Odd flyers in 5 shot groups

[3-0-hate]

I stole a quick trip to the range yesterday and was confirming my zero at 200 and decided to shoot a group or two, which turned into a very confusing issue. It seemed that with every 5 shot group I shot, there seemed to be at least 1 flyer in each one. 4 of the shots would almost touch, with a 5th in there that just seemed to do whatever it wanted and drift off. Winds were extremely calm across the entire range, with mild breezes coming in from left to right at about 4mph from time to time, but nothing that ever stuck around, and I was able to time my shots between the breezes.

The rifle is a Rem 700 SPS tactical with a Bushy G2DMR, sitting in an Eliseo chassis. I was shooting from prone using a bipod and rear bag. I would like to think it wasn't me throwing the shots, but who knows...

This was one of the better groups. The load is 43.5gr Varget under a 168 Berger. Could it be the magnum primers? It was all I could find at the time of loading these rounds.

02.17.14 200 yards by LongRangePro, on Flickr

Thanks!

 

[sharpshooterbr]

Do you know if it was always the 5th shot in the string that was the flyer? Or was it random as to which shot opened the group?

 

[3-0-hate]

I can't say for certain if it was the fifth all the time or not but I'm leaning towards it being random.

 

[M40_A1]

Firstly, those Shoot-n-See targets tend to amplify apparent "fliers", though they are really often part of the group.

Secondly, I agree on the wind. A 4mph crosswind would be about half a minute at 200 yards (1 1/2 x 4 / 10), which is in the neighborhood of one inch at that range. If those are one inch squares on your target, that one shot off to the right is just about an inch from the "group's" center. Maybe breezes were going across starting from far to near, and you just didn't feel it where you were shooting yet. Maybe.

 

[Sterling Shooter]

You can easily determine wind error from error at the firearm by simply analyzing the call/strike corollary. Example, let's say you call the shot right in there but the strike is at 3. That would indicate wind error. Now, let's say you call the shot at 3 and indeed it is at 3. That would indicate you moved the rifle, possibly poor trigger control. Some errors may be a combination of wind and rifle movement, like calling the shot a light 3 but having a strike at a heavy 3.

From appraisal of your group it seems that your error was produced from wind. I would suggest you get a spotting scope and use it to see mirage. Then, shoot when you see from mirage that wind is at the velocity for which you had a previously adjusted sight to counter for it. BTW, after you have learned to make your position consistent from shot to shot you will discover that calling the shot is an awesome aid to shooter/target analysis.