update - improving a stock 50 cal MLII
Sept 19, 2010 9:30:39 GMT -5
Post by northny on Sept 19, 2010 9:30:39 GMT -5
Here is a link to my original post on my plans to improve the accuracy of the stock ML 11.
The short story, my Tupperware stocked savage would consistently shoot 1.75 to 2.00 inch groups. (with a big IF AND ONLY IF you were very careful to rest front of stock back near the recoil lug....if you rested stock out on the fore arm it was easy to shoot 4 inch groups). This is typical group. I might occasionally shoot a 1.5 in group, but could not do it consistently, and had never shot a smaller five shot group.
The total impact of going from Tupperware to factory laminate stock and adding the lighter trigger spring, and going from Nikon 3 - 9X Buckmasters scope to 4 to 14X Nikon buckmasters scope was about a 1/4 inch improvement. I can now shoot consistent groups of 1.5 to 1.75 inches. I can't say any one change made a measurable difference.
I will say I like the laminate stock as I can rest the fore arm on it in various places and it is very forgiving unlike the Tupperware stock (but I guess I could stiffen the fore end of the stock as has been described in other posts).
All of this was with my go to load of 44 g aa5744, hornady 300 grain .458 diam bullet, BCR and WW primers. This had proved to be the best and most consistent load in this rifle.
So next up is bedding and third piller screw.
But here is the twist. I had finally been able to get a pound of VV N110. I had not tried it yet, so weighed up some charges of 42 and 43 g. As I was running low on .458 300 grain hornady bullets, I tried it with .452 dia 250 grain Hornady XTP with black short mmp sabots. 10 shots later I was out of mmp, so went to harvester long black (smooth, not CR). 10 shots later I switched to hornady .452 dia ssts and the sabots that came with them.
7 five shot groups, three before I left range on Wednesday, four Saturday morning. (note to self, Saturday morning in fall is not time to get any volume of shooting done at new england gun range)
This is the first and the worst of the 7 groups (and yes I did crumple to the pressure and the audience and it was the fifth shot the was off to right.. and it was me) 42g N110, 250g XTP, short black mmp
This was the last group (actually six shots, I had one set up left, so sent it downrange.) #6 was the shot lower to the left and it increased group size and ruined my butterfly design (which I claimed to have done on purpose.) 43 g N110, 250g SST with package sabot.
So all seven targets are better than anything I have done before, and put this into the range of 1.25 1o 1.5 inch shooter
Next time I will try N110 with 300g .458 dia hornady with BCR.
The short story, my Tupperware stocked savage would consistently shoot 1.75 to 2.00 inch groups. (with a big IF AND ONLY IF you were very careful to rest front of stock back near the recoil lug....if you rested stock out on the fore arm it was easy to shoot 4 inch groups). This is typical group. I might occasionally shoot a 1.5 in group, but could not do it consistently, and had never shot a smaller five shot group.
The total impact of going from Tupperware to factory laminate stock and adding the lighter trigger spring, and going from Nikon 3 - 9X Buckmasters scope to 4 to 14X Nikon buckmasters scope was about a 1/4 inch improvement. I can now shoot consistent groups of 1.5 to 1.75 inches. I can't say any one change made a measurable difference.
I will say I like the laminate stock as I can rest the fore arm on it in various places and it is very forgiving unlike the Tupperware stock (but I guess I could stiffen the fore end of the stock as has been described in other posts).
All of this was with my go to load of 44 g aa5744, hornady 300 grain .458 diam bullet, BCR and WW primers. This had proved to be the best and most consistent load in this rifle.
So next up is bedding and third piller screw.
But here is the twist. I had finally been able to get a pound of VV N110. I had not tried it yet, so weighed up some charges of 42 and 43 g. As I was running low on .458 300 grain hornady bullets, I tried it with .452 dia 250 grain Hornady XTP with black short mmp sabots. 10 shots later I was out of mmp, so went to harvester long black (smooth, not CR). 10 shots later I switched to hornady .452 dia ssts and the sabots that came with them.
7 five shot groups, three before I left range on Wednesday, four Saturday morning. (note to self, Saturday morning in fall is not time to get any volume of shooting done at new england gun range)
This is the first and the worst of the 7 groups (and yes I did crumple to the pressure and the audience and it was the fifth shot the was off to right.. and it was me) 42g N110, 250g XTP, short black mmp
This was the last group (actually six shots, I had one set up left, so sent it downrange.) #6 was the shot lower to the left and it increased group size and ruined my butterfly design (which I claimed to have done on purpose.) 43 g N110, 250g SST with package sabot.
So all seven targets are better than anything I have done before, and put this into the range of 1.25 1o 1.5 inch shooter
Next time I will try N110 with 300g .458 dia hornady with BCR.
Very nice shooting and nice report on the gun mods and the effects on accuracy!