300yard testing.

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Axis II

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I ran some loads over the Chronograph to get velocity for a Ballistic app and went out to 300yards today. Ammo fired was 69gr SMK, 50gr V max, 53gr Nosler, and 55gr Nosler. I am at a total loss. The ballistic app was way off and so where my groups. I held steady on the center diamond with 8mph winds. The app was really bad off. App says 1.4 MOA up for 200yards. I ended up at 2MOA. App says 3.6 up at 300 I was at 4MOA. 50gr v max was supposed to be 3.5 at 300 it was 3.1 on the scope. I was able to put 5 55gr Nosler in 1.5-2” at 300 on a different target but everything else wouldn’t shoot. I did have some mirage here and there.
 
50gr z max at 300yards. The higher ones are due to not adjusting the scope. The ones level with the dot are the final shots after adjusting elevations. 67E7866E-DB92-4F7B-AE06-C403A0E6EBD4.jpeg
 
FF6A4C00-5976-440D-96FF-57D3802C9BE2.jpeg I was actually aiming at the middle diamond but got this low, left group with the 69gr SMK. It makes one hole at 100.
 
Your App was within 1/2MOA at 300 yards. That is close enough to get you on paper. That's why you have to actually shoot at the range to verify. I'd be happy with that.
with the app data or groups?
 
Shot at 300y, 0.5gr difference between loads, 75gr BTHP in my .223AI 1:9 RemAge, with a 9x Leupold scope. Black bulls are 3"
PXL_20220511_192110232.jpg

Nothing to brag about here, but I'm happy with my progress over the past couple years. Keep experimenting and you'll improve.
 
with the app data or groups?
Im gonna guess and say app data. Streloks usually within a couple MOA for me without truing the BC, but its not exact.
If you want better accuracy in predictions you can take the data you got today and update your inputs in your program.

If those squares are 1 inch, then it looks to me like all of your loads are sub moa which isn't bad. Not gonna win any benchrest shoots, but not bad, and will probably improve with some tinkering.

Out of curiosity How consistent are your charges, What kind of scale are you weigh them on?
 
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What rifle twist do you have on your rifle. It does not seem to like the light bullets in the 50+ grain area so I'm thinking it is not a 1:9 twist. I hear many people claim that their 1:7 or 1:8 twists shoot the lighter rounds accurately, I just have not found it to be true in my rifles. I like the pattern of the 69 grainers. I could work with that, easy to adjust for corrections. Shooting at 300 yards is nothing to sneeze at with a 22 caliber bullet.
 
Im gonna guess and say app data. Streloks usually within a couple MOA for me without truing the BC, but its not exact.
If you want better accuracy in predictions you can take the data you got today and update your inputs in your program.

If those squares are 1 inch, then it looks to me like all of your loads are sub moa which isn't bad. Not gonna win any benchrest shoots, but not bad, and will probably improve with some tinkering.

Out of curiosity How consistent are your charges, What kind of scale are you weigh them on?
Was using a Lyman micro touch but will be verifying on a beam scale from now on. I trickle everything
 
What rifle twist do you have on your rifle. It does not seem to like the light bullets in the 50+ grain area so I'm thinking it is not a 1:9 twist. I hear many people claim that their 1:7 or 1:8 twists shoot the lighter rounds accurately, I just have not found it to be true in my rifles. I like the pattern of the 69 grainers. I could work with that, easy to adjust for corrections. Shooting at 300 yards is nothing to sneeze at with a 22 caliber bullet.
It’s a 22” 1-9. Any suggestion on getting the 69 to shoot tighter?
 
Light bullets move around a lot if there is any wind at distance. I shoot the 69gr & 52gr SMK's at 200 & 300 yrds every now and then with 1:9 twist barrels. It only takes a very light breeze to throw off the 52gr. The 69gr can hold their own a lot better. I've yet to get the RMR's to shoot as good as SMK, but they do shoot as good as the SGK. Jake says these are designed to expand so it puts them in the GK, hunting bullet class, not BE. I use Varget for my 69gr's and TAC for the 52gr.
 
Well knock me over with a feather. You can't just zero at 100, plug your whiz bang load into a ballistic app and shoot elk at 900 yards? You've discovered this first hand. Your sight height distance may not be precise. Your BC may not be precise. Your atmospheric conditions may not be precise. Up or down hill? 300 yards is far enough for these things to start making a cumulative difference. .5 MOA discrepancy is not surprising.

