This is going to be an ongoing thread which I will be updating with the progress.
The rifle has a Rock barrel M24 contour, 8 twist, 5R. The action is a Surgeon in an AICS 2.0 stock. Trigger is a Rifle Basix and the scope is a NightForce.
GAP did all the metal work and also installed a Badger FTE muzzle brake.
This rifle is chambered in a 6.5x47 Lapua. So here it is:
I started load developments with Lapua 123 Scenars and Lapua brass, 205 Federal primers. I really did not want to use RL15 but bought a pound of it to try it out. I am also using H4350. The bullet is set to the point where it just touches the lands.
The first time out to the range I wasn't expecting much because I was breaking in the barrel and at the same time doing some test shots to find out the limitations of the loads. The RL15 definitely got the velocity up in the 2900 to 3000 fps but I did not like the ejector flow and the bolt was getting a little sticky. I believe that could be minimized with a neck sized and fire formed brass. But the temperature issues with RL15 still do not sit well with me so I decided to abandon this powder after this first time at the range.
The 4350 had a softer recoil and quieter bark but I just did not push it hard enough that day. One thing I found interesting with the Rock barrel is how quickly it cleaned up. I would put patch of solvent followed by an oversized nylon brush with 5 full strokes. I would then patch it out and use Wipe Out. There was no blue. I can do the same thing to my Krieger barrel and I will get blue.
Here is the target, using 4350 on the first day at the range:
After examining both the 4350 and RL15 targets, I wanted to start eliminating some variables because I have seen groupings like this before and a bedding job always fixed it. So I went ahead and bedded my rifle.
Prior to bedding there was slight movement in the action when loosening the front screw. After bedding there was no movement in the action if you loosened any of the screws. I decided to put tape in front and below the recoil lug to give me a .020 gap. The theory behind this is we have 3 different materials expanding and contracting at different rates. So I did not want anything touching the front of the recoil lug and the bottom gap prevents debris to come in contact with the lug. I also raised the action .020 so I could get more bedding compound on the chassis. The question is: would this make the groups tighter? Who knows, but it does remove one variable.
The second time I went to the range it was with a bedded rifle and I pushed the 4350 a little harder but there was one problem; I wasn't on my A game due to very little sleep. Here are the pics:
On the third testing, I went ahead and jammed the bullet .020 into the lands. I wasn't getting the velocities I was wanting and on this trip I worked my way up to 41.6gr and I believe I could even go to 42gr. On the far left target (the first one), that is what I call my control target: 5 shots of 41.6gr touching the lands. I wanted to see how that would shoot because the last time I was at the range I was shooting with 4 hours of sleep.
So far all of these have been virgin brass.
The rifle has a Rock barrel M24 contour, 8 twist, 5R. The action is a Surgeon in an AICS 2.0 stock. Trigger is a Rifle Basix and the scope is a NightForce.
GAP did all the metal work and also installed a Badger FTE muzzle brake.
This rifle is chambered in a 6.5x47 Lapua. So here it is:
I started load developments with Lapua 123 Scenars and Lapua brass, 205 Federal primers. I really did not want to use RL15 but bought a pound of it to try it out. I am also using H4350. The bullet is set to the point where it just touches the lands.
The first time out to the range I wasn't expecting much because I was breaking in the barrel and at the same time doing some test shots to find out the limitations of the loads. The RL15 definitely got the velocity up in the 2900 to 3000 fps but I did not like the ejector flow and the bolt was getting a little sticky. I believe that could be minimized with a neck sized and fire formed brass. But the temperature issues with RL15 still do not sit well with me so I decided to abandon this powder after this first time at the range.
The 4350 had a softer recoil and quieter bark but I just did not push it hard enough that day. One thing I found interesting with the Rock barrel is how quickly it cleaned up. I would put patch of solvent followed by an oversized nylon brush with 5 full strokes. I would then patch it out and use Wipe Out. There was no blue. I can do the same thing to my Krieger barrel and I will get blue.
Here is the target, using 4350 on the first day at the range:
After examining both the 4350 and RL15 targets, I wanted to start eliminating some variables because I have seen groupings like this before and a bedding job always fixed it. So I went ahead and bedded my rifle.
Prior to bedding there was slight movement in the action when loosening the front screw. After bedding there was no movement in the action if you loosened any of the screws. I decided to put tape in front and below the recoil lug to give me a .020 gap. The theory behind this is we have 3 different materials expanding and contracting at different rates. So I did not want anything touching the front of the recoil lug and the bottom gap prevents debris to come in contact with the lug. I also raised the action .020 so I could get more bedding compound on the chassis. The question is: would this make the groups tighter? Who knows, but it does remove one variable.
The second time I went to the range it was with a bedded rifle and I pushed the 4350 a little harder but there was one problem; I wasn't on my A game due to very little sleep. Here are the pics:
On the third testing, I went ahead and jammed the bullet .020 into the lands. I wasn't getting the velocities I was wanting and on this trip I worked my way up to 41.6gr and I believe I could even go to 42gr. On the far left target (the first one), that is what I call my control target: 5 shots of 41.6gr touching the lands. I wanted to see how that would shoot because the last time I was at the range I was shooting with 4 hours of sleep.
So far all of these have been virgin brass.
![url]](http://[IMG][url="http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t223/shcal/IMG_0366a1.jpg"]http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t223/shcal/IMG_0366a1.jpg[/url])
