0.375" on my lapua brass
My 20 Vartarg custom
- Thread starter Evan
- Start date
Today was an exciting day. Weather out on the grasslands shaped up: ~30deg and sunny, and the wind was calmer.
Target set up at 150 yards (missed my little stake at 100, and wasn't counting carefully). I count steps out, carrying everything, and then GPS measure on my phone walking back. Flags are orange ribbon tied to sticks of rebar, two are visible in the picture at ~40 yards and ~80 yards. The third flag is at ~120 yards or so and isn't visible in the picture. A sprinkler flag is on top of the cardboard target, and I planted another one 5 yards in front of my bench to monitor too. Wind was mostly a headwind, but would shift off to the left 10degrees or so and gusted from 10 up to maybe 15 or so mph. Due to these challenges, most of the groups were "large" at 0.75 inches or so:
I got a good group on #7 of 10 though:
This group was 17.4gns of H4198 with a 40gn Vmax seated 0.005 out of the lands and new, never-fired Lapua brass and CCI 450 primers. Given the challenging conditions, I'm not reading into this specific load too much. I'll need to continue testing under calmer conditions to see if this is actually a sweet spot, or if I just managed to shoot through the wind better in this particular moment. Still, 0.2MOA is nothing to sneer at and I'm convinced this thing has groups in the teens in it!
Another thing I'd like to say here: Jim Borden builds one heckuva rifle. The action is delightfully smooth and I really enjoy the left feed, right eject. The trigger is everything I could expect out of a trigger, and the accuracy is already speaking to the quality of his work and the components we selected. I am delighted!
EDIT: Also meant to comment that the 0.234" neck with the 0.231-0.232 loaded rounds proved to be entirely adequate. I cleaned at 5, 10, and then at home after 50 total with no issues. The Hart barrel cleans up too easy. I couldn't believe it was clean after 2 wet patches of Cu+2, 2 dry patches, 2 wet patches of C4, 5 brush strokes, and 2 dry patches! I went through another cycle of C4 wet patching and dry patching to make sure. Yep, it was clean. Wow.
Target set up at 150 yards (missed my little stake at 100, and wasn't counting carefully). I count steps out, carrying everything, and then GPS measure on my phone walking back. Flags are orange ribbon tied to sticks of rebar, two are visible in the picture at ~40 yards and ~80 yards. The third flag is at ~120 yards or so and isn't visible in the picture. A sprinkler flag is on top of the cardboard target, and I planted another one 5 yards in front of my bench to monitor too. Wind was mostly a headwind, but would shift off to the left 10degrees or so and gusted from 10 up to maybe 15 or so mph. Due to these challenges, most of the groups were "large" at 0.75 inches or so:
I got a good group on #7 of 10 though:
This group was 17.4gns of H4198 with a 40gn Vmax seated 0.005 out of the lands and new, never-fired Lapua brass and CCI 450 primers. Given the challenging conditions, I'm not reading into this specific load too much. I'll need to continue testing under calmer conditions to see if this is actually a sweet spot, or if I just managed to shoot through the wind better in this particular moment. Still, 0.2MOA is nothing to sneer at and I'm convinced this thing has groups in the teens in it!
Another thing I'd like to say here: Jim Borden builds one heckuva rifle. The action is delightfully smooth and I really enjoy the left feed, right eject. The trigger is everything I could expect out of a trigger, and the accuracy is already speaking to the quality of his work and the components we selected. I am delighted!
EDIT: Also meant to comment that the 0.234" neck with the 0.231-0.232 loaded rounds proved to be entirely adequate. I cleaned at 5, 10, and then at home after 50 total with no issues. The Hart barrel cleans up too easy. I couldn't believe it was clean after 2 wet patches of Cu+2, 2 dry patches, 2 wet patches of C4, 5 brush strokes, and 2 dry patches! I went through another cycle of C4 wet patching and dry patching to make sure. Yep, it was clean. Wow.
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Just got down to reload some more last night and snapped a picture for everyone of where I'm seating the 40 vmax to touch the lands with my long freebore:
That's why I'd hesitate to recommend 0 freebore for someone who intends to shoot 40s. Any shorter and the bullet is eating powder capacity.
That's why I'd hesitate to recommend 0 freebore for someone who intends to shoot 40s. Any shorter and the bullet is eating powder capacity.
B23
Gold $$ Contributor
Evan, any idea on velocity with that particular load? I'm guessing somewhere around 3300-3350 ish.
