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AZ_Win52

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Had a weird experience at the range today. I was testing new loads today using Sierra 50gr Blitzkings (#1340 Med Vel). The load consited of 25 to 26 gr of H335 Federal 205 primers and R-P cases. Listed velocity from Sierra is 3100 - 3200 fps The rifle is a Savage LRPV with a 1 in 9" twist. 5 shots to group at 100 yds and not one round printed.

At first I thought the bullets were comming apart in flight but doing some impromptu testing on the backstop revealed the rounds hitting anywhere from 8 feet high to 5 feet low. Previous loads with different bullets were shooting fine. The scope is not loose. Any ideas?
 
I would call Sierra. 1-800-223-8799 Talk to Paul Box. My guess is the bullets are coming apart and tumbling. If you shoot at close range what does the hole look like in paper. Savage barrels are longer and the velocity may be higher than you think. Slow down the speed and see if they fix. The other thing that has happened to me is sooting over old fouling when changing powders or bullets causes some fouling issues. JB the bore and try slower speeds. Are they seating hard? I am willing to bet the bullets are spun to fast for the twist in your barrel.
 
If the scope and action screws are all tight I'd have to say that you've got a bullet problem if other bullets shoot fine. Savage uses a 1 in 9 twist, I assume this is a .223, and would think that those charges of H335 would be making more like 3350-3450 fps. If the bullets are starting to come apart they could be doing exactly what you describe.

One other thing to check is if the bore is fouled. If your barrel has a tendency to metal foul badly it could cause problems with jacket integrity. Wet the bore with Hoppe's #9 or Butch's Bore Shine and leave it in there for a few hours, if a patch run through the bore comes out blue that's copper fouling and might be the problem. A blue streak or two, unless it's very pronounced, is okay.
 
Larry,

Yes it is a .223. The velocity I stated was from the Sierra manual. I will look at the bore as the problem occurred at the end of the shooting day. I had thought of the bullets coming apart in flight so I looked up when firing. No trail, no smoke. Only once did I see a multiple strike the other few times I saw the high and low hits.
 
It's usually best to clean the bore every 20 shots if possible, and when changing powders or brand of bullet. Too much fouling in the bore can't help accuracy, and different powder residues or jacket alloys in the bore can mess up accuracy too. I know from sad experience. :eek: When changing powders it's usually only necessary to run 2 or 3 wet patches followed by 2 or 3 dry patches through the bore. Changing bullets will require brushing or something like JB to get most of the copper out.
 
While I'm waiting for a new Savage Precision Action to arrive, I've been researching the peculiarities of the Savage product. One thing I read was that the Savage factory barrel is known to have "sharp" edges between the lands and grooves. Apparently these unlapped barrels when new (before the first 200 rounds or so) can cut bullet jackets, creating instability. if that's the case, add the 1:9 twist and maybe the bullets are damaged sufficiently to become instable. If you are using the factory 1:9 barrel, it may be the culprit, but should improve with use. The 50 grain BK work better in 1:12 barrels.

I had a similar, although opposite, problem this past week with the 62 grain Barnes 6mm Varmint Grenade. Fired in a Sako L-461 6mm PPC, they didn't hit the 100 yard target, flying off about ten feet right and six feet high or low. When two finally printed on the target they were obviously flying substantially sideways. Sako used a 1:14 twist which is too slow for the 62 grain bullet made longer due to its lighter copper-tin core.

The 50 grain BlitzKing is a fragile bullet. It doesn't work well in my .22-250 or .220 Swift, where velocity has to be kept low, or they don't make it all the way to squirrel fur. Those little bullets will vaporize, fragment or disappear at a whim. I'll bet they don't like that barrel for several reasons, but the Sierra 55 grain Semi-pointed bullets always worked for me when the 50 BK's fell apart.
 
I have the 12 LRPV, in a 22-250 9 twist barrell, and have been shooting 69gr SMKs and 75gr bergers with no issues at all, and its actually been really accurate. All that was done to the gun was bed the action.
 
I was using the 36gr Varmint Grenades right before the 50gr bullets. They grouped fairly well. It was a windy day with a tail wind blowing from slightly left to right. Nothing grouped well that day. The 50gr med vel were the only ones that were erratic. I still have a few of the loads left so after a thorough cleaning I will try again.
 
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