Oddball Accuracy

[Tony C]

I thought it would be interesting to start a thread about cartridges (wildcat or other) that you have found to be unexpectedly accurate. Accuracy is somewhat of a relative term. Several years ago I watched with amazement as a friend fired a number of rounds from his 30 caliber carbine at 100 yards, standing with open sights. He had cast the bullets from linotype at just the right diameter for his barrel.

I've never developed a wildcat of my own, but I have a barrel chambered in 30 Major that seemed to shoot well enough to probably have been competitive in BR - though I never entered a match with it. It's a 6.5 Grendel necked up to 30 caliber - chambered by Mike Ezell. Don't presently have access to a photo. Don't consider the Major to be an oddball, but it's the closest I can come.

Roger Haney told me he had tried a 221 Fireball Improved (among many others) that shot pretty well.

Let the fun begin...

 

[jdjframes]

Back in the 80s, I shortened the 222 by about half an inch to try to duplicate the 22 Hornet/218 Bee. With traditional "Hornet powders & bullets" that is just what I did - nothing to write home about. However, with 13.2 grains of Reloader 7 & Sierra 50 grain Blitz bullets the little thing would shoot. Many groups measured around 3/8 inch at 100 yards. 1/4 inch was not rare. Onced had 4 into 1/8 inch and thought about tossing #5 into the backstop and calling it a good day. #5 opened the group to 3/8 inch - still not bad.

Accuracy is indeed relative. Popping Bambi at 35 yards doesn't require a high degree of accuracy. Dusting a crow at 300 yards is another matter entirely. The ultra precise world of the benchrest shooter is a different universe.

Jim

 

[nonliberal]

I was tickled pink by the results of a 338/06 I put together on a Savage action. The action was used, the barrel was a pre-fit, and the stock was a Boyds thumbhole that I finished. With the big caliber and the small amount of money I put into the project I was going to be pleased with a 1moa hunting riffle. What I ended up with was a tack driver that shoots bugholes including the most important "cold bore" shot. I realize that it is just a case of stars aligning, but I couldn't be more pleased.

There was a group of people standing around at a friends farm when a rabbit came out about 150 yards away. I jokingly said I would shoot dinner, they said I would just waste it with that big .338. I told them I would just shoot it in the eye. I squeezed off the trigger and the rabbit died. We went to retrieve it and the bullet went in one eye and out the other.
What better time to have a lucky shot like that than when about 25 guys are gathered around watching. I didn't show it, but I was more shocked than any of them. I quickly put the gun away and didn't attempt anymore shots with it in front of that group. A couple of them still talk about it when I see them.

 

[goodgrouper]

The most glaring example I could think of to answer your question was Mike Turner's 30-30 win custom BR rig. The first time I met Mike at a match and asked him what he was shooting, he replied, "a 30-30 I made". My response was probably comical to him................it went something like "yaaah-wadijyasay????" (gulp, gasp, etc.). Nobody's supposed to show up at a group benchrest match with a 30-30! If memory serves, he did quite well with it that weekend. Took home a pile of wood.

 

[mike in co]

there is a thread in the gunsmith forum..."gunsmith exercise"
that might fit in this catagory...
its not done but nearly 300 visitors
mike in co

 

[Tony C]

Goodgrouper

Michael emailed me some pictures of an action he had made himself several months ago. He's a very talented individual. At one time, he was doing some testing of cartridges based on the 6.8

Tony

 

[John S]

"Accuracy is indeed relative"

One inch is accurate.

One half inch is very accurate.

One quarter inch is very very accurate.

AND then there is Benchrest accurate................................................

 

[mike in co]

and two more you left out....
internet accuracy
and camp fire/bar room accuracy.....
seldom do either actually fall into any of yours...

mike in co

"Accuracy is indeed relative"

One inch is accurate.

One half inch is very accurate.

One quarter inch is very very accurate.

AND then there is Benchrest accurate................................................

 

[alinwa]

And then there's "but I sold that gun" accuracy

 

[Charles E]

Tony,

I can only read the posts by Jim, John, and Al, so if somebody else said this, I apologize. I'd ask you to consider this: When we start the accuracy game, most of us go through a series of beliefs about what's important. Case design seems to occur to most of us rather early in the process, for what at first seems a good reason -- the success of certain short-range benchrest chamberings.

Some guys never seem to leave that single component stage. They spend a couple years trying to find a better case design. (Well, more than that for me. Slow learner.) Then move on. Powder, bullets, etc. Always following the old adage, test one thing at a time. But eventually, those of us who are willing to give up our belief in magic reach the point where we understand it's a system thing. "One thing at a time" is only appropriate for getting the last little bit out of the system.

With that in mind, I'd say "inherently accurate cases" are those where there are easy powder/primer choices available, so you can stumble onto them. Just couple with good bullets & barrels, and voilà.

For all you "yeah-but's" out there, consider that everything Michael Turner makes on the .30-30 case -- including the stock case -- seems "inherently accurate." As you may know, the design of the .30-30 is rather old, and violates a number of the "principles" established over the years... There are many more such examples.

 

[mwezell]

There are several designs that are capable of shooting extremely well, even by br standards but availabilty of quality brass is a prerequisite that I consider to be as much or more important than any other factor to wildcatting.

 

[goodgrouper]

Goodgrouper

Michael emailed me some pictures of an action he had made himself several months ago. He's a very talented individual. At one time, he was doing some testing of cartridges based on the 6.8

Tony

Ahh, so that's what he's been up to. Haven't seen him around much lately. Can't wait to see what he brings to the next match. He is a very skilled man.

 

[mike in co]

MIKE,
you do know there is an RWS distrubutor in the US now ??
mike in co
the other, much less accurate mike, but as inventive

There are several designs that are capable of shooting extremely well, even by br standards but availabilty of quality brass is a prerequisite that I consider to be as much or more important than any other factor to wildcatting.

 

[Al Nyhus]

The 220 Swift is another case that swims upstream against commonly held accuracy beliefs. Long, narrow, lots of case taper, a 21 degree shoulder and based off the obsolote 6mm Lee Navy case the Swift has always shown me better accuracy than the more commercially successful 22-250.

But my favorite wildcat is the .30 Wolf Pup that Stan Ware and I designed for HBR competition. With an .085 neck length, it breaks a lot of the 'rules' but keeps bringing home the bacon in registered IBS and NBRSA competition. From l-r, virgin 6BR case, case necked to .30, necked turned case ready to f-form, f-formed case, loaded round ready to rock. Target is a 5 shot group from my HBR gun.

 

[goodgrouper]

The 220 Swift is another case that swims upstream against commonly held accuracy beliefs. Long, narrow, lots of case taper, a 21 degree shoulder and based off the obsolote 6mm Lee Navy case the Swift has always shown me better accuracy than the more commercially successful 22-250.

That's interesting you'd mention the swift Al. I think it would make my list too, however, I've found that while it can achieve amazing accuracy, the four I've worked on have been fussy little #*#*s! They all wanted one load and one load only. Deviate a bit from that specific load and they spit bullets all over the place. Went through no less than 9 powders and 6 bullets on my first swift to find something it liked! But it would shoot as small as .185" at 100 yards with it's preferred combo. And if you planned on shooting 40 grain bullets, forget it. Deviations of 75 feet were common with the lighter bullets. Heavier bullets were better but still had to work to get SD's in the teens. Uhh, just talking about this makes me glad I don't have any more swifts in the gun safe!