Semi - The 150 gr Noslers went in with what I would call good rifling contact. The 200 gr Hornady XTP were a bit harder going in. I attribute it to more surface area contacting the rifling. But all in all, neither bullet was 'hard' to seat. They went down with a start from my short starter and then firm constant pressure on the ramrod. I did swab between each shot witha T/C's #13 patch followed by a dry patch.
I was glad to see the 200 gr Hornadys grouping so well. I wanted to use a heavier bullet than the 150 gr Nosler. What did surprise me though is that the point of impact was exactly the same with both bullets. I expected the Hornadys to be a bit higher.
Another thing - I shot the 2 50 yd groups with the 70 gr charge then moved the target out to 100 yds., adjusted the sights and increased the charge as mentioned in the original post. After I shot the group at 100 yds and was happy (actually estatic), I moved the target back to 50 yds to see where POI was. I expected the shot to be a bit low but was surprised to see it punched a hole dead center in the bull. I'm totally confused but happy that I am hitting where I am aiming out to 100 yds.