300 Weatherby and the Accumark Rifle

[Desert Fox]

If someone invite me to shoot golf balls at 200 yards, the first rifle that comes to mind in my arsenal would be my 223 Ackley Improved Cooper, shooting the 50 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. Better yet, my 222 Remington Magnum 40XB with the 40 grain V-Max load would probably more appropriate. My 300 Weatherby Accumark with it's 180 grain Barnes load would never even cross my mind. Well, the rifle proves itself yesterday and what an eye opener.

My buddy placed several golf balls atop a tee at the 150 and 200 yards distance at our club range and we alternated picking the balls with our rifle. He was shooting 130 grain AccuBond from his 260 Model 7. I had both the 6.5-284 and the 300 Weatherby with me. So the obvious choice was the 6.5 with it's 140 grain Berger Hunting VLD load.

Well, the darn temperature yesterday was near 100 degrees even in late afternoon. After just four firing, the 6.5 barrel got super hot. I switched to the 300 and never skipped a bet. The Accumark was up to the challenge though, reducing some golf balls into a white puff of smoke. What a blast! I know the rifle is accurate but I never expected it to be this accurate.

 

[DrMike]

Now, that would be some kind of fun. Good job, DF.

 

[Guy Miner]

Shooting golf balls is a whole lot more fun than shooting groups!

 

[Greg Nolan]

Make em dance :grin: [/u]

 

[Desert Fox]

My buddy's Model 7 is very accurate. It shoots well with both AccuBond and SST but none of the lead free.

Here's the best 3 shot group with 130 AccuBond. Somehow the rifle throw the 3rd shot out of the group constantly.

More groups by the 260. I have to bed this rifle. It's not very consistent. It has a tendency to throw shot out of the group.

My buddy's 260. Cute little rifle.

Of course the 6.5. Man, the 140 Berger's is coming into it's own. 4 shot 4 golf balls. This rifle made it so easy.

 

[Elkman]

That is a cool idea. I wouldn't want to shoot against either of you. I shot gallon milk jugs today at 320. Did OK but had some wind which taught me a lesson. I don't have any golf balls I wonder if I could use? You guys have coined a new shooting term, minute of golf ball!!!!!

 

[taylorce1]

The plauge has hit the prairie dog towns I frequent pretty hard so I don' t have a whole lot of reactive targets to shoot. To keep in practice once a week I clean out the plastic recyle bin here at work. Tons of 16-32 ounce plastic drink bottles every week. I just fill them with water and set them out at varying ranges and shoot them with my rifles.

The range I do most of my shooting is a private owned and there are some burn barrels there so clean up is easy. I can only shoot at 275 yards max is the only bad thing. Not nearly as fun as prairie dogs but better than groups. Golf balls would really test my skills.

 

[Desert Fox]

That is a cool idea. I wouldn't want to shoot against either of you. I shot gallon milk jugs today at 320. Did OK but had some wind which taught me a lesson. I don't have any golf balls I wonder if I could use? You guys have coined a new shooting term, minute of golf ball!!!!!

Elkman, shooting small target like golf ball really honed your shooting skill. Nothing wrong with milk jugs. Were fortunate that our range extend up to 600 yards. That's where we set up milk jugs for target practice. Wind is the hardest element to predict. It takes a lot of practice to master them. I myself still has a lot to learn when it comes to reading wind. I recently got into 1000 yards shooting competition. I'm surprised to place 3rd after my second outing. I attributed that to my keen observation of the element, specifically wind condition. The way to do it is to go out more often and practice reading wind. I always carried my Kestrel wind meter with me every where I go. I'll observed the movement of grass and tree branch and make mental notes as to wind intensity and direction with theuse of my Kestrel. Mirage is another element that can aid you in predicting wind intensity and directions. With practice, you can use them also to your advantage. The key here is to shoot more often and bring along a friend that can help you call your shot.

 

[Desert Fox]

The plauge has hit the prairie dog towns I frequent pretty hard so I don' t have a whole lot of reactive targets to shoot. To keep in practice once a week I clean out the plastic recyle bin here at work. Tons of 16-32 ounce plastic drink bottles every week. I just fill them with water and set them out at varying ranges and shoot them with my rifles.

The range I do most of my shooting is a private owned and there are some burn barrels there so clean up is easy. I can only shoot at 275 yards max is the only bad thing. Not nearly as fun as prairie dogs but better than groups. Golf balls would really test my skills.