I recently had a 20-222 built using a Hart 11tw finished at 26 inches. I'm using Lapua brass and my reamer is also from JGS but with a .235 NK and .0300 FB
I'm curious, why did you go with such a fast twist? I'd think even a 10tw would have been plenty fast, unless you plan on shooting bullets heavier than the 40's.
I recently had a 20-222 built using a Hart 11tw finished at 26 inches. I'm using Lapua brass and my reamer is also from JGS but with a .235 NK and .0300 FB
I'm curious, why did you go with such a fast twist? I'd think even a 10tw would have been plenty fast, unless you plan on shooting bullets heavier than the 40's.
B23
Gold $$ Contributor
Couple things, I'm not sure a 9tw will be fast enough to stabilize the Berger 55's, especially are VARTARG speeds, and you are aware Berger has discontinued that particular bullet, yes?
Got out again today to shoot and the conditions were mostly awful. Most of my groups at 150 yards (I'm a non-conformist 
) were a few gusts of wind away from greatness. A couple examples:
And one mighty group, that came during heavy but surprisingly consistent wind:
That's still 5 shots
0.26" center to center for 0.16 MOA. I am quite pleased. I'm still fire forming new lapua brass and this load was 17.4gn H4198 under 40 Vmaxes loaded touching the lands. I ran a ladder of charges today up to 18.4gns with no signs of pressure so the next batch will be all loaded at 18.4gns. I have no plans to go higher than that though as most sources list that as a max or a near max load.
I found a pound of Ramshot Xterminator and a pound of A2200 today as well. So now I've got RL7 and those two to try. I'll run ladders up of each, and start testing seating depths on my 18.4gn H4198 load with the 40 Vmaxes the next time I go out.
This rifle is just such a delightful pleasure to shoot. I put 100 rounds through it today and had no noticeable fatigue and the barrel barely got warm enough to feel.
) were a few gusts of wind away from greatness. A couple examples: And one mighty group, that came during heavy but surprisingly consistent wind:
That's still 5 shots
0.26" center to center for 0.16 MOA. I am quite pleased. I'm still fire forming new lapua brass and this load was 17.4gn H4198 under 40 Vmaxes loaded touching the lands. I ran a ladder of charges today up to 18.4gns with no signs of pressure so the next batch will be all loaded at 18.4gns. I have no plans to go higher than that though as most sources list that as a max or a near max load.
I found a pound of Ramshot Xterminator and a pound of A2200 today as well. So now I've got RL7 and those two to try. I'll run ladders up of each, and start testing seating depths on my 18.4gn H4198 load with the 40 Vmaxes the next time I go out.
This rifle is just such a delightful pleasure to shoot. I put 100 rounds through it today and had no noticeable fatigue and the barrel barely got warm enough to feel.
So if I told you that those groups were shot in ~15mph gusty, switching winds, and that I think it fights the wind every bit as well as my 22-250 does while shooting a light bullet and burning half the powder, that wouldn't be helping?
Or that I looked up a H4198 load online, backed it down a grain and it's shooting in the teens while fireforming? I've never seen such phenomenal accuracy with so little work on the load. I am a huge fan of the 20VT and would wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone.
I've got RL7, A2200, Ramshot Xterminator to try as well as 39 Sierras, 40 Bergers, and 55 Bergers too, so I'm hoping to be able to report on how all these work in this rifle, what seating depths the bullets like, and what the loads and speed look like for each. I had to scrounge around a bit for info when I considered this project, cause most folks have their personal favorite load they mention and those were mostly for light bullets. I'll post up my results with all these combos in the hope that it will encourage someone to try out the 20VT.
So it was miserable out on Sunday. Wind at my back in 15mph range, but the flags downrange were all over. Up, down, one way, then the other. None agreeing with each other. Pretty wild. I also didn't feel very calm, so the groups were generally kind of poor. Best of the day from the Vartarg:
I brought my 6.5 Creedmoor along and shooting the Ruger Precision Rifle next to a Borden Rimrock was a bad idea. I'm considering selling it now.
Anyway, for those of you that think you can use more powder and bigger, sleeker bullets to cheat the wind, here is exhibit A of why that doesn't work:
This was my best group of the day from the 6.5 Creedmoor, shooting 147 ELDM at 2750fps. This rifle has printed a few groups in the high teens under calm conditions. I find it re-affirming of my growing belief in "smaller is better" that I couldn't shoot a better group with the 6.5 Creedmoor than I could with the Vartarg in the same bad conditions.
I brought my 6.5 Creedmoor along and shooting the Ruger Precision Rifle next to a Borden Rimrock was a bad idea. I'm considering selling it now.
