Question about bullet seating

[Shagg]

I have a question about bullet seating & accuracy. I have a 6.5x55 that I have not been able to get the best accuracy with. I can not seat the bullets out close to the rifling and wonder if this is a deciding factor. Do I need to have a gunsmith fix this problem to get better accuracy?

 

[Yarddog]

Have the headspace checked..
Y/D

 

[witchhunter]

Make sure the bore is clean, no copper or powder fouling.

 

[rcmodel]

I'd look for another cause besides not seating to the lands.

It isn't the cure-all accuracy improver everyone thinks it is.

Factory match ammo is loaded to standard length, with no regard to the lands.
And will shoot in any barrel as good as the barrel can shoot.

rc

 

[Shagg]

Thanks. rc. I really didn't think that was the problem but I was being told by others that it was, but I'm certainly not a gunsmith. I'll try some other things as well as more loads. By the way the barrel is clean!

 

[Blue68f100]

May want to slug the barrel and confirm the size. Check the crown.

 

[Jim K]

Headspace has nothing to do with seating the bullet in or out.

Jim

 

[gamestalker]

You should still be able to get decent accuracy with the bullets at nominal distance off the lands. Like RC said, I would searching else where for the problem, as sitting right up on the lands isn't really an accuracy fix, but more of an accuracy enhancement with rifles that are already shooting well at conventional oal's, but shoot a little bit better up closer the lands.

I could be a bedding problem, barrel might need floating, or any number of other common accuracy issues.

GS

 

[Shagg]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and ideas. That is what I needed. In the past if I had a gun that was not accurate I would get rid of it but I want to see if I can cure this one. I'm not sure just what all to try but I guess I'll just try one thing at a time until I reach success or until I've had it and give up. The rifle is a Howa 1500 6.5x55 with a Boyds thumbhole stock. The barrel is floated and I have tried to relieve any pressure points that I have found. I put Leupold mount & rings on it. The scope isn,t an expensive one but I'm satisfied it isn't the problem. I do my best to keep the bore as clean as I can and would welcome any more ideas that might help. Thank you all.

 

[morcey2]

What kind of accuracy are you getting now? You seem to be emphasizing cleanliness.... Any possibility that you damaged the crown or last inch or so of rifling with the cleaning rod?

How does it shoot with factory ammo?

I can't seat anywhere near the rifling in most of my guns because they're mainly military surplus and have very long throats. I've been able to get most of them shooting MOA with handloads and 2 MOA with most factory rounds.

Also, see if it gets more accurate as the bore starts to foul. One of mine takes about 10 rounds after a cleaning to settle in, but it shoots great after that.

Also, (another one) have you glass or pillar bedded the rifle? If the barrel is floating, that's great, but if the action is shifting it can throw things out of whack.

Matt

 

[Arkansas Paul]

This may seem simple, but have you double checked to make sure your mounts or rings aren't loose? I had a muzzleloader that was giving extremely poor accuracy and one of the screws on my mounts were loose.

 

[Shagg]

I had problems with loose scope mounts earlier and thought I had it but it sill didn't shoot as good as my 270 which is virtually the same.
I can't get it under 3" at 100 yards. My 270 will shoot under an inch when I do my part.
I didn't know if the long throat had anything to do with the accuracy or not. I've read that it can be improved by loading closer to the lands but isn't possible with this rifle.
As far as cleanliness is concerned, some one mentioned that as a possible problem and I was just stating that wasn't it. The rifle is fairly new and I'm pretty sure I haven't damaged the crown.
I've never bedded a rifle before and may have to try my hand at that.
I've put a different scope on it and will see what that does as soon as the weather cooperates.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I appreciate all of your help.

 

[WestKentucky]

My benchrest rifle gave me fits until I got the trigger right. A good trigger does a lot more than you would expect. I went from 2" at 100 to key holing at 250. Light and crisp. Also, check every screw on the gun and make sure it's tight.

 

[morcey2]

My benchrest rifle gave me fits until I got the trigger right. A good trigger does a lot more than you would expect. I went from 2" at 100 to key holing at 250. Light and crisp. Also, check every screw on the gun and make sure it's tight.

I don't think key-holing is the word you're looking for. A keyhole is when a bullet goes through the target sideways.

This is what keyholing looks like:



For the OP: If you have a good trigger and you have a known-good scope, the next step I would recommend is to pillar and glass bed the rifle.

Matt