Shotgunjock: As a "general rule" when seeking accuracy it is more often better to seat ones bullets so a smaller jump to the leades of the rifling for the bullet! This "general rule is "generally" better accuracy wise in my experience!
Having said that, I own a fleet of factory Varmint Rifles wherein the bullets NEED to jump several hundredths of an inch before they touch the rifling!
And yet they still shoot quite well.
I have MANY friends who call me and converse with me regarding bullet jump to the leades of the rifling!
I mean they sweat and worry and stay up nights railing and fretting agaisnt the current factory trend of "long throats" - nothing I can say to them will ease their concerns/worries!
So be that.
Two things mandate my longer bullet jumps to the leades of the rifling, for many of my Rifles.
One is the inability sometimes of using the Rifles magazine as when the bullets are seated near the leades of the rifling they no longer FIT down in the magazine!
I even have some Ruger #1 Rifles that I can't get a seated bullet near the rifling.
And another reason my bullets jump so far is because in order to keep with the standing safety rule of "one caliber length depth" of the bullet being seated in the case, then this length results in bullet jump in many of my Rifles!
Just because a bullet is jumping more than a few thousandths of an inch before it encounters the rifling does NOT mean you will have "poor accuracy"!
I have proven this to myself countless times over the last several decades.
Varying the bullet seating depth often WILL bring accuracy out of the doldrums for a particular Rifle.
On the custom Rifles I have had built I insist they be throated "short" or so they will easily accomodate a particular weight range of bullets.
I have loaded bullets by many custom bullet makers and MANY factory made bullets as well - I have as yet to load a single Barnes bullet!
I am going on 51 years of reloading this spring and the chances of me expanding my loading to include Barnes bullets is nil.
Wish I could be of more help with the Barnes segment of your inquiry.
Best of luck to you.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy
