Nice Range Day

[Joec7651]

I took 3 of my rifles to the range today and it went pretty well. Took one of my 308’s, a 270 Win, and the 7mm Rem Mag I customized. The 270 gave 1” groups with 130gr E-Tips over RL26 at 3150 fps. Nice shooting load but I need to work on it a bit more. 130gr Partitions shoot best in this one so far. Solid .5” group with PT’s.

The 7mm RM with a 1:8 barrel and new Timney trigger put 140gr E-Tips over RL23 into consistent .5” groups with no vertical dispersion. That load is zeroed at 200 yards moving at 3245 fps. I like that one a lot. Its groups are a horizontal line that could well be my shooting form and habits.

The best shooting of the 3 was the 308 Winchester also zeroed at 200 yds. It’s load is a 150gr Partition over CFE223 at 2975 fps. It’s a stock rifle with the exception of the Boyd’s Walnut Prairie Hunter stock i put it in. That rifle and load smoked the other two by a mile. I didn’t measure the groups but it will put 5 shots into one ragged hole the size of my thumbnail. I’d say .35”ish without exaggeration. Figuring I’ll use the 7mm RM and 308 this coming deer season.

 

[DrMike]

Sounds as if any of those three combinations will hunt. I wouldn't hesitate to take them with me into the woods.

 

[hunter24605]

that kind of day has to make you happy. Seems your all set.

 

[Slimfinn]

Great choices and fantastic shooting also, any one of them will put meat in the freezer!

 

[Joec7651]

Thank you guys. I really want to hunt with the 7RM for personal reasons but the 308 just shoots soooooo well. They are neck and neck right now though. Both will certainly put the bullet where you send it.

 

[TackDriver284]

Great shooting, and your loads you put together has a successful ending, now its time to hunt and put meat in the freezer.

 

[Joec7651]

I’ll just hunt with both of them. Dilemma solved. TackDriver is right, time to fill the freezer. Between gun season and bow season hopefully there will be some success.

 

[Blkram]

Then you need to hunt that 7RM.
Was always happy with the results when hunting with 7mm's (280, 7RM &STW). Always put meat in the freezer!

 

[Joec7651]

Speaking of the 7mm Rem Mag. What is a horizontal group with no vertical stringing at all telling me? Its a great group, 2 of the 3 were touching with the next extending the horizontal group to .5”. I’m nitpicking because I don’t think I can shoot any better than that but doesn’t that point to seating depth or something like that?

 

[NYDAN]

Great shooting, Joe. You have done some solid load development with those rifles. You are in an enviable position to have three well preforming rifles and loads to hunt with before season. Wishing you good luck on getting some shots while hunting. Dan

 

[Blkram]

Speaking of the 7mm Rem Mag. What is a horizontal group with no vertical stringing at all telling me? Its a great group, 2 of the 3 were touching with the next extending the horizontal group to .5”. I’m nitpicking because I don’t think I can shoot any better than that but doesn’t that point to seating depth or something like that?

If your group is horizontal, it would indicate a stock action screw torque issue, but with a group size of 1/2", I would not believe this to be your issue. I wouldn't overthink a 1/2" group.
Just group size due to run out or some other minute difference in the individual cartridges from loading, or slightly different variation in the grip on your rifle, placement on the shooting bags/rest, eye alignment behind the scope, or your trigger squeeze (all very slight variations in your shooting form from shot to shot), as the rifle recoils from each shot, and you cycle the action and regrip the rifle for your next round.
Hard to know without an experienced shooter watching you...or recording your shooting technique and form.

 

[Joec7651]

If your group is horizontal, it would indicate a stock action screw torque issue, but with a group size of 1/2", I would not believe this to be your issue. I wouldn't overthink a 1/2" group.
Just group size due to run out or some other minute difference in the individual cartridges from loading, or slightly different variation in the grip on your rifle, placement on the shooting bags/rest, eye alignment behind the scope, or your trigger squeeze (all very slight variations in your shooting form from shot to shot), as the rifle recoils from each shot, and you cycle the action and regrip the rifle for your next round.
Hard to know without an experienced shooter watching you...or recording your shooting technique and form.

Maybe I am overthinking it. Action screws are torqued to 35 in/lbs each with Wheeler torque driver, action is bedded in walnut stock, and barrel is floated. It was the first time firing it with a new Timney trigger. Maybe I just need to get used to it. Thanks a lot for the response back.