Taylorce1,

During off season, we honed our shooting skill by shooting ground squirrels at long range. We missed a lot, but not by much. We always tell ourselves "oh well, if it's a deer it's dead" because we don't missed much. Hunting deer in public land here in California is hard. Lots of glassing and not much walking. If the deer is spotted and it's within range, we shoot. 500 yards shot is not uncommon and it's usually cross canyon shot. Rifle accuracy is a must. 1MOA rifle wont cut it. Minimum accuracy would be half that. 300 Win Mag is the preferred caliber with 7 MM Remington Mag in close second. For two season now, I'd been dragging my 16lb 338 Lapua Ackley Improved, hoping to have an opportunity to take deer at extreme long range. But so far I have no luck. I did kill this coyote last year at a distance of 480 yards with my 338.

 

[Elkman]

Desert fox

thanks for the tips, I shoot by myself so there is no help there. I can go out several hundred yards more but started at the first ridge. I think the next spot is 520 or close. I am going to try that next week. I did know the wind was blowing, from where I was shooting it was clearly at my back. But the targets were down from the top of the next ridge and the wind was hitting that ridge square on and blowing back around at the target site. Kesteral no use there, I have to pay more attention. As soon as I moved the scope to the right hand side of the jugs I made contact. I really would like a spotter. Maybe I could rent one. Again thanks for the advice. I still have alot to learn. :grin:

 

[Desert Fox]

Elkman, don't forget there is bullet spin drift to contend with in extreme range shooting... as much as 6 t0 10 inch to the right of the target at 1000 yards. So if you're shooting at 500 yards, it should be half that. Check the three shot group at 525 yards with my 6.5-284. The 140 grain Berger VLD was hitting about 3.5 inches to the right of my zero. That's how much the bullet drifted.

 

[Elkman]

desert fox
I knew about it but have not found a way to calculate it. I asked on another forum and did not get a response. Is there a way to calculate for a specific bullet and load? I have a 10 mph wind doped in on my range card but have not figured a way to calculate for the spin. I probably not be shooting much past 500 yards as I want an extra edge for hunting and do not long range target shoot, other than to check my data. Thanks for your help!!!!!

 

[Desert Fox]

Like bullet BC, spin drift can vary from rifle to rifle. With that said, the best way to figure drift is to shoot your rifle at varying distances and then average your result. Make sure you do this on the days when there's minimal wind. If you have access to ballistic program like the Exbal, you can input this number and the program will calculate it for you.

If your shot will be limited to 500 yards, then all you have to do is to zero your drift at that distance. Once this is done, all there is to worry is the wind.

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

DF congratulations on your third place finish!! Did you shoot that with Norma Jean?

 

[Desert Fox]

DF congratulations on your third place finish!! Did you shoot that with Norma Jean?

Nope! 338 Lapua Ackley.

You can read it here.

http://www.noslerreloading.com/phpBB2/v ... hp?t=12878

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

That was my other guess.
Great shooting, hope to join you on the 1000 yard matches in the future!.

 

[SJB358]

That is some great shooting DF with the mighty 300 Weatherby. One of my partners stationed in California just bought a 270 WBY and a 300 WBY in Accumarks. The 300 is for him and the 270 for his wife. He hasn't reported in yet with his range results from the rifle yet, but it seems like he will be happy once he gets it out. I think he put Leupold VX3 3.5x10-40mm w B&C reticles on both rifles, in Talley Mounts. We are supposed to hunt some elk in the future, so I am looking forward to see these. I haven't seen an Accumark in person, but your is one sharp rifle. Scotty

 

[Desert Fox]

That is some great shooting DF with the mighty 300 Weatherby. One of my partners stationed in California just bought a 270 WBY and a 300 WBY in Accumarks. The 300 is for him and the 270 for his wife. He hasn't reported in yet with his range results from the rifle yet, but it seems like he will be happy once he gets it out. I think he put Leupold VX3 3.5x10-40mm w B&C reticles on both rifles, in Talley Mounts. We are supposed to hunt some elk in the future, so I am looking forward to see these. I haven't seen an Accumark in person, but your is one sharp rifle. Scotty

Scotty, Weatherby guaranteed their rifle to deliver 1.5 inch 3 shot group or better at 100 yards. That might be good for some but not good enough for me. This rifle was an honest 1MOA when I got it. I noticed that the stock to action fit was a bit sloppy so I went ahead and skim bed the stock. That did the trick. The rifle will now shoot half inch or better consistently.

Here's the 3 shot group@110 yards after bedding. This was with 180 grain TSX.

Here's the 5 shot group@110 yards.

 

[SJB358]

I read your post when you bedded that rifle. I have it book marked in case I ever have to do something like it. It was a first rate job. Your accuracy with that big gun is nothing short of excellent. That 300 Wby is a nice cartridge. Scotty

 

[DrMike]

It is always satisfying to witness the results obtained with a well-built rifle and a steady hand. Great pictures of some fine shooting DF.