Can it really be me?

EddieP

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 8, 2008
178
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England
I've got a brand new howa 1500, I'm struggling to get it shooting well, it seems to be double grouping. These are handloads, bullets and cases weighed due to group wierdness.

It's sporter weight in 270, HS precision stock, torqued to 65 inch/lbs.

This is my last group of 6 rounds, bench, bipod, rear bag. 125gn VLR4 lead free. 7 power scope, which does cover thebred dot, so I'd not expect tiny groups, each of those 3 is about 1 inch, but it's about 4 inches as a 6 round group. It's random distribution, not a warming isssue.

With my heavy barrelled 308 I can routinely shoot comfortably under 0.75 moa.

I've bought some sako factory to try and will also try another scope next time.

But the question is, could the 2 groups that far apart be my shooting, I'd think no, but I'm now clutching at straws.
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@EddieP

What are the other similarities / differences between this rifle and your heavy barrel .308?

I am firmly in the camp that it is 99.9 percent of time the shooter. And yet it sounds like you have consistent load. But, for me, that begs the next question. What load and bullet grain weight on the other .308.

For me, the order of error from most likely to least likely is shooter, ammo, and rifle.

That being said, if you are already shooting the other rifle well, then is there a problem of concentricity from action to barrel?
 
Maybe the gun just doesn’t like this bullet/powder combination. While you could say that’s two 1 moa groups, I’d just call it one 4 moa group and move on. And, shoot some of that factory ammo through it. Sometimes handloads are different but not necessarily better than factory.
 
Do you have evidence that this is a 1 moa load in this gun?
No, but other loads have exibited similar and this load has these 2 groups.

I'll try factory, new scope etc.

I put the question in the marksmanship section to see if these groups could be due to me.

I don't want to keep throwing ammo and time at it pointlessly, but will do so if needed
 
No, but other loads have exibited similar and this load has these 2 groups.

I'll try factory, new scope etc.

I put the question in the marksmanship section to see if these groups could be due to me.

I don't want to keep throwing ammo and time at it pointlessly, but will do so if needed
Well, it could be you. A sporter weight 270 win is more difficult to shoot well than a heavy 308win or 6.5CM.

It could also be a 4 moa gun…

Unfortunately there’s no FGMM equivalent for the 270win.
 
Well, it could be you. A sporter weight 270 win is more difficult to shoot well than a heavy 308win or 6.5CM.

It could also be a 4 moa gun…

Unfortunately there’s no FGMM equivalent for the 270win.
Thanks.

The FGMM comment is also an issue, it frustrates things not having a known universal round available.

If it's a 4moa gun, it's going back! I just need to prove it.
 
@EddieP

What are the other similarities / differences between this rifle and your heavy barrel .308?

I am firmly in the camp that it is 99.9 percent of time the shooter. And yet it sounds like you have consistent load. But, for me, that begs the next question. What load and bullet grain weight on the other .308.

For me, the order of error from most likely to least likely is shooter, ammo, and rifle.

That being said, if you are already shooting the other rifle well, then is there a problem of concentricity from action to barrel?
My other one is a 20 inch heavy bartlein barrelled r700 in hs precision stock. 155 scenars pushed hard. Works well out to 900y, obviously higher power scope (viper 6.5-20).
 
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My other one is a 20 inch heavy bartlein barrelled r700 in hs precision stock. 155 scenars pushed hard. Works well out to 900y, obviously higher power scope (viper 6.5-20).
That answers a lot for me. Thin sporter barrels can be funky. Like a Tikka Superlite. You are lucky to get a third hit within 1 MOA because the gun is so light and the barrel flexes.
 
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I've got a brand new howa 1500, ..
Maybe I'm thinking too simple on this, but this statement jumped out at me. How many rounds through the gun so far? Have you cleaned it good? Have you tried other ammo? Is everything still tight on it? I've seen "new guns" do some really stupid stuff until the above issues are addressed. Then, they just miraculously start shooting like Captain Kirk's phaser rifle.
 
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I would try a different powder/bullet combination. One of my rifles I can get decent groups with 147 ELDm and H4350 but with 143 ELDx and H4350 the groups open up to twice the size. Also if I load for the maximum safe load on the 147’s my groups open up wide on one rifle but not so much on my other rifle. Granted 4 moa is pretty huge.
 
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