load help for the experts!

[stenger]

i have a 338 lapua heavy match on a bat action with a 1.250 10 twist bartlien barrel. i am currently shooting 300 lapua match bullets backed wih 82 grains of n560 at 2700 fps. velocity spred is at 20 fps. the gun is shooting in the .1's at 100 yards. also shooting lapua brass.

the problem i am having is i will shoot 3 in the same hole in the .1's range and once i get to that fourth shot it alway throws it low. i think it is a heat issue, but if anyone else has experienced this problem let me know what the fix is that fourth shot always opens up the group to high .2's or .3's i am not happy with that. ill go back up to the house load up some more and come back down to the bench same thing happens. also have tried different brass. i was told neck tension could be the problem. i am currently running .002 under loaded round.

Second queston is i have tried shooting some solid cooper turned bullets. with wild results. the bullets were 250 grain with a BC of .78. they were being shot a 2830 fps. i shot the first group and it measured .112 at 100 yards. then i would shoot a .30 group same load, then a .125 group same load. i tried everything but i keep getting different groups. what could be causing the extreme spred, or should i just trash those bullets. anyone have a fix. i tried powder charge no luck, seating depth changes were also made.
This is the second gun that i have tried solid bullets out of and i just can not get them to shoot. any help would be great.

 

[Charles E]

the problem i am having is i will shoot 3 in the same hole in the .1's range and once i get to that fourth shot it alway throws it low. i think it is a heat issue, but if anyone else has experienced this problem let me know what the fix is that fourth shot always opens up the group to high .2's or .3's i am not happy with that.

Bill Shehane had a .338 that did string due to heat. We *think* it was because he had a double barrel block, and the barrel was heating & bending between the two blocks. It was also a real long barrel.

But that's not what was interesting, at least to you. What was interesting is that if the POI shift is due to heat, you can hold for it. 'Ol Bill would take that rifle that was stringing pretty badly and hold off for each shot after the first three or so (It was a HG, so 10-shots required). He'd even win with it.

So, if it is due to heat, it will be vertical stringing, and you can likely hold for it. If that doesn't work, it likely isn't strictly a heat issue.

I have no ideas on solid copper bullets.

 

[expiper]

you are there!!

I think you need to step back and read your own post....you have a 338 mag. shooting 250 gr bullets with a BC of .780 at near 3000 fps and shooting .1's,,2's,,3's .....!!!.....I wuld say put it in the truck and haul it to the Nationals.....I wish I had something that wuld shoot like that ...Roger

 

[alinwa]

I think you need to step back and read your own post....you have a 338 mag. shooting 250 gr bullets with a BC of .780 at near 3000 fps and shooting .1's,,2's,,3's .....!!!.....I wuld say put it in the truck and haul it to the Nationals.....I wish I had something that wuld shoot like that ...Roger

I'm wit' Rog!

Don't shoot it no more!

Go beat people up.

al

 

[matts52]

338

shoot it farther out say atleast 300yds and shoot 10 shot group and see what happens then(since its a HG you'll be shooting 10 not 5).At a longer distance you can read the group better than a 100 yd ragged hole.
I never seen a solid copper bullet that was real nice,consistant performer.
Have you tried bumping up your load alittle? maybe look at 2750fps.

 

[stenger]

loads

I tried to bump up the powder a little and the groups opened up i know i have found the sweet spot on powder charge. i thank you all for the help maybe its me just being anal about everything. i am just use to how my 6.5 and other small match guns shoot. The solid bullets just dont work for me i can not get them to be consistent. It drives me crazy to hear on other forum like sniper hide about these guys shooting solids and having great results out of factory rifles out to and beyond 1700 yards. A world record was se with a 50 bmg using solid bullets i think 1.9" five shots.

 

[Cheechako]

Roger & Al

Pleeeeze, for cryin-out-loud, do NOT encourage guys like that to go out and compete. Isn't it hard enough as it is to take home one of the fake wood trophies?

