elkeater2
Handloader
- Jan 5, 2009
- 761
- 85
I don't want to write a novel, but wanted to share the experience. Rifle bought new with a Vortex scope. Scope mounted by store guy who talked a good game. Son bought 3 boxes of Wby branded 180 grain 'spitzers'. They were $36 a box, while plain brass was $35 for 20!
It shot terrible, I mean really bad. We checked the scope mount and ring screws, they seemed OK. Pulled the stock and the skim bedding around the lug was kinda sloppy so we cleaned it up. Still shot lousy. This all with the cheap ammo and brake installed.
Son purchased reloading gear for the .300, and bullets and primers.
Sent the scope to Vortex, it checked out OK. I bought an inch pound torque wrench, a good one.
It shoots now! What we did:
Weatherby has a specific torque sequence and methodology for the guard screws, including use of blue loctite. We followed that exactly. There was some bedding material which had flowed down around the front screw - enough so it could have been absorbing some recoil rhat the lug should have been receiving. Cleaned that up.
Checked the torque on the bases and rings. This has the Leupold STD front dovetail and rear windage adjustable bases. The windage screws were NOT torqued up properly, got about 3/4 turn on both of them to reach spec.
Loaded 185 Berger VLD's in carefully prepped brass fired in the rifle. 80.5 gr. H4831SC, seated to just run through the magazine.
Shot the leftover cheap ammo w/o the brake - actually grouped with mostly vertical dispersion. Great improvement! Re-installed brake and it wasn't even on the paper.
Then we shot our handloads. Voila!! We had several COL's with the same powder charge. COL didn't make much difference because they all grouped tight. I shot 3 and then my son shot 2 into the same group - just over an inch. We let it cool between shots pretty well. Then I shot 3 that went into less than 1/2". Shooting with brake or without made little difference at all.
Conclusions? ? :
Follow factory torque procedures and specs.
Don't buy cheap (even factory) ammo.
Handloading with good components and proven procedures still pays off.
Don't give up easy!
Elkeater2
It shot terrible, I mean really bad. We checked the scope mount and ring screws, they seemed OK. Pulled the stock and the skim bedding around the lug was kinda sloppy so we cleaned it up. Still shot lousy. This all with the cheap ammo and brake installed.
Son purchased reloading gear for the .300, and bullets and primers.
Sent the scope to Vortex, it checked out OK. I bought an inch pound torque wrench, a good one.
It shoots now! What we did:
Weatherby has a specific torque sequence and methodology for the guard screws, including use of blue loctite. We followed that exactly. There was some bedding material which had flowed down around the front screw - enough so it could have been absorbing some recoil rhat the lug should have been receiving. Cleaned that up.
Checked the torque on the bases and rings. This has the Leupold STD front dovetail and rear windage adjustable bases. The windage screws were NOT torqued up properly, got about 3/4 turn on both of them to reach spec.
Loaded 185 Berger VLD's in carefully prepped brass fired in the rifle. 80.5 gr. H4831SC, seated to just run through the magazine.
Shot the leftover cheap ammo w/o the brake - actually grouped with mostly vertical dispersion. Great improvement! Re-installed brake and it wasn't even on the paper.
Then we shot our handloads. Voila!! We had several COL's with the same powder charge. COL didn't make much difference because they all grouped tight. I shot 3 and then my son shot 2 into the same group - just over an inch. We let it cool between shots pretty well. Then I shot 3 that went into less than 1/2". Shooting with brake or without made little difference at all.
Conclusions? ? :
Follow factory torque procedures and specs.
Don't buy cheap (even factory) ammo.
Handloading with good components and proven procedures still pays off.
Don't give up easy!
Elkeater2
