Load Testing Which Group to Use?

[scsims]

I admit I am reluctant to even mention it........but............pulled shots happen but if you have two out of seven or even two out of fourteen pulled shots from the bench with a rear bag. You should probably check your rig. Fine tune the fit. LOP and cheek hight or slop in the bipod. Choate stocks are easily adjusted so don't settle for less than a perfect fit . Just reluctantly thinking out loud.............D

Well I do know for sure that I wasn't on target when I shot the higher one with the 45gr load because it was my first shot at that target.

Could it be the picnic table? It's definitly not as good as a concrete bench. I have to fight with the bipod some due to the fact that the boards are warped and the rifle is canted a little unless I adjust one leg slightly longer than the other.

Do you think having the action trued would help? Maybe have a smith check the skim bed job that I did over the bedding block?

These are all possibilites I'm sure.

 

[D.ID]

Definitely could be the picnic table. You might try going prone for initial load development. If you have to fight anything, The table, the bipod, etc. your load development could end up being less ideal than it otherwise could be. I use the choate tactical stock exclusively now days and think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. You can bed it as easily as any other stock. If you use a dremel to drill some small random angle holes and rough up the block. Use the classic kiwi polish and devcon steel putty. They say not to bed them but I always do just so I never have to doubt it. Are you using a torque wrench on your action screws? Is she properly fit (length and hight) for you?

 

[scsims]

Definitely could be the picnic table. You might try going prone for initial load development. If you have to fight anything, The table, the bipod, etc. your load development could end up being less ideal than it otherwise could be. I use the choate tactical stock exclusively now days and think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. You can bed it as easily as any other stock. If you use a dremel to drill some small random angle holes and rough up the block. Use the classic kiwi polish and devcon steel putty. They say not to bed them but I always do just so I never have to doubt it. Are you using a torque wrench on your action screws? Is she properly fit (length and hight) for you?

No I haven't used a torque wrench on the screws...... mainly becasue I don't have one. But I know I need to get one.

I really can't say for sure on the fit as I haven't been measured for fit. But I can say that I feel comfortable when shooting this rifle.

As for the bedding I followed some directions I found on the net. And I did rough up the aluminum block the way you described. I used a Brownells glass bedding appoxy that I had.

 

[Bart B]

I basically agree. But if you're at 3 MOA on your 4th shot, 15 or 20 shots won't make the group any smaller.

Good point. Then you can shoot a few more 4-shot groups and only make public the smallest one. I call this "benchrestitis" 'cause benchresters rarely, if ever, mention the biggest groups they shoot.

Like the ballistics engineer at Lake City Army Ammo Plant told me when I'd called them about a bad lot of 7.62 match ammo. He referred to a conversation he had with a new kid in his department who joined him in looking at an 8-inch group of 200 some bullet holes from a test of match ammo at their 600-yard range. The new kid said "Look at all those 1 inch 5-shot groups." To which the old timer said: "Yes they look pretty good. Too bad they're not all at the same place."