 

[JD338]

Joe

Nice shooting. You are set to go.
I am intrigued with the 308. Sounds like an awesome load.

JD338

 

[Joec7651]

Great shooting, Joe. You have done some solid load development with those rifles. You are in an enviable position to have three well preforming rifles and loads to hunt with before season. Wishing you good luck on getting some shots while hunting. Dan

Thanks Dan. Unless it’s a rifle that’s been passed down from family I won’t keep a gun that I can’t make shoot. I’m a little OCD about it and send them down the road if they give me headaches. I have a 308 that is a few years old and hasn’t been shot yet. I need to see what it will do. I got it home, cleaned the factory crud from the bore and it went in the safe.

 

[ShadeTree]

Joe, congratulations on 3 rifles and loads that are ready to roll.

I'm not expert and there are certainly guys that are way better at this than I am, but when I'm working on fine tuning a load in a rifle capable of responding to fine tuning, I like to shoot at 200 yds. That distance is far enough to allow inconsistencies in the load to show up in a pattern, but close enough that I can do a pretty good job of keeping human error out of the equation.

300 yds it's much easier for a small mistake to show up as a false sign of what the load is doing. Also at that distance a small wind gust can do the same. False result of what the load and rifle is doing.

Again I'm not an expert, but 200 yds allows vertical stringing to show up, which is usually powder charge. Or horizontal stringing to show up, which is usually seating depth. This is all assuming there's nothing going on with the barrel against the stock, or any kind of a bedding issue. As you know, real tack driving status requires EVERYTHING to be right. Ammo, rifle, shooter. A level I don't require for a lot of my rifles and their uses.

 

[RL338]

Every year I hate to pick out the rifle I hunt with. Last year took deer with my 300 WBY and 416 WBY. This year I haven’t start thinking yet.
Your choice is a little different. Can’t go wrong with either.

 

[Joec7651]

I hadn’t thought about stretching out for load development. That’s great advice, thank you. Sometimes you can’t see the forest for all the trees. I don’t shoot groups as tight as I used to. To be honest I’m not certain I can tighten it up. There’s much more chance it’s me than the load or rifle.

As far as the 308 Win load it’s just under Hodgdon max for 150 grain E-Tip except I’m using a 150 grain Partition. I really love that little rifle. 51 grains CFE223 in Federal brass, lit with a CCI 200, and OAL is 2.810”. It gives an honest 2980 fps with Magnetospeed from a 22” barrel. Nothing exotic with the load or rifle but it stacks Partitions dead nuts. Rounded primers and no trouble with bolt lift. It fills the case to the bottom of the neck with a couple taps to settle it.

 

[Joec7651]

I don’t have near as much time or money invested in the 308 as I do the 7RM’s but it’s so comfortable to carry, seems to have a fast barrel, and shoots great. Its ended up as my favorite rifle to hunt with. It’s a factory Remington 783 that I added a Boyd’s stock to. Deer themed skip line checkering. Not the best pic but I like the deer tracks and whitetail heads engraved in the panels.

 

[TackDriver284]

As far as the 308 Win load it’s just under Hodgdon max for 150 grain E-Tip except I’m using a 150 grain Partition. I really love that little rifle. 51 grains CFE223 in Federal brass, lit with a CCI 200, and OAL is 2.810”. It gives an honest 2980 fps with Magnetospeed from a 22” barrel. Nothing exotic with the load or rifle but it stacks Partitions dead nuts. Rounded primers and no trouble with bolt lift. It fills the case to the bottom of the neck with a couple taps to settle it.

Yup, the .308 is a dandy cartridge to shoot, I recently worked up a 165 grain Ball Tip stout load of Varget, a pill moving at 2840 fps and under .2 MOA brings out grins. It's one of my favorite cartridges to have fun with. Your 150 grain load is a good one, especially with a Partition at that speed with a 22 inch barrel.

 

[ShadeTree]

That's a great load all the way around in that 308, Joe. Your rifle is fast, but not way out there. 1/2 grain more and Hodgdon is showing 2974 with a 24" barrel with a 150 Nosler BT. And 57,000 psi, so some wiggle room left in a 308.

To get faster than that in an -06 with a 150 grainer you either have to get into more specialty powders, or a way bigger charge weight. To me though, it's never about speed unless dealing with a cartridge or load that's lacking it. It's about a load that shoots, but you got both in spades. About as much as you're gonna get out of that cartridge and bullet weight, and it shoots really well.

Congrats on that and good shooting.