Seeking Advice from FTR Bag Squeezers

[davidjoe]

I feel like this Hornady ammo is some really good stuff. I didn’t have time to get it out today but I have a big benchrest rifle almost twice as heavy as the AR50 with the Bat EX 2.5 inch action in a McMillan benchrest stock for 50’s with a 5 inch flat fore end. That one I believe could shoot this ammo 1/4 minute.

 

[rckendall]

David, thanks for the report and all the pictures. It looks like you have things pretty well dialed in. I now feel like I should test those A-Max bullets again. I will do another test session today with the M33 military ball and see what I get. I'm curious to see if cleaning/not cleaning makes a difference. I got so used to cleaning during the break in period that I may have been over doing it. My shooting always gets better as I get more rounds through it.

 

[SWRichmond]

IMO the more recoil a rifle has the more it will move off target in recoil if you have the web of your hand wrapped around the grip. If you are going to wrap your hand around the grip them it should be accompanied by firm rearward pressure with the shooting hand, implementing a completely different style of shooting.

 

[rckendall]

SW, thanks for chiming in. I’m beginning to think the answer lies in the trigger hand, as you suggest. I was focusing on a tight hold on the grip today, but it was a little crowded in the grip area because of the bag being all the way forward at the beginning.

I was pretty comfortable and locked in, and I stayed on target during recoil. I guess I’m getting used to the muzzle blast because I didn’t notice it at all.

I don’t know if this is improvement or not, but I went from vertical stringing to horizontal stringing. I see the potential and am encouraged, but I quit today without shooting all the ammo because I felt like I was just wasting ammo.

Richard

 

[davidjoe]

Your vertical is looking good. One way to think about this shooting that you’re doing is this: supposing you had a choice of a .223 or a .308 to shoot small groups at 100 yards.

Nearly everyone would agree the better choice for that would be a .223 for the reason of the .223’s much smaller firing disturbance being conducive to accuracy.

The .223 is the better grouping choice with 1/2 the powder of .308. The 50 is roughly 5 times the powder of the .308.

The relative difference between is 50 and .308 is actually greater than the proportional difference between a .223 and .338 Lapua Magnum. All to mean that trying to shoot tiny 100 yard groups with the largest conventional cartridge is very hard.

 

[rckendall]

David, you make a really valid point and I've experienced the very same thing this week. A buddy who shoots on the other end of the firing line, recently had a Ruger in .204 Ruger (I think) and it reminded me of a similar looking rifle that I had, a Savage in 223. So, the last two times out I've brought it with me and shot it, while letting the AR-50 cool down.

What a contrast in rifles and experience. Now that I'm comfortable with the big rifle, I can't find a solid position with the little Savage. The first day I had a scope from a different rifle on it and had only bore sighted from my garage to across the valley to a mountain top. I shot it at the same target I had been using with the 50 bmg since I knew I could tell which holes were from which gun. But, I couldn't see the holes from 100 yards with the rifle sights and I randomly just kept clicking the turrets, trying to get on paper.

As it turned out, I was on paper and could track my scope adjustments perfectly, and the last shots I took were 3 in a row that netted a 11/16" group, 6 1/2" low. So yesterday I had adjusted the scope and was pretty centered up on the target, and with sloppy form netted a 5 shot group of about an inch.

I feel like now I am at the point of subtleties with my form and I will work on more consistent loading of the bipod, hold on the grip/pull into the shoulder. I think the combination of these three all blend together in my mind, and therefore subject to inconsistencies. Also, I have some Military Surplus powder coming that will make the shooting a little more affordable, which will be nice.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback,
Richard