Just getting into LRH and looking for advice on my rig..

[Hookturnr]

Hey guys! I've been working my way into LRH for about a year now and have done a bunch of reading my way through this site and some others...I've learned a ton here! My questions are as follows: Anything you guys think I should change in the rigs? Anything you would change equipment wise?

Rig 1 is a Rem 700 in 300 RUM sitting in a bell n carlson medalist A2. It's topped off with a nikon buckmasters 6-18 mildot SF in a leupold LR mount. I shoot it off a9-13" adjustable bipod with a rear bag. Load is 93 gr. retumbo pushing a 200AB at 3100 on average and getting .658 5 shot averages at 100. still has the stock pipe but I want to shoot it out before I rebarrel with probably a hart BBL. Factory trigger tuned up n breaking at about 2.5lbs

Rig 2 is a rem 700 LV in 204 ruger stainless fluted with a bushnell legend 5-15 mildot pretty much stock all the way around...( pillar bedded HS precision stock from the factory) Factory trigger reworked n breaking at about 1.5lbs.

I'm using a caldwell wind meter and bushnell 1000 arc when shooting beyond 100 with these or around 100 with the 22LR.....lots n lots of practice with the 22LR!gun)

I seem to be getting some horizontal stringing with the 300 load n plan on tinkering with it a bit more.....other than that any comments n suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[Camshaft]

Your rum is a great starting point. A few things to look at will be a higher quality scope, for a clearer image at extended ranges and good tracking. Alo look into a good muzzle break to help with managing recoil and spot your hits are longer ranges. With those changes you should be well on your way.

 

[trebark]

Are you using a chronograph during load development? vertical stringing is usually a variance in velocity.

 

[Hookturnr]

Thanks for the input guys!


I know the nikon isn't optimal but I did a bunch of research and it seemed to be rated comparably to a lot of the scopes in the $600 range so I figured a scope and a rangefinder for the price of the other scopes I was looking at seemed like a good idea. One day i will have a nightforce to park up there but not for a while yet.

As for my load development process: I am shooting over a chronograph nearly all the time.
I start with a mid range load among the averages of several data sources and load 5 rd. groups in .5gr increments until approaching max then step to .2gr...
As i shoot I record all velocities and group sizes looking for best group and most consistent velocity.
Once i find something that looks promising i will load in .2gr steps either direction from that charge and try those along with another set at that charge for confirmation.
Once I settle on a load that I think is going to work out I will load 10 rds. and go shoot 2 5 shot groups to attain a further average and a velocity spread and average.
This is pretty much it for me...I haven't played with seating depth a great deal as i load for the 300 RUM and magazine length is my limiting factor.

I haven't started load development for the 204...it really like the factory hornady stuff.....but it's in the works.

anything you would suggest changing in the load dev. cycle?

Anyone like or dislike the OCW method? I've been reading about it a bit and am considering giving it a try. I'm not into having a full on max load for every thing...I want the fastest MOST ACCURATE load i can build. My daddy taught me well a bunch of years ago when he told me that the deer doesn't care how fast the bullet that just missed him was going....

 

[trebark]

Thanks for the input guys!


I know the nikon isn't optimal but I did a bunch of research and it seemed to be rated comparably to a lot of the scopes in the $600 range so I figured a scope and a rangefinder for the price of the other scopes I was looking at seemed like a good idea. One day i will have a nightforce to park up there but not for a while yet.

As for my load development process: I am shooting over a chronograph nearly all the time.
I start with a mid range load among the averages of several data sources and load 5 rd. groups in .5gr increments until approaching max then step to .2gr...
As i shoot I record all velocities and group sizes looking for best group and most consistent velocity.
Once i find something that looks promising i will load in .2gr steps either direction from that charge and try those along with another set at that charge for confirmation.
Once I settle on a load that I think is going to work out I will load 10 rds. and go shoot 2 5 shot groups to attain a further average and a velocity spread and average.
This is pretty much it for me...I haven't played with seating depth a great deal as i load for the 300 RUM and magazine length is my limiting factor.

I haven't started load development for the 204...it really like the factory hornady stuff.....but it's in the works.

anything you would suggest changing in the load dev. cycle?

Anyone like or dislike the OCW method? I've been reading about it a bit and am considering giving it a try. I'm not into having a full on max load for every thing...I want the fastest MOST ACCURATE load i can build. My daddy taught me well a bunch of years ago when he told me that the deer doesn't care how fast the bullet that just missed him was going....

