Weighing Federal auto match

[clodhopper]

Recently tried weighing blazers to segregrate them into lots of like weight to shoot together.
The auto match cartridges have quite a bit less spred in weights than the Blazers I weighed last month. Here is the weight groups:
50.4 grains 58 pcs
50.5 120
50.6 99
50.7 42
50.8 1
This ammo cost a bit more than the Blazers
and has quite bit less vareition.
The blazers I weighed
Had from 51.0 grains to 50.5 grains plus a hodge podge of about 8% cartridgs that weighed less than 50.5 grains.
Some of them were as light as 50.1 gr.
No shooting tests done yet, rest assured the shooting test will not be of the highest scientific standards.
I would like to disprove of the value of weighing each cartridge.
Ya I could just buy better ammo. Gotta love a bargin!

 

[richardj]

Re: Weighing Federal auto match

I have been using Federal Auto Match for a few years now across a 10/22 my Rem40X and a Walther PKK it has always been good for 0.5" groups at 50yrds.. so I always buy it by the case of 3250rounds and never look back..

RJ

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: Weighing Federal auto match

i was looking at the automatch also, seems like only 5 definitive weight lots (if you want to call the 1 50.8 a weight lot) is pretty consistant stuff, at least as weighing goes.

CLODHOPPER, if you do a range report on them, might i suggest a "semi scientific method" to test the different weights:

1. do a 5 or 10 round group of each weight lot at 50 and 100 yards. one of the weight lots should be a mixture of 1 or 2 rounds each of the different lots, to get a "control" group to compare weighted against non weighted.
2. dry swab the barrel before changing to a different lot as not to have increased fouling a factor.
3. shot on the same day, to have the environmentals as equal as you could.
4. shoot through a crony if possible, and note if any flyers are in relationship to a spike or dip in the FPS.
5. if you can, shoot the rifle from one of those "no touch" lead sled type of rests, if you have one. or a good front stable rifle rest and rear bag. at the very least bipod and rear bag.
6. test from a bench
7. if you know you pulled a shot, make note of it, and possibly reshoot that one round.

 

[clodhopper]

Re: Weighing Federal auto match

No range report this week,
Went to the range yesterday, and shot up the rest of my blazers
2 cases in 14 months none left. It was good.
Fired about 100 rounds of unweighed auto match from a box with a unique lot #.
The wind started to blow so I went home.
I have 17 boxes of auto match 10 of one lot # 3 each of two lot#
One odd ball.
I have been getting them at Wal-Mart with their limit on ammo purchases getting that ten box lot took some scheming.
Top predator, I have no lead sled. I do have 1/2 intrest in a chronograph but it is at my brothers place 500+ Miles away.
I can do the pod and rear bag. I can do the bench but have not fired off one for quite a while.
So I have another week to keep weighing right now only 330 rounds weighed.
My price is right solution too store and sort .22 ammo.
In the garbage can at the range you can sometimes find pistol ammo boxes with a solid white plastic tray. in the 45 auto size trays four .22 rounds will fit in each square hole. The card board box slipped back on helps keep them in the holes in case you drop the tray loading and unloading for range trips.
Each tray will hold 200 rounds of .22 you can stick masking tape on the tray to label weights.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: Weighing Federal auto match

yeah, no lead sled rest here, takes much of the human element out of it which is great for testing, but also takes out the "shooter" element when testing is done. other than the initial zeroing of the rifle, load developement, and testing, i don't see a reason to use one afterwards. but i believe you are seasoned enough to use the bipod / bag effectively enough.

for the trays i use the 100 rd CCI smoke or clear boxes with the slide off top, rows of 5 are nice and they have alot of room to label. plus the lid keeps the rounds in place for when i trip over my own feet , sure sucks going through all the sorting to test then mixing them all up again.

still, without the crony, the results on paper at two different distances should provide a decent enough information on the different weight lots, and what works best both at close and longer range.

shooting from the bench usually provides better results than prone when it comes to testing stuff due to better comfort and stability, so i thought i'd throw that out there.

 

[clodhopper]

Re: Weighing Federal auto match

The CCI boxes are desisned for 22 shells, a freind of mine is building a parts cabinet that hold about a thousand of them, and he has been getting all mine for over a year.
There is a chance I can get my half a cronograph back around Dec 19. My brother is thinking of comming to a shoot I am working.
My shooting time is limited between then and now because of appleseed obligations and my wife's birthday.

 

[Alanjtc73n]

Re: Weighing Federal auto match

About a year ago I bought a box of the automatch and had some strange results. I probably should have weighed the batch but never got to it. The issue I had was that one out of twenty or so seemed to be lightly loaded and of course the accuracy was way off. The others that felt/sounded fine grouped well enough from my 10/22. My brother had a box also of the same lot and had similar results. He called Federal and they asked him to send the unused portion back. A couple weeks later three boxes of automatch were at his door with a thank you letter. I then promptly called and sent my box back. Though I was only greeted with one replacement. Meh... I haven't broken into that box yet since it seems like everything I own likes either Wolf Match or CCI Standard. In the end, it was good to know that Federal backs their product.

I'm interested in seeing your results. Since I didn't weigh my lot, I can't be sure that there was a powder difference. I am curious if there could have been a primer difference, as some of the "light" failures were smokey.

I just lost Bozeman as part of my territory or I'd loan you my chrono. Have fun testing!