100yds sub MOA 800yds a joke

280remington

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May 11, 2016
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Okay, what will cause a load to shoot sub MOA at 100 yards and then be all over the target at 800 yards. The rifle and load: .280Rem Rem 700 reloads 140gr Nosler BT. about 3000fps. Also sub MOA at 400yds. I would love for it to be operator error but I don't think it is all on me. Can a bullet just open up after being stable?
 
If you're right on the edge of stability then it could open up. I was going to say your ES could be causing it, but if you're sub at 400 then I doubt it. Is it vertical, horizontal, both?
 
both... Shot last weekend with very little wind and again today. It just doesn't seem stable. I'm not saying some of it isn't me but dang.
 
Stability will increase with distance. If it's stabile at 100 it will be stable farther out.
How are measuring velocity?
How's your ES, and SD?
How are you prepping your brass/loads for long range?
Annealing?
Neck tension?
 
Your just not in tune, work on your load at 300 I think you'll find out if it's good at 300 will be alot better at longer distance.
 
Do a ladder test .2-.3 of your powder charge on both sides of your current load and same with seating depth after you determine what the best powder charge is at distance. Your load will never be any better than your vertical so fix that first
 
I've shot straight 280s for many years and 3000fps is about all the velocity you can get if you're shooting a 24" barrel. The farther you go out, the more the brass prep, seating depth, exact powder charge and shooter matter. I agree with L Sherm, a good ladder test, in conjunction with your chronograph, should show where your load is failing. It won't hurt to double check your shooting technique for consistency.
 
I would be shooting a different bullet if you want to shoot long range, but that's just me. That low bc 140 is gonna get pushed around a lot more and make it harder to get good groups in lightly shifting winds when compared to a 168 Berger or 162 Hornady eld. And if you have a 1-9.5 or tighter twist, there is no reason not to shoot the heavier bullets for long range, unless your trying to make a light recoil load. But if I was planning on shooting out to 800+ yards with a .280 Rem, I would go heavier.

If all your hunting is done at 400 and closer, than the 140 will do fine, and would probably give a better point blank distance. All I'm saying is that if your trying to get the most out of your rifle, it will be harder to get good groups in shifting winds with a bullet that has a G1 bc of .485 when compared to bullets with a G1 bc of .617, and once you get past 500 yards with conventional long range rifles, things change and you need to put all the advantages in your favor.

800 yard ballistics @ 6,600 ft elevation

168 Berger @2875fps:
10 mph wind: 3.0 MOA
Energy: 1781 ft-lbs
Velocity: 2185 fps
Drop: 15.5 MOA

140 NBT @3100fps:
10 mph wind: 3.6 MOA
Energy: 1481 ft-lbs
Velocity: 2183 fps
Drop: 14.1 MOA

Distance has to be a known quantity for long range shooting, and you dial/hold over anyway, so not as important as other factors unless your looking for farthest point blank range. The 168 has .6 MOA less drift, 300 ft-lbs more energy and is going about the same speed, but over more distance the 168's advantage will only grow because of it's higher bc. Just something to think about. Your 140 will do fine, but a higher bc bullet, even at a lower speed, would do better at long range.
 
Stability will increase with distance. If it's stabile at 100 it will be stable farther out.
How are measuring velocity?
How's your ES, and SD?
How are you prepping your brass/loads for long range?
Annealing?
Neck tension?
So if the load shoots sub MOA at 100 it should also shoot sub MOA at 800? The speed was checked with a Cadwell chronograph. I was only able to shoot 3 rounds through it. First 3 shots of the day were, in order, 3077,3069,3059. Brass is not annealed and cases are neck sized and trimmed as needed. I don't do anything really special that I have not been doing for about 40 years for the same rifle. Like I ask before, if it shoots well at 100 yds does that mean it will shoot well at 800yds?
When it comes to shooting over 400 yards, I very green. Sorry if I am asking really dumb questions but thanks for all the help.
 
So if the load shoots sub MOA at 100 it should also shoot sub MOA at 800? The speed was checked with a Cadwell chronograph. I was only able to shoot 3 rounds through it. First 3 shots of the day were, in order, 3077,3069,3059. Brass is not annealed and cases are neck sized and trimmed as needed. I don't do anything really special that I have not been doing for about 40 years for the same rifle. Like I ask before, if it shoots well at 100 yds does that mean it will shoot well at 800yds?
When it comes to shooting over 400 yards, I very green. Sorry if I am asking really dumb questions but thanks for all the help.
The SG will be higher farther out than it will be at 100 yards.
After 500 yards everything becomes difficult to repeat. I have a 30-06 that will put Remington Core locts into a sub Moa group at 400 yards. After that, I don't know where they hit!!!
So even though your getting sub groups at 400, your loads could be falling apart when you go farther.
This it a sporter weight factory barrel that is 40 years old?
So many factors go into longrange loads troubleshooting.
What exactly is your twist rate?
 
Just because it shoots well at 100 does not mean it will shoot well at 800! Same thing a decent group .5 at 100 can shoot great at 500+ I have a 6.5x300wsm that does that. I have seen this on a couple rifles. There's alot that goes into making an accurate round at 500+ if you don't have the patience then the LR game can be trying. I don't think your gonna gain much by going to a heavier bullet especially if you don't have the freebore for it. You could try some 140 bergers and see if that helps or some other 140 bullet may even try different powder preferable temp stable one. Like I said before start with ladder tests at 500yds.
 
Yes, a sporter barrel. It actually a 7MM Express. I think it's a 9.25 twist but don't remember for sure. Well, if it is was just me I could deal with that. I would just need more practice. I need more practice anyway. If it can be the load, than I will need to work on that too. I just didn't want to be chasing a new load if that could not be it.
So, are you saying the load could be part of the problem? It has been hot, mid 90's when I was shooting.
 
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