ACCURACY AND GS CUSTOM BULLETS

Here we post contributions from our customers. If you want to ad something, please fax or e-mail it to us with as much detail as possible. We will not publish maximum or hot load data because of the variations found in different rifles shooting the same cartridge.
Our position is that, if the bullet is inherently well made and capable of accuracy, results such as these below are possible. If you are not getting accuracy with our HV bullets, nine times out of ten it can be found in a concentricity fault in the rifle, bore groove dimensions that do not conform to the CIP specifications or a mismatch of bullet to rifling twist. You are welcome to contact us for assistance if you have accuracy problems. Your load development should not take more than 20 bullets. We have tests that you can do to determine where the problem lies. 

 

 

 

 

   Andre Flor - Scandinavia
 Standard SAKO 85 in 375 H&H mag 265 grn HV 3 shot 100m over a backpack. Speed 2723FPS

APRIL 2016 - .375" 265gr - USA
Well, for safety sake I loaded 6 rounds, (short progression) and took them to the range.
1.  88g which was the fouling shot, hit over at the 10:30 mark.
2.  90g which centered up vertical at the 12:00 high position.
3.  91g which I called as a flyer to the left is just off dead center.
4.  92g which nearly wormholes on ever so slightly off dead center.
5.  I quit, no use wasting another one of those nice game bullets until I have a chrono handy.
This rig was dialed in 2" high/100yds, shot this as is. But, it is gonna be right at the top of the velocity range, maybe a bit over 2900 fps. So it took me 5 rounds, now to dial it up to about 2.5" high at a hundred and call it good. I cannot shoot any better than this so how could it be better? Hunting gun, shooting like a target gun. Hell of a deal. Sincerely, JCL

Andre Flor - Scandinavia
375 CheyTac with 355 SP
3 shot group - The High shot is cold bore and then 2 follow up shots.
Distance is 600m

Gerrie Meintjies - South Africa
Tikka T3 Hunter 300WSM 1:11" twist and 24" barrel
Bullet: 146Gr HV at average speed of 3376fps and cases full length sized.
Group: 20mm at 300m

Christo Engels - South Africa

On the left is a 5 shot group that Christo shot at 100m.  On the right is a 3 shot group he shot on the same day at 300m.

Both groups were from his 375 Ruger using the 200gr GSC HV bullet. 

    Willem Erasmus - South Africa
I used the 308150HV in my 30-06 Sako with the following load:

56gr S355 Somchem powder
Ave speed 3055 fps
84mm COL
PMP Brass
PMP Boxer primers
Grouping of 10mm was achieved

Accurate Reloading Forum - Dr. Ron Berry, USA

John Barsness says the most important accuracy factor in our handloads is the bullet.  No matter how we fiddle with the brass, runout, neck thickness, COL, throats, primers and primer pockets, powders, etc.,  you have to have a good bullet to see any returns on all the rest. And of course the twist rate has to be right for the bullet too.

Here is another little test to show that the long throat (0.300" length of parallel-sided free-bore in the 400 Whelen-B) is not an accuracy problem. After 5 shots at 100 yards to get on paper and foul the barrel, using the GSC-USA .411"/317-grain HV, I got lucky with the next 3 shots at 100 yards, so I moved on to the windage adjustment on another aiming point, for one-hole-preservation on the left.

Mika Korkeamäki - Finland

Here are the last 2 groups shot at 300m and 500m. Smaller one is about 29mm@300m and the other 58mm@500m. 5 shots each. Rifle setup is DTA SRS with Lothar Walther 800mm barrel. Cartridge is 338LM. Load I've been using is XXgr of Norma MRP powder and COL 101mm with 232gr SP-bullets. MV is about 3300fps or 1015m/s.  I have to say the accuracy is unbelievable.

   Mark Kruger, Slingervel Gun Shop, Secunda
This is a 5-shot grouping, shot at a distance of 100m
Rifle: 300 H&H Magnum, Ruger No. 1 with a 24" Truvelo barrel.
Bullets: GS Custom 308150HV079 
Cases: Winchester, Primers: CCI 250

Cornus du Plooy, South Africa

This 3-shot grouping was achieved at a distance of 100m.
Rifle: 30-06 Brno     Bullets: GS Custom 308150HV079
Cases: Winchester  Group measurement: 6.5mm.
All this with a hunting rifle! What more could I ask for?

 

Sean Riley, South Africa

Shot this group today with your 150gr HV in my 300 Win Mag with 78gr of 365. This was the first group I tried and stopped right there. I couldn't ask for much better than that - I did my load workup with just 10 bullets.
Thanks,
Sean.

 

Mark Sparrow from Edenvale, South Africa

Rifle:  Sako TRG 42, cartridge 338 Lapua with twist rate 1:12.
Bullet weight and type: 200gr SP
The shooting distance was 100m, with differences between shots during load development never more than 4fps.

Posted on the Beartooth Shooters Forum by Beartracker

My 30-06 Mark V Custom really stood out today. I finally perfected the 150gr GS HV load, moving at 3095fps, using Nosler Custom brass, loaded with 53gr IMR4350 and Fed 215 mag primers.
 

