echo3mike
Member
Aim small, miss small...
I've recently encountered a situation which I think might help folks here shoot smaller groups. I've only got anecdotal evidence so bear with me.
I switched some componants on my .308 reloads, and I'm now in the process of re-inventing the wheel using Dan Newberry's Optimum Charge Weight (OCW) method to develop a more accurate load. Part of his method is to shoot 3 shot groups at the smallest target he can visualize through his scope.
It seems to be a good idea and since I often get better groups at 200yds shooting at a 1" (.5MOA) target than I do at 100yds, I thought I'ld make up some targets to take advantage of this. I mucked around with the target on the Point Blank freeware , and came up with a page of 100yd targets. Each of the 18 targets is a 1" (1MOA) diamond with a .5" (.5MOA) aiming white, surrounded by 1/4" graphing.
I wanted to give the targets a try before I lugged my handloads and chrony out to the range, so I picked up a box of FGM 168gr and headed out. The FGM's have never shot all that well out of my tube, but I wasn't going for groups...I just wanted to see if the targets would be visible through my scope.
Once everthing is set up, I find I can pretty much quarter the diamond well enough to call my shots. They barely surround the crosshairs, but they're big enough.
Cutting to the chase, all six 3 shot groups were sub MOA. Once I started paying attention, had a couple in the .4's and one that measured 0.35", from ammo that my rifle has never liked. My best (5 shot) handloads measured 0.389". Needless to say, I'm a bit interested.
The biggest reason for this outcome really seems to be the target size. I recently plopped a 10X USO ST-10 on the rifle, which has an adjustable objective to deal with parallax. (I'll wait until I've shot with it some more to write a review, but it's a darn fine scope for the most part). The Leupold Vari-X III I was using prior to this had an inordinate amount of parallax, something like 3" at 100yds, so the scope may have contributed. But I have enough old targets to show some decrease in (MOA measured) group size when I used a smaller aiming point. I think the 3 shot groups helped also...it's too easy to get excited about a potential screamer group and then have it fall to peices.
So in a nutshell, try reducing the size of your target. So far, I can't complain about the results
S.
Since I'm computer disabled at the moment, I can't download pics or the targets. If anyone is interested, I can e-mail the targets I've made for 100, 200 or 300yds. I'm using a 10X scope, which seems to fit the target size better than lower powered scopes.
I've recently encountered a situation which I think might help folks here shoot smaller groups. I've only got anecdotal evidence so bear with me.
I switched some componants on my .308 reloads, and I'm now in the process of re-inventing the wheel using Dan Newberry's Optimum Charge Weight (OCW) method to develop a more accurate load. Part of his method is to shoot 3 shot groups at the smallest target he can visualize through his scope.
It seems to be a good idea and since I often get better groups at 200yds shooting at a 1" (.5MOA) target than I do at 100yds, I thought I'ld make up some targets to take advantage of this. I mucked around with the target on the Point Blank freeware , and came up with a page of 100yd targets. Each of the 18 targets is a 1" (1MOA) diamond with a .5" (.5MOA) aiming white, surrounded by 1/4" graphing.
I wanted to give the targets a try before I lugged my handloads and chrony out to the range, so I picked up a box of FGM 168gr and headed out. The FGM's have never shot all that well out of my tube, but I wasn't going for groups...I just wanted to see if the targets would be visible through my scope.
Once everthing is set up, I find I can pretty much quarter the diamond well enough to call my shots. They barely surround the crosshairs, but they're big enough.
Cutting to the chase, all six 3 shot groups were sub MOA. Once I started paying attention, had a couple in the .4's and one that measured 0.35", from ammo that my rifle has never liked. My best (5 shot) handloads measured 0.389". Needless to say, I'm a bit interested.
The biggest reason for this outcome really seems to be the target size. I recently plopped a 10X USO ST-10 on the rifle, which has an adjustable objective to deal with parallax. (I'll wait until I've shot with it some more to write a review, but it's a darn fine scope for the most part). The Leupold Vari-X III I was using prior to this had an inordinate amount of parallax, something like 3" at 100yds, so the scope may have contributed. But I have enough old targets to show some decrease in (MOA measured) group size when I used a smaller aiming point. I think the 3 shot groups helped also...it's too easy to get excited about a potential screamer group and then have it fall to peices.
So in a nutshell, try reducing the size of your target. So far, I can't complain about the results
S.
Since I'm computer disabled at the moment, I can't download pics or the targets. If anyone is interested, I can e-mail the targets I've made for 100, 200 or 300yds. I'm using a 10X scope, which seems to fit the target size better than lower powered scopes.
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