I've been working on a 180gr jacketed load for my M1917 and I tried both boat tails and flat based bullets. I've always read flat based perform better than boat tails at short yardage. I reloaded all the bullet the exact same way and noticed the flat based shot way left and train wreck grouping pattern at 200 yds. Boat tails performed as expected. Any idea why they would shoot so erratic? Does flat base need a slower velocity maybe?
If your M1917 has the original military barrel, that is probably why you are having issues. None of my M1917's have new barrels, one has seen a lot of use. The M1917 was relegated to training in WW2, given to Allies, (the one with the most worn barrel went to Canada during WW2) and very few were not used. And, these barrels are war babies. It was OK to start out with cutting tool that made a large bore, and use the cutting tool up, till the tool had to be replaced. During a major war the most important thing is getting the product out the door.
Worn barrels do strange things, barrels in general will do strange things.
this rifle shot boat tailed SMK's well
Flat based core lokt's were acceptable
This barrel
Really likes SMK bullets
did well with flat based Hornady's
really did not like Core Lokt's
No idea why one barrel did acceptably and the other puked the same bullet.
Something about flat based bullets, don't expect them to stay supersconic long. At some distance, downrange, they will tumble.
OK at 300 yards
tumbling at 600 yards
Even boat tail bullets will tumble, and this was a real surprise. Never expected such a well characterized target bullet to tumble, but it did
shot well at 300 yards
tumbling, tumbling, at 600 yards. The actual string velocities are on the targets. I was able to set up a chronograph that day.
If your barrel does not like the bullet, you just have to stick to the bullets that work. Why one bullet does better than any other, my guesses are as good as anyone else's.
These shot well in the same rifle in which the 190's tumbled. And they were slower than the 190's. Guess I will use them instead