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Very disappointed

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Hornady
Accurate
Deadly
Dependable
 
You have ammo that has not been in a controlled environment since it was made. Some will stay sealed, the rest will either absorb or lose moisture. And you complain about ES for MV?

Did you also measure COAL and runout before shooting it?
 
Let's assume for a minute that everything is properly torqued in the ammunition you've built has no significant flaws.

Given the consistently poor performance and the horizontal stringing on your targets, the most likely problem is the loose nut behind the gun. Although the gear makes a difference in the hands of equally skilled shooter sometimes we really need to start with technique. You mentioned you were on a budget. It's my personal experience professional training will frequently yield a bigger benefit than any fooling around with a gun or the ammunition.

Are you shooting these groups prone? Or from a bench? What are you using for front and rear rests. What training have you had? I don't want to sound like a dick but you're asking questions about things that either don't matter at all or matter only in the margins.

You stated that you tend to go a Mile deep when you get into something. Crimping for example, is a mile deep into the wrong things. Perhaps you need to focus on Brilliance in the basics. In the long term it will save you a lot of money and will yield best results.
 
It’s entirely possible the issue is me.

I do wish I had a tall bipod… I have been shooting off of a portable shootings table, and bags… I’d rather shoot in the prone off the ground with a bipod.

I can tell you I know how to use bags and minimally influence the rifle, firing in the pause between breaths with a preference for the exhale, trigger pull is clean far as the whole dime on the muzzle thing every time I used to do that back in the day but I can recheck though this trigger is miles better than anything I used to use.

I MAY move my scope back a hair depending on how things are in the prone. I haven’t used a bipod or lead sled mostly because I’m trying to shoot as if I were shooting off a pack in the field.

For the purpose of eliminating myself though I can see if my buddy will let me borrow his sled. I will say I’m not a big fan of the reward blast of the muzzle brake. I have to make myself not close my eye as the trigger brakes and that’s frustrating and annoying. Enough so I have been thinking about taking it off.
 
Don’t use a lead sled. They are not good for your rifle and you will not shoot it like that. Get a bipod and use it.

As for the brake, they are loud. You just need to learn that nothing that is happening at the brake is going to hurt you behind the rifle and it’s just part of the firing process. If you are jerking anticipating the noise then that will definitely cause issues with accuracy. Maybe have someone else shoot the rifle and see.
 
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It’s entirely possible the issue is me.

I do wish I had a tall bipod… I have been shooting off of a portable shootings table, and bags… I’d rather shoot in the prone off the ground with a bipod.

I can tell you I know how to use bags and minimally influence the rifle, firing in the pause between breaths with a preference for the exhale, trigger pull is clean far as the whole dime on the muzzle thing every time I used to do that back in the day but I can recheck though this trigger is miles better than anything I used to use.

I MAY move my scope back a hair depending on how things are in the prone. I haven’t used a bipod or lead sled mostly because I’m trying to shoot as if I were shooting off a pack in the field.

For the purpose of eliminating myself though I can see if my buddy will let me borrow his sled. I will say I’m not a big fan of the reward blast of the muzzle brake. I have to make myself not close my eye as the trigger brakes and that’s frustrating and annoying. Enough so I have been thinking about taking it off.
portable tables are usually terrible and that's enough by itself to screw you up. None i have ever used is stable nor do they allow you to get squared up behind the gun. Leadsleds are no better.

You will be shooting off a bipod in the field soon if you get serious about this. There isn't a good alternative to support from planet earth. And the combination of adjustable front bipod and consistent rear bag are truly fundamental to longdistance marksmanship. Learning to manage them translates into understanding how to support the rifle in every other compromised position as well.

Join the site, buy the training and take it. and then go find a proficient journeyman shooter to critique you before you drive yourself nuts thinking you have a crappy rifle.
 
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Damn.

Damn straight way to treat a guy sir.

If he doesn't send it in, go to Sleeping giant brass company and get either LC LR 308 cases or Norma and then load 41.7 gr 4064 under a 175 SMK loaded to saami length spec.

If this doesn't shoot well in your gun with multiple known good shooters then it is absolutely your gun.
 
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Damn.

Damn straight way to treat a guy sir.

If he doesn't send it in, go to Sleeping giant brass company and get either LC LR 308 cases or Norma and then load 41.7 gr 4064 under a 175 SMK loaded to saami length spec.

If this doesn't shoot well in your gun with multiple known good shooters then it is absolutely your gun.
I thought 42.2gr of Varget was meant to be the magic number, 168gr or 175gr.
 
^ I remember the last time I hit that 800 yard barrier. I was blasting half-MOA groups out to 799 yards...

Scooted a step back just to get an even number, fired, no impact. Fired again, no impact.

All of a sudden my neighbors cow came out of the woods limping from an obvious gunshot wound to the foot. She was at least 25* off my line of fire and only 425 yards away. It's amazing what those 168s will do once you hit 800 yards and the accuracy comes apart...
But did you shoot a .4” group at 278 yards in a 20 mph crosswind
 
Send me your rifle let me look the fking thing over I'll shoot it and tell you my professional opinion what's going on...

If I have to make a small adjustment I won't charge you...
If there's a serious issue I'll advise you

Mike R
Mike for the Win. I wonder what kinda voodoo magic you could work on my daisy red Ryder?
 
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Send me your rifle let me look the fking thing over I'll shoot it and tell you my professional opinion what's going on...

If I have to make a small adjustment I won't charge you...
If there's a serious issue I'll advise you

Mike R
OP TAKE THIS MAN UP ON HIS OFFER!!!!!!!
This is the offer of a lifetime.

One day I will own one of your rifles Mike.
 
OP How close are you to Columbus GA? If you want to bring it down to Ft Benning and shoot it from 100-1000 with 168s, m118lr, ab39, and multiple other brands/weights I’ll gladly bring you out to our schoolhouse range and we can do some further “testing” before sending it off if you’d like. Won’t cost anything and we have several very high level shooters both real world and competition aspects at work. Never heard of a rifle from Mike with these issues or seen them in the one I owned (selling it was the biggest mistake lol). PM me if it’s something that interests you. Can also run you through an in depth cleaning class with an AMU gunsmith as well
 
Because I designed the Tac Ops platform's around the Fed Match 168 B.T.H.P Because 98% of all the law enforcement agencies deploy and shoot people dead with that round...

Mike R

Probably been a hot minute since that statement was accurate.

Since 2010, of the LE snipers courses I attended NOT ONE recommended that round. Most if not all had warned specifically against using SMK bullets.