What to do...nodes are only 1/2 grain wide?

[L.Sherm]

That sucks, I have seen the same thing though.

 

[searcher]

Most of us have been there, for sure. Those barrels will shoot - but you have to take on a new level of patience when it seems all you do is wait for that freaking barrel to cool. I always got about half way through what I wanted to try and the wind would come up. If you haven't gotten under 1 M.O.A. with those bullets, I'd change powders now. That was one thing I noticed unique to those barrels and that they were much more powder particular - both in good ways and bad. Reminded me of load development with lead-free bullets. Either loved or hated. While getting the 1/2" groups I sought for each of them didn't come quickly - it was mostly because I didn't change powders as quickly as I should have. The good thing is that those barrels should eventually get you there. If I were you - and this being a big-game rifle, I'd consider stopping if I hit 1/2". None of the barrels I worked with would do much better than that - certainly not good enough to warrant the extra round count I put on them to get to where I did. While those barrels don't feel all that hot on the exterior, they actually get hotter inside than a solid steel barrel. That contributes to faster throat erosion. I was working with rifles that didn't belong to me and I didn't want to hand rifles back that were toasted out.