A little breezy but a nice cool day, working on loads. I think I found some winners. 100yds 1/2" circles.

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[ 02-25-2003, 11:01: Message edited by: Roddy ]

Roddy,
You are shooting pretty good for "breezy" conditions. I want to know where you get those optically targeted bullets! Your targets show that the weapon, loads and shooter were all in tune and operating at peak performance.

PaulS

Roddy, I'd say those were impressive, but I read it's a Savage and "they" all shoot that good. Nice job!

Roddy,

That's totally wicked... How did you arrive at that load recipe?

Thanks,

Dan

Hey Roddy--can you provide a little more info. for me--what model is your .223, and what scope do you have on it?

Thanks!

Dan,

I used the Audette method at 200 yds, found the rifle liked 25.0 25.3 range with the bullets into the lands about .005. I was reloading at the range by hand and seated bullets farther in by accident. I put them aside for foulers. It was cold and hand loading at the range with no press and I forgot my powder funnel(I had to pour the powder in the case from the scale pan) was no fun. I decided to shoot the foulers which were .030 of lands and got a better group.

At home later I decided to start the Audette method at 25.2 with the new seating depth in .2 increments 3 rounds each and groups shrank to the 1 hole you see at 25.8 which was my last loaded increment. I have a very slight crater at the primer so I am very close to max. A little by luck on seating depth, rest by Audette slightly modified.

Crusader,

Rifle is a 12FVSS-S which I bought the factory laminate for. Scope is a Tasco long range target 8x40x56 mil-dot base and rings by Ken Farrel with a 15 moa taper. I bedded the stock and all else is factory.

[ 02-25-2003, 21:58: Message edited by: Roddy ]

While I'm not generally an advocate of the Audette method, it's hard to argue with success like that! And a little "serendipity" with the seating depth is a good thing as well.

I've always had better luck with the deeper seated bullets in the factory chambered .223's, especially with light, thin-jacketed varmint bullets. These bullets seem to need more bearing surface to prevent deformation during the obturation (bulging, like a kicked soccer ball) upon firing.

Congratulations, and best of luck if you decide to go up against the custom rifles in a match. It seems that Savage has a lot of folks rethinking what it takes to make a rifle accurate.

Take care,

Dan

I think I can help you out there, Nebraska...

Hotcore believes that my load development method (The OCW or Optimal Charge Weight method) is not as likely to produce a good load as the Audette method.

For the reasons I state on my website, I believe that the Audette method is at times (in its unmodified form) precarious to execute well, and often impossible to glean useful information from. When the "stars are aligned," it can and does work, but I don't believe that it leads the shooter to the correct conclusions in all cases.

Nebraska, you can take a look at my reasoning, and post you dissent if you agree with Hotcore; here's the link to my site: http://home.earthlink.net/~dannewberry/index.html

There is an explanation there of the Audette method, as well as the OCW method. By the way, I'm in pretty good company, it seems, with my criticisms of the Audette method, read here for an article that appeared not so long ago in Precision Shooting magazine: http://www.windcharts.com/reality_based_load_development.htm

Anyway, the Optimal Charge Weight for the 69 grain SMK in the .223 should be 25.2 grains of W748. Oddly enough, Roddy did come to that conclusion with the first test.

Depth tuning in .003" increments would likely take the 25.2 grain charge to a friendly node of the barrel's whip, and the finished recipe should be more resilient--or "robust" as Denton says...

I will say, however, that if the 25.8 grain charge does not create pressure induced flyers, the load could perform well here. (Again, who can argue with success?)

Take care guys,

Dan

Roddy:
Great shooting! That's what I call accuracy no
matter what the method used to get there. You sort of stumbled onto the secret I think of
getting tight groups by seating those bullets
0.030" off the lands. You found the right charge
and the right jump to the lands and it worked.
The pro's at Sierra recomend bullet seating 0.020-
0.025" off the lands to start finding the best
O.A.L. for any load.
http://www.sierrabullets.com/xring/index.cfm?fuseaction=Vol7no1#oa
I'll bet you can repeat this with different bullets and loads with the Savage. I'm convinced
that Savage Arms offers the most accuracy for the
money. Can't wait to see more of you targets!BLR7

Yep, Hotcore... it's "out there somewhere!"

Dan