5th Round Flyer Phenomenon

[usmc 0311 rvn 67-68]

A few years back was shooting at a local state range having a good day,don't recall what I was shooting but was shooting real well. When the load work was done I had 6 rounds left over,not wanting to go home with partial box to reload I decided to shoot the last six. First five went into one small hole, asked the range officer who was watching me shoot if he thought I should shoot the last one into the group, he said noooo, but I had to know so I shot it, went a quarter inch high.

 

[JimPag]

I was talking to Tony Boyer about this. Last year Speedy sold me a Teddy actioned rifle that was Tony's way back around 1990. Tony said that it would shoot the absolute smallest groups then once in a while there would be one flyer in a 5 shot group. He said that rifle drove him crazy. He changed barrels, he changed scopes, he changed stocks 3 times and still every once in a while a flyer. When Tony sold it to Speedy, Speedy said that it was fixed because he put a 15 pound spring in the bolt. Tony didn't like or think that was the answer to the problem at all. Well Speedy was shooting a match in Texas and the same thing happened and Speedy said to a fellow competitor, Tony said it would do that. I mean what else could it be but the action itself?

 

[spudgun]

This topic brings back bad memories for me too.

3 years ago I decided to build a .224 Valk for 600 yrd shooting.

The Valk would shoot bug holes at 100, 200 yds.

Everytime I shot on the 600 at steel I would hit, then move over to paper targets and shoot 5 at 2 targets and only 4 holes on each...

Haven't shot that gun in 2 years now....

 

[Big Mc]

We have all been there many, many times. 4 rounds go into the same hole and then that last one just screws the group. I am of the thinking this is a psychological issue, rather than a load harmonics issue. I now compile my group analysis over multiple groups and discount those flyers. Superimpose 3-4 different days of the same load. Thoughts?

Dont wish the last round into the group . Just my to cents Tommy Mc