Bullet Run-out...how picky are you?

Rambler

FNG
Joined
Jul 6, 2018
Messages
61
Location
Ozarks
Been reloading for awhile and have been getting great accuracy out to 800 yds give or take. I’ve finally started to invest in some better tooling and dies to improve consistency and tolerance in my reloading just to see if I get any improvements. On my 300 WM I’ve been shooting consistently under 1 MOA out to 800. Was able to check my bullet run out and saw that it was 3 to 4 1/4 thousandths. I know it can be way better. Those of you that dive into this sort of thing, where do you try to get on your runout?

I don't start worry about runout until I start seeing more that about 5 or 6 thou. Anything less than that and I just don't see an accuracy difference downrange.
 

khuber84

WKR
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Messages
1,069
Runout is the difference from center of the bullet line. So say on your concentricity gauge you're seeing 3-4 thousandths extreme spread from max to min, your actual runout is half that. If you can't tune it out with your reloading practices, mark each case with a sharpie on the high side and chamber them all high side. A technique is to rotate the case 180° after FL sizing half the press stroke, then finish the sizing second stroke. This can also work seating bullets. Seat half way down, then rotate half a turn and finish the seating stroke.
 

ICEMAN86

FNG
Joined
Mar 2, 2017
Messages
39
Location
Idaho
I have started neck turning and when seating the bullet I press it in a little, turn it a quarter turn then press a little more and do that a few times until it’s seated and my runout is usually .0005 to .001 now and rarely .002. Before I didn’t neck turn and seated the bullet in one stroke it was anywhere from .005 to .007. As far as accuracy goes so far on my 300 wm the 100 yard group was cut almost in half. Might have just been me though, need to shoot it more.
 
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