How to read groups?

[AK Hunter]

My only question is why are you loading below suggested powder gr weight?
From what I read the starting gr weight should be 42.3gr of Varget up to a max load of 46.5c of Varget.

 

[Kaldor]

I touched off my first 308 Win handloads last week and am evaluating the target. What exactly am I looking for? Thanks for the time.

Admittedly, groups for two batches became muddled, but idk what I’m looking for so no harm no foul.

If this was your target, what would be your takeaways? Note, bottom left flyer is a factory round.

View attachment 1137174

Cartridge notes:
Brass: Aguila once-fired
Bullet: 150 grain FMJ Hornady
Primer: Fiocchi standard line. green compound.
Powder: Varget
CBTO: 2.153". .081" off lands.

Batch 1:
36 grains-
2164 fps
2144 fps
2157 fps

Batch 2:
37 grains-
2224 fps
2224 fps
2221 fps

Batch 3:
38 grains-
2271 fps
2282 fps
2284 fps
2259 fps

It is extremely hard to gather data from a single target, with three shot groups a full grain apart in weight.
Alot of the gents above raised some good questions, and some of them are excellent.
The important thing is that you did it, you got your first rounds down range and they hit the paper. That in itself is a huge confidence booster.
As others have pointed out, a 150 FMJ isnt a hunting bullet, but that doesnt mean you are wasting your time. The learning of the process is huge in and of itself, and will transfer to loading everything else.

Lets start with this:
You have a good starting point. You obviously have taken the time to document your process and what components you are using. You have chronograph data, CBTO, and how far you are off the lands, which is more than most people have.

Next steps:
Load hotter. This will cause some concern amongst some folks here, but you are wasting your time at 38 gr of Varget. Only Hornady would put a starting load at 36(!) gr. Use Hodgdons data as the starting data is around 42-44gr, bullet depending. The other reason? You dont want to be hunting with a 150gr bullet at 2200 fps. You cant even get proper expansion with most standard rifle bullets at that muzzle velocity. I would start at 42gr, and work up in .5gr increments and stop at a conservative 44.5gr. Id also shoot 3 or 5 shot groups to be able to garner some more usable data for the actual groups.

Choose your hunting bullet. Anything from 150-178 is very workable from a 308. You are using the 150 FMJ as a learning tool, and that is fine. But you will need to decide what bullet you want to hunt with and figure out how to get that shooting. You have what is one of the best 308 powders in Varget. The Fiochi primers are likely good enough. You may want to settle on a case brand so that you can maintain consistency unless you happen to have 200 pieces of that Aguila brass. Even something like Starline is a great place to start and will serve you well for probably 10 or more loadings.

Examine your rifle. If you are comfortable behind it and you can hold the scope on the target, you are most of the way there. Also make sure you are stable when shooting. A sandbag front and rear at a minimum, bipod or rest front and a bag rear is better. Another thing to consider is just shooting a box of something like a Federal 168 or 175gr Gold Medal match to make sure your gun is grouping correctly. Most factory guns can shoot Fed GMM at about an inch in a 5 shot group. If yours cannot, you need to figure out why.

Make a determination for acceptable results. You cannot expect a factory gun will shoot bugholes no matter how much work you put into your reloads. Some factory guns shoot great, some do not. If its a pure hunting gun and you are shooting hogs or deer? If you can get a consistent 1" 5 shot group, that is MORE than adequate for hunting out to even 400 yards providing you can actually shoot that 1" group while hunting.

Lastly, about actual group reading. It is generally accepted that horizontal dispersion on a target is the shooter, and vertical is the rifle. That is not completely accurate, but it is about 75% correct as there are a host of things that can influence the size of a group outside the rifle or the ammo its shooting. The main issue is that group sizes at a 100 yards are sometimes not the entire story and you really need to shoot at 300 to really see how the dispersion actually looks.

 

[AJC1]

So let's step back a bit and try and provide useful input.
1. Load development- find a well established testing system, study the requirements, and execute one of those tests to the best of your ability. Build a test group that starts at start and moves up in one percent increments.

1A. I recommend you spend this time and components developing toward an end goal. In this situation you stated hunting. Choose a bullet legal and appropriate for the intended species.

1b. Understand the factors effecting your groups from a bench. This target style is very helpful for load development and verification. Understand that bench techniques do not translate well to field shooting. No fancy lead sleds or free recoil techniques off of bags and fancy front rests.
2. After development is complete start practicing field shooting. Trigger control and exercises practicing is always helpful as suggested. Shooting off your sticks, or pack, as well as positions applicable to the environment you hunt in....