Custom rifle

[Joefrazell]

3 shot groups for me as well, once I get them looking like this I move to plinking gongs 600-1100 yards and call it good.

That's the kinda looking three shot group that I wouldn't trust until it repeats itself a time or two. The way it's strung vertically like that. I like a very round group. Not saying this load didn't work out great for you and It sounds like it did, this is just my personal experience.

 

[cjuve]

Groups that show a solid horizontal or vertical component go sideways real fast.

Start out at 100 like this



And at 600 turn into this

 

[madcalfe]

That's the kinda looking three shot group that I wouldn't trust until it repeats itself a time or two. The way it's strung vertically like that. I like a very round group. Not saying this load didn't work out great for you and It sounds like it did, this is just my personal experience.

It consistently shoots groups touching. I guess I shoulda stated that no one should go off of 1 group and make sure it does multiple groups before moving on just figured that was common knowledge.

 

[TxHeartShot]

Again I am just asking how everyone is checking group size so I know the the correct size of my groups , I am getting up there in age and not a great shot compared to all the great shooters I read about Thanks!

Outside to outside less bullet diameter equals group size is what I learned

 

[RUFFIAN R - NY]

One can have a $7,000,00 toy and hit nothing and another with a $ 350.00 hit everything ???? why is that ???? I have done some hunting compared to others , been out west-SW-NW US, Been all over Canada , NWT,Alberta, Yukon, BC, and made a trip or two into Alaska. One needs to practice . Don't know what happened to my font ????? oh well . I have only shot twice on an animal ( guide made me take the 2nd shot ) maybe I'am lucky or not but do believe in one shot one kill,period.!!!! Doing that since Nam and it works for me to this day.

 

[JTComfort]

What I was referring to was not about the wind or conditions but load tuning. When you shoot groups at range you find out that there is a lot more to load development than that 1/2" 100 yd group.

I'm sorry, I misunderstood. If velocity is known and consistent, BC is a constant and we seek to control other variables as much as possible on the loading bench, what do you look to first when you see poor performance at distance that printed good at 100, 200?

 

[Joefrazell]

I'm sorry, I misunderstood. If velocity is known and consistent, BC is a constant and we seek to control other variables as much as possible on the loading bench, what do you look to first when you see poor performance at distance that printed good at 100, 200?

It would have to be es/Ed. Or crappy bullets. Period. If a group actually shoots good at 100 and has good es and quality bullets spun right. It will shoot at long range.

 

[WildRose]

I'm sorry, I misunderstood. If velocity is known and consistent, BC is a constant and we seek to control other variables as much as possible on the loading bench, what do you look to first when you see poor performance at distance that printed good at 100, 200?

BC's actually aren't constant they degrade throughout the flight of the bullet as velocity drops.

What we see as advertised BC's are at best averages.

It would have to be es/Ed. Or crappy bullets. Period. If a group actually shoots good at 100 and has good es and quality bullets spun right. It will shoot at long range.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one as well hoping for more of an explanation.

The only way I can see groups getting dramatically worse would be if the bullet was only marginally stable to start with providing the shooter has everything right on their end and the wind is not gusting.

 

[Gene Allen]

I would look at myself, am I getting a good trigger press, not canting the rifle, a really good sight picture, sometimes my right eye gets blurry and tend to rush the shot when it clears. Doesn't matter if it is 100 or 1000 or more. I can shoot good groups at times but not consistently, like the other day I shot 2 groups at slightly over 1/2 moa at a thousand yards with a 300 win I had built 47 years ago with a 18 yr old shepherd scope with 175 gr Barnes load, cold bore on the first group again just 3 shot groups at the 12" orange circle, if went out tomorrow I probably would not shoot as well, I understand about repeatable groups I just don't know that I can. Thank everyone for the input

 

[cjuve]

That particular load was .005 short of the best seating depth and .3 gr light. I did not chronograph it but that really doesn't matter because the ES would need to be so far out of whack to account for the dispersion it would not make sense.

I'm sorry, I misunderstood. If velocity is known and consistent, BC is a constant and we seek to control other variables as much as possible on the loading bench, what do you look to first when you see poor performance at distance that printed good at 100, 200?

 

[cjuve]

It would have to be es/Ed. Or crappy bullets. Period. If a group actually shoots good at 100 and has good es and quality bullets spun right. It will shoot at long range.

Same day same target .3 gr more powder

 

[Gene Allen]

You lost me on that one I don't know if the is about the orange target group or something else, can you explain, thanks!

 

[Gene Allen]

I see it now never mind!

 

[SSgt G Cody]

I was an Army sharpshooter, late Viet Nam era, using the Rem 700 platform with 30-06 ammo. We had many excellent shooters. From a solid rest, most could shoot well under 1/2 MOA. That means inside 5 in circle at 1000 yards on a very calm day! Prone from a bipod might be 10 in. However, from a rest (against a tree), that same shot is much less accurate (maybe a 20 in circle), and offhand standing shot accuracy is more like 40+ in. at same range. That's all with excellent training and equipment! Very few hunting rifles are this accurate, and very few hunters are this accurate. Most should limit their shots to 500 yards or less!