Speer seating depths and other info

[ReloadKy]

So i posted a little while back about Speer bullets and I got enough positive info to pick up a couple boxes today for a good price at the LGS. I ended up with a box of 150 gr Hot-Cor for the 270 and 175 gr Grand Slams for the 7 mag. In the experience of you folks do Speer bullets like to be seated long or short? Their data shows a little shorter COAL than I usually use for both of the aforementioned Any other peculiarities of Speer bullets would be appreciated. Happy shooting!

[cdoc42]

You need to"personalize" your rifle with these bullets. You need to seat the bullets at a distance from the rifling that gives you the best results, and that will differ for the .270 vs the 7mag.

For example. I had a Sako .270 that would not shoot anything but a 130gr Speer seated at 0.015" from the rifling. My son's Winchester "feather weight" would not deliver an adequate group with a Speer 130gr Boat Tail, but gave less than 1" groups with a 130gr Flat base. My Remington model 700 .270 shoots less than 1" groups with nothing but a 150gr Hornady Spire at 0.06" from the rifling. A newer 700 model only likes a Hornady 140gr SST at 0.015".

I've had similar experiences over the years with .223, .22-250. .243. 6mmPPC, .25-06, 300 WSM, 7mmRem Mag, 7mmSTW, .300 Win Mag, and .338 Win Mag.

You need to investigate whatever bullet you use provides the best accuracy at given location when seated some distance from the rifling that may range from 0.01 - 0.015 -0.02 inches from the rifling AS A STARTING POINT.

Eventually you'll get your factory rifle shooting like a tack-driver. I just finished shooting 2 shots each at 4 targets at 100 yards with a 6mmPPC with Hornady 63gr V-max bullets seated at 0.02". The average for the group was 0.116". One of the 4 was a BUG HOLE - measured 0.007" - virtually 2 shots in one hole.

You can't just seat them short or long.

[44 AMP]

n the experience of you folks do Speer bullets like to be seated long or short?

In my experience, the bullet doesn't care. The rifle does. And the rifle can be different with every different bullet. Some are extreme, some not so much, but every one can be.

Since the 70s, I've used a lot of Speer bullets, but not in the two calibers you have. .22, 24 25, 26, 30, 32, 35, 37, and 45 rifle calibers. They've always worked well for me. However you do need to choose the right bullet for the speed you're going to drive it to. Drive a bullet 500fps+ faster than it is designed for, you will change its performance on a game animal. Not a concern with the bullets and calibers you have.

Eventually you'll get your factory rifle shooting like a tack-driver.

Ever wonder, when someone says "tack driver", if they've ever actually shot tacks?? I have. Actually shot tacks with a .30 cal rifle. And not with a "tack driver rifle" just a sporting carbine, with ammo loaded without any idea of how far away from the lands it was, only that it wasn't touching them.

Fun game, use standard thumbtack to tack a playing card to a cardboard box, one tack, middle of the card.

Box at 100yds, no bench, field shooting positions. Game is to hit the tack so the card falls off the bex. Only a perfect center hit on the tack will do it. Hitting the tack off center "crimps" the tackhead around the card and it doesn't fall off.

Of course, I'm a knuckle dragging Neanderthal who doesn't chase the lands in search of the nth degree of accuracy from a sporting rifle, or from my varmint guns, either. If it does what I need it to do, I call it good.

Speer bullets are good bullets. FInd a load your rifle likes, and they will do well.