WIND...Everybody who's not a high power shooter says they know what the wind was. In your case it was 8mph. Assuming you measured it with a device as you give an exact number rather than a number rounded to 5 or 10. This is a point measurement at your firing position. Was it a steady 8mph? 90 degrees to firing vector? Wind speed and vector across the bullet flight path? I'd be happy with those 55 gr groups at 300 from my RRA NM rifle with a 4.5x optic in an 8mph +/- wind. Your rifle may not like the 69 gr bullet or just that particular load. More testing needed. Perhaps another brand of 68-69 or switch up the powder, primer, brass, COL following reloading BMPs. MIght just be the conditions moving it around more than the other groups.
 
Well knock me over with a feather. You can't just zero at 100, plug your whiz bang load into a ballistic app and shoot elk at 900 yards? You've discovered this first hand. Your sight height distance may not be precise. Your BC may not be precise. Your atmospheric conditions may not be precise. Up or down hill? 300 yards is far enough for these things to start making a cumulative difference. .5 MOA discrepancy is not surprising.

WIND...Everybody who's not a high power shooter says they know what the wind was. In your case it was 8mph. Assuming you measured it with a device as you give an exact number rather than a number rounded to 5 or 10. This is a point measurement at your firing position. Was it a steady 8mph? 90 degrees to firing vector? Wind speed and vector across the bullet flight path? I'd be happy with those 55 gr groups at 300 from my RRA NM rifle with a 4.5x optic in an 8mph +/- wind. Your rifle may not like the 69 gr bullet or just that particular load. More testing needed. Perhaps another brand of 68-69 or switch up the powder, primer, brass, COL following reloading BMPs. MIght just be the conditions moving it around more than the other groups.
The weather app on my phone said 8mph. Sometimes it felt a little more. I'd say no more than 10-12 max.
Straight line shot
Shooting east and Wind SW
scope was set at 40x
charge was 25.3 20k off lands. It makes a single hole at 100 though.
Win military brass
primer pockets uniformed
cases trimmed to sammi trim length
cci400
 
The weather app on my phone said 8mph. . .
at the nearest weather station, on the other side of the zip code.

scope was set at 40x
Call me crazy, but unless that's a $4k Nightforce or similar, you'll regret that. High quality glass in 9x or 12x will serve you better than a cheap 40x. Glass quality becomes critical as a function of magnification.
 
at the nearest weather station, on the other side of the zip code.


Call me crazy, but unless that's a $4k Nightforce or similar, you'll regret that. High quality glass in 9x or 12x will serve you better than a cheap 40x. Glass quality becomes critical as a function of magnification.
I'll try again at a lower magnification. Its about a $500-600 scope.
 
Within 1/2 moa dial of app at 300yds? That's pretty good for not having completely trued data. That's why you make a DOPE card if you're planning on shooting a bunch of different ranges. That 69smk group looks pretty darn good for a 300yd group to me!
 
Within 1/2 moa dial of app at 300yds? That's pretty good for not having completely trued data. That's why you make a DOPE card if you're planning on shooting a bunch of different ranges. That 69smk group looks pretty darn good for a 300yd group to me!
I guess my expectations are too high? lol.
 
Both the 69smk and 50zmax groups are sub moa (both look to be about 3/4moa) at 300 yds, and dial was pretty darn close right off the bat. I'd be happy with either in .223.
Just measured it with an app and its 2.22'' for the 69smk. I'll take your guys word for it. I guess watching the other guy with a savage 223 touch holes at 300 got me thinking.
 
People get too wound up in ballistics and theoretical data. They will get you in the ballpark, but that's it.
Air density is a huge variable. Period. You're at the mercy of humidity, temperature, air pressure, etc.

Get on the paper, then use actual range data to see what you need to do in order to hit your target. Once you know how your bullet of choice behaves at different ranges and wind conditions, you'll have a real life idea of how to place your shots.

If you want a better picture of the air conditions, find the air's density altitude. It will tell you the relative altitude/density conditions of the air you are shooting in. The more dense the air (lower the altitude) the more it will affect the flight path of the bullet. Those mile long sniper shots in the Gulf War were being made at 10,000 ft of relative altitude. The less dense air made it a lot easier to place a good shot.

Good Luck
 
The weather app on my phone said 8mph. Sometimes it felt a little more. I'd say no more than 10-12 max.
Straight line shot
Shooting east and Wind SW
scope was set at 40x
charge was 25.3 20k off lands. It makes a single hole at 100 though.
Win military brass
primer pockets uniformed
cases trimmed to sammi trim length
cci400
Sometimes things just don’t make sense ‘but’ If your confident in your load then just write it off and next time take a wind flag or two with you to help internet ( interpret):D the conditions. Sometimes we encounter winds from multiple directions that we just don’t pick up however as per the chart attached, a single point of wind won’t push the rounds to 7:00 or 2:00 using a right hand twist.
 

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