Playing With Center-X

[USMCDOC]

Hi Doc,
I'm playing catch-up and now understand what you meant in your PM regarding this project. I can certainly appreciate all the effort you (and some others) have gone through in your search for the better and more consistent load. And having been through much of the same myself in the past (except for taking rimfire cartridges apart), the one BIG challenge I see approaching is that none of the ammo, (regardless of measurement or pile) has been shot in your rifle. And from experience in actually testing/shooting Federal Ultra Match (UM22), Lapua Center X, Eley Red & Black, some SKS and Lapua Midas Plus, both in a customized Ruger 10/22 having a Volquartzen barrel (even different barrel on the same receiver) and then the same ammo run through my (former) Anschutz 64 (without the Harrel Tuner on it that was later added for fine tuning) was that the groups varied much more (group size) with the 10/22 than they did when shooting the same ammos (came from the same box of 50) and groups separated by rim thickness in my Anschutz Bolt Gun. SO I guess my point is, in my humble experiences, not only did the ammos (when separated) themselves make a difference, but so did the rifle these separated ammos were shot in. But the experience, at least, was a ton of fun that I spent an entire summer experimenting and learning just how important testing different ammos in a specific rifle makes.

And someone mentioned the "expense" of going through such a project may not be worth the effort. I humbly cannot agree with that assessment because if cost and money were of primary concern, then I believe that person should not even be engaged in testing or shooting to begin with. This isn't a sport for penny pinching. Maybe that's easy for me to say, but since I don't drink, smoke or "hang out" all that much (except my Benchrest Shooting and reloading buddies - most at the range shooting), then the biggest expense I had was buying a LARGE quantity of the same lot of Rimfire Ammo so I could maintain the same accuracy for a long time without having to re-test because even the same ammo in a different lot, introduces yet another variable in Rimfire shooting that we all seek to reduce and eliminate.

But Doc, great job and have fun. Now lets see the fruits of your efforts on paper and Good Luck my friend!

Alex

P.S. As an aside and you may already know this, lubes on ammos are different. Therefore gotta clean the barrel after shooting a specific brand of bullet and before testing another specific brand of bullet.

i went to the club to try my test.. esp with the SK Standard Plus.. what i have seen so far is that in the 10X-III rifle, that it likes the longer rounds. The shorter ones the groups were more open.. i was shooting on a 30 yard target at 50 yards in horrible tail winds, the shorter .769 rounds were barely holding the ten ring. When i switched to the .776 length rounds.. it tightened ups to just barely catching to catching the dot. At 30 yards, they were all going into the same hole. When i shot the Center-X.. it was center punching the ten ring for the dot. There would great periods of waiting for the right condition to shoot.. i am talking about a very long pc of surveyors ribbon that was being blown straight out and held there for long periods of time.. and constantly switching from 10 to 2 o'clock.. i tried to shoot the lulls but with just those to soot off of, i would still get shots that were so off from where they should have been, i couldn't call it a legit test. Though i tried.. A fella had one of those adaptors for the phone to hold it to the scope to you could see the target with the phone, but mine wouldn't work, the on off button was right were the clamp had to be. So I was not able to get pics, but trust me.. it wasn't really all that pretty!

 

[USMCDOC]

Not sure if everyone saw the pics that i posted in the other thread but here they again here..


This pic is shot at 50 yards this morning. Alternating between SK SP and Center-X. There was a total of 6 rounds each shot.. Shooting a SP one round then Center-X for a round till 6 of each were shot. the two that are alone were the last two shots.. apparently there was a down draft as each shot were one right after the other.

Rim thickness on the each was 0.385 and base to Driving band was 0.771 for the SP and for the Center-X it was .0768


My aiming point was the center of the number

 

[Boyd L.]

Not sure if everyone saw the pics that i posted in the other thread but here they again here..

View attachment 1024501
This pic is shot at 50 yards this morning. Alternating between SK SP and Center-X. There was a total of 6 rounds each shot.. Shooting a SP one round then Center-X for a round till 6 of each were shot. the two that are alone were the last two shots.. apparently there was a down draft as each shot were one right after the other.

Rim thickness on the each was 0.385 and base to Driving band was 0.771 for the SP and for the Center-X it was .0768
View attachment 1024502

My aiming point was the center of the number

How many shots in the bottom pic?

 

[USMCDOC]

How many shots in the bottom pic?

5

 

[Boyd L.]

5

Nice

 

[USMCDOC]

Nice

That was my response when i saw the last one still in there! Got up and walked out to the target to take the pic!

 

[Boyd L.]

That was my response when i saw the last one still in there! Got up and walked out to the target to take the pic!

Absolutely!
The dreaded and mysterious shankopotomous usually bumps my fore end on the last shot....then it disappears leaving no evidence of being there other than my target.

 

[USMCDOC]

Absolutely!
The dreaded and mysterious shankopotomous usually bumps my fore end on the last shot....then it disappears leaving no evidence of being there other than my target.

That bump is call "thinking about it".. hence why you never find it!