Cushat Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Sorry - probably a pretty dumb question, but I'm pretty new to rifles.... I was zeroing in my new rifle yesterday and couldn't get better than about 1.5" with Federal ammo. I'll try a couple of other brands, but after closer inspection of the Federal bullets the soft points do seem to be a bit knocked around - is this normal or is this enough to effect accuracy? Random selection below out of a box of 20: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slarti54 Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 Definitely will affect it a small amount IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 take em back if your not happy mate. ask to see others from different boxes, and you should be able to tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 I am always amazed at how some soft points look and then still shoot straight, but those look like they have come out of a dropped box to me. The heads aren't seated to a very consistent depth either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubix Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 They do not look like factory rounds - has someone reloaded them and sold them as factory rounds in a federal box, hmmm? Even if the box was dropped they should be crimped as they ahve the groove, and not move around that much. They should have checked before they sold you them . Take them back, the COL looks a mess, god knows what else is wrong with them. I would not fire those. What are they? 243? If so your COL should be around 68mm. Here's a good link : http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.243winchester.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magus69 Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 I'm with cubix on this one they certainly look like homeloads.Lee dies have a tendency to slightly deform soft points so they look eaxctly like the ones in the pic. Also the cases do not have the distinctive slight discolouration of annealing at the neck which is present on unfired cases. Did you get them cheaply or did they come with the rifle when you bought it?. What range were you zeroing at?,a 1.5 inch group at a reasonable range at the end of the day still equates to well shot deer. Mike... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldrick Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 They are factory rounds, as I bought a box of Federal 100gr SPs for my .243 when the rifle was new. The quality control was similarly appalling. The grouping was pretty wayward, which I credited entirely to the dodgy seating and the malformed tips on those heads. Sako, RWS and Norma seem to have the best quality control if you have to stick to factory ammunition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyb Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 (edited) I've been shooting 55grn Fed power-shock SP's in my .223Rem - They all appear to come out of the box in various different states - similar to your photo. That said, they are still more than acurate enough for what I need them for and I have no issue with continuing to use them or the Fed v-shock BTHP's. Edited January 2, 2009 by garyb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGalway Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 You will get factory rounds seated that way, buy a box of American Eagle and look at them. Don't know about the soft point damage, but I know the tops of the cheap Federal hollow point bullets can be shocking in their appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean c Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 The federals i buy always look like that. They will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harnser Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 The deformed tip is easily rounded off with a piece of sand paper . If you are shooting inch and a half groups at 100 yards then you wont get much tighter groups with handloads . Your grouping is more than enough accuracy for deer up to 200 yards . Harnser . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cushat Posted January 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 Thanks for all the replies chaps... Yep - 1.5" groups at 100yards - good enough for deer, but I'm going to shoot some other ammo to see if I can tighten it up a bit, just so I've got a bit more confidence. Picked up a box of norma this afternoon so will give them a try and see how they go. They look a lot more consistent out of the box if nothing else!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted January 2, 2009 Report Share Posted January 2, 2009 This won't help you at all, but my 6.5 Federals used to look like that, but they haven't done for years, I bought a couple of hundred of them last year and they were all spot on. In my Tikka they shoot perfectly, last 3 shot group I shot off a bench was well under an inch. Coincidently a couple of days ago we zero'd my mates Sauer, 3 shots at 100 yards, one 1" perfect, second shot pulled and the third went through the same hole as no1. One of the reasons we both use them and don't reload. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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