What groups to choose

[WildRose]

My rifle is a stock finnlight. So yes it's free floating but not bedded. I'm going to spend more time practicing my shooting before I bed my rifle, if Ill really need to. I've shot somewhat my whole life but consisted of a 3" group a shell casing high at 100 yards to be sighted in lol. So I was pretty happy with the consistency I had considering it was my first attempt at developing a load.

Thanks

After seeing just how much difference bedding makes a few years ago I'm to the point now that I won't eve bother shooting a new rifle until after I've bedded it.

I hate to think how many dollars, shots, and how much time I wasted trying to get a decent group.

It takes only a couple of hours of work to bed one and I haven't found anything else that improves a rifle's accuracy as much.

 

[WildRose]

Not meaning to hi jack but I had the same question after shooting today. Sorry I'm not able to post any pics but I had 2 very good groups both about .5 one was 45.5 gr the other was 46.5 gr. Now at 45.5 gr the group was 2 shots side by side pretty much in the same hole and one shot 1/4" right below those 2. The 46.5 was 2 shots touching side by side and 1 just a 1/16" up and half a hole to the right, basically the 45.5 looks a touch better on paper but the 46.5 is better vertically.

So which should I pick to work with from hear testing in 2/10 of a grain up and down then seating depth? I should add that the 46.5 is half a grain over published max but I didn't have any pressure signs. And I might further test at both charges for grins anyway but I do like the idea of going with the hotter load for a lil better performance.

I'd work down from the top since you're already over max.

I'd certainly be extremely careful about going above where you are now. I know a lot of guys that THOUGHT there were no pressure signs but it turned out they just were not recognizing them but they were there. Sometimes those signs are very subtle but will magnify pretty much exponentially as temperatures warm up especially if you are already at or near a max load.

 

[Lonewolf74]

Yea after thinking about it last night I thought the best approach would be to do a OCW sort of test at both charge weights plus 3 rounds 2/10 below and 3 rounds 2/10 above the 2 charge weights and see at wich charge all 3 groups are the best with closest poi.

And thankyou wild rose for the words of caution I am very careful about running over max and I scrupulously check and compare the brass and primer to previously shot cartridges. I would not load any rounds at higher than the 46.5 except just 3 at 46.7 to check them against the 46.5 and 46.3 and see if all 3 group well with no pressure signs. If I did get any pressure sign at 46.7 I would abandoned the 46.5 charge as well knowing I could be over pressure when it's warmer out.