Help please the 35 grain Berger or 39 grain Sierra

[jknoel]

Hello Everyone,

I have a once in a lifetime opporutnigy to have a older gentlemen load me up a 1000 rounds of 204. I love to coyote hunt and fox along with the bobcat so the hide preservation is the highest on my list. Could you guys help me out and let me know which one you would prefer? Since I am new to this I would apprecaite it if you would give me the full description of the bullet so I purchase the correct one. Please dont suggest any other bullet- this is hard enough as it is. I rather have you pick one of the two if these were not your first choice. I heard rave reviews on these two so thats why I picked these. The fella wants me to let him know by tommorow afternnonn.

thanks alot,

Joe

[RAMOS]

Wow, a thousand round roll of the dice. I would go for the 35 grain Berger. The biggest question I have is if you will have the opportunity to develop the load once you have the components. What powder will he be using? For the expense, I sure would hate to have 1K rounds that are not grouping like they should.

[Rick in Oregon]

I agree with Ramos, as the 35gr Berger seems to be the unanamous choice of hide savers. One thing I wonder is do you actually HAVE 1,000 of either bullet in hand?

If you or your friend do not have the components to load that batch, finding them may be a chore right now, besides quite a roll of the dice in the accuracy department.

[jknoel]

Would anyone here have a half dozen of each that I could purchase to see what would shoot better- before I make a deal Im not doing any paper punching with them I just need them for hunting and hide preparation.

Thanks

Joe

[RAMOS]

Mmm..........thought you only had 24 hours to decide? I truly believe the Berger is the bullet you want. However, if the guy does not have the time to work with you and your' firearm to dial in the load, I would pass on the offer. JMHO

[jknoel]

I told him that I would get back with him by 4:00 tomorow that I needed to contact some of you to ask what you feel would be a better bullet- and when I tell someone something thats what I do- theres nothing fishy about it, if I were workign with you id do the same thing. I do agree with you that you need a bullet to be accurate-not arueing that- I dont punch paper and I really dont care about clover leaf paterns in my shots If they fly relatively true and I can consistently make killing shots thats all Im looking for- would there be that much of a difference? I come and joined this site to gain some knowledge because I dont know much a about this. I thought I would make it easy and narrow the choices down to two bullets. To be honest I dont even know what MOA stands for because I havent been around it. I like to hunt and have done lots of it and wanted to make this a fun thing- so I took a chance on a caliber that everyone who owns one brags about. With the info I read it seemed to make sense as a pelt saver maybe I was wrong. Sorry to have taken up your time.

[Rick in Oregon]

It's all good buddy, don't pout. Just get some Benchmark then, along with the Bergers and you should be set. That combination will give you the accuracy and performance you're after. You'll have to work up the actual load, but it shouldn't be difficult at all. Good luck with the project; 1,000 rounds should keep you set for coyotes for a very long time.

[jknoel]

Thank you for the input- but I dont pout I just tell it the way I feel about something. Im working with an older gent he is used to more of the regular calibers 270, 3006 and he has the brass, primers and the powder and he offered to help me out. He is not pushing me to do anything but he did mentioned that he tried to reload some 204 said he had trouble with the seating of the bullets that were flat bottemed. He is not sure if it could be his dies or what. He said he try it again for me but want to do a good job. Are the Berger bullets flat bottomed and when you are saying about working up a load Im sure thats the powder bullet combo- but is there a middle ground that you can find in the books? heck maybe I should just forget about it and just use factory loads, any recommendations on that. Thanks

[inKYfromSD]

JKNoel, I think you stunned a few of us, myself included, by jumping straight to 1000 rounds without knowing how they shoot in your rifle. I personally started with 100 ct boxes of bullets and after I found combinations that worked best, I stocked up on those components.

Yes, the Berger 35's are "flat bottom" bullets. Your friend would be best served by using VLD ( very low drag) chamfer on the brass. Book loads are specific to the barrel used to test with. The Nosler #7 book shows a 26" Pac-Nor 1:12 twist barrel used for testing. If that's what you have, then there's a good chance their most accurate load will be close for you, depending on your chamber and other factors. Book loads are guidelines, not absolutes. Your rifle's max load could be below what any book or powder manufacturer specifies. That's why you start at or preferably below the listed minimum load and work your way up.

Factory loads might work great in your rifle. What are the specs for your firearm? My personal experience wasn't too good with factory ammo. I shot two boxes to break in the barrel and get some brass to start loading. A box of Hornady 32 and a box of 40 is all it cost to convince me. Well, that and I loaded for a bunch of larger calibers already.

Good luck in your endeavor.

[Jim White]

Do you have to load all 1000 rounds of them at once or can you try some different recipes for the most accurate load? Personally, I prefer boat-tail bullets for easier bullet seating but thats just me. Thus far, I've predimonately used the Sierra 39 SBK (boat-tail) and it has been very good for me.

I have a 20Vt being built now and I'm planning on using 32gr bullets to start with although I do have a box of 26gr Barnes varmint gernades to test.

HTH.

[RAMOS]

Jknoel, sorry if I came off sounding like a jerk . Guess I wanted to see if this was for real. Sounds like we both just lay it out there as we see it so we have something in common!

So here it is as I see it: The project is very worth while if your guy will work with you finding what works in your rifle. As I have said, I do not think the Berger will present any problems from either a pelt or accuracy standpoint. However, you still have to find a powder that works for you. Then find the charge that works (best) and the best seating depth. Trust me, I HATE shooting paper but, I do it to find the best accuracy I can. If you can find the magical combination that results in "clover leaf" or, better yet "bug holes" on paper, you WILL have more coyotes in the back of your truck. Hopefully, without the PIA of tracking runners. That is the pay off for planting your butt on the bench. Finally, if your man has issues with small, flat based bullets, as mentioned before: VLD case mouth deburring tool. Can you say bullet seating butter?! Check out customreloadingtools.com or sinclairinternational.com

[Nor Cal Mikie]

IMHO, if you don't have the time to work up an "accurate load", you'de be better off using factory loaded ammo. What works good for one person may not work that good for you in your rig.
The object of rolling your own ammo is it will be "tuned" to your rig.
Custom loads take time and patience. Might be good one day and not so good the next.
And about now, my guess is bullets and brass might be a little on the scarce side?
Get what you can get while it's available. Loaded ammo is like a pig in a poke if it isn't tuned to your rifle.
It may shoot but how good?