you will need to test same bullet at longer distances. They are not equal! Some will shoot a tite group at a 100 yards and not do so well at 3-400 yds. For an example i shot some 52 gr. sierra H.P. at 100 yd target, they grouped under 1/2 inch. Shot same bullets at 400 and the group opened up to 5".. I then tried the Hornady 52 gr. A-Max, which shot a 1/2" at 100 and grouped under 4" at 400 yds.
 
Is a bigger car faster or slower than a small car? The answer is....both. And opinions have no bearing on your gun specifically. In other words, there's no "typical" and there's no answer to your question.

Yes, you just have to do some homework.
 
A heavy bullet may travel further accurately than a light bullet but that has to do with Physics not firearms the heavy projectile will have more mass and thus more momentum that will tend to caus a straighter flight with less deviation to external forces.
 
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