Hello all,
My name is Calvin, I am 26 and have been a member here for a little while now. I have done a few deals with some of you in the classifieds, but outside of that I haven’t really contributed. This is not because I haven’t wanted to, I am too green to know anything to share, thus I read and picked your brain trying to learn something. And learn I have, and will continue to do so. I am now to the point where I would like to share with you not to teach you something, but more or less tell you about my journey with my 6.5x46 Lapua. Perhaps somebody will get something from it, but this is my story.
Where to start…
Although not new to competitive shooting, I am very new to F Class and precision reloading. Earlier this year as a graduation gift to myself, I purchased a used F Class rifle off of this site.
Many of you may have seen it
The rifle is a 6.5x47 Lapua, Remington 700 that has been trued and sleeved, with a 26†Rockcreek Tube, and it sits in a McMillan F Class stock.
After purchasing the rifle, life happened between work, getting married and a small injury, I was only able to get it sighted in. I did not spend the time idle though, much of it was spent reading and researching loading and development for the 6.5x47 Lapua. Being brand new to reloading I had a lot to learn before I felt comfortable loading for the 6.5.
It was not until three weeks ago that I was able to get into the reloading room and charge a few cases. My components are listed below.
6.5x47 Lapua Brass
CCI 450 Primers
H4350
Berger 140 gn Hybrid
Prior to loading I prepped all of my brass, running it through a redding type S full length sizing die, trimming the brass to length, chamfering and deburring the necks, uniforming the primer pocket and flash hole.
I loaded 15 rounds. The objective for the session was run a ladder test while simultaneously, finding the max charge weight for my gun. Although researching the load development I wanted to test it and make sure the charges were safe in my gun.
Finally two weeks ago I was able to hit the range for the first day of testing.
The first three rounds were my sighters, they were all loaded at 38.2 gn of H4350 they yielded velocities around 2656 fps.
Needless to say my jaw hit the ground. This may be business as usual for most of you, but being new to it that group had me giddy as a schoolboy…..
My shooting partner and friend was on the spotting scope and after the third shot there was a long pause and he finally said, I believe you just shot the best group of your life. I had my scope backed out to a low power, so I had no idea what was going on. I got up from the bench and started digging in my bag looking for something when he said, “no really, you need to see thisâ€. When I got to the scope to have a look, it took me second to process what I was looking at. From that point on I smiled all the way home.
Getting back to it I followed those three rounds up with a 12 round ladder test noting the velocity and pressure signs of the cases and bolt lift. I worked my way up from 38.5 to 40.9 in .30 gn increments.
I guess the trend was predictable, as you increased the powder charge, the vertical spread increased. Ladder test still confuse me and I still struggle to understand the data. I think the ladder test needs to be run at 200-300 yds for conclusive evidence. What I see I guess is I have a node around 40.5 gn. After a days worth of shooting, I took the data home to reflect and chew on.
One comment I have after this outing was how difficult it was to shoot with a FFP. It felt like it was a struggle most of the day battling the crosshairs and target. I have a Nightforce on the way and it should be here this coming Wednesday.
A couple of days later I decided I could confirm the potential node the ladder test was hinting to by running Dan newberry’s OCW test.
http://optimalchargeweight.embarqspace.com/#/ocw-instructions/4529817134
Many of you may know, but for those of you who don’t he OCW and Ladder test are very similar in preparation, but quite different in execution and evaluation. Like the ladder test the OCW is a set of loads with charges weights that increase incrementally that are shot in a round robin fashon. So essentially you have three sets of the same ladder test, think of them as sets A, B and C. You shoot each round of set A at a fresh target and continue to do so for as many rounds that you have loaded. When finished with set A continue on to set B, starting with the same target that you initially started with on set A, continuing to shoot through your set B in the same fashion as A. And you shoot set C the same way set A and B were shot. When finished, you should have three shots on each of the targets. The way that you evaluate your target is quite different than what I was use to. Normally I look for the smallest group and call it good. With the OCW test, you triangulate the three rounds finding the center of the triangle, this center is your point of impact. Do this for each of your targets and evaluate your points of impact in relation to one another. You want a range of charges with similar points of impact. This will in theory give you a node where you have some forgiveness should the temperature, humidity, pressure or charge weight vary.
