Bigeclipse
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2012
- Messages
- 1,967
Ok here goes. I'm working up some loads on a savage 7mm08. It is freefloated and bedded in a Boyd's stock. I'm shooting off rear bag and front adjustable rest. I loaded 120 ballistic tips .040 off the lands. I am just shooting at 100 yards. I started my charge weights at 42 grains and then went up .3 grains every 5 rounds until I got to 43.2 grains. Purely shooting for groups, not doing ladder test or ocd test. I started with the lowest charge and went up. Here is where it gets weird. I shot 3 rounds of 42 grains and get a .6inch triangular group. I decide to not shoot the last two rounds and move on to 3 rounds of 42.3 grains. Again I get about a .6-.7 inch triangular group. I I then go to 42.6 grains. FYI I'm waiting 15 minutes per group of shooting and about 1-2 minutes between each shot. The 42.6 grain grouping was a vertical string 4 shot group with almost no left and right deviation but 2 inches vertical. Each shot was progressively lower than the next so I'm thinking maybe heat. So I let the barrel cool 20 minutes this time. I went and shot four of the 42.9 grain rounds and the same thing happened... it is pretty hot out so I'm wondering if the barrel is just getting hot and I should wait even longer? This is a savage magnum contour barrel so just a step up from a sporter in thickness. Thoughts?