horizntal stringing during load work up, looking for insight

[MildBill]

Looking for some insight on what might be going on here, for the purposes of increasing my knowledge.

I am working up some loads for my 222 Rem. It is a nice shape 700 classic I bought used, and it now resides in a Stocky's booby Hart accu-block heritage classic stock. It wears a Redfield 4-12x40 revolution scope in warne rings and bases.

The load is new winchester brand brass, cci BR4 primers, H322 powder, and sierra 50 grain blitz (1340) bullets. they are seated 0.015 off the lands with redding competition seating die.

I was shooting at 100 yards no wind. I am shooting right along the edge of a corn field and have corn leaves as wind flags all the way down. very damp heavy still air this evening.

anyway at 21.8 grains of powder the three shot group is in a nice horizontal line about 0.6" center to center

at 22.1 grains the three shot group is about 0.8" center to center in a nice horizontal line.

then at 22.4 grains the group is a cluster, to a little closer than the other but in a triangular shape that would measure about 0.6" center to center.

did not shoot any more after that as light was running out and also glasses began fogging up due to humidity and cooling off.

The only other somewhat unusual thing about this set up I can think of that may or may not have any influence is that when I put this scope on and dialed it in I had to move it around 14 inches to the right to get it sighted in.

i guess I am curious is this might be a stock bedding thing and I may need to look into skim bedding or what might be the cause.

Thanks

 

[LHSmith]

Corn stalks make poor wind indicators. You have to have flags in your shooting lane for the accuracy your after. Also it could be parallax.

 

[boltman223]

Looking for some insight on what might be going on here, for the purposes of increasing my knowledge.

I am working up some loads for my 222 Rem. It is a nice shape 700 classic I bought used, and it now resides in a Stocky's booby Hart accu-block heritage classic stock.

i guess I am curious is this might be a stock bedding thing and I may need to look into skim bedding or what might be the cause.

Thanks

Hi Bill,

I'm guessing the accu-block is an aluminum V bedding block. After my experiences the first think I do is bed the receiver just to alleviate the chance of that being an issue. The 4 or 5 factory rem 700's have all benefited from bedding. Only one of those had aluminum pillars from the factory (221lvsf). I would get a three shot group in the .3's then the next would be a .8 or .9 so I spent a lot of time chasing loads around.

Once I bedded it, three shot groups are consistently in the high .2's and .3's and if you are wondering five shoot groups are in the .4's and .5's.

With all that said though, a friend of mine shoots a factory savage f-t/r in 308 that has an aluminum bedding block I believe, and he holds about half moa vertical at 600 and 1000yds. Maybe comparing a factory pillar job to an aluminum bedding block is like comparing apples to oranges but, at least by bedding you remove a variable that could cause you, like me to waste a couple hundred rounds and lots of time on one gun.


I can't say much about the v-block. I've only had one rifle with one, it was a factory savage. It did shoot a little inconsistent but, I can not say it was a bedding issue as I did not bed it until I put a Krieger on it, which I didnt shoot before it was bedded. Maybe someone with more experience with the v-blocks will chime in

 

[bigedp51]

Some shooters may have a few loose screws.

Savage Action Screw Torque Tuning
http://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/savage-action-screw-torque-tuning/

Remington 700 Varmint Rifle Barrel Tuner Demo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhRIebOY4Jk

In the 1969 movie "Easy Rider" Dennis Hopper said it best in a scene with Peter Fonda.

"I'm getting bad vibes man, I'm getting bad vibes"

And if all else fails you can try rubbing some Viagra on the barrel but if the accuracy doesn't improve in four hours you should call a gunsmith.

 

['Freak]

Unless receiver and bedding block both left the factory absolutely perfect then one will have to conform to the other soon as you start cranking on those action screws.

 

[LHSmith]

I've been using windflags for 15 years and cannot over emphasize their importance. According to the Beaufort Scale, a "light air" where smoke drift just starts to be noticeable and leaves remain still, the wind speed can measure up to 3 MPH. You can get great insight to this by taking a quality-built daisy wheel flag and walking at various paces indoors. When you can just begin to feel a breeze on your skin, it has reached 5 MPH. A look at ballistics charts show your bullet deflection at 5 MPH is over 1/2". Compound these facts with shooting late evening when thermals are starting, it is very likely there was more air movement than you realized.
I notice the Revolution scope is not offered with parallax adjustment. Lastly, every .224 cal. I have had shot best with a .03 to .06 jump ....factory barrels or button rifled customs....and horizontal can be an indicator of improper seating depth.

 

[Tim Singleton]

Sounds to me like your on the right track aand ran out of day light. Horizontal stringing tonme means a light load. As you added powder it triangled. Go up alittle more on powder and do a seating depth test

 

[MrMajestic]

I've been using windflags for 15 years and cannot over emphasize their importance.
....and horizontal can be an indicator of improper seating depth.

What he said....

 

[jonbearman]

Your load may be alittle light as that is usually the cause of horizontal in my experience. Go up in 2 tenths increments along with observing pressure signs. If it doesn't work try another powder and take your rifle out of the stock and observe the wear mark to see if it is truly seated in the block or say one side isn't touching and bedding would definitely be in order.

 

[jsthntn247]

Bed the rifle then work a load up at 100 the way that's described in the reloading section on here .

 

[22BRGUY]

Other possibilities......try changing the seating depth a little in both directions to see if it changes the groups; pay close attention to trigger pull if you aren't already and try to make sure it is always straight back. Best Wishes

 

[charlesasmith]

Tim' suggestion that your loads may be light reflects my two 40Xs .222 loads of H322 @ 23.5 grs. However, I used Rem 7 1/2 primers and 50 gr TNT bullets. Also, your chambering may be different. The two barrels are 20" straight tapers and only shoot around 3,000 fps. The .222 cartridge is accurate and is my go to for PDs out to 225 yds without any holdover.

Due to my age and eyesight load testing with a 12 power scope would be difficult @ 100 yds, especially with a fat reticle.

Chuck

 

[BoydAllen]

A couple of things....as much as you like the looks of your rings and bases, I would change them to Weaver bases and Burris Signature Zee rings, and use the offset inserts to center your scope pretty close before finishing sighting in. Second, I am curious about your choice of seating depth. I have done a lot of .222 shooting with several Remingtons, a Winchester, and a custom tight neck chamber on a blueprinted 722. Most of my loads have been with 53 grain Sierras, and the best seating depth was always around .006 longer than a very light touch. As far as the corn goes, feed it or eat it, but a couple of sticks with surveyors' tape tied to their tops, hanging to the ground, will give better information in light conditions. My friend Wilbur Harris once observed that it is amazing how putting out a couple of wind flags will make the wind start to blow. The first thing that I do with a new rifle, when I am working up a load is to do a pressure series, one shot per load, FL sized cases, usually the seating depth that I mentioned, increasing in caliber appropriate steps, (for the .222, .2 or .3) until I see definite pressure signs. I shot all shots on the same target, noting the progression of bullet hole positions, over flags, trying to shoot in the same condition. This usually identifies a range of charges, perhaps two, where the bullet holes did not change much through two or three powder increments. I go back and test the middle, or average charge weight of any of these groups, and then play with seating depth with the one that looks the most promising. In an hour or so, loading where I shoot, I am done. On the bedding, I would always skim bed a block. Do some looking around on erniethegunsmith.com for tips on how to best do this. I think that he has some very good ideas.