Long range load development at 100 yards.

[diego-ted]

Correct

Ted

 

[diego-ted]

Went back out to do seating depth testing using the 44.5 gr of Varget load recommended by Eric. This was shot out doors as opposed to yesterday’s test which was indoors. The wind was pretty switchy today right to left and the results show this. The specs are Savage FT/R rifle that has been pillar bedded with the action and bolt trued. The barrel is a 30” Krieger. The load is Varget and 185 Juggernauts.

Here is yesterday’s target.



And heres todays. The shoot and Cs are yeasterdays best groups of 44 and 45 grs of Varget the blue circle is a pulled shot. The other shoot and C is my foulers which is FGMM 168 with about 15 rounds!



What do you guys think?

thx Ted

 

[diego-ted]

This test was also shot this morning using Allient MR pro 2000 and the Berger 185 Juggernaugts. This was before the wind came up. This is the way a load should come togeather!! MV was around 2850 on the high end, i hope this powder is not temp sensitive as I have been told.



What do you think?

Thx Ted

 

[savageshooter86]

appears 48 with Pro 2000 is your node. The previous load using Varget @ 44.5 I would say target labeled 20 is your load.

 

[Steve Blair]

appears 48 with Pro 2000 is your node. The previous load using Varget @ 44.5 I would say target labeled 20 is your load.

[br]
I was at the range shooting with Ted today. The winds were pretty frisky when he was running the Varget strings. Given the wind vectors that my flag showed, either 5 or 20 are candidates. [br]
South Bay Rod and Gun Club is, at times, a very frustrating range. Today, there were numerous dust devils, winds going all around the clock (quickly), and significant vertical when there is a head or tail wind. We had both today.

 

[diego-ted]

I wanted to say thanks to Steve for his time and assistance today, he really helped me a bunch!

Ted

 

[Ed333]

I am having to switch powder and bullets for my Savage F Class 6BR, for lack of availability of Varget and 105 A-Max. I am trying VV N540 and Berger 105 VLD Hunting bullets. I first did seating depth testing, concluding .010" jam was way to go, using a 29.0 load of N540. Today I tested powder loads, at 0.3 gr intervals, starting at 28.1, up through 30.2, concluding with 30.4, which VV says is max. Berger manual has lower max. All were jammed at .010", and my initial seating depth test load of 29.0 was the worst group by far
My best group was at 28.4, dead center, one hole, but flanked by 3 hole groups, with 28.1 being low and right, and 28.7 being right and slightly high. Most other groups tended high and right. Here's the head scratcher, at 30.2 a 2 hole group with the flyer being a little high and center, the 2 in 1 being high and right. At 30.4, another 2 hole group, but with all being high and right.
Maybe I should load up a runoff set, with 28.4 on the one hand, and a spread of 30+ on the other? The 28.4 group is so tight, but it seems like an anomaly? And the 30.2 and 30.4 being so similar, maybe that's a node?
Also, should I go re-visit seating depth after getting the powder weight down, where my seating depth test load of 29.0 did so poorly?

 

[Steve Blair]

I would run your test up to at least 31.0, if not 31.5. It is likely that your pressures are pretty low and not at optimum.

 

[IA_shooter]

My 100 yard load testing for my new (to me) 6BR this last Sunday, all are 3 shot groups.

The first round of testing. The 2 groups @ 29.4 and the one group @ 29.7 were great, why the second group of 29.7 went bad is a question mark?

And followed up later in the day with this testing. The first group using the 29.3 was probably caused by a cold bore?

So I think I'll be shooting with 29.4 grains of Varget, correct?

 

[savageshooter86]

Interested to hear thoughts on this one. It appears from target 1 that 29.7 would have been your load and then work on seating depth test from there?

Wander why 29.4 on the second target hit much lower than the second group next to it with same charge.

IA Shooter remember not looking for group size here. Looking for 3 charge weights that hit same POI vertically. Then once you get the charge and seating depth will shrink those groups

 

[IA_shooter]

The difference in the POI on the 2nd target for the 29.4 was that I adjusted my scope up 1/4 MOA between the 2 groups, see the note on the target.

 

[Ed333]

snip....
IA Shooter remember not looking for group size here. Looking for 3 charge weights that hit same POI vertically. Then once you get the charge and seating depth will shrink those groups

SavageShooter, Berger manual talks about starting with an assumed charge, then playing with seating depth, then tinker with the load. Gives seating depth priority. You are saying the load should take priority, then play with seating depth?

