Target pics from a shoot yesterday.

[Podunkadunk]

MDM and ZMich...thanks!

I'm going to do a little more research before I decide to reload.

Podunk

 

[studor]

If that is the first twelve rounds through the barrel and you were fooling around with the scope --from prone -- that thing (and you) can shoot bragging size groups for sure! Shooting .308 you do not really need to reload but it is an enjoyable part of the sport. Save your brass, and get a couple of hundred rounds through it before you decide. Factory ammo is a lot better now than when I started to reload and in .308 the selection is pretty wide. These days I pretty much only reload for my oddball calibers. I envy the availablity you guys have of firearms related stuff .

 

[rdln]

studor, start a revolution like we had to...and might have to again.

 

[Podunkadunk]

If that is the first twelve rounds through the barrel and you were fooling around with the scope --from prone -- that thing (and you) can shoot bragging size groups for sure! Shooting .308 you do not really need to reload but it is an enjoyable part of the sport. Save your brass, and get a couple of hundred rounds through it before you decide. Factory ammo is a lot better now than when I started to reload and in .308 the selection is pretty wide. These days I pretty much only reload for my oddball calibers. I envy the availablity you guys have of firearms related stuff .

I've had the rifle (barrel and action) since March or April (maybe even May) of 2006. I've fired a few hundred rounds through it.

Those were the first 12 rounds I fired through it THAT DAY. I had recently swapped out the stock from the H&S Precision that came with it to the H&S Precision (PST-25) that's on it now. Just wanted to see if it was still "on". For the most part, it was, I only had to adjust what you see from target 4 to the final target (2&1). The last shots of course being the ones in the bullseye.

I shot 7 or so more rounds after those 12, but didn't post up a pic of the target. The pattern was about a 2.5" grouping. That's because I was shooting 147gr reloads that I bought at a gunshow to shoot in my AR10. Wanted to try them out in the Remmy, just to see how they shot. They are too light of a round...don't stabilize by 100yds, I knew it going in, but was bored, out of 175gr Sierra Matchking BTHP's and wanted to get a few more rounds off before the rain hit.

But yeah, I ain't bragging, this gun will outshoot me anyday. All I have to do is hold her still, which isn't too hard on a bipod with a sack full of blackeye peas under the butt. Being prone though, breathing is a little more difficult and not as relaxed as shooting from a bench. Also, being prone, heartbeats reverberate through the shoulder and cheek weld to the stick I'll post up some more pics the next time I go down to Florida and shoot from my "mentor's" bench.

Thanks though

Podunk

 

[MDM]

You have said something a couple of times that I question. You say the lighter bullets won't stabilize. Actually, lighter bullets should stabilize much faster than the heavier ones. It is with the heavier bullets that you need a faster twist to stabilize. The heavier/longer the bullet the faster twist you need, the lighter/shorter bullets will work in the slower or faster twist with the 308. It is likely that your rifle just does not like that particular load, not the light bullet. You may find that a .5 grain more or less powder charge could shrink the groups with the lighter bullets. I shoot 125 grain Blitzkings out of my 308.

Now if you move down to some of the faster calibers like 22-250 and try to push a 40 gn pill at 4000fps out of a faster twist, it will likely spin the bullet apart before it reaches the target because of high RPMs. Or a 68 grn in .223 out of a 1 in 12 barrel would probably not stabilize.

 

[Podunkadunk]

You have said something a couple of times that I question. You say the lighter bullets won't stabilize. Actually, lighter bullets should stabilize much faster than the heavier ones. It is with the heavier bullets that you need a faster twist to stabilize. The heavier/longer the bullet the faster twist you need, the lighter/shorter bullets will work in the slower or faster twist with the 308. It is likely that your rifle just does not like that particular load, not the light bullet.

You are absolutely correct. I don't know what I was thinking...guess I wasn't!!!!!

Yes, it doesn't like anything below 168gr. There is a slight difference in the pattern of the 168's vs. the 175. Throw a 147gr. in the mix and it looks like birdshot on the target, compared to 175's.

Podunk

 

[Z-Michigan]

Ditto what MDM said - and just to add that gun-show reloads are notorious for dubious quality. I would be curious how it shoots with quality light bullets, like the Federal American Eagle 150gr FMJ load. I would guess 1-1.5" groups.

Another issue on twist rate - excessive twist can actually reduce accuracy slightly, because it magnifies any irregularities in the bullet jacket, and also (at extreme levels, like a 40gr .223 out of a 1-in-7 barrel - and assuming that it doesn't fly apart!) causes the bullet to fly through the air at an angle instead of straight forward. In either case, though, you might be talking the difference between 0.5 moa and 1.0 moa. For reference, if you go to the website for Berger bullets, they explain a lot of this and also have recommended twist rates for all their bullets. A lot of the recommended twists are slower than you would expect, especially in .308 cal.