Getting a Little Better

I wasn't sure if my rifle or reloads were capable of it, but today I was proven wrong. Did my first ladder test for a .270 load with H4831 and Hornady 130gr. soft points, and all but the starting load were sub-MOA for 4 of the 5 shot group (gave myself the liberty of one flier per group). I'm still in the bottom end of the load data though, so I'm going to keep trucking and find something with a little more power.

Things I did differently this time:

1. Cleaned my gun... for real
   • got all of that copper fouling out, and there was a lot. Btw, Hoppes Benchrest seemed to do a good job though I had to let it soak overnight.
2. Upped quality control on brass
   • the lengths were all within 5 thousandths
   • primer pockets cleaned
   • all the same headstamp (Winchester)
3. Different Powder
   • Last year (my first foray into reloading 270), I used H4350. This time H4831
4. More accurate scale/charging
   • Last year I used an $8 jewelry scale and threw my charge using a dixie cup. This time I had a Hornady autocharge and I think having a more reliable scale made a big difference.
5. Better rest
   • I rested my rifle on sandbags (cornhole sacks) this time. Last time I used an ammo can and a hoodie
6. More skillful shooting
   • Over the past year, I've shot a lot more than I used to, mostly because I started reloading. I know I've become a better rifleman since a year ago when I made my last load for this gun.

My best group was around .7MOA and the worst was a little over 1. Last year I'd be lucky to get 2 or 3. As you can see, I made a lot of improvements which seem to be paying off. Not that I'll win any PRS matches with those groupings but I'm on the right track and being able to see that kind of consistency will bring peace of mind come November.

I'm hoping to continue improving my reloading methods and marksmanship skills until I'm getting the full potential out of my hunting rifle. I'm learning that the devil's in the details

 

The goal in this game, as in so many others, is consistency. The problem is there are so many variables.
Practice helps.

When I started shooting at the local club Military Bolt-gun Matches, I had a red plastic front rest and a box of pulled military projectiles re-loaded with The Load.
I was getting 6" groups at 100 yds.

I've refined my load, my equipment, and my technique over the last year or so, and am getting much better.

 

Good job on getting better - that’s what it’s all about. Hopefully your ladder test points out a node or two that you can further concentrate on and do a lands test (COL) that could further improve! Good luck!

 

Mr. Thunkit is correct. Consistency counts.

And fliers do, too! I’ll take a one inch load over a two thirds of an inch load that has fliers.

It looks like it’s coming along well!
And your rifle is beautiful also!

Let’s see some ladder pics!

 

Alright, here's a picture. I only got 3 flights of 5 shots downrange because of an angry homeowner who claimed he heard bullets whizzing by his house (we were on an unmanned public range with a nice berm). He's full of it, but we got out of there to avoid trouble lol.

My roommate is starting to reload as well and he tested a load in his '06. Mine are marked with the charge of 4831.

 

I trust you made it known to the local authorities...
It is not ruffling feathers or causing trouble to inform the local public official how a someone is behaving in public, on a public range, to humans with the right to be there.

Now, having said that. You're buddy's shooting,... leaves much to be desired...

Yours on the other hand, is quite tight. Nice shooting.
Was it windy? Nine to three o'clock?
It looks like it gets tighter as you went, keep going if there's room for it.

 

RedDot? I've been considering loading up some cast 30-06 for close range, iron sight plinking and was thinking of using that as a starting point.

 

Thank you for the compliments. Very light wind but it was 9 to 3. I think I was pulling the trigger a little on those shots that went right of the target. On my last grouping I was confused because I thought I was missing the paper entirely. I couldn't see the shots that went into the square I'll keep raising the charge in search of another node with a bit more oomph but keep one of these in my back pocket to compare to.

Yeah he hasn't had the advantage of 10s of thousands of rounds on the farm hunting rabbits, birds, deer and fence posts but with some attention to fundamentals I bet he could cut those patterns in fifths in short order. Practice, practice, practice!

 

I actually used Promo, in a 7.62x54r.

Beware, many think that 13gr RedDot is too hot for .30-06, and council 10-12 grains.