My young neighbor and friend, Caleb T. is planning on going elk and deer hunting with me in Montana in the fall of 2023. He had purchased a used Sako A7 chamber for 300 Win. Mag. mid 2022. Rol_P donated a Leupold Vari-X III, 2.5-8X, 36mm scope to Caleb to mount on his new acquisition. Early fall 2022 I put together some 180 gr. Ballistic Tips for him to use for deer hunting in 2022. See https://forum.nosler.com/threads/another-300-win-mag.43799/
During a trip to visit family during Christmas I found a new Leupold VX-3, 3.5-10X, 40 mm, with the Boone and Crockett reticule at gun shop in Delaware and bought it. I offered to loan it to Caleb for the 2023 elk hunt and he accepted.
I bore sighted the rifle with the Vari-X III scope still on it. I put an orange dot on the target where the cross hair was when the bore was centered on the bullseye. Then I mounted the new VX-3 scope with Boone & Crockett reticule. I adjusted the scope so the cross hair was on the same dot as the Vari-X III scope was when the bore was centered on the bullseye. I was pretty confident that I could get “on the paper” at 50 yards.
Yesterday I loaded the first elk loads for Caleb’s Sako 300 Win. Mag. My goal was to get the new scope adjusted to have shots “on the paper” and get velocity data with a new lot of powder and the black coated 180 gr. Combined Technology AccuBond bullets I had gotten from SPS (Shooters Pro Shop). The plastic tips were broken off from five of the bullets. I decided to use three of those to foul the barrel while trying to adjust the scope to be “on the paper”. I used the same powder charge as I used for the 180 gr. Ballistic Tip bullets I had loaded for Caleb to use for deer in 2022. I also had to seat the bullets to fit in the magazine at a C.O.A.L. of only 3.334”.
Today I set up a cardboard box with a target at 50 yards and shot the first of the cartridges with a bullet with a broken tip. It hit just a 1/4” low and 1” left. I adjust the scope 4 clicks (1/2” at 50 yards) right and moved the target to my target holder and bullet stop at 100 yards. Then I shot the second cartridge with a bullet with a broken tip. That bullet hit 1-1/2” left. I adjusted the scope 4 clicks right and shot the third bullet with a broken tip. That bullet hit at 2:00 in the bullseye. Confident now that I would NOT hit it, I set up the chronograph. Then I shot the last three bullets (which all had tips). All three hit the bullseye. When all was done and measured, the last four bullets shot formed a 5/8” group at 100 yards. See attached photo.
This was the easiest and fastest combined sight-in and load development that I ever did, and I am pretty excited about that. Color me happy.
I think the velocity variation is an anomaly and I can easily load a few more to verify the load and velocity. With the shortage and cost of reloading components I am trying to decide whether to call this good or whether to fuss with it some more. What do you think? Dan
During a trip to visit family during Christmas I found a new Leupold VX-3, 3.5-10X, 40 mm, with the Boone and Crockett reticule at gun shop in Delaware and bought it. I offered to loan it to Caleb for the 2023 elk hunt and he accepted.
I bore sighted the rifle with the Vari-X III scope still on it. I put an orange dot on the target where the cross hair was when the bore was centered on the bullseye. Then I mounted the new VX-3 scope with Boone & Crockett reticule. I adjusted the scope so the cross hair was on the same dot as the Vari-X III scope was when the bore was centered on the bullseye. I was pretty confident that I could get “on the paper” at 50 yards.
Yesterday I loaded the first elk loads for Caleb’s Sako 300 Win. Mag. My goal was to get the new scope adjusted to have shots “on the paper” and get velocity data with a new lot of powder and the black coated 180 gr. Combined Technology AccuBond bullets I had gotten from SPS (Shooters Pro Shop). The plastic tips were broken off from five of the bullets. I decided to use three of those to foul the barrel while trying to adjust the scope to be “on the paper”. I used the same powder charge as I used for the 180 gr. Ballistic Tip bullets I had loaded for Caleb to use for deer in 2022. I also had to seat the bullets to fit in the magazine at a C.O.A.L. of only 3.334”.
Today I set up a cardboard box with a target at 50 yards and shot the first of the cartridges with a bullet with a broken tip. It hit just a 1/4” low and 1” left. I adjust the scope 4 clicks (1/2” at 50 yards) right and moved the target to my target holder and bullet stop at 100 yards. Then I shot the second cartridge with a bullet with a broken tip. That bullet hit 1-1/2” left. I adjusted the scope 4 clicks right and shot the third bullet with a broken tip. That bullet hit at 2:00 in the bullseye. Confident now that I would NOT hit it, I set up the chronograph. Then I shot the last three bullets (which all had tips). All three hit the bullseye. When all was done and measured, the last four bullets shot formed a 5/8” group at 100 yards. See attached photo.
This was the easiest and fastest combined sight-in and load development that I ever did, and I am pretty excited about that. Color me happy.
I think the velocity variation is an anomaly and I can easily load a few more to verify the load and velocity. With the shortage and cost of reloading components I am trying to decide whether to call this good or whether to fuss with it some more. What do you think? Dan
