Groups - Progressive press

[Nomo4me]

These 100 yd groups aren't remarkable but consider that they were produced with an untuned rifle using virgin brass and loaded on a progressive press churned out at 400 rounds per morning session.

Group at left is a bit more open because I was backing the rifle with my shoulder and heartbeat interfered a bit. Group at right I shot off the Shadetree joystick rest and wasn't used to it. I've shot plenty of .3's with this tikka - for $550 it's an amazing shooter.

Info:
Tikka 595 Continental Varminter 223 1/12" twist
Sightron SIII 8x32
Hdy LNL-AP progressive press
Forster BR dies
Powder thrown via press mounted LNL dispenser
Virgin Lapua brass
50 grain blitz king
Benchmark powder - 3485 fps


Anyone else using a progressive for their varmint gun reloading?

 

[twoodard]

I am for varminting/plinkin. hornady AP 223 for my white oak upper. groups like that all the time. I like the press for that and for 45 and 40 pistol rounds

 

[jonbearman]

I have a dillon 550b and get great results as well.I dont understand why people think that a progressive wont make accurate ammo. The best way is with wilson however it takes a while that way.

 

[cfrazier77]

That is what I got out of my Hornady LNL progressive making .223 and a stock Savage. I still use it to make my AR ammo and it makes sub .75" groups routinely.

 

[Laurie]

A lot depends on the ranges you're going to shoot over. You don't see much ammo for use in 1,000yd competitions around that's been loaded on a progressive, but for up to 250 or 300yd shooting significant charge weight variations etc won't make much if any difference on group sizes if the load-combination is in a sweet spot or the rifle is very tolerant of the components combination.

A lot of factory rifles won't discriminate that closely either. Years ago I loaded up two lots of a combination that the rifle (.223 Remington 700VS) really liked, one on the cheapo Lee Turret in auto-advance mode with an Auto-Disk case-operated powder measure and appropriate die, the other on a Lyman Crusher II single-stage with charges individually weighed.

The turret press disk would tilt noticeably in use and the Auto-Disk measure would crash and bang in use and shake the whole rig as the disk was thrown back into battery by the really powerful springs these things employ - a really crude arrangement. I also check-weighed each charge thrown on the turret / Auto-Disk set-up and returned it as thrown to the case before continuing. There was a 1.2gn extreme spread in 23 or 24gn charges!

Despite all this, the group average at 100yd was actually marginally smaller than obtained with the carefully loaded ammo on the single-stage. Shoot enough groups and you'd almost certainly end up with identical results at this distance with this load in this rifle.

Go beyond a certain distance though - and I wouldn't like to say what that would have been with this cartridge and rifle - or use it in a really well screwed together custom rifle, and I'm sure you'd start to see differences appear.

 

[bozo699]

Laurie,
I noticed .0035 tilt on my brand new Redding T7 just the other day and it does transfer that tilt to run out in the brass. I haven't compared group size yet and your probably right there probably isn't much if any, but my piece of mind is shot. I am very disappointed in this High dollar tool. I am going to try to machine a new shoulder bolt and build a tighter bushing and see if that helps, if not it will probably end up on the classifieds.
Wayne.

 

[BoydAllen]

Bozo699,
Have you used the same die to size the same brass on a different press? I have seen cases that were sized on a turret press, that has clearance to allow die plate rotation, which will allow tilt, shoot very well in benchrest matches. (not my press or shooting) What kind of die are you using? How much runout do your cases have, measured how?
Boyd

 

[bozo699]

Boyd,
Thanks for replying I always appreciate your input.
Yes I did use the same Redding bushing 6.5*284 die on two different presses with noticeable differences. The cases have little to no run out, less than .0005 on a sinclair concentricity tool, that measurement is straight from the chamber to the tool. I took a magnetic base and indicator and attached it to the back of the T7, it wasn't ideal as I couldn't get the indicator rod vertical with the turret. They make indicators for this but I don't have one, what I had worked well enough I think for this. When I raised the shell holder up and put enough pressure to start to move the spring loaded sleeve on my redding seating die it would tilt the turret approximately .0035 and that is exactly what I am seeing in my cases is .003-.005 run out. The bolt holding the turret down is tight but there is noticeable slop in it and the bushing, I think I will build a new shoulder bolt and bushing and try again. Any advice you can give me on this Boyd will be appreciated.
Wayne.

 

[shot410]

I asked the same question on another thread. Being a very experienced trap shooter, that has loaded well over 500,000 shot shells on progressive reloaders, I kind of like progressives. Loading these 6mm Norma loads one at a time on my Forrester Co-Axel is time consuming, for sure. It takes all day to load 100 rounds. I can do that in 5 minutes with shot shells on a Dillon progressive reloader. If the Dillon 650 would load a match 6mm, I would buy one. Someone pleeeeeeease tell me it will.....So, I can buy one, and get off the "slow as Molasses" train.

 

[BoydAllen]

It could be that the shorter PPC case responds differently. A friend made a stepped washer for my Harrell turret. I loosen the turret hold down bolt to rotate the turret, and then retighten it. Perhaps you could do something similar.

 

[bozo699]

Boyd,
If you were replying to me I am not shooting a ppc although I probably should be That is a good idea on the washer, I will give it a try thanks.
Wayne.