Gerald Boudreaux - Louisiana, USA.

This is the group that I fired with the HV's at 3600 fps. It shows no pressure signs and it is a pleasure to shoot. Highly accurate too. It doesn't get any better. My rifle is a Weatherby Accumark in 257. 
Regards, Jerry

Wessel van Dyk, South Africa

The picture shows the 3 bullets grouping I shot from 100 meters with my Truvelo .308 Win, using 130gr HV bullets. For any hunter and rifleman looking for a good bullet, I can fully recommend GS Custom Bullets. It worked for me; it can certainly work for you too.

Chris Atkinson, Australia

Included is a target shot with my 416 Rigby at 300 metres. The group size is 1.8". The wind was moderate but gusty. Should go well in Zimbabwe.  Thanks, Chris.

John Harris of Durban, South Africa

John has a tight twist 308 Win rifle. He uses the 150gr GS HV bullet and sent these groups. Velocity is a mild 2850fps with PMP components and Somchem powder.

Stefan Weis - Germany
8mm 160gr HV Bullets

I loaded 8 cartridges with four different powder charges with Rottweil R903. I started with 47.0 gr increasing with 0.5 gr steps to 48.5 gr.
Except the 47.0 gr load (which were above the target), three loads grouped together. Best load is 48.5 gr. Five shots have a group of 21mm if measured centre to centre of the two most distant holes. Two shots were almost hole in hole.
Distance was 100m, shot from a rest with a double barreled rifle type Heym 88. Only the right barrel was used and cooled after each shot. All shots are high because the scope is currently sighted in for a 150gr load.
Looking forward to shoot roe deer and see how the bullets perform.

Chris Atkinson, Australia

Here are my results from my first outing with GS Custom HV bullets.

With my 416 Rigby I was aiming for 3000fps from 416330hv. I achieved this. With the speed development, no pressure signs showed to just over 3100fps. With the first three shots for a group at an average of 3001fps, the second shot caught me out and hurt my shoulder. After seeing how tight they were, I had to fire the third shot. I was not comfortable firing this shot. The group size opened to .430 of an inch at 100 metres. I would have been happy with 1.5 inches.

My first three shots with 308150hv in the 300 Weatherby: Group size .180". No more load development needed. I am over the moon with the results and how quickly they happened. Thank you very much for producing such a high quality hunting projectile.

Good hunting, Chris Atkinson, Australia

Follow up by Chris Atkinson

Here is a follow up from last week. These groups were shot while sighting the scope in on my .416 Rigby. The wind was gusting 25-30 knots. One group is .500". The other is .406".

Thanks again,
Chris Atkinson

Marcel Venter, Cape Town, South Africa

With the 140 grain .303 HV bullet I achieved a 3-shot grouping of .200 inch, which relates to a sub-caliber 5.1 millimeter over a 100 metre distance. These were loaded with 43 gr S335 in neck-sized PMP cases, using CCI 250 Magnum primers. I had the muzzle velocity checked by the guys at the Somchem facility in Somerset West. Great was my surprise to see an average MV recorded of 2,700 ft/s, with a 13 ft/s difference between the lowest and highest velocities.

Wade Rankin, USA - 100gr HV at 3450fps

Wade submitted this target of a 0.582 group fired while working up a load for his 25-06.  The story of his Whitetail Deer hunt is on the Gallery page.

Jürgen Seifert - Germany

An amazing 5-shot group from his 9.3x62 Blaser R93, using three different powder loads, ranging from 59 to 61gr R902.

Submitted by Dr Ron Berry, Kentucky, USA

This group of 0.140 moa was shot by Ron with his Ruger 416 Rigby RSM, using the 380gr FN (416305FN).  He used new Norma brass, Fed 215 primers with a load of 105gr H4831.  Ron's Ruger is fitted with a Leupold VXIII 1.5-5 that was set at maximum.  The twist of the rifle is 1:14".  The shots were chronographed at 2507, 2512 and 2507 respectively, for an average of 2509fps. The temperature was 86 degrees F, with no wind.  Fired at the Rockhill Gun Range during July 2001.

613 Yards on a Steel Plate - USA

I finally got out to shoot longer range and was extremely impressed with their accuracy (.284 120gr HV). I have attached a photo of my results at 613 yards. A friend and I were amazed to see the three shot group being 1 1/8" center to center. Leaving my barrel, the bullets were going a cool 3730 fps. out of my custom .284 STAK. I've shot them over 3800 fps but start to see some pressure signs. I'll get out next week and try them at 800 yards or more.  – ST, Utah, USA

GSC 130grHV in a 7X64 Musgrave

Here are the results I obtained with the GSC 130gr HV bullets in my 7x64 Musgrave rifle.  The barrel has a 1:9” twist.  The three shots ran at 3044, 3065 and 3051.  With a bit of tuning and less shaking I am sure it will still improve.  Regards, GP, Gauteng, South Africa.

