Help me shrink my groups...

[Bart B.]

Afy, if you want to shoot groups in the zeros, you'll have to shoot the rifle free recoil. That's with it resting on bags untouched by any part of your body except the tip of the trigger finger. Use that finger tip to lightly touch a 1 or 2 ounce trigger that's needed.

I say this 'cause us humans aren't repeatable enough to hold a rifle against our shoulder to shoot in the zeros.

 

[243winxb]

Afy, you might find this good reading. http://6mmbr.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=856392

 

[benzy2]

When you get some time the first thing I would do is pick the load that looks best and load up 50 from .020" off the lands to .010" into the lands, always watching for signs of pressure. I find if I find the seating depth that shows the most promise first it makes things look better when I go to fine tune the load. From there I work up powder weight and if nothing is working switch primers. If that still isn't satisfactory I'll switch powders, take the velocity of the last powder that showed best results, load close to equivalent fps load, and work the seating depth again, though on a more narrow scale with the best depth from the last powder as a midpoint. I will work through this until I have given up on all the powders I would like to try and then switch bullets. Sometimes if the powder has a great reputation I will stick with it first and switch bullets but that isn't always easy when buying in bulk, but I guess the same goes for powder in bulk.

 

[jpwilly]

Help me shrink my groups...

You could always just lie and not post targets like everyone else!

 

[Afy]

In all honesty... zero's are going to be impossible with this rifle. It is a Savage action, with a pre-fit LW barrel mated by me.

However I do think I can get it to shoot > 0.5 inches edge to edge.

JPWilly: No fun in not being truthful. I do enjoy shooting, and do believe that with the wealth of information available, I would gain more by posting targets, than not.

 

[essayons21]

You could always just lie and not post targets like everyone else!

Or use a hole-punch!

 

[Afy]

I do use a long range hole punch called bullets

 

[Borg]

First question;
Is the rifle/barrel capable of smaller groups?
Is the receiver turned/faced? Is the bolt lapped in? is it bedded? Crowned good?
Can't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse until it's groomed, and then, still a sow's ear.
Borg

 

[Afy]

Yes the rifle is capable of better. People shooting simillar rigs, are shooting half my size.

The rifle is aluminium bedded, torqued correctly, floating tang et al.. Barrel crown is fine. It is a LW stainless barrel. Crown is fine. Bolt has been trued and face lapped.

It isnt a super expensive bench gun, but it will shoot. It isnt going to be a throughbred, but it isnt a sow's ear either.

 

[Borg]

All rifles aren't a like.
Check your reloading technique, runout?
Borg

 

[Afy]

I do know the problem isnt reloading technique, or runout. I am anal about reloading, and short of wieghing batches of brass absolutely do everything under the sun. ( I dont bullet point or meplat uniform either).

The main issue here is an arbitary choice of powder, an arbitary load. At this point I have not done any serious load work ups, or even serious shooting. The barrel currently has exactly 80 rounds through it, and I essentially am still fire forming brass for my chamber.
Now that I do have a batch of 80 fireformed brass, I will be working up a load seriously.
Watch this space in about 6 weeks for results.

Once I have a happy load, I plan on using hBN coated bullets to see if that makes any difference.