As others have suggested, the bullet can make an amazing difference. We read this all the time it seems, then one day we (me) find out for ourselves! My experience: I fit a 257 caliber barrel blank to a Ruger 77 Mark II action. Chamber it to 250 Savage Ackley Improved. Load 20 cases with a book load of H414, 10 cases with Speer 100 grain JHPs, and 10 with 100 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips. Set up at the bench all excited to see what a quality Shilen barrel is gonna do! 5 rounds of the Speer JHPs at 100 yards print a 2.5” group. What a disappointment.... Then put 5 of the BTs in a group. All one ragged 1/2” hole. What a difference a bullet makes! The BTs repeat their accuracy at a 200 yard target (1/2 moa). Try a few different bullets before micro adjusting powder selection. I always start with Nosler Ballistic Tips because of accuracy they’ve given in other rounds/calibers, too. They show me what’s possible accuracy wise. Doesn’t mean you have to use a BT if you need a heavier constructed game bullet, but they happen to work great on medium size Georgia whitetail deer, and let me know the capability of a barrel.
