I think my first reload attempt was a miracle...

Necroman99

Necroman99

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So tried my first ever reloads. Shot what I think is 1/2moa...I might not adjust anything.

Savage 114 American Classic .270
100yds on a leadsled
2 4 shot groups (1 to warm barrel which yields a flyer plus 3 that I count)
Max spread Centre to Centre of the 3 shot groups ommiting the flyer looks about 1/2 inch.
Can measure with calipers later but it's DEFINITELY under an inch.

That's really good right? Might be best I can get?
 
Unless you plan on always firing a shot to warm the barrel when hunting, you count every shot, including so called "fliers". That being said, it sounds like you are on the right track.
 
stubblejumper said:
Unless you plan on always firing a shot to warm the barrel when hunting, you count every shot, including so called "fliers". That being said, it sounds like you are on the right track.
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That's good to know. I wasn't sure. I knew the first was always off a little but still within an inch I suggest. Just figured for zeroing rifle and whatnot I can ignore the coldshot cause I can probably never zero it...zero Centre of 3 shot groups....yes?

It is a hunting gun and they are hunting bullets...but I can still play in the off season!
 
It sounds like your first group was from a freshly cleaned barrel. With some rifles that shot can go anywhere.

If you plan on hunting with the rifle, stick with the load you have but before the hunt, make sure the barrel is fouled. Most rifles shoot to different points of aim from a freshly cleaned barrel to a fouled barrel.

I don't clean the rifles I hunt with until the season is over.

Also, you want to set your scope up for the point of impact indicated by the first shot, from a cold, pre fouled barrel. It takes longer to set it up but you won't get any surprises in the field that way.

By the way, be careful with that Lead Sled. They don't allow for take up of recoil forces very well and can cause scope issues and if your stock is wood, maybe even split it.

I use a high density pad between the stock butt and the holding cup. The recoil pads most rifles are equipped with are not enough to absorb the recoil when place against a solid rest. They were made to take into account the ability of a human shoulder to roll with the recoil and bleed off some of the forces.
 
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Necroman99 said:
That's good to know. I wasn't sure. I knew the first was always off a little but still within an inch I suggest. Just figured for zeroing rifle and whatnot I can ignore the coldshot cause I can probably never zero it...zero Centre of 3 shot groups....yes?

It is a hunting gun and they are hunting bullets...but I can still play in the off season!
Click to expand...

The first shot is the most important shot for a hunting rifle, so that is the most important shot in zeroing the rifle. As for the first shot not going where the following shots go, it is more likely associated with a clean barrel, than a cold barrel. You may want to shoot a shot or two before the hunting season, and then not clean the rifle, until after the season.

As for the lead sled, I never use them, as they often effect the point of impact , and they can lead to damaged stocks.
 
Here is a load I do for my son's .270, different make of gun but amazingly accurate.

55.2 gr of H4831SC
110 gr Hornady SST.
 
The next time out fire a few 5 shot groups and if see how you do, just to confirm that you really have the sweet spot. Also, what load and bullet were you using?
 
Post a pic of the target, if you have one, and I'll tell you exactly what the spread is. I'll need a point of reference on the target where you know the distance between two known points (e.g.: the target circle is 5.5" in diameter, or whatever)
 
Necroman99 said:
That's good to know. I wasn't sure. I knew the first was always off a little but still within an inch I suggest. Just figured for zeroing rifle and whatnot I can ignore the coldshot cause I can probably never zero it...
Click to expand...

What you can do is save a special target for your cold bore shots. Shoot the cold bore shot at it, and then take it down and save it for next time. Some rifles, even though the cold bore shot is not consistent with the warm barrel shots, will be consistent with it's cold bore shots. In other words, you can sometimes get a nice group of cold shots. If this is the case with yours, then you can count on where the bullet will go for the first shot, and can adjust your poa as necessary.
 
uberkermit said:
What you can do is save a special target for your cold bore shots. Shoot the cold bore shot at it, and then take it down and save it for next time. Some rifles, even though the cold bore shot is not consistent with the warm barrel shots, will be consistent with it's cold bore shots. In other words, you can sometimes get a nice group of cold shots. If this is the case with yours, then you can count on where the bullet will go for the first shot, and can adjust your poa as necessary.
Click to expand...

This is a great idea!
 
congrats on the first handloads....if thats what works best in your rifle its a good idea to fire a round off after cleaning it before going hunting.
If you flyer was within an inch of the 1/2 inch group I wouldn't really worry about it though.
:)
 
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