Part of my 2014 plan is to focus my firearms training on platforms I most often use. Another is to develop some recipes for some of these and be done with it(yeah right)
Since hunting would involve positional shooting, I wanted to come up with a reduced power load to practice positions I would most likely use in the field and shoot as much as I want with zero recoil effects. Part of this would also be to make it easier for me to get on a range since the long ranges aren't always available, a 25 or 50 yard range always is. Of course I would use a smaller target to keep it challenging. One other was to allow my daughter to shoot more as well(I already made her a light hunting load in .308) Of course I still hit the longer ranges to check zero, etc with the actual loads. lastly, was for the practice load to be as close as possible to my 100 yard hunting load zero so I don't have to change anything.
I used H4895 and TrailBoss. H4895 is the only rifle powder that you can use for reduced loads as followed from Hodgdon's site. Hornady #3037(150 FMJBT) once fired FC and WLR primer. Prone at 50-chilly-15-20degrees, burrrr
PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON HODGDONS SITE FOR USING H4895 AT REDUCED LOADS.
Fired 3 each, couple have 4 with a call on one, nothing special on accuracy. Although both are MOA with hunting loads, they are not considered "Precision Rifles"
Anyhow, worked well I believe. Just wanted to share in case anyone else had a similar idea--or not!
Mark
Ruger GSR, 16" with Leupold 2-7
Winchester 70 Featherweight Compact with Leupold VX6 1-6(daughter's rifle)
Winchester on left, GSR on right. Top row is H4895, 29, 30, 31 with top center at 32. Bottom row is TrailBoss, 12, 13, 14. I fired the first of H4895 and TB at the center since I had no idea where they would go.
32 grains of H4895 and TB with 12 is the closest overall for my purpose. Recoil was almost amusing.
Since hunting would involve positional shooting, I wanted to come up with a reduced power load to practice positions I would most likely use in the field and shoot as much as I want with zero recoil effects. Part of this would also be to make it easier for me to get on a range since the long ranges aren't always available, a 25 or 50 yard range always is. Of course I would use a smaller target to keep it challenging. One other was to allow my daughter to shoot more as well(I already made her a light hunting load in .308) Of course I still hit the longer ranges to check zero, etc with the actual loads. lastly, was for the practice load to be as close as possible to my 100 yard hunting load zero so I don't have to change anything.
I used H4895 and TrailBoss. H4895 is the only rifle powder that you can use for reduced loads as followed from Hodgdon's site. Hornady #3037(150 FMJBT) once fired FC and WLR primer. Prone at 50-chilly-15-20degrees, burrrr
PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON HODGDONS SITE FOR USING H4895 AT REDUCED LOADS.
Fired 3 each, couple have 4 with a call on one, nothing special on accuracy. Although both are MOA with hunting loads, they are not considered "Precision Rifles"
Anyhow, worked well I believe. Just wanted to share in case anyone else had a similar idea--or not!
Mark
Ruger GSR, 16" with Leupold 2-7
Winchester 70 Featherweight Compact with Leupold VX6 1-6(daughter's rifle)
Winchester on left, GSR on right. Top row is H4895, 29, 30, 31 with top center at 32. Bottom row is TrailBoss, 12, 13, 14. I fired the first of H4895 and TB at the center since I had no idea where they would go.
32 grains of H4895 and TB with 12 is the closest overall for my purpose. Recoil was almost amusing.