Anyway, for those of you that think you can use more powder and bigger, sleeker bullets to cheat the wind, here is exhibit A of why that doesn't work:
This was my best group of the day from the 6.5 Creedmoor, shooting 147 ELDM at 2750fps. This rifle has printed a few groups in the high teens under calm conditions. I find it re-affirming of my growing belief in "smaller is better" that I couldn't shoot a better group with the 6.5 Creedmoor than I could with the Vartarg in the same bad conditions.
20VarTarg
Silver $$ Contributor
My first experience with the 20 VarTarg was a Cooper Model 38. On a bad day it shoots in the .2's. I liked it so much I put together another on a Savage Axis and a Shilen Match Barrel. It shoots just as good! I own a Creedmoor as well and I'm with you.....the 20 VarTarg is just easy to print tiny little groups. Granted it won't shoot the tiny groups the Creedmoor does out past 300 but I did manage a 5 shot group at 300 with my 20 VarTarg that was just over an inch. I was pretty impressed. BTW, I shoot the Sierra and Hornady 32 grain bullets.
I've got a pound and will be trying it too. RL7, H4198, A2200, and Ramshot Xterminator will all be given a fair, 400 round shake (gotta love how far a pound goes!)
This weekend saw some calmer weather and I put up a target at right about 305 yards. I apologize in advance for the large number of groups on the same targets but I'll try to explain. 5 shot groups are with my default 18.4gns H4198, 40vmax, touching the lands. 3 shots groups are all at different seating depths:
I shot a 5 shot group at center. I clicked a correction and shoot a 3 shot group as the wind changed on me. I then slid over and held the edge of the target for another 3 shot group without any change, watching my flags a bit closer. I then shot my 22-250 a bit before coming back to the 20 VT:
This one's a bit more wild. The shots off the target in the white are from the past. The 3 unmarked shots are my 22-250 shooting 55 VMax, the rest (on target) are the 20VT. I shot the 5 shot group first, then clicked a correction and shot the centered 3. I then moved over and shot a stunning 3 shot group at 305 yards. It's 0.44" for 0.14MOA. Nice. It likes 18.4gns of H4198 and 40VMax seated 0.005 into the lands.
I think my 22-250 barrel is pretty much toast; it doesn't shoot for s^^t anymore and I'm somewhere north of 3k rnds. I keep trying different things hoping it will shoot again, but it's increasingly disappointing.
EDIT: I just want to reiterate that I love this little round. It punches SO far above it's weight it feels like some sort of cheating. I ran 50 rnds in a row through it, at a moderate pace without stopping and the barrel wasn't as warm as my 22-250 or 6.5 Creedmoor after a single 5-shot group. It'll print them into 0.44" at 300yards in breezy but moderate conditions, and it is just soooo pleasant to shoot. Minimal muzzle blast, noticeably quieter than my other rifles, and it recoils very smoothly and slowly. You can just develop this rhythm with it that feels so comfortable and rewarding.
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20VarTarg
Silver $$ Contributor
That is some really nice shooting Evan!!!! I can usually hold about a 1.2" 5 shot group at 300 with the 32 grain blitzkings out of my 20VT. Of course that is with calm conditions. I too feel the same about you do about the 20VT. It's almost too easy....almost no recoil, cheap to shoot, and a tack driver out to 300. There is a local varmint match coming up here in a couple weeks and if it's calm I will shoot the 20VT in it. It's targets at 200,300,& 400 yards. Allowed 7 shots on target they score 5. I just read on another forum of a guy that is having great results with CFE BLK and a pretty big jump in velocity. I have a pound of it that I will be testing once the weather gets nicer.
After a way too long interlude, we're back with the Vartarg and I've got some exciting new info to share:
With 40gn Vmaxes, here are some data points:
And a 5 shot group at 125yds:
Note that the center group is the Vartarg, measuring in at 0.130". The top left group is 85.5gn Bergers from my 22BR (http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/my-new-22br.3981971/page-3#post-37711564)
P.S. It was 30 degrees today, overcast, strong wind at 3 o'clock.
With 40gn Vmaxes, here are some data points:
- H4198, 18.4gns, 3595fps
- RL-7, 17.4gns, 3390fps
- A2200, 19.4gns, 3510fps
And a 5 shot group at 125yds:
Note that the center group is the Vartarg, measuring in at 0.130". The top left group is 85.5gn Bergers from my 22BR (http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/my-new-22br.3981971/page-3#post-37711564)
P.S. It was 30 degrees today, overcast, strong wind at 3 o'clock.
Sure. I mean they're really known for their incredibly short barrel life, given all the powder they burn!
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