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Spent 5 hours at range yesterday.
skyfish
Member Posts: 1,068 ✭✭✭✭
That's a good day. It was 28 degrees at 5am when I got everything packed up, calm winds. Very nice indeed.
My son's Savage always impresses me, it is a package, beech stock, low end(that's being nice) scope. But it always out shoots my rifle.
Had 3 load ladders for that one.
It doesn't care for H4831, Mag Pro has been consistent. I find the max in the Lyman book is a hair low, but I can't get close to the max the Accurate says for the 130gr load and I found their data for the 140rg Hrdy btsp was too hot as well. No chrono data but patterned well.
But the best was the RL-17 and 130 SST. Between .006-.010 off the rifling seemed to be the trick, all loads shot well, with the max load I tried being the best, but only slightly. I'll try and post pics later.
My Browning in 25wssm has been a little bit tougher on me. I have had some more consistent loads with RL-15 and 100gr hrdy sp and the 87gr Speer hot Core. Those are the most accurate with rifle but hover around 1" group usually 1.2 or so. Good enough for hunting but it's always nice to have a sub moa rifle. It does tease with a great group using 117-120gr bullets and H4350, IMR4350. But I have trouble repeating it. The gun is stock and I'm sure it needs a little fine tuning, but that's not my area of expertise. Again I'll try and post some pictures.
My son's Savage always impresses me, it is a package, beech stock, low end(that's being nice) scope. But it always out shoots my rifle.
Had 3 load ladders for that one.
It doesn't care for H4831, Mag Pro has been consistent. I find the max in the Lyman book is a hair low, but I can't get close to the max the Accurate says for the 130gr load and I found their data for the 140rg Hrdy btsp was too hot as well. No chrono data but patterned well.
But the best was the RL-17 and 130 SST. Between .006-.010 off the rifling seemed to be the trick, all loads shot well, with the max load I tried being the best, but only slightly. I'll try and post pics later.
My Browning in 25wssm has been a little bit tougher on me. I have had some more consistent loads with RL-15 and 100gr hrdy sp and the 87gr Speer hot Core. Those are the most accurate with rifle but hover around 1" group usually 1.2 or so. Good enough for hunting but it's always nice to have a sub moa rifle. It does tease with a great group using 117-120gr bullets and H4350, IMR4350. But I have trouble repeating it. The gun is stock and I'm sure it needs a little fine tuning, but that's not my area of expertise. Again I'll try and post some pictures.
Comments
What is your sons rifle chambered in?
Also, have you tried Rl-17 in your 25WSSM yet. Very good in mine. Start load is 43 gr. for a 115 gr. bullet. If your shooting 117-120 you might try 42 to start.
I am going to try the RL 17 as soon as I can get my hands on some. Everything I have heard says it works well in the short-fats.
That's one of the groups with my son's Savage. It is a 270WSM. It shot almost as well with some 140gr Hornady BTSP and R-17. I thought it might be too fast but it seemed to work very well. I was given a chrono last week, can't wait to try.
Below is a group of 5-100gr Hornady sp, R-15. That's about as good as my 25wssm get, but it is a hunter model and 100% stock.
Not bad but 1 high right, 3 touching, and 1 slight left. The spot upper left is marker not a hole. I'm running out of the house, but can give more details later tonight.
5 shots 100gr Hornady sp, 41.0 gr RL-15,WLR primer, 3.375 OAL. Max length for mag.
On this target, the lower left is a 5-shot group with 120gr Speer BTSP, 40.5 gr RL-17, WLR primer, and 1.877" on my comparator, that's .005-.006 gap. That is by far the best with the 117-120gr. But I think it may be a fluke, I'll do some more work.
The top 3-shot is in my son's 270wsm. 140gr Horndy BTSP, WLRM primer, 59.5gr RL-17 and 2.332 with comp. Was .007 from lands.
Last is the very nice group from 130SST, WLRM, 60.8gr RL-17, and 2.315 measured on the comparator. Again .007 gap.
That Savage has a very long mag. Never came close to having the bullet not fit. I'm thinking very hard about a new rifle. I really love that trigger. I shot both rifles since my son was in school.
Just as an aside to this, have you ever tried the Berger 150 hunting VLD's in your son's .270 WSM? I bought some for my brother but my nephew got hold of them and blew them all off at short range. I'm going to get him to try them at long range next time I go out to NV again.