Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Sierra 80gr. SMKs

Not varmint related but having to do with the above mentioned bullets I want to shoot at longer ranges.
In loading some rounds for OCW and OAL testing I found that samples of these 80 gr. SMK bullets varied in length from base to ogive up to .030". These are from a box of 500.
That seems like quite a spread for what is represented as a match bullet and makes for a lot of extra fiddling when trying to set a uniform jump.
Have any of you experienced this issue? I'm not impressed with Sierra's Q.C.
Are Berger bullets held to closer tolerances than this?

Interesting that we now have a forum for Rick's favorite shotgun gauge but general handgun or rifle reloading forums are a no go.

With those kind of variations,your best to sort them into groups by length.I've run into that with Nosler seconds,being as much as .010 difference.The good thing it was only from one lot to the next,but I did have to change my seating depth to compensate for it.I'm sure the reason for it is machine setup.Sounds to me like your bullets may have been a mixture of bullets from several machines.Variations in lengths are one reason I have no desire to load into or very close to the lands.It can get you into some pressure problems real quick,especially if your running close to max.I usually start at .030 off the lands and work back from there.Really the best answer to your problem is contact Sierra,be nice,not an ass,explain to them what you found and they will most likely make it right.

That's terrible for a hunting bullet, let alone a match bullet. Berger is definitely a cut above Sierra, but I must admit I wouldn't expect a box of Matchkings to vary even 0.005.

Have you measured other bullets to make sure your calipers haven't gone goofy?

Be sure to kind of Wiggle the bullet around with its nose in the competitor. A slightly canted bullet can make a lot of measurement difference.

My brother always sorted his Berger’s but when he checked my Sierra bullets he said they were so close it wasn’t necessary. Bad batch maybe? Ed k