You've pretty much described my load development process. Are you doing all the brass prep....primer pocket uniforming, flash hole deburring, neck turning, case trimming? this will help with accuracy and ES.

The accubonds are a tangent ogive bullet and are not too sensitive to seating depth. Although you are shooting a factory barrel, the throat may be pretty long. You might consider some adjustment to seating depth. Even if it goes beyond magazine length, that's not a big deal. You can have one in the chamber and at least one round will fit in the magazine as it can fit diagonally.

If you change to a secant ogive bullet, like the Berger VLD or Hornady Amax, they are definitely sensitive to seating depth and generally like to be seating close to and sometime in to the lands.

 

[Hookturnr]

My brass prep is as follows: FL resize, trim to spec. deburr and chamfer neck, clean/uniform primer pocket, sort by weight and load.

I haven't gotten into neck turning yet...

I'm using either nosler custom brass or remington brass with the loads adjusted accordingly..usually about .6 gr lighter charge in the nosler.........
The nosler brass seems to be great stuff. Extremely uniform throughout a lot and nice fit / finish. Hopefully it holds up as well or better than the rem. brass.

I've been quite happy with my results in a couple other guns. My encore PH in 25/06 will shoot .4" 5 shot groups in nice little round holes all day long with my handload for it.

My concern with my 300 load is I don't seem to be getting the nice round or square group, instead its a line through the bull. my vertical in the group is almost dead even shot to shot and the group opens up to 5/8-7/8 horizontally.

I probably shouldn't be complaining about flirting with 1/2MOA with a factory tube on there n it may just be me, my technique, my trigger pull....I just have a taste for cutting one ragged hole and most my guns do it.

 

[SBruce]

The horizontal stringing is sometimes caused by trigger pull or variations of force against the trigger/rifle while fireing. Sometimes just a shift in the rest or bags from recoil will cause horizontal stringing. The harder kicking guns are more likely to see this condition.

You can do an aftermarket trigger which will break w/ less pull against the rifle. Every time we squeeze the trigger, we're imparting force against the gun that is still being applied to one extent or another while the bullet is leaving the barrel.............the less force acting on the rifle sometimes the better.

I know some old guys that were shooting alot of 1 hole groups at 200 yds with black powder cartrides and external adjustment scopes way back in the day, one of the most important things they said was consistent recoil of the rifle (same amount of rearward and sideways and torsional movement for every shot). So, either you hold the rifle tighter to control this, or try not to hold it at all (kinda dangerous to not hold a 300 Maggie).

Just my thoughts on the horizontal stringing you were concerned with.

 

[SBruce]

Some more thoughts on Horizontal Stringing.

I had not mentioned the obvious, but since you state "just getting into" I'll mention it too.

Flirting with 1/2 moa from a hard kicking 300 with a factory barrel is doing pretty good actually, but don't overlook the wind. Even a 300 will get blown off side to side some with wind changes. Even when you think its a tail wind it can blow you back and forth side to side. You can get nearly 1/2 of your total horizontal drift due to a wind blowing from 5:00 or 7:00 and without watching wind flags it can be real hard to notice that change and it would be back and forth and double if the wind is changing from 5 to 6 to 7 to 5, ect.

Even if wind is not causing this issue now, it will be when you start really reaching out there. Lot's of things can cause horizontal, but I've mentioned the 3 most common in my opinion. Barrel warp w/ heat, change in seating depth needed and tons of things could be the culprit too but work on the things that you can quickly or easily change first.

Hope this helps.

 

[Hookturnr]

That was pretty much the direction i was leaning with it... I've been extra diligent of my technique on my last few range outings and the horizontal stringing seems to have lessened...also kept the rifle cooler for the last couple trips...3 shots, 2 min inbetween shots n stop for 10 min...then repeat. Barrel never got hot enough that you wouldn't want to hold on to it...probably a combination of barrel heat and technique. I'll be changing primers for my next trip n see what's gonna happen. My thought on this is, I've got a pretty nice 200gr Nosler AB load and a pretty nice hornady 208 amax load, I've averaged my velocities through load development to this point(around 40 rds for each) to build my range cards, lately, I've been using my range outings to fine tune these loads and collect additional velocity data. I figure by the time I use one to hunt with, I should have 50-100 rounds worth of velocity data with which I can rework my range cards to come closer to a true average. Besides, it gives me a good excuse to keep shooting it!

 

[SBruce]

Sounds like you're well on your way then.

Have Fun and Good Luck.