The weather finally co-operated and we had a beautiful windless sunny day with temps around 10. Set up my Oehler 35P and played with a few toys. Nothing outstanding to report, chrono'd the 234 Douglas @ 3430 fps with 105s, but a mediocre 1.25" group.
My 25-06 is still dicking me around after a stock change, shooting 2"+ groups with Marshals 125s, didn't like 120 Parts either, gonna have to WIPEOUT the barrel and see if it helps.......it chrono'd between 2800 and 2975 with the 125 gn test loads I had assembled, one group showed a little promise with the first 2 in the same hole and #3 less than 1/2" away, but the next load blew out to 2 1/2"s so I suspect just a fluke. I don't get excited unless it will do at least 3 consecutive groups with the same load......was trying H1000 and Retumbo in this old girl.........maybe try 7828 and RL 25........oh sh!t, I'm out of RL 25 and none on the horizon from what I'm hearing.
My 6.5X55 BSA showed a little more promise with the first test load putting all 4 into 3/4" but a very mild load, in fact even my max load turned out to be very mild in this rifle. I have several thousand 139 gn HPBT bulk bullets (Normas I think) that I'm really hoping to get to shoot in this rifle. I tried H4831 and IMR 7828, so I have a lot more powders to try yet and I need to bump up the load a bit. It chrono'd between 2500 fps to a max of 2750 fps with no pressure showing at all.
Next was a little Sako full stock in 308 that I was trying some 150 gn Nosler parts in but these are a funny blue coated bullet. I have several hundred so I was hoping it may like them........it didn't. 2 1/2"+ but at least I got them up to 2960 fps or so, but it didn't like them from the beginning, tried Varget and RL 15. I have a thousand Sierra 180s so I think I'll try them and see if it likes them better, should be a good bullet in the 308, just about the right velocity for a C+C bullet. I think I'll try the 150s again with IMR 4064, that's the powder that my Ruger RSI in 308 likes so I'll give it one more whirl with the 4064.
Like I said nothing outstanding to report but had a great afternoon shooting in the sunshine.............Was going to carry on today as the weather is the same but thought I had better give the neighbors a break and if the weather holds (it is supposed to) I think I'll try some bigger stuff tomorrow......375 Ruger, 325 gn loads in my 378 Wby and some of the 240 gn loads in my 340 Wby and I want to chrono the 9.3X300 WM loads I used last fall just for giggles. I might throw in some 243 and 234 loads I have ready for testing.
Kinda funny but I can't leave targets up on my back board cause the donkeys tear them down and eat them.........odd little critters, they are. Had an odd incident as well yesterday, I was taking a break and letting barrels cool and having a smoke when 4 whitetails wandered up from the bottom of the pasture, right across the middle of my range and into the bush on the south side. I hadn't quit shooting for more than 30 seconds when I noticed them at the bottom so they had to have been right there while I was shooting and came through during my little break. Just goes to show that shooting doesn't seem to spook them at all.
My 25-06 is still dicking me around after a stock change, shooting 2"+ groups with Marshals 125s, didn't like 120 Parts either, gonna have to WIPEOUT the barrel and see if it helps.......it chrono'd between 2800 and 2975 with the 125 gn test loads I had assembled, one group showed a little promise with the first 2 in the same hole and #3 less than 1/2" away, but the next load blew out to 2 1/2"s so I suspect just a fluke. I don't get excited unless it will do at least 3 consecutive groups with the same load......was trying H1000 and Retumbo in this old girl.........maybe try 7828 and RL 25........oh sh!t, I'm out of RL 25 and none on the horizon from what I'm hearing.
My 6.5X55 BSA showed a little more promise with the first test load putting all 4 into 3/4" but a very mild load, in fact even my max load turned out to be very mild in this rifle. I have several thousand 139 gn HPBT bulk bullets (Normas I think) that I'm really hoping to get to shoot in this rifle. I tried H4831 and IMR 7828, so I have a lot more powders to try yet and I need to bump up the load a bit. It chrono'd between 2500 fps to a max of 2750 fps with no pressure showing at all.
Next was a little Sako full stock in 308 that I was trying some 150 gn Nosler parts in but these are a funny blue coated bullet. I have several hundred so I was hoping it may like them........it didn't. 2 1/2"+ but at least I got them up to 2960 fps or so, but it didn't like them from the beginning, tried Varget and RL 15. I have a thousand Sierra 180s so I think I'll try them and see if it likes them better, should be a good bullet in the 308, just about the right velocity for a C+C bullet. I think I'll try the 150s again with IMR 4064, that's the powder that my Ruger RSI in 308 likes so I'll give it one more whirl with the 4064.
Like I said nothing outstanding to report but had a great afternoon shooting in the sunshine.............Was going to carry on today as the weather is the same but thought I had better give the neighbors a break and if the weather holds (it is supposed to) I think I'll try some bigger stuff tomorrow......375 Ruger, 325 gn loads in my 378 Wby and some of the 240 gn loads in my 340 Wby and I want to chrono the 9.3X300 WM loads I used last fall just for giggles. I might throw in some 243 and 234 loads I have ready for testing.
Kinda funny but I can't leave targets up on my back board cause the donkeys tear them down and eat them.........odd little critters, they are. Had an odd incident as well yesterday, I was taking a break and letting barrels cool and having a smoke when 4 whitetails wandered up from the bottom of the pasture, right across the middle of my range and into the bush on the south side. I hadn't quit shooting for more than 30 seconds when I noticed them at the bottom so they had to have been right there while I was shooting and came through during my little break. Just goes to show that shooting doesn't seem to spook them at all.
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