What could be my deal? 7 PRC accuracy issues with handloads?

[SmokinCrow]

I don't have a clue to what I am doing wrong. I have a Remington 700 Sendero that I just rebarreled from 7 Mag to 7 PRC. I bought a of box of 180 Eld Match Ammo and a 175 Precision Hunter to get brass for reloading. Box of 180 m's never shot great. Mostly shot 1.5 moa and I had one group just under an inch. But the 175 Precision hunters all shot between .55-.74 in groups from the get go.

I had planned on shooting 180's and handloaded them up with CCi 250's and H1000. I couldn't get a group under 2 inches. I got a few boxes of 175 ELD X from a friend and I loaded them up with H1000 and I can't get the 175's to shoot under 1.5 inches. Since the factory 175's shot probably as good as I honestly can I loaded up the 175 to the same CBTO as the factory Precision Hunters and couldn't repeat any kind of similiar accuracy. I checked neck tension and I think somehow i made the mistake of over crimping or something so I readjusted seating dies so I didn't crimp. I also tried switching powder to Retumbo, and I still couldn't get under 1.5 in. Is there something I am missing? I am by no means a master reloader, but I'm no slouch. I am probably missing something stupid or just need something to pop into my head. Any advice?

 

[ShtrRdy]

Wow, man, that's frustrating. If you haven't yet done so I would start by taking the barreled action out of the stock, clean the area the receiver touches the stock and clean the receiver area too. Then put it back together and torque to what you think it should be. (I don't believe in the 65+ in-lb torque) Next, remove the scope, rings, and base, clean the areas that contact each other and put it back together. (I like to use blue loc-tite on the rail screws and no loc-tite on the ring screws)

What kind of barrel are you using?

 

[cajun]

Did you chrono the factory loads? Sometimes a rifle likes a certain velocity? When you say over crimping where you using the seating die to crimp. Tell us a little about your reloading process. Also are you using the same brass?

 

[Allen Kitts]

Keep in mind that the manufacturers use different powders to achieve their accuracy than we have access to. Sometime they have blends and proprietary powders that make their ammo shoot exceptionally well or faster that what we can achieve. Keep playing with it and you will stumble onto a good load. Find one that shoots pretty good and then play with the seating depth, maybe try a different primer as well. Your end results for a load may end up not being with the Hornady bullets though. I had to try six different bullets to get my 6.5 PRC to shoot the way I wanted it to, now its shoots the way I want it to but it took quite a few trips from the loading bench to the range to work it out. I am not a huge fan of the ELD-X for hunting but the factory ammo shot really good out of several of my rifles as well, so I can see the draw. I currently have a 300 PRC that is shooting bug holes with Factory 212's but I won't use the ELD-X for Elk hunting, just for my own personal reasons. Lots of people are using them with great results. Good Luck.

 

[xsn10s]

Yeah that crimping or over crimping might be the culprit. I'd check your case overall length and consider trimming it back down to min specs and give it a good VLD chamfer. Then deburr the cases and start over.

 

[Rosebud]

How many rounds down the barrel? I've had rifles that took sixty to eighty shots before they settled in. What amount of bullet jump? Get as close as possible for magazine fit ,Then see how it works. Also, Look for Lee factory crimp die if your going to crimp. Much easier to control the crimp.

 

[xsn10s]

I'd also check the barrel twist rate. Don't trust what it's deemed at. Check it yourself using a good ball bear cleaning rod and tight fitting brush.

 

[SmokinCrow]

Did you chrono the factory loads? Sometimes a rifle likes a certain velocity? When you say over crimping where you using the seating die to crimp. Tell us a little about your reloading process. Also are you using the same brass?

I didn't Chrono unfortunately. My chrono has been on the fritz.I my initial loads were likely lower velocity than Factory. I tried increasing charge to get me up to where Factory was claiming. I don't know that I was over crimping per se. I am wondering if while setting up my seating die I by chance set it to crimp and that gave a tighter nexk trnsion and could have been part of my problem. I had kid running around during my die set up and I wonder if I did something different there. And I am using the same brass

 

[SmokinCrow]

How many rounds down the barrel? I've had rifles that took sixty to eighty shots before they settled in. What amount of bullet jump? Get as close as possible for magazine fit ,Then see how it works. Also, Look for Lee factory crimp die if your going to crimp. Much easier to control the crimp.

