A few decent groups....... .45
Jun 8, 2010 19:12:11 GMT -5
Post by Richard on Jun 8, 2010 19:12:11 GMT -5
Today brought good weather and conditions along with good friendship as Herman, Bill and myself made the weekly foray to our club. The temperature was around 75 with low humidity and partly sunny skies. Not much wind to blame on bad groups ;D. I tried a couple of different duplex loads with mixed results. Even horrible results are better than most groups out of MY .50.
For groups 1 & 2 I used a small booster of 5744 along with a main charge of N-130. With the 200 XTP is was poor and with the SST it was just ....ok!
For group 3 again, another duplex using-110 as the booster and N-130 as the main charge. After four shots, I gave up as it was not looking great
Most of my duplex's run about 70 to 73 gr. total weight. Very few exceed that. For this load, the velocity was very erratic.
For group 4 I used a good standby but substituted 5744 as a booster instead of N-110. To stay under MOA for five shots I feel is pretty decent.
OK, out to 300 yards with the same load only substituting the 200 SST for the XTP. The velocities were very confusing
. It seems to me that the velocity of a 200 gr. SST and XTP at 10' from the muzzle should be the same. They both load and feel the same and BC has not become a factor yet? I did not raise my chronograph up the usual 6" more (our 300 yd. targets are slightly higher than 200 and 100. Maybe that was a factor? Also, the sun was starting to come around from the rear and it could have caused the problem? Shots 1 & 2 printed lower and to the right while 3,4 & 5 produced a fair 3" group.
For Target 6 I used the 17/56 load with N-110/N-130. It got readings of 2940 which is where I would expect this load to be. It produced a sub MOA three shot group putting all five in 3.6"
For my last target, I tried a load that had worked good quite a while back. I wanted to see it st ill performed as good? WOW, did it ever! This is one of my better sabot less five shot groups and how "round" it was! The ES on the velocities was also very good. The 230 gr. XTP had been moly coated, sized to .448", knurled up to .452 or 3 and then sized back down with another die to .4505" or thereabouts! It had a steel BB added to the hollow point, then crimped in place in a "point up" die. With all the work, there probably was no moly left on the exposed surfaces.
So, I got this brain storm to go back thru my load book and gather up all my Five shot and Three shot groups (for the past 9 weeks) (thru Mar. 31) and see how they averaged! If I was a computer wiz like Edge, it would have been simple if the loads were in a spread sheet. (I know the term and have an idea what it can do, but don't know how to use it 
) So, I did it the old fashion way ;D.
First I picked all the five shot groups; saboted and sabot less and came up with 31 groups. They averaged 1.747"
I then did the same with the three shot groups and came up with 30 groups that averaged .928" (saboted and sabot-less). I did not pick just good ones.................I picked what ever I had on my sheets. Based on this exercise, I am confident in saying that my rifle will shoot "SUB - MOA ALL DAY!".....AT, 100 yards! Of course as we progress out to 200 and 300 yards, this does not necessarily hold true. Theoretically, in a vacuum it could, but in the real world we have to contend with all the factors of the weather along with our ability to hold as well and where trigger "pullin' " becomes more of a problem.
So if asked whether my rifle can shoot MOA at 200 or 300 yards? My answer would have to be "yes, sometimes?" But if I were to pick my best load, I would be confident that I could shoot MOA quite regularly at 100 yards and be able to back it up! ;D
Obviously, if I were to eliminate the sabot less groups, those numbers would be somewhat smaller.
Oh, the little holes at the top of the target? They are from a .204 Ruger I built on a Rem. action with Lilja 1- 10 heavy bench barrel.
Richard
For groups 1 & 2 I used a small booster of 5744 along with a main charge of N-130. With the 200 XTP is was poor and with the SST it was just ....ok!
For group 3 again, another duplex using-110 as the booster and N-130 as the main charge. After four shots, I gave up as it was not looking great
Most of my duplex's run about 70 to 73 gr. total weight. Very few exceed that. For this load, the velocity was very erratic.For group 4 I used a good standby but substituted 5744 as a booster instead of N-110. To stay under MOA for five shots I feel is pretty decent.
OK, out to 300 yards with the same load only substituting the 200 SST for the XTP. The velocities were very confusing
. It seems to me that the velocity of a 200 gr. SST and XTP at 10' from the muzzle should be the same. They both load and feel the same and BC has not become a factor yet? I did not raise my chronograph up the usual 6" more (our 300 yd. targets are slightly higher than 200 and 100. Maybe that was a factor? Also, the sun was starting to come around from the rear and it could have caused the problem? Shots 1 & 2 printed lower and to the right while 3,4 & 5 produced a fair 3" group.For Target 6 I used the 17/56 load with N-110/N-130. It got readings of 2940 which is where I would expect this load to be. It produced a sub MOA three shot group putting all five in 3.6"
For my last target, I tried a load that had worked good quite a while back. I wanted to see it st ill performed as good? WOW, did it ever! This is one of my better sabot less five shot groups and how "round" it was! The ES on the velocities was also very good. The 230 gr. XTP had been moly coated, sized to .448", knurled up to .452 or 3 and then sized back down with another die to .4505" or thereabouts! It had a steel BB added to the hollow point, then crimped in place in a "point up" die. With all the work, there probably was no moly left on the exposed surfaces.
So, I got this brain storm to go back thru my load book and gather up all my Five shot and Three shot groups (for the past 9 weeks) (thru Mar. 31) and see how they averaged! If I was a computer wiz like Edge, it would have been simple if the loads were in a spread sheet. (I know the term and have an idea what it can do, but don't know how to use it
) So, I did it the old fashion way ;D.First I picked all the five shot groups; saboted and sabot less and came up with 31 groups. They averaged 1.747"
I then did the same with the three shot groups and came up with 30 groups that averaged .928" (saboted and sabot-less). I did not pick just good ones.................I picked what ever I had on my sheets. Based on this exercise, I am confident in saying that my rifle will shoot "SUB - MOA ALL DAY!".....AT, 100 yards! Of course as we progress out to 200 and 300 yards, this does not necessarily hold true. Theoretically, in a vacuum it could, but in the real world we have to contend with all the factors of the weather along with our ability to hold as well and where trigger "pullin' " becomes more of a problem.
So if asked whether my rifle can shoot MOA at 200 or 300 yards? My answer would have to be "yes, sometimes?" But if I were to pick my best load, I would be confident that I could shoot MOA quite regularly at 100 yards and be able to back it up! ;D
Obviously, if I were to eliminate the sabot less groups, those numbers would be somewhat smaller.
Oh, the little holes at the top of the target? They are from a .204 Ruger I built on a Rem. action with Lilja 1- 10 heavy bench barrel.
Richard