Its getting late and I am tired. I am positive that I did not explain the OCW method correctly, but Mr. Newberry explains it very well. As does this gentleman who explains the concept of evaluating your OCW target.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv-t0vO9IR8
Being excited by my results, I got back in the reloading room last week and loaded 27 rounds, 1 fouling round, a 5 shot test group at 38.2 to verify that it wasn’t a fluke the time before, and 21 rounds for the OCW. The OCW starting load was 38.8 and the max load was 40.9, from my ladder test I ran previously I have a node somewhere around the mid 40’s. My goal for this session was to confirm and or discover a new node.
With freshly loaded ammo my shooting partner and I were able to hit the range this past Saturday morning. The weather was overcast, with rain in the distant air that lingered from early morning hours, this made the humidity quite high at 93% and our temperature around 73 degrees. We had a ESE wind of 7 mph. After everything was set up we set to work. I shot my fouling round, and then my 5 shot group test group.
It looks bigger than it appears. It’s 5 shot aggregate measurement is a .227â€, the velocities were all within a few fps of 2655. Many have asked what else am I looking for, and not to be the stereotypical rookie chasing the white rabbit, but Im banking on there being a node higher up the scale with a little more horsepower. If this was a 100 yd bench gun, I would be set, but I feel like at 1000 yds the extra 130 fps will come in handy on a windy day.
With the barrel warm, I moved into my OCW test. Firing the consecutive volleys of sets A, B and C.
By my eyes it looks like there is a node from target 5 to 9. After 9 the POI starts trending upwards to a greater degree. To me it looks like the optimal charge is target 8 at 40.3.
Comments after the days of shooting.. The FFP wore me out, and I will now appreciate my Nightforce all that much more……. I was quite pleased with my OCW test, it was a lot to wrap my head around at first, however it provided a ton of data, and the nice thing was I ran this test at 100 yds with what I consider to be good results.
From here my plan is to explore charges in and around 40.3 gns. The plan that first comes to mind is load and shoot at 200-300 yds 5 shot groups of charges starting at 40.2-40.5. I also have a tendency to load and run the same OCW to confirm my initial results. This however seems redundant as I have a ladder test and a OCW that support one another. I believe going to distance will allow the crème to rise.
I will keep you posted.
Calvin
My name is Calvin, I am 26 and have been a member here for a little while now. I have done a few deals with some of you in the classifieds, but outside of that I haven’t really contributed. This is not because I haven’t wanted to, I am too green to know anything to share, thus I read and picked your brain trying to learn something. And learn I have, and will continue to do so. I am now to the point where I would like to share with you not to teach you something, but more or less tell you about my journey with my 6.5x46 Lapua. Perhaps somebody will get something from it, but this is my story.
Where to start…
Although not new to competitive shooting, I am very new to F Class and precision reloading. Earlier this year as a graduation gift to myself, I purchased a used F Class rifle off of this site.
Many of you may have seen it
The rifle is a 6.5x47 Lapua, Remington 700 that has been trued and sleeved, with a 26†Rockcreek Tube, and it sits in a McMillan F Class stock.
After purchasing the rifle, life happened between work, getting married and a small injury, I was only able to get it sighted in. I did not spend the time idle though, much of it was spent reading and researching loading and development for the 6.5x47 Lapua. Being brand new to reloading I had a lot to learn before I felt comfortable loading for the 6.5.
It was not until three weeks ago that I was able to get into the reloading room and charge a few cases. My components are listed below.
6.5x47 Lapua Brass
CCI 450 Primers
H4350
Berger 140 gn Hybrid
Prior to loading I prepped all of my brass, running it through a redding type S full length sizing die, trimming the brass to length, chamfering and deburring the necks, uniforming the primer pocket and flash hole.
I loaded 15 rounds. The objective for the session was run a ladder test while simultaneously, finding the max charge weight for my gun. Although researching the load development I wanted to test it and make sure the charges were safe in my gun.
Finally two weeks ago I was able to hit the range for the first day of testing.
The first three rounds were my sighters, they were all loaded at 38.2 gn of H4350 they yielded velocities around 2656 fps.
Needless to say my jaw hit the ground. This may be business as usual for most of you, but being new to it that group had me giddy as a schoolboy…..
