dcali
Bullet Maker
Shot another match yesterday. Much better results. In case anyone else is struggling with these, here's what I did.
1) Reduced the load. First load was way too hot, and killed large primer brass after 1-2 firings. I bought some Palma brass and downloaded to about 2540 fps (32" barrel, calculated with QuickLOAD). It's a moderate load of Varget. I haven't had a chance to chrono it, so I don't know the ES. I'm not done yet, as the accuracy is not what I'd like - about .6-.7 MOA ES over 20 shots. But that's as good as I got for now.
2) Changed position. I had been setting up perfectly inline with the bore. This was bad. It caused me to have to place the butt of the rifle somewhat inconsistently in order to get my head behind the scope. Instead, I rotated my body out to the left by about 15-20 degrees (I'm right handed). Much more comfortable and easier to feel/see what's going on around the rear bag this way. And my collar bone doesn't get bruised. Win-win.
3) Got anal about bag line up. Stood behind the rifle about 5 feet and lined up bag, barrel and target. I was surprised to see how far off winging it had me. I mashed the stock into the ears pretty good before each relay.
4) polished the feet on my duplin bipod. They come out of the box rough. Some 400 grit sandpaper helped A LOT. Much easier to steer now.
5) Attention to NPA. I know. This is basic. But probably the biggest improvement came from making absolutely sure that the cross hairs did not move when I put my cheek on the stock or hand on the grip. If I wasn't careful, I'd induce some tension without knowing it. Getting back to basics helped out.
6) Changed my hold. I had been shooting what was basically free recoil- no pressure on the butt, grip, and only light pressure on the comb. I lengthened the stock so that the butt was firmly against my shoulder for each shot, but light to no pressure on the comb, and only a very light grip with the trigger hand. I verified that the distance from the front of the rear bag to the rear of the grip was the same for each shot. This had been inconsistent in my previous setup.
I briefly tried a moderate to hard hold, but it moved the POI (down) into the 8 ring. I'm not sure I can be consistent enough to pull that off.
7) Moved the bipod back about 3 inches. It's about as far forward as it can be while still being able to reach it while in position. I'm not sure this did much, but it's easier to reach.
Overall, it worked out much better. The vertical was much better - my groups were round again. No more 8's, and only a handful of high/low 9's on the day. I finished the last relay with a solid 198 (600 yards), which was good enough for 3rd overall on the day. Still more work to be done, but I'm getting there. I'm a little embarrassed by how much poor technique these bullets highlighted for me. You really can get sloppy shooting a 6mm in F Open and not realize it.
1) Reduced the load. First load was way too hot, and killed large primer brass after 1-2 firings. I bought some Palma brass and downloaded to about 2540 fps (32" barrel, calculated with QuickLOAD). It's a moderate load of Varget. I haven't had a chance to chrono it, so I don't know the ES. I'm not done yet, as the accuracy is not what I'd like - about .6-.7 MOA ES over 20 shots. But that's as good as I got for now.
2) Changed position. I had been setting up perfectly inline with the bore. This was bad. It caused me to have to place the butt of the rifle somewhat inconsistently in order to get my head behind the scope. Instead, I rotated my body out to the left by about 15-20 degrees (I'm right handed). Much more comfortable and easier to feel/see what's going on around the rear bag this way. And my collar bone doesn't get bruised. Win-win.
3) Got anal about bag line up. Stood behind the rifle about 5 feet and lined up bag, barrel and target. I was surprised to see how far off winging it had me. I mashed the stock into the ears pretty good before each relay.
4) polished the feet on my duplin bipod. They come out of the box rough. Some 400 grit sandpaper helped A LOT. Much easier to steer now.
5) Attention to NPA. I know. This is basic. But probably the biggest improvement came from making absolutely sure that the cross hairs did not move when I put my cheek on the stock or hand on the grip. If I wasn't careful, I'd induce some tension without knowing it. Getting back to basics helped out.
6) Changed my hold. I had been shooting what was basically free recoil- no pressure on the butt, grip, and only light pressure on the comb. I lengthened the stock so that the butt was firmly against my shoulder for each shot, but light to no pressure on the comb, and only a very light grip with the trigger hand. I verified that the distance from the front of the rear bag to the rear of the grip was the same for each shot. This had been inconsistent in my previous setup.
I briefly tried a moderate to hard hold, but it moved the POI (down) into the 8 ring. I'm not sure I can be consistent enough to pull that off.
7) Moved the bipod back about 3 inches. It's about as far forward as it can be while still being able to reach it while in position. I'm not sure this did much, but it's easier to reach.
Overall, it worked out much better. The vertical was much better - my groups were round again. No more 8's, and only a handful of high/low 9's on the day. I finished the last relay with a solid 198 (600 yards), which was good enough for 3rd overall on the day. Still more work to be done, but I'm getting there. I'm a little embarrassed by how much poor technique these bullets highlighted for me. You really can get sloppy shooting a 6mm in F Open and not realize it.