Probably close to 100 now. I'm not planning on crimping. I think I may have set it to crimp unintentionally as I had kids distractions when I was setting up. I likely tightened die til I felt resistance and got distracted by kid and forgot to loosen to avoid crimp ring touching. Not sure my jump. Factory was shooting quite well so I started at factory cbto

 

[SmokinCrow]

Keep in mind that the manufacturers use different powders to achieve their accuracy than we have access to. Sometime they have blends and proprietary powders that make their ammo shoot exceptionally well or faster that what we can achieve. Keep playing with it and you will stumble onto a good load. Find one that shoots pretty good and then play with the seating depth, maybe try a different primer as well. Your end results for a load may end up not being with the Hornady bullets though. I had to try six different bullets to get my 6.5 PRC to shoot the way I wanted it to, now its shoots the way I want it to but it took quite a few trips from the loading bench to the range to work it out. I am not a huge fan of the ELD-X for hunting but the factory ammo shot really good out of several of my rifles as well, so I can see the draw. I currently have a 300 PRC that is shooting bug holes with Factory 212's but I won't use the ELD-X for Elk hunting, just for my own personal reasons. Lots of people are using them with great results. Good Luck.

Thanks. I've had a love hate with ELD X bullets. My dad has had great success and killed well with them. I have shot 2 critters with the 162 in 7 mag and both got away. 1 was likely me. The other I dropped a whitetail in his tracks at 600 yards. After afee minutes I noticed he got up when I was 400 yards away. Layed down and saw my first shot was perfect placement. Put another in the lungs and he humped up and ran over the hill. Never to tbe seen agaim. I had witnesses that both shots were good. But barely any blood and I found a chunk of rib bone. But never could find him. And based on blood where I hit him he shouldn't have got up. Will to live I suppose.

 

[Allen Kitts]

Thanks. I've had a love hate with ELD X bullets. My dad has had great success and killed well with them. I have shot 2 critters with the 162 in 7 mag and both got away. 1 was likely me. The other I dropped a whitetail in his tracks at 600 yards. After afee minutes I noticed he got up when I was 400 yards away. Layed down and saw my first shot was perfect placement. Put another in the lungs and he humped up and ran over the hill. Never to tbe seen agaim. I had witnesses that both shots were good. But barely any blood and I found a chunk of rib bone. But never could find him. And based on blood where I hit him he shouldn't have got up. Will to live I suppose.

Yeah, I watched a buddy shoot two animals this spring in New Zealand with the 143 Grain ELD-X and neither did their job. Both animals were hit well and both took several follow up shots to finish them off. One was just lucky the animal didn't run off because the brush was so think I think he thought he was safe and never left the area of the first and second shots. He actually charged by buddy and the guide when they found him and had to be shot again. They are just to iffy for my blood. I want an animal down when I make the good shot.

 

[Takman]

I found in mine it was sensitive to seating depth. Found accuracy at two different depths. Also look at H4831 SC.

 

[Rosebud]

Probably close to 100 now. I'm not planning on crimping. I think I may have set it to crimp unintentionally as I had kids distractions when I was setting up. I likely tightened die til I felt resistance and got distracted by kid and forgot to loosen to avoid crimp ring touching. Not sure my jump. Factory was shooting quite well so I started at factory cbto

It may not like the H1000, try a different powder. H4831 might be better, MagPro.several others.

 

[Brad Quarnberg]

I hate to say it, but on rare occasions. I've found bad barrels. Don't know who manufactured or installed but know someone who had a supposedly new barrel on a supposedly new gun that wouldn't shoot. Took it to a smith and looked at it through a bore scope and the chamber/throat were crap.
Installed a new barrel and it shoots a bunch of different loads very small.
Now, I think that's a rarity, but I've seen it happen twice in recent years so....