FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

[black_ump]

well i did my final set of load tests today and have some vary suprising results.

the things I am trying to learn are as follows

obviously best gr bullet shoots best

secondly from what i see at 100, what will it be like at 200 ?

i was hoping 175 smk's would group well as i feel this is the round that will get me out 5,6, and 700 yards and that is where i would eventually like to start shooting those distance.

here we go

target #4 175 smk 39.0 blc-2

target #5 168 hornady match 42.0 blc-2

target #6 190 smk 41.0 blc2

target #7 155 smk 46.5 blc-2

target #8 175 smk 40.9 blc2

target #9 175 smk 42.9 blc-2

target #10 155 smk 43.7 blc-2

target #11 168 hornady match 42.7 blc2

target #12 190 smk 41.5 blc-2

those are my results, looking between them and the powder loads iam not sure which way to go

target 7 with 155 smk at 46.6 almost looks the same as target 10 with 155 smk with 43.7 so how does one find a hapy medium ? my guess is to split the diffrance in half and load it which is roughly 45.0, but this is what I am asking all of you what do i do in a situation like that ?

secondly i would shoot 10 rounds stop for about 5 min let the barrel cool, shoot 5 more then clean the bore till all 45 of the test loads where shot there where times my barrel was slightly warm and iam currious how much of an effect this played in that

so with this data, what do all of you think my next step should be ? load and test more at 100, take these loads out to 200 ? never done this befor and am kinda currious

 

[Triggerhappy]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

You might try some Varget. I out shoots everything else in my 308, as in 1/4-1/2 moa. I shoot the 175's with great success.

 

[GunjunkieM24]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

As the above poster stated, try some Varget or H4895. I have excellent luck with both in the 168 and 175.

My old stanby load is 40.2 grains of H4895 with 168 SMK's in Lake City brass. It has shot under 3/4 MOA in every 308 I have ever tried and will typically shoot under 1/2 moa in most decent rifles.This load is very mild but will get you to the distances your trying to reach.

 

[Silverbullet2]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

I have found that 175's don't group the best untill you reach 200 Yards or farther. If you want to shoot 100 Yard groups, try a flat based bullet. They shoot great for me out to 300 Yards. Play with it a bit, and see what your rifle likes. JPG

 

[Strangedays]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

I always get sub 1/2 MOA with H4895 in my LR-308 pushing 168 A-max

 

[Badshot308]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

Shooting one group per load isn't representitive of what that load's capable of. If you think you've found a load the rifle likes, then load up enough for 4 to 5, 5 shot groups and then average them. If you're getting a wide variation in group size within those 5 groups, then there is something wrong with either your shooting technique or the load/gun combo. Take your time and work on your fundamentals for each and every shot. Continue practicing the fundamentals while dry firing. Dry firing builds proper muscle memory without flinching. Any mistakes you're making at 100 yards will be greatly magnified at longer ranges.

 

[black_ump]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

i thank you for all the advice, and will write this down in my note book. keep the advice comming

 

[ORD]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

Well it looks like you are making progress (or at least your barrel is settling in) since you have gotten rid of the 5"+ groups. All of the advice above is excellent, particularly with respect to the Varget and H4895 powder choices and shooting multiple.

Also, how are you resting the rifle when firing your load development rounds? (Bipod, bags, etc.)? You may want to forego the bipod for load development/testing and switch to bags or a benchrest/rear bag combo to get the most stable rest possible and eliminate any influence the bipod may create on your accuracy. Improper shooting with a bipod can often be a cause of substandard accuracy. I see shooters all the time blame their rifles/ammo/etc. for accuracy woes that are because they don't understand proper loading of a bipod, etc.

Keep the range reports coming and good luck on your next round of load development!

 

[black_ump]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

when i hit the bench i leave the bipod up and sit the forarm over sand bags.

its hard for me to shoot with a sand bag under the butt so i put a sandbag under the pistol grip to support the grip and my palm

I also sandbag my elbow's and use my left hand to hold the back of the butt stock where the rubber butt pad is

iam sure the 190 smk's will shoot well and iam sure that i can do a better job with the sandbags but you learn as you go.

please tell me about loading a bipod, i have been hearing this term alot, i guess you could say my bipod is on backwords, the cross bar that stops the legs is facing me ( the shooter ) and when i "load" my bipod i sort of push inth the legs to keep them tight aginst that crossbar and to me it seems to be alot more solid thats my idea of a loaded bipod but please inform me.

and yes from 5 inches down to 1.5 is awsome like a big weight off my chest

 

[ORD]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

Loading (or pre-loading) a bipod isn't all that tough to do, but a lot of people overlook it and think that they should be able to just plop the rifle/bipod down on a bench or on the ground and fire away. Unfortunately, it isn't quite that simple.

Here is an excellent video and post by Lowlight about this issue and a link to the SH Training that is on point:

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthre...502#Post1285502

 

[black_ump]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

thanks for the link, i seen that video and ya i had a pretty good idea of what loading the bipod was about...

never hurts to have some one reassure me about it though.

iam glad your helping me out ord... thanks alot for all your input

 

[black_ump]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

bumpy bumpy

 

[srv656s]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

Couple things that might help... Again, shooting related not reloading related.

When you're squeezing the trigger, your position should be solid and while you're looking at the crosshairs/target, 90% of your focus should be on pulling the trigger straight back and staying relaxed. If you're applying pressure with your hands and straining with different parts of your body to stay on target your shot's not going to end up where you want.

NPA- Natural Point of Aim is what you're looking for. That means the rifle is aiming naturally based on your position.

 

[black_ump]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

thanks for the heads up, iam slowly getting my form and working on every thing one trip to the range at a time i have the trigger pull just about down, iam working on settling in behind the gun as well as getting the bags all set in place other then that i feel good to go

 

[echo3]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

Sweet! From 5 down to 1.5 is great. Keep working on building your position. You will get what you want.

 

[black_ump]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MST</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Sweet! From 5 down to 1.5 is great. Keep working on building your position. You will get what you want. </div></div>

i posted something in the reloading section cause i feel its in the loads them self i went today just to dry fire and i was spot on every thing was good i did 30 dry fires and no pull no any thing

any way thanks ya from 5 down to 1.5 is nice, i went the other day to zero at 200 yds and out side of a flyer i shot a sub moa group and an moa group.

the rifle can do it... their are to faults eaither its me on some days or its the loads on others and that really Pi$$ me off but ill get past it

 

[Mike_in_FL]

Re: FOUND THE SWEET SPOT'S

40.0 IMR 4064 LC brass w/ 168 SMK has been my FGMM equivalent for years. Shot 5/8 - 3/4 in 700 and under an inch in friend's DPMS.