Ray

 

[Tod Soeby]

shoot it farther out say atleast 300yds and shoot 10 shot group and see what happens then(since its a HG you'll be shooting 10 not 5).At a longer distance you can read the group better than a 100 yd ragged hole.
I never seen a solid copper bullet that was real nice,consistant performer.
Have you tried bumping up your load alittle? maybe look at 2750fps.

I would go back even further...even to 1K. Just color your bullet tips a diff color for each shot. For the first 5 shots, I use a single colors (red, green, blue, yellow, and orange) and for the last 5 I use 2 colors (red/ green, green/ blue, red/blue....ect). Just get a twelve Pk of sharpies and paint from the tip to the ojive (sp?) With the multi colors, just mark one side with each.....Mark it all down and shoot in order every time.

I have done all of the above and learned that my gun throws shots at random (or I do?? ). That if I try and call a bad shot ....I can't.....I am NEVER RIGHT!!!! I am not that smart!!! And that I may well be to anal for my own good!!!


I think that this would be helpfull if you gun is consistently throwing certain shots. It will also tell you if you missed a condition change during your string.

Anyway....they sure are pretty to look at...and everyone will stop by your bench and comment on them, one way or the other!!!!

 

[Chisolm]

Tod,
I'm curious, are you saying that you paint all your record bullets so you know what went where in registered competition.
I don't recall you doing that this spring at Pella.

James

 

[Tod Soeby]

Tod,
I'm curious, are you saying that you paint all your record bullets so you know what went where in registered competition.
I don't recall you doing that this spring at Pella.

James

Nope...I started at Match 7 & 8 (my second trip to Pella this year). I know I took a lot of funnin from the guys about it. All I know is that it was the first time in my very short shooting career that I never got into a shootoff.......Of course....I blamed the painted bullets......and that Forbs charicter who shoots 3's to my 4's and 5's for my poor showing!!!

Now I know "what went where"....The problem is trying to figure out Y-N-L they went there.....and there.....and over there.....and up there.....

 

[Tony Shankle]

I mean this in the nicest possible way but "why in the hell are you shooting that gun for groups at 100 yards"? You are worried about .1's vs. .3's and those bullets haven't even gone to sleep yet. Shooting that Lapua at 100 is like picking a 747 for aerobatics.

I have been shooting long range for around 15 years and I have had many fine rifles (some of which were record capable if they would have had a better trigger puller) and I have never once had a long range gun/load that could shoot consistently "in the 1's" at 100 yards like some of the PPC's will do. Heck, I doubt i had one that would agg in the .3's at 100. Match the tool to the sport and back that bad boy out to where it belongs and see how it shoots then build your load around that data. I have a 1000 yard range in my back door and I test all my rifles at multiple ranges and I always find that I need different loads for different ranges. Belive me, I would love to find a load that shines at all ranges but it just doesn't exist (or at least I haven't seen it).

I don't know anything about "Solids" but I can tell you that even in top grade match bullets (custom or factory) if you put them on a Doppler, the BC will vary between 8 to 15 percent in a single box of bullets. Don't fall into the "who has the biggest BC game" just find out what shoot the best and most consistently out of your rifle at given ranges. Writing on the box & numbers on the chrono don't mean much...put it on paper at a given range. Keep in mind while you are reading about those 1700 yard shots that you are usually reading part of the story. Example...back this past December I shot a .68 moa (12") group at 1780 yards with a 17mph 7 oclock tail wind....sounds like I am a shooting god until I tell you that it was a 3 shot group and the next 5 I fired didn't even hit the backer. I can't tell you how many 3 or 4 shots out of 5 would measure in the two's at 1000 but that is like getting part of the lotto numbers and thinking you won the jackpot!

Also, don't try to get too scientific with those 100 yard groups. If you picked any one of us at random and told us to shoot a group you would find that one shot out of our groups is the one that opens it up! It happens, its real and if you can master it let me know and i will sponser you while you go whip up on Tony Boyer with a 338 lapua mag.

Sorry to pick on you, I just hate seeing you doing all that work and stressing over something like that. Back that baby out to where she belongs and find out what she can do! Also, you might want to try some 24n41 in that Lapua...it worked in mine.