Hey guys, I thought i fill you in on my lubing results:
So a bit of an update on my progress with accurizing my 336W in conjunction with commercial coated hard-cast projectiles. My current batch of projectiles are Westcastings "Black Premiums", which have a BHN of around 16bh. I have about 600 of these left so I need to make them work (hence the motivation).
As suggested by Noisydad, I experimented with lubing these (already coated) projectiles; I pan lubed using his formula of:
1 part paraffin wax (candle wax)
1 part pure lard
1/2 part beeswax
Before:
- raw.JPG (350.71 KiB) Viewed 3955 times
After:
- lubed.JPG (348.84 KiB) Viewed 3955 times
Finished:
- finished.JPG (470.87 KiB) Viewed 3955 times
I tried three different powders and went back and revisited 2207 (as suggested) and 2206H. The results were mixed.
Trail BossThe long and short of it, Westcastings "Black Premiums" don't gel with Trail Boss. Max 9.0gr Trail Boss gives me an average of 6-12moa; my rifle certainly does not like this load:
- 9_TB.jpg (577.24 KiB) Viewed 3955 times
8.4gr of Trail Boss is a little better (at around 3-4moa), but still far from averaging <=2moa (my end-goal):
- 8.4_TB.jpg (631.56 KiB) Viewed 3955 times
There is
still evidence of destabilization on these Trail Boss targets - something I was really hoping to eliminate with lubing. This probably explains the sub-par accuracy.
Actually, I'm convinced my rifle favours 8.4gr Trail Boss regardless of the projectile manufacturer. Hawkesberry River and Topscore both also like 8.4gr Trail Boss; they grouped at around 2.5 - 3.0moa with this load. Still not great by any stretch, but that'll have to do, I do not want to waste my 1.5kg bottle.
I must say I'm starting to think generally Trail Boss isn't the best powder out there. Good value, but not nearly as accurate as the mid-burns. I used to rave about the stuff (due to the fluffiness of it), but the proof is in the pudding. I think I might give it up once I get through the bottle.
2207I haven't tried 2207 for some years now, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to go back and revisit it. And WOW what a huge improvement! Looking back at my data, 2207 has performed well for me in the past (with Topscore projectiles to be precise), I'm not sure why I recently neglected it TBH. It seems very sensetive to the load though. 16.0gr 2207 seems the sweet spot, 17.0gr blows out.
Off-the-bat I knew it wanted to group, a three shot group was sitting at 1.5moa:
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But I like to report 5 shot groups, and anoyingly that last shot took it from 1.5moa to 2.0moa:
- 16_2207.jpg (606.68 KiB) Viewed 3955 times
I could well of pulled that lost shot though TBH (after all, I was using iron sights), so there's the distinct possibility the groups could indeed be sub 2.0moa...
2206HI've shot a lot of this powder - it works pretty well with a lot of load, also jacketed. Not as sensitive as 2207, and you can push the "Black Premiums" to 1800fps with acceptable accuracy (~3moa). 21.0gr of 2206H seems to be the best load at around 1.6":
- 21_2206H.jpg (684.93 KiB) Viewed 3955 times
Overall 2206H probably yields about 2.5moa at best. I've achieved this in the past with Hawkesberry and Topscore. I settled on 2206H a while back, but I think I need to accept the fact that 2207 pips it at the posts.
Summary2207 is the clear winner here, and I thin 2207 will consistently group inside 2moa. I'm going to focus in on this load moving forward, The real question is, how significant is the lube? That is a question that I cannot currently answer. My gut is telling me that the lube does help a little. The proof will be in the data.
Next session I'll load half lubed and and half unlubed. I'll also whack a scope back on the old girl to help eliminate some variables. Onwards and upwards!...
To be continued...