 

[savageshooter86]

IA Shooter- I see that now. Sorry not sure how I didn't catch that on the target

 

[jsthntn247]

Went back out to do seating depth testing using the 44.5 gr of Varget load recommended by Eric. This was shot out doors as opposed to yesterday’s test which was indoors. The wind was pretty switchy today right to left and the results show this. The specs are Savage FT/R rifle that has been pillar bedded with the action and bolt trued. The barrel is a 30” Krieger. The load is Varget and 185 Juggernauts.

Here is yesterday’s target.



And heres todays. The shoot and Cs are yeasterdays best groups of 44 and 45 grs of Varget the blue circle is a pulled shot. The other shoot and C is my foulers which is FGMM 168 with about 15 rounds!



What do you guys think?

thx Ted

You said you used the FGMM for your sighters??? I'm not sure what powder they use and it could be scewing your data. If that powder is not comparable to Varget it would throw your first couple shots off until the Varget laid down enough powder in the bore to settle down. I always use the same powder for foulers to eliminate this question.

 

[jsthntn247]

Here is an OCW from this morning, what do yall think. It's a .308, varget, lapua, and 155 amax's. I have a practice match tomorrow and thought about loading them at 45.0 grains. I'm waiting on the 155 palma's to get in and I will test the higher node around 46.2-46.6 next week.

 

[dieselten]

Here is my AIAE with Benchmark 6.5x47L barrel. Sierra 123 with Varget, 100 yards. last 2 groups the primer center started protruding but no blown primers, no other pressure signs, easy bolt lift. From what I have read the AI bolt tends to do this with small primers. I did chrono 1 round of some of the loads. These were the first 30 rounds through a brand new barrel, 8 rounds to sight in before starting this test. First group is 4 shots (cause it was stringing so bad I threw the last one in), the rest are 3.

What is your read?

 

[southtxhunter]

Dieselten that is an awesome rifle. I really like those AI chassies. Nice shooting.

 

[Erik Cortina]

Here is my AIAE with Benchmark 6.5x47L barrel. Sierra 123 with Varget, 100 yards. last 2 groups the primer center started protruding but no blown primers, no other pressure signs, easy bolt lift. From what I have read the AI bolt tends to do this with small primers. I did chrono 1 round of some of the loads. These were the first 30 rounds through a brand new barrel, 8 rounds to sight in before starting this test. First group is 4 shots (cause it was stringing so bad I threw the last one in), the rest are 3.

What is your read?

Judging by your target, your rifle is very accurate, as most of the groups look good.

I would try 37.3 gr., since it's between 37.0 and 37.5, which both shot well. Also would be tempted to try 36.3 for the same reason, but I would try the faster node first. Good luck and post results after you do seating depth testing in .003" increments.

 

[Erik Cortina]

Erik -

Would like to ask you a question here to dieselton's work-up:

You picked the middle of 37 to 37.5 and again the middle of 36 to 36.5. His ES spread between 37 to 37.5 was 46-fps and had a spread of 64-fps for 36 to 36.5 .
Myself I would have picked 36.5 to 37 that yielded a ES spread of 13-fps, and would have never considered 37 to 37.5 due to the high ES and what I see as vertical trends in the groups.

Can you explain to me why you ruled out 36.5 to 37

Thank you ahead of time.... and think its great of you to help people with there 100yd development quests !
Donovan Moran

If you shoot 37.0 and 37.5 at the same point of aim, they would have grouped nicely, same with 36.0 and 36.5. However, if you shoot 36.5 and 37.0 at same POA, the group would be big and have lots of vertical.

I trust groups more than chronographs at this stage. After adjusting seating depth, if ES is still large, I try the other node.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[Chuckhunter]

Erik as well as the rest of the contributors to this thread. This has been extremely interesting as well as illuminating. I'm an old short range shooter who is transitioning to long range. I felt that my loads should be worked up at the distance that I was going to shoot (600yds.) Since I don't have access to a range with that distance I have been developing my loads at three hundred. The max range I can shoot is 480yds but this thread has given me food for thought, even if I initially disagreed with the theory. I am open minded however and like to see for myself, so some 100yd. work will be in order, just to satisfy my curiosity. Thanks again for a great topic and kudos for helping out those with less experience.