Pieter Grove - Oudtshoorn, South Africa

Three months after developing the load below with 200gr .375 HV bullets, Pieter shot this three shot group.  As with the group below, he fired two shots from a closer distance and one from further away.  Unlike the earlier group, the group at left is made up of two shots fired from 200metres and one shot fired from 300metres.

Pieter Grove - Oudtshoorn, South Africa

Pieter loads his 375H&H CZ550 with 85gr of S341 behind 200gr GS Custom HV bullets.  Muzzle velocity is 3220fps and the three shot group at left is made up of two shots fired from 100metres and one shot fired from 200metres.

Ulrich Webber - South Africa

Ulrich recently completed a 7x57 custom rifle for a customer and also developed a load for it with GSC 130gr HV bullets.  The three shot group at the top averaged 3089fps over the chrono and was too hot.  The three shot group below averaged 2940fps and is what the new owner will be using. 

Colin Barris - St Francis Bay, South Africa

This 7mm RM has had a problem with grouping from day one. It has been glass bedded, rescoped, rebarreled and smithed to distraction. With jacketed bullets, a best grouping of 1.5 to 2 inches is the norm. Recently GS Custom Gunsmithing did a load development for the rifle with 120gr HV and 130gr HV bullets. The final result is at left with 130gr HVs top left and 120gr HVs bottom right. Shots were at 100m without scope adjustment between bullet types. The rifle shoots either of the two under .75" consistently

From the Accurate Reloading Bulletin Board - Don Goldston

416 Remington Magnum - 416380FN Bullet at 100 yards
I think I'll settle for 2450 fps at 76 grains of IMR4895. The 76 grain group has the lowest center position of all groups shot. These bullets are a joy to load. Any of you guys with the straight-walled 458s should check these out. This bullet aligns itself in the case and starts to seat perfectly due to the bore diameter shank at the base. Perfect for 458 Lotts and Wins. The multiple drive bands give you a choice of lengths to crimp to, as the spaces between are effectively cannelures.

Daniel McCarthy - Utah, USA

On Saturday I shot one group of GS custom bullets from my 470 capstick. I shot the 500 grain GS custom FN solid over 83.0 grains of IMR4064. I started with a light load (83.0 grains) because I was shooting a solid rather than a bullet with a lead core. However, comparing the elevation of the bullets compared to other loads I shot that day, it looks like the GS Custom bullets develop the same or less pressure than traditional lead core bullets. That's a nice feature because it means we can load them up. The group measured 5/8 x 1/2 inch, center to center of the bullet holes.

Louis Cronjè - Alberton, South Africa

This three-shot group was fired at 100 metres with a custom Mauser fitted with a Truvelo barrel. The cartridge is 25-06 and a GS Custom 100 grain HV bullet (257100HV.054) with a velocity of 3,400 fps was used.

Maarten Jonker - Ermelo, S.A.

3 shot 100 meter group.
Musgrave Mod 90 Rifle in 308 Win with GS Custom 130 gr HV Bullets (#308130HV080)

Neal Anderson - Port Elizabeth, S.A.

Sporterised military Mauser 98 in 7x57 with 130 grain HV bullets (285130HV) at 2950 fps. 100 meter group.

 

Ashley Erasmus, Gauteng, S.A.

Rifle - Mauser 98 Cal. 308 Win sporterised but with original military barrel. Bullet - GS Custom #308130HV.080, cases - PMP, Propellant - S335, Muzzle velocity over 3200 fps. Three shot groups fired at 100 metres from a bench. The purpose was to determine whether different primers will affect grouping. The group at left used CCI 200 primers. Top middle was Winchester primers, and bottom right was CCI 250.

S&W Arms and Ammunition, Brakpan, S.A.

3 shot group fired off a bench at 100 metres with a 22-250 rifle with a barrel with one in twelve twist. The bullets are GS Custom HP 50 grains(224050HP002). Propellant is Somchem S341.

GS Custom Bullets.

This section is for customers' comments but we also use the bullets and when we develop a new one, we are always excited when a plan comes together. This three shot group was fired at 100 with our 7 X 57 bench rifle. The bullet is our new 120 grain HV that we developed the second week of July 2000, (285120HV071). The rifle has an 18" inch barrel (don't ask) and we settled on 3150 fps. We took this bullet and rifle hunting and shot a mountain rehbuck and five springbuck. The story is posted in "Gallery".

Greg Zuccarini, Gauteng, S.A.

The group at left was fired at 100 metres and the right hand one at 200 metres including a called flier to the left. The rifle is a custom 30-06 Ackley Improved and the bullet used is the GS Custom HP 168 grain. Muzzle velocity is 2990 fps.

Lou Venter of Arms and Ammo Trading - Cradock, S.A.

Lou sized 375 H&H cases and loaded them with 79gr S 385. This is a compressed load in the non fire-formed cases. The velocity was 3650 fps and the 16mm group at left is the result. The rifle is a custom 7mm STW with a 26" barrel and a one in nine inch twist. The bullets are GS Custom HV 130 gr #284130HV065