I have a 7STW with a 26" Shilen SS barrel with 1:9 Twist. I'm not a reloader and not an expert in bullet characteristics.
I bought two factory loads to try....Hornady Precision Ammo with 162gr ELD-X advertised as 3050FPS on the box. I also bought Copper Creek 145gr LRX advertised as 3200FPS on box.
I shot a few rounds downrange to foul the barrel after I cleaned it until it looked fine with a borescope for carbon and copper. The first picture attached shows 3 shots @100 yards with the 162gr ELD-X and registered an avg of 3260fps on my Caldwell chronograph. The second picture show 4 shots @200 yards with the 162gr ELD-X and an avg of 3255 on the 4 shots. The third pic is 5 shots of the 145gr Barnes LRX @100 yards with a 3370 fps average.
A couple of questions:
1.) I guess I'm ok with the 162gr ELD-X performance out of this rifle for hunting based on the 100 and 200 yard groups since I'm only planning on 400 yards or less shooting. Am I in the ballpark here for a 7STW?
2.) Since the ammo was advertised as 3050fps and I'm getting 3260fps is this normal? The primers look normal, there is no ejector marks and the bolt operates like normal.
3). Based on my experience with the 145gr Barnes LRX, it appears my barrel doesn't like them as much as it does for the 162gr ELD-X. Is this normal as well or did I just have a bad day with the group as it is all vertical. Should I spend more time with this load?
Any thoughts would be appreciated by 7STW experienced folks.
I bought two factory loads to try....Hornady Precision Ammo with 162gr ELD-X advertised as 3050FPS on the box. I also bought Copper Creek 145gr LRX advertised as 3200FPS on box.
I shot a few rounds downrange to foul the barrel after I cleaned it until it looked fine with a borescope for carbon and copper. The first picture attached shows 3 shots @100 yards with the 162gr ELD-X and registered an avg of 3260fps on my Caldwell chronograph. The second picture show 4 shots @200 yards with the 162gr ELD-X and an avg of 3255 on the 4 shots. The third pic is 5 shots of the 145gr Barnes LRX @100 yards with a 3370 fps average.
A couple of questions:
1.) I guess I'm ok with the 162gr ELD-X performance out of this rifle for hunting based on the 100 and 200 yard groups since I'm only planning on 400 yards or less shooting. Am I in the ballpark here for a 7STW?
2.) Since the ammo was advertised as 3050fps and I'm getting 3260fps is this normal? The primers look normal, there is no ejector marks and the bolt operates like normal.
3). Based on my experience with the 145gr Barnes LRX, it appears my barrel doesn't like them as much as it does for the 162gr ELD-X. Is this normal as well or did I just have a bad day with the group as it is all vertical. Should I spend more time with this load?
Any thoughts would be appreciated by 7STW experienced folks.