TassieTiger wrote:Spent a good portion of my monthly day off at my local quiet spot - new steyr pro hunter in 30-06 in hand.
M8 x 6 leo scope fitted.
Bench and vice set up at 120 yards.
Numerous 3 inch organge ctargets staples to a huge back board.
165 gn reloads up to max adi
200 gn reloads up to max adi.
180 gn Winchester hunting for comparison.
1st thing - 120yards with this scope is difficult in the heat. Orange dot shimmering but the gun vice helps secure cross hairs but still - maybe I should have moved closer for this set up time...
165 at 54gns - 90mm group...wtf?
The best I shot was a 35mm group with 58gn of AR2209. Not thrilled.
Let barrel cool and start on 200gns.
Similar thing. Some groups were 125mm.
I did find that max load pulled it in to 30mm but still - not great.
So zeroed scoped and tried Winchester hunting rounds (180) and well - I could hear the roo giggling at me. 2 shots were within 30mm and 1 was 3 inches away. Now I’m pretty reasonable at calling my pulls but .... I just don’t know.
I feel like I’ve wasted a day and a lot of ammo.
The rifle was effectively brand new - 20 shots and then cleaned.
I know the brand - steyr and my .223 is a varmint but an absolute laser.
All reloads were .30 from lands. The hunting rounds were another .60 shorter again.
To do??
Take the most accurate findings and try and develop around bullet seating depths?
Get closer and repeat to endure more consistent?
Write it off - hey, everyone has a bad day?
Take rifle back and stamp feet proclaiming that I am a farken crack shot but can’t hit cracks with this ?
The barrel is still finding its feet - put it down to experience and do over?
Procure a more familiar scope and start again ??
Happy to hear thoughts on this one. I did record everything for reference but with groups so wide, I’m not sure it means much.
I’m not knew to developing loads - but thus far, most have gone to plan...this one has me asking more questions than I have answers...??
TassieTiger wrote:Yes - it was very hot. Air temp was approx 30% but in direct sun felt closer to 38.
No more than 6-7 shots were had inside 10 minute windows. I was very mindful of this.
TassieTiger wrote:Sorry - Vice is an incorrect term I use...Its a sighting rest that clamps (vice) to my table...sorry for confusion.
The 200's are Hornady low drag, cant exactly call but are ballistic tip.
From memory I was told its a 1:9 twist.
TassieTiger wrote:The 30-06 is effectively brand new. I purchased new 3 weeks ago and messed about with 20 over the counter shots to run the barrel in so - I cant say that it usually does better...but i suspect the rifle is not defective. Not in this day and age...
I have a 223 that Ive worked a couple of loads up and am comfortable to hit a golf ball at 250m any day of the week. Same with a 260 rem. This is my first forray into groupings so widespread...I thought maybe the scope potentially faulty but being a leo of older vintage, you'd think not...
This Steyr ALSO has a set trigger on it and I took full advantage of the 0.1kg's required to set it off...but something else is not right.
bladeracer wrote:TassieTiger wrote:Sorry - Vice is an incorrect term I use...Its a sighting rest that clamps (vice) to my table...sorry for confusion.
The 200's are Hornady low drag, cant exactly call but are ballistic tip.
From memory I was told its a 1:9 twist.
So it doesn't hold onto the rifle at all, the rifle is free to recoil and every shot was carefully aimed individually?
The bullet must be the ELDX, which should shoot great.
TassieTiger wrote:It cradles the rifle loosely and is free to Re coil- ask my shoulder lol.
Each shot was carefully aimed - but the 6 x fixed scope was much less magnification than I was used to. (For 223 and 260 - I inch orange dots are targeted - this being a hunting rifle, I went for 3 inch decals.)
I wonder if I stumbled into the worst possible coal for this particular rifle ? From my limited experience I’ve found that .120 off lands can shoot okay...then it has slowly deteriorated to a little silly amount and then has gotten remarkably better closing in on the lands...
It’s a question Ive wondered on for some time - start testing with powder charges OR with different seating depths...
Think I might try diff seating depths with the best of the crap loads, cooler shooting period / day and halve the distance for development until I can at least sort this out.
TassieTiger wrote:^surely this is jest?
Anyways - spent a few hours testing again today. Unfortunately it came out bloody hot again and at one point, barrel became too hot to touch - which was not what I wanted at all but it had only shot 6 bullets after being cold, so caught me out.
So kept distance at 120m.
53.0gns of Ar2209 powder pushing 200gn ELDX.
Shot off a steel rest that lightly cradles fore end and stock, mounted to a table. Free to recoil.
Noticed a fair bit of vertical stringing - 2 and 3 inches on some loads.
Be keen to hear people’s opinions except for the outright obvious.
Was concentrating on bullet seat depth this time out - charge remained same.
Bill wrote:
I recently couldnt get some barnes TTSX to group better than 2 moa in my 6.5 grendel, seated 25 thou deeper and tried 2 slight lower charges, bingo found an accuracy node only 0.3gr under what was crap. It now puts 5 into 0.8moa
?
SCJ429 wrote:You will have to plot each shot on a pad of paper so you know what shot went where.