Boyer method for 6br tuning

[DanSavage]

This barrel has over 1000 rounds now, the load I always used was 27.9 @ +.005” in lands and it shot really good, won quite a few 300 yard matches with it.

However I wanted to see if I could get it to shoot tighter by doing a Boyer test.
The test is exhausting, takes a lot of time , trying not to heat barrel too much, and all the condition changes.

First row was right to left wind,,,
It rained during the middle row of +.007 with slight right to left wind

Then last row was mainly tail wind.

Anyone have any suggestions? It seems to me it likes the +.005 jam is it worth trying +.003?

Bartlien barrel 1:8 5r
107 smk
Varget
Cci match primer

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Why not go a couple-three more tests further in toward the lands at the 28.1.

 

[sparker]

It appears it throws a shot in each .007” group

 

[Bill Norris]

.009 Don't look bad across the board.

 

[DanSavage]

The first group of .007 I definitely pulled the one shot to the left. The crosshairs were over there to left when I went to return rifle to battery.
It don’t take much at all to screw up important tests

 

[ShtrRdy]

Looks like you were running a good load however you figured it out.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Go to a square mark and start backing up .002 at a time at 28.1. If your not using flags your wasting time and components.

 

[Clancy]

Go to a square mark and start backing up .002 at a time at 28.1. If your not using flags your wasting time and components.

How did you come up with that, based on this target? Or are you just saying scrap this target and do it the other way?

About flags…. Always good advice to use flags at short range. But, I don’t believe in developing a load while holding off either. It seems to me you could end up with a wind sensitive load that will have to be managed as such.

I haven’t read his book in 2 years, but I’m 99.9% positive he said he didn’t hold for wind when shooting his test- for the above reason.

 

[Clancy]

I sure like +.005 and 27.8. Shoot a few 5 shot groups and rock on, IMO.

 

[Ccrider]

I would check to see what .003 looked like all the way across starting at 27.5 and, what 27.5 looked like at .005. I would also shoot 27.9 and 28.1 +.011 in. This should give you a clearer picture.

 

[Clancy]

.009 Don't look bad across the board.

I’m trying to see what you are seeing and I can’t?

.009 shot a 215 agg and .005 shot a .145

I’m very tired tonight so I could be reading it wrong.

 

[Bill Norris]

I’m trying to see what you are seeing and I can’t?

.009 shot a 215 agg and .005 shot a .145

I’m very tired tonight so I could be reading it wrong.

When I shoot these test Im looking for a pattern and not one individual group. .009 shows the most consistent pattern thru the powder charges.

 

[D Coots]

A bit late in barrel life for this test.

 

[SKWERLZ]

When I shoot these test Im looking for a pattern and not one individual group. .009 shows the most consistent pattern thru the powder charges.

I’m curious as to what would be one step past .009
Looks like it got happy and moving towards shooting dots.

 

[JEFFPPC]

How did you come up with that, based on this target? Or are you just saying scrap this target and do it the other way?

About flags…. Always good advice to use flags at short range. But, I don’t believe in developing a load while holding off either. It seems to me you could end up with a wind sensitive load that will have to be managed as such.

I haven’t read his book in 2 years, but I’m 99.9% positive he said he didn’t hold for wind when shooting his test- for the above reason.

Look at your target. Regardless of powder as you went deeper in the lands the group's got better. As for picking the higher charge of many barrels I have found that I usually end up in the upper range. Sometime a pretty low lollipop load show small until conditions start or range increases. So while looking good at times it does not fair so well in real life match conditions.
So I am not only picking on you but all the others on here who do load development with no flags. Stupid! Think about it. You have a 2.5 mph wind you aren't really aware of. On your 3rd shot it reverses, your unaware. Now you just shot in a 5 mph wind, the bullet that should have made a bunghole slides a bullet out and you think....That's no good. You don't hold, you make sure your shooting in the same condition. By the way I do 90% of my load development with 2 shot group. Lie 2 go in the same hole I move to the next bull. If thoseb2 go in the same hole I have something. No flags, no sense. Hope this helps you, good luck.

 

[Bill Norris]

I’m curious as to what would be one step past .009
Looks like it got happy and moving towards shooting dots.

Yea this is where it would be good to go another step or two to see if the pattern would improve.

 

[Clancy]

Lots of different interpretations by lots of good sticks, myself included haha .

One thing to note…. I always shoot a Boyer twice. The second time I shoot it in reverse order.

Both you and the gun are fresh on the top row and it shows.

I’d still load +5 and 27.8 because .2 grains is about the size of a node you can expect with the highly overrated Varget

All jokes aside, Varget does have narrow nodes and if you don’t want to take my suggestion, I think the guys that said go to +11 and +13 and see if it’s trending smaller are onto something.

Do let us know!

 

[DanSavage]

Thanks guys I appreciate all the replies, I do believe for this one barrel here I settled on 27.9 from a 300 yard ladder test.
I’m going to try +.005 27.5 and 28.1 with some more jam.
Speed is not a big deal for me it’s 2650ish @ 27.9. It still shoots very tight at 500. I’ve got a dasher I hot rod with 32.6 gr varget and 110 smks

 

[DanSavage]

I was definitely using flags. The first row +005 it was right to left from about 2:30 at least 7mph. I figured it would stay like that for awhile, so I began when the flags were spinning good and they were pointing the same way it seemed to go real good until the last group it began to rain so I waited a bit and realized that condition wasn’t going to come back lol.
The middle groups were shot while raining unfortunately lol ,, there wasn’t much wind but I saw a little switching but I don’t think it caught me much. By the time I was done with that line the rain had stopped.

The bottom groups were fired in a pretty good 7-10 mph tail wind trying to fire when the flags were spinning right at me.
I’ll admit I held 1 bullet hole for one shot during the whole test. Then I remember Tony’s book saying test in the wind and see what it will do like the one guy pointed out.

 

[ELR LVR]

Looks close +.005" in
going deeper looks like it got worse
Simply based on that you might try the other direction
Starting .005" off and go .-005" at a time until you got to -.030" off and see how it likes it.
We can't dictate what our rifle likes
--------------------------------------------
Another method I use to use for long 6mm VLD's
was
Start at +.005" in, and keep going out .005" until you get to +.060" in.
As the others said, You may also try going deeper.
Berger ran some tests and found there can be two or more nodes within a .140" spread on seating depth.