Do Hornady V-Max shoot higher for you?

[Dand]

I am working up some .223 loads for a P Dog hunt and just tried Nosler Balistic Tips and Hornady V-Max 55 gr bullets for the first time - as well as some other bullets.

Across the board, the 55 gr V Max loads shot 2.8 to nearly 4 inches higher than 55 gr Speer Spitz, 55 Sierra Spitz, 55 Nosler Balistic tips  all shot at 170 yards today.

 Has anyone else had this experience?  It really surprised me and messed up some of my test groups as I use those 4 square Leupold targets and like to get 4 to 6 groups per page. Shooting at the lower square with Vmax planted the group on top of the group fired on the upper square.

I believe I'm within limits recommended by various manuals.  I'm using BLC-2 in 3 different increments: 26.3, 27, 27.5 gr,  LC brass 1x fired, trimmed, deburred flashholes uniformed etc., CCI 400 primer.

All bullets seated far out: OALs were Hornady 2.42, Nosler 2.416, Speer 2.3, Sierra 2.323 as my Ruger 1 has a long throat and seems to do better if the bullets don't have to jump far.

Rifle is a Ruger #1, 24 barrel 1:10 twist.

Sure would be interested in what others can suggest.  I've never seen one brand / model of jacketed bullet shoot this differently when powder levels were similar. 

[Graybeard]

I have and in fact find it to be the norm not the exception. I've done extensive testing of bullets over the years in rifles of a wide variety of calibers. I've varied powder charges from 0.5 to 1.0 increments using bullets of same weight from different manufacturers and almost always some of them will deviate from the POI of others by several inches when the only difference is a different bullet brand or type. I've also found that when varying the powder charge using the same bullet you can at times get the same wide spread of POI with as little as one to two grains of powder.

I've even seen it when I used same brand of bullet but just a different style by the same maker to have such wide spreads of POI.

It's why we keep telling folks ya really gotta shoot the exact load you plan to use in your rifle at all the distances you expect to use it if you really want to know what it will do for you. Ya really can't just assume what it will do out there cuz if you do more times than not you'll assume incorrectly.

[tvc15]

I have noticed in my notes that most boattail bullets will shoot higher than square base with the same charges.   TVC15

[Dand]

Yeah Graybeard I know each bullet /load combination shoots different.  I have experimented a lot with this rifle and others but I'd never seen one bullet shoot 4 inches higher, 1 or 2 maybe but not 4 with otherwise identical loads, in  this rifle.  Makes me want to get out the chronograph and check velocities.  Maybe when it gets a little warmer.

thanks