Just wondering what the rest of you guys think.

In Don Bower's article he states that he seats the bullets .002" into the lands for more accuracy. Who can argue with someone that shoots quarter sized groups at 500 yards with a TC Pistol?

I always "thought" that seating bullets so they jump .005 into the rifleing was the most accurate overall.

Then I spoke with JD Jones, who states that with my 375 JDJ I should always seat bullets so the back of the bullet is at the bottom of the neck?

Any wisdom from anyone here?

Thanks.

Carl

Don Bower's approach is to get maximum accuracy, and he definately does that. As I recall, my 6.5 GR shot it's best with the bullets right into the lands.

JDJ is trying to get the max power out of the contender, and his barrels are definately accurate, but more along the lines of 1" groups for 3 shots at 100 yds, not 500 yds. I would also be hesitant to use JD's data with bullets jammed into the lands as you'll run the risk of high pressures.

Having fired serval 375 JDJ barrels, I'd say it would be the rare individual indeed that could shoot a handgun with that much recoil to Don Bowers accuracy levels. 6.5 JDJ, sure, 375, no way!

Just keep in mind what you are trying to do, and load accordingly.

Every barrel/bullet/powder/primer/brass combination is a rule unto itself. Even within the same barrel, some bullets may perform best seated into the lands while others are at best backed off. There is no one set rule; you simply have to experiment to see what works best for you.

Cold Rider,

When I shoot jacketed bullets in my Contenders, I try to seat them “right at the rifling†or just touching. This is very difficult to get this type of precision, but I certainly get it close. Some barrels will not allow bullets to be seated to the rifling; the throat is just too long. My 223 Remington barrels are this way. The bullets “jump†a bit to the rifling, but accuracy with both barrels is less than M.O.A. out to 200 yards. I have honestly taken groundhogs at measured distances (range finder) of 239 yards and 246 yards, so the accuracy is definitely there.
My cast bullets, I seat into the rifling so the closing of the barrel seats them and it can be felt in the way the action closes. Today I just fired two 3-shot groups at 100 yards with my 7-30 Waters and a 287346 bullet. Both groups were less than ¾ inch. Seating into the rifling is necessary for that type of accuracy with cast in this cartridge. With the 120 grain SSPSP Hornady bullets, there is considerable jump to the rifling, yet M.O.A. is still achieved. Guess it depends on the bullet and bunches of other stuff! By the way, I closed the action on the Waters today and forgot to cock the hammer. I pulled the trigger and just got a “clickâ€. Well, since this is the older style Contender that must be open and closed before it will shoot, I opened it and the bullet stayed in the barrel! A ramrod handled that, but it could be devastating during a hunting trip. Good-luck…BCB

Thanks you guys, I'm just bring this up for discussion.

I finally got to the range with my new 375 JDJ G2 Contender yesterday. I have the 14" bull barrell and the SSK arrestor muzzle brake and T'SOB three ring mount holding a TC 2 1/2 X 7 scope.

NOTE: I ain't got the procedure figured out on holding a scoped pistol really steady yet....LOL

With Factory ammo (loaded by hornady) I was able to shoot several sub-2" groups at 100 yards. Not very comfortable to shoot, but it is a big boomer of a cartridge, eh?

With various handloads with 200 and 220 grain bullets, all with H4895, I was not quite as good accuracy wise. This particular gun/cartridge seems to like speed. The faster each reaload was the better it shot. I'm still slowly working up to max loads. I will be experimenting with bullet seating depth.

Of interesting note: I am getting 2-4 "failure to fire" out of each box of the Hornady factory loaded shells. Primers are being hit plenty hard. I'll be sending one cartridge with a letter back to Hornady to see what they say. All of my reloads fired without a hitch.

Carl

Cold Rider
I ran into the same problem when reloading for an Encore.But it wasn't the loads in was the gun. Handloads using Federal primers were inconsistant, CCI primers and some old Kleanbore primers would go off. Turns out the Feds are a wee bit thinner. And the firing pin had a small flaw causing the primer strike to be lighter than normal and just a tad too light on the Federals. Nearly drove me nuts! I had put on a hammer extender (on a buddy's rifle) and though it was to blame. Not! Since then another friend ran into the same problem with a Win 94 in 45/70.

Just following up. Thanks for the comments.

I got the "failure to fire" figured out thanks to Mike B's site. Some of the factory loads were sitting down in the barrel as much as .012", combine that with my guns .004" barrel to breach clearance, and it's no wonder some wouldn't fire!

Reloading all the cases so they sit .003" up out of the barrel headspacing on the shoulder did the trick.

I'm seating the bullets so the base of the bullet's are even with the bottom of the neck now. A switch to AA 2520 powder sure woke this thing up accuracy wise. Also, some of the good tips I got on here for holding it steady and consistently.

I'm now routinely able to keep three shots inside an inch at 100 yards. The other day I was shooting at 180 yards (funny distance, but that's as far back as I can go at that range) and shot several three shot groups under 2 1/2", and one beauty that is 1 1/8" with a perfect triange. That one I taped to the book case in my office at work...LOL

Again, thanks for all the help.

Carl