Amen brother..... me either.I’ve tried and can’t shoot the difference between two jacket alloys
Amen brother..... me either.I’ve tried and can’t shoot the difference between two jacket alloys
do you run a dry patch down the barrel before the first shot? bullet jacket material is, most always, guilding metal. What coatings are you using? I am in the "not necessary" crowd on this one.I test the same bullet, same powder just at different volume, and clean when I get home. Bullet jacket material and coatings are different and I start with a clean barrel to prevent any issue with that.
I don't oil bores because I run stainless. I clean with mineral spirits and just shoot em.do you run a dry patch down the barrel before the first shot? bullet jacket material is, most always, guilding metal. What coatings are you using? I am in the "not necessary" crowd on this one.
luck,
murf
Friend of mine doesn’t hardly ever clean between load testing and can still get 1/2” groups at 100yds with a 7-08. That’s why the question I first posted, “am I wasting my time cleaning between test loads”?
I think the only way to answer this for your gun is to try both. If that second group is 2" without cleaning,
I'd just pick one and refine a load for that bullet.
No offense taken. I was just going with the numbers he gave in his example.Not meaning any offense, but I cut this off here because any solution proposed to finish this statement should really be moot - with the exception of “if that second group is 2”, then we know the rifle just doesn’t shoot, and we need to make serious changes - for example, replacing the barrel or sending it down the river.” Unless we’re talking about a labor of love with some rifle we know can’t be made to shoot small, any rifle shooting 2” groups in load development is a dog.
I’ve done it both ways, trust me, option #2 is far better.@the Black Spot - do this.
Chasing your tail trying a massive matrix of bullet and powder combinations is only going to waste time, money, and energy, and the way most folks end up doing it - by shooting low round count groups of each combo - you’ll inevitably be no better off than picking the “best combo” out of a hat.
Start with a proven bullet and a proven powder combination which are known high performers, and focus there. If they don’t shoot after proper load development, try one more proven recipe - if that doesn’t shoot, the rifle doesn’t shoot, and you know it within 100 rounds and $100, instead of wasting tons of money on different bullets and powder, and instead of burning out half of your barrel life trying to read tea leaves of 3 shot groups between 20 different combinations…
Each powder has a place its most happy. Tac is midrange in 308 and 4064 is max. If your testing is supper thorough you may find multiple happy places. I found 2 loading n135. By the components listed I'm thinking your shooting 243. The 87 grain amax is one of those proven bullets Varminterror was talking about.View attachment 1158202
Thanks!
example: this load is gettin there. Near max. Usually the sweet spot is near max or close to minimum.
Never owned one but I'm positive someone that has, knows exactly what you need.AJC1, it’s a 25-06
so, I’m all open to proven bullet/powder combos for 25-06
You’ll do better worrying less about cleaning between groups and working more on practicing under shooting conditions. Practicing at a bench doesn’t help much unless you’re hunting from a bench. Ditto for shooting using a rest. Any load that gets you a minute of chest cavity group is good enough. Better is minute of heart muscle. Best is the first shot from a cold, clean, dry barrel going through the same fist-sized target as the first shot from a sun-baked, wet, dirty barrel. That’s the best load and what fills freezers.Goal is to find a load that works for deer and coyotes out to 200-250 yds.
Best advice of the thread.I would try to keep it pretty simple.
Never owned one but I'm positive someone that has, knows exactly what you need.
I liked my experence with grand slams, but I've only shot the .308 165g.I haven't loaded any 100gr bullets in 25-06, but I did load some 120gr Speer Grand Slam and some 117sst for a friends' Stevens bolt action. I got right at moa groups with the Grand Slams and 50.5gr of H4831sc and about the same groups with 117sst. Also got just over 1moa groups with factory Hornady American Whitetail 117gr Interlocks.
In case I wasn’t clear from my first post. I’m testing handloads to find what’s accurate in my rifle. Goal is to find a load that works for deer and coyotes out to 200-250 yds. So testing different bullets, powder combos etc. is where I’m at. So to find the most accurate load, I test each load(ex 49 gr I-4350 with Sierra 100 gr boa tail, then 49.5, etc etc) from the same barrel cleanness, hence my brush/swab sequence between each test load. Friend of mine doesn’t hardly ever clean between load testing and can still get 1/2” groups at 100yds with a 7-08. That’s why the question I first posted, “am I wasting my time cleaning between test loads”?
should have said,"first shot of the day", so you shoot a dry barrel right off.I don't oil bores because I run stainless. I clean with mineral spirits and just shoot em.