F Class load workup

[savageshooter86]

This is my first post here in the forum just joined.

Little info that may or may not help:
Savage 10 Action with AccuTrigger, BC Medalist A2 stock, Shilen Select Match 26" Varmint Barrel**only had barrel and new stock for about 150 rounds***

Was wanting advice on how to do a load workup for F-TR shooting? Been loading about 1 year now and up til now just been doing it to try to shoot tiny groups and but usually only shoot at 100 yards. And also been using Dan Newberry's OCW method.

Best 5 shot group to date: 0.331 MOA @ 100 yards

I appreciate any and all advice.

 

[model 12 toby]

don't shoot f-class but go shoot farther than 100 yards if ya can? I don't even shoot 100 any more cept to get close then move right out to 300 yards or more and look for windless days. I'll shoot once every once in a while at 100 if I think I bumped my scope hard. ;D

 

[DennisH]

Best 5 shot group to date: 0.331 MOA @ 100 yards

Welcome,

Nice group above. Tell us what caliper your shooting, and the twist.

Since you stated F/TR, I going to assume your shooting a 308 or 223. Either way, you want have any trouble shooting 600 yds.

Just give us this info and I am sure you will get many responses.

 

[savageshooter86]

Don't know how I forgot to add that information. 308 Win with 1:10 twist 26" barrel

 

[DennisH]

I would use the 185 Berger Hybirds
start with 42.0 grains of varget and work up, some go to 44.0, but you start at 42.0
These bullets like to be off the lands somewhere around .030

What bullets are you using at 100yds?

 

[savageshooter86]

I used 178 BTHP RL15

 

[Keith Glasscock]

Long and short answer: However works for you! If you are getting consistent 1/2MOA or better @ 100 yards, you are in the ballpark.

Now, what ranges do you want to shoot? 300? 600? 1k?

I would only suggest changing bullets and/or powder if you are going to long range (800+). Otherwise, what you have will work. I've won @ 600 yards with 155 Amax, 208 Amax, 155.5 fullbore, 200 Hybrid, 215 hybrid, and the JLK210VLDLBT. Heck, I've even shot well (99%) with my hunting rifle (10.2 pounds - 24" barrel) and 175 SMKs.

If the 178's are shooting good for you, why change?

I love the 308 for its versatility. I can go blow critters away with 110 Vmaxes (Hmm, never tried those @ 600) one day, go shoot an F/TR match the next, then I can comfortably take most large game in the US when the season comes around.

 

[DennisH]

I love the 308 for its versatility. I can go blow critters away with 110 Vmaxes

These bullets are deadly accurate in my FCP 308!

 

[savageshooter86]

300-600 yard matches to start with. My 40.5gr RL 15 using WW brass and 178BTHP running at 2453 fps shoots sub 1/2 MOA, but seems slow. That is without seating depth testing.

I guess I will shoot these at distance to see how they perform.

 

[amlevin]

My 40.5gr RL 15 using WW brass and 178BTHP running at 2453 fps shoots sub 1/2 MOA, but seems slow.

Sometimes slower is more accurate. The issue is whether the bullet is too slow at the competition distance. You want to make sure it leaves the muzzle fast enough it doesn't go "transonic" before reaching the target. That is, it needs to not approach the transition speed where it approaches the speed of sound and starts to fly more erratically. Check the ballistics for that bullet, muzzle velocity, and atmospherics through a program like JBM trajectory. You can then see if it's still going fast enough at the target even though it starts out at only 2450 or so. What may seem slow, may still be fast enough.

 

[savageshooter86]

Is this 1.2Mach I am after?

Thanks

 

[amlevin]

Is this 1.2Mach I am after?

Thanks

From mach .8 to 1.2 is considered the transonic speed range.

You want to keep your bullet speed at the target above 1340 fps (depending on density altitude) in order to avoid the adverse air flow characteristics over the bullet.

 

[XTR]

According to JBM at sea level 2650 MV with a Berger 185LRBT puts you just under mach 1.2 (1.18) at 1000 yards, with the 178BTHPs you're at 1.14 with that same MV.

Running Varget you should end up close to 44 gr with the 175 to 185 class bullets. I've blown primers at 44.4 with bullets that sat in the sun in a truck for 2 hours so you're working near max. Work up to it.

 

[infantrytrophy]

Savageshooter,

German Salazar, an accomplished long-range target shooter (Palma, NRA prone and F-Class), has published an excellent 5-part series on Palma/long range loading for the .308 cartridge in his Rifleman's Journal blog. There is a lot of reading, but very instructive for someone starting in this discipline. His comments are directed specifically at loading for Palma shooting, but except for minor details, the articles are equally useful for F/TR. Read and enjoy (links to the 5-part series:

http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2010/10/cartridges-308-palma-preparation-and.html
http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2010/10/cartridges-loading-308-for-palma.html
http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2011/01/cartridges-1000-yard-308-load.html
http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2011/01/cartridges-1000-yard-308-case-capacity.html
http://riflemansjournal.blogspot.com/2011/02/cartridges-long-range-reloading-safety.html

Randy

 

[savageshooter86]

Thanks I have read those before some while back. Saved them this time so I can refer back to them.

 

[FroggyOne2]

If you have access to 600 yards, then what ever load you test, do not worry about the wind. When you test, the important thing to look for is elevation. Just shoot the best most consistant shots you can. Do some dry firing before you begin your test. Pay attention to the mirage when you shoot your test and make notes to left, right or boiling mirage. So don't worry about if you have bullet holes out to the left or right and if you have any elevation in the test that are outside the average elevation of rest of the string, was this possibly due to a boil? Remember that a F-Class target is basically half moa of the sling target, so elevation is crucial! So the best load will hold the smallest elevation, then the wind is up to you after that. Don't worry about group size when testing. Here where I shoot at, the wind is never uniform and it is very difficult to shoot groups at distance, because of the ever changing, switching swirling winds that we have at our range. So when I test a load, I don't pay attention to wind direction so much as I pay attention to the elevation of the string. Like the the test I did yesterday, the last string held 1.5" at 600 yards, except for one shot which was dead 12 o'clock, which was shot during a boil. Our range is notorious for up elevation results in a boil, so I took that into account on the string. But if the whole string had a lot of up down elevation, then I would have removed that load from the list of possibles. It is something to consider when trying to find a load at distance.

 

[savageshooter86]

Thanks. I am going to have to focus on task at hand and like you said not try to shoot for bugholes like I have been doing @100 yards.

I assume a ladder test would be most beneficial here and shoot at say 300 yards?

 

[FroggyOne2]

300 yards is a good yardage to shoot a ladder test. More usefull info can be deciphered than at closer ranges. Usually ladder tests done at closer ranges the are so close to each other that it may be hard to read the results.

 

[amlevin]

300 yards is a good yardage to shoot a ladder test. More usefull info can be deciphered than at closer ranges. Usually ladder tests done at closer ranges the are so close to each other that it may be hard to read the results.

Any good suggestions on how to keep track of each shot. Even at 300 yards I find my hits to be pretty close and sometimes it's hard to diagram them for later evaluation. Don't feel like walking out and numbering each hit so any suggestions would be welcome.

 

[rocketron]

300 yards is a good yardage to shoot a ladder test. More usefull info can be deciphered than at closer ranges. Usually ladder tests done at closer ranges the are so close to each other that it may be hard to read the results.

Any good suggestions on how to keep track of each shot. Even at 300 yards I find my hits to be pretty close and sometimes it's hard to diagram them for later evaluation. Don't feel like walking out and numbering each hit so any suggestions would be welcome.

get different color sharpie's and color the bullets. target needs to be white for the color to show.