J
JohnnyBlu
Guest
Hello,
I've been watching this forum for a long time. I have learned lots of great tidbits and appreciate the knowledge members have. I have been shooting and reloading for 25 years but have ever been into super accuracy. My hunting rifles were fairly inexpensive factory jobs and I figured the inch and half to two inch groups off the bench were the rifles. Recently, however, I've been doing some longer range hunting and have been bitten more by the accuracy bug. What I've come to realize is that I think my shooting technique off the bench has been opening my groups up and I'm not sure how to correct it.
I recently acquired two hunting rifles that are driving me nuts. One is a .300 WSM and the other a 338-06. With both rifles I can usually put 3 rounds in about a half inch, while the other two are high or low by an inch or inch and half.The overall groups are almost always two to three times as tall as they are wide. When I don't have the vertical fliers both rifles have groups under 3/4 inch. I can shoot my .223 off the bench and get nice round groups form 1/2 to 3/4 inch consistently. The difference in technique is I barely hold onto the .223, while I have to hold the others quite tightly.
From the bench I have a Sinclair front rest and a rear "V" bag. My technique is to lay the rifle in the bags, move them to get the crosshairs centered, then try to pull straight back into shoulder, squeeze the rear bag for final alignment and then break the shot. I am pretty good at calling my shots windage wise, but elevation is a mystery.
It has been suggested to me that the ammunition may be inconsistent, but with both rifles the velocities are pretty uniform with SD around 10 fps.
Does anyone have any suggestions for ways to improve my consistency?
I've been watching this forum for a long time. I have learned lots of great tidbits and appreciate the knowledge members have. I have been shooting and reloading for 25 years but have ever been into super accuracy. My hunting rifles were fairly inexpensive factory jobs and I figured the inch and half to two inch groups off the bench were the rifles. Recently, however, I've been doing some longer range hunting and have been bitten more by the accuracy bug. What I've come to realize is that I think my shooting technique off the bench has been opening my groups up and I'm not sure how to correct it.
I recently acquired two hunting rifles that are driving me nuts. One is a .300 WSM and the other a 338-06. With both rifles I can usually put 3 rounds in about a half inch, while the other two are high or low by an inch or inch and half.The overall groups are almost always two to three times as tall as they are wide. When I don't have the vertical fliers both rifles have groups under 3/4 inch. I can shoot my .223 off the bench and get nice round groups form 1/2 to 3/4 inch consistently. The difference in technique is I barely hold onto the .223, while I have to hold the others quite tightly.
From the bench I have a Sinclair front rest and a rear "V" bag. My technique is to lay the rifle in the bags, move them to get the crosshairs centered, then try to pull straight back into shoulder, squeeze the rear bag for final alignment and then break the shot. I am pretty good at calling my shots windage wise, but elevation is a mystery.
It has been suggested to me that the ammunition may be inconsistent, but with both rifles the velocities are pretty uniform with SD around 10 fps.
Does anyone have any suggestions for ways to improve my consistency?