My shooting partner and friend was on the spotting scope and after the third shot there was a long pause and he finally said, I believe you just shot the best group of your life. I had my scope backed out to a low power, so I had no idea what was going on. I got up from the bench and started digging in my bag looking for something when he said, “no really, you need to see thisâ€. When I got to the scope to have a look, it took me second to process what I was looking at. From that point on I smiled all the way home.
Getting back to it I followed those three rounds up with a 12 round ladder test noting the velocity and pressure signs of the cases and bolt lift. I worked my way up from 38.5 to 40.9 in .30 gn increments.
I guess the trend was predictable, as you increased the powder charge, the vertical spread increased. Ladder test still confuse me and I still struggle to understand the data. I think the ladder test needs to be run at 200-300 yds for conclusive evidence. What I see I guess is I have a node around 40.5 gn. After a days worth of shooting, I took the data home to reflect and chew on.
One comment I have after this outing was how difficult it was to shoot with a FFP. It felt like it was a struggle most of the day battling the crosshairs and target. I have a Nightforce on the way and it should be here this coming Wednesday.
A couple of days later I decided I could confirm the potential node the ladder test was hinting to by running Dan newberry’s OCW test.
http://optimalchargeweight.embarqspace.com/#/ocw-instructions/4529817134
Many of you may know, but for those of you who don’t he OCW and Ladder test are very similar in preparation, but quite different in execution and evaluation. Like the ladder test the OCW is a set of loads with charges weights that increase incrementally that are shot in a round robin fashon. So essentially you have three sets of the same ladder test, think of them as sets A, B and C. You shoot each round of set A at a fresh target and continue to do so for as many rounds that you have loaded. When finished with set A continue on to set B, starting with the same target that you initially started with on set A, continuing to shoot through your set B in the same fashion as A. And you shoot set C the same way set A and B were shot. When finished, you should have three shots on each of the targets. The way that you evaluate your target is quite different than what I was use to. Normally I look for the smallest group and call it good. With the OCW test, you triangulate the three rounds finding the center of the triangle, this center is your point of impact. Do this for each of your targets and evaluate your points of impact in relation to one another. You want a range of charges with similar points of impact. This will in theory give you a node where you have some forgiveness should the temperature, humidity, pressure or charge weight vary.
Its getting late and I am tired. I am positive that I did not explain the OCW method correctly, but Mr. Newberry explains it very well. As does this gentleman who explains the concept of evaluating your OCW target.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv-t0vO9IR8
Being excited by my results, I got back in the reloading room last week and loaded 27 rounds, 1 fouling round, a 5 shot test group at 38.2 to verify that it wasn’t a fluke the time before, and 21 rounds for the OCW. The OCW starting load was 38.8 and the max load was 40.9, from my ladder test I ran previously I have a node somewhere around the mid 40’s. My goal for this session was to confirm and or discover a new node.
With freshly loaded ammo my shooting partner and I were able to hit the range this past Saturday morning. The weather was overcast, with rain in the distant air that lingered from early morning hours, this made the humidity quite high at 93% and our temperature around 73 degrees. We had a ESE wind of 7 mph. After everything was set up we set to work. I shot my fouling round, and then my 5 shot group test group.
It looks bigger than it appears. It’s 5 shot aggregate measurement is a .227â€, the velocities were all within a few fps of 2655. Many have asked what else am I looking for, and not to be the stereotypical rookie chasing the white rabbit, but Im banking on there being a node higher up the scale with a little more horsepower. If this was a 100 yd bench gun, I would be set, but I feel like at 1000 yds the extra 130 fps will come in handy on a windy day.
With the barrel warm, I moved into my OCW test. Firing the consecutive volleys of sets A, B and C.
By my eyes it looks like there is a node from target 5 to 9. After 9 the POI starts trending upwards to a greater degree. To me it looks like the optimal charge is target 8 at 40.3.
Comments after the days of shooting.. The FFP wore me out, and I will now appreciate my Nightforce all that much more……. I was quite pleased with my OCW test, it was a lot to wrap my head around at first, however it provided a ton of data, and the nice thing was I ran this test at 100 yds with what I consider to be good results.
From here my plan is to explore charges in and around 40.3 gns. The plan that first comes to mind is load and shoot at 200-300 yds 5 shot groups of charges starting at 40.2-40.5. I also have a tendency to load and run the same OCW to confirm my initial results. This however seems redundant as I have a ladder test and a OCW that support one another. I believe going to distance will allow the crème to rise.
I will keep you posted.
Calvin
