Les in Wyoming
Well-Known Member
I am frustrated beyond expression. My 30-06 was a tack driver. Then it quit shooting well. Had it glass bedded, changed the load a bit, played with seating depth. Settled on an OK load which gets 1moa (it used to get 1/2 Moa). So I decided to load up all my empty cases and then test the load. First, I shot some of last September's load (this is now April). It shot well. So I loaded up several EXACTLY the same. Shooting 168 gr. Hornady BTHP over 59.3 grains of IMR 4350. (My old load was 59grains). This is a compressed load. The bullet seating depth, measuring cartridge base to ogive is exactly the same to .001. My cases are matched to within .004 of the same head stamp. This exact same load shoot 5" groups, all over the place. So, I shot 3 of my old loads. It shot a 1" group. So I went home, and very carefully loaded up more of the same EXACT load. It shot a crappy group. This does not follow the laws of physics and I cannot take this kind of weirdness lightly. BTW, each shot was put in the rifle individually and not in the mag, lest any chance of the seating depth being affected. Why is this happening?