More load development or good enough?

Ducimus

Ducimus

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Steven's 200 in 22-250
Range: 100m
Brass: Winchester
Primer: Winchester
Powder: Varget @ 35.3 grains
Bullet: 50 grain Blitzking - seated .020 from the lands.

This is my coyote rifle. It had a few hundrend rounds of factory ammo through it before I started reloading. Will playing with the seating depth more make much of a differnce or should I just let it be. Not sure if I want to burn through more components or barrel life.

IMG_1256.jpg
 
Almost, but not good enough until they all go through the same hole.

On a more serious note, you may need to develop a few different loads based on weather conditions. Loads that function well now, most likely will not in the dead of winter and in the summer. I develop multiple loads and keep them in separate MTM cases based on weather conditions. If nothing else, it gives you more reasons to hit the range all year round.
 
mackles is right about temp swings throwing a good grouping rifle into a shotgun pattern boom stick. If you have a Shooting Chrono just take the avg speed of this great shooting load, and adjust it depending on the temp to get the velocity in the same area and your back in business.

I usually document what powder amount it takes to keep the velocity at -20,0,10,20c. I would also buy a big jug of Varget just for that rifle so a lot to lot variance doesn't change all your hard earned data... I learnt the hard way with 1 pound canisters..

Good shooting!
 
Nah the rifle is obviously a non shooter....I will trade you a winchester m94 that shoots a pie plate at 100 yards so you can even hit a coyote at a dead run or scare him so bad he dies of a heart attack....lol...lol

It truely looks great where it is. But temp does play a role but if it is for critters rather that the one-hole range shooting, it shoots quite sufficiently.
 
aletheuo said:
I wanna see a 10-shot group - proof is in THAT puddin'.
Click to expand...

+1. 3 shots is not really a big enough number to be statistically significant. At least 5 shots and better 10 to really know the capabilities of your load and rifle. The other measure is if it will do that consistently or if that was a one-time thing. I have shot a 3/8" 3 shot group @ 100yds. with my 6.5x55 hunting rifle using factory ammo, but that doesn't mean it is a 3/8MOA rifle. It is more like 1.25MOA most of the time and that one group was the group of a lifetime with that gun.

Another thing to do is shoot at 200 or 300 yards to see if you get any vertical stringing over the longer range. That will tell you how consistent your velocities are.

You are off to an excellent start, though.:D

Mark
 
Repeatability is key. If it only ever groups like that the one time with that load....keep looking.

As for temp swings with your load, I shot the same Varget load last year in my 6BR from the time I found a load (Feb/March) right to the dead heat of summer (July in Kamloops & August long in Chilliwack) and into the fall (End of Sept and Oct 31/Nov 1) in competitions without a hiccup.
 
Ducimus said:
Steven's 200 in 22-250
Range: 100m
Brass: Winchester
Primer: Winchester
Powder: Varget @ 35.3 grains
Bullet: 50 grain Blitzking - seated .020 from the lands.

This is my coyote rifle. It had a few hundrend rounds of factory ammo through it before I started reloading. Will playing with the seating depth more make much of a differnce or should I just let it be. Not sure if I want to burn through more components or barrel life.

IMG_1256.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice shooting and good loading, chances of having 3 shots at a yote are slim, but I would load and shoot a few more groups of 3 or 4 for consistancy, glad I could help. FS
 
Like the guys said....do a larger volume group. Not to say that there's anything wrong with what I see in that picture...because that's great. If it'll do that all day long, you've got it made. A lot of people turned their noses up at the Stevens 200 because they were cheap. I've got one in 300 win mag and I was doing groups like that as well. Sadly, the barrel is getting pretty shot out of mine 2000-2500 rounds from new. The good thing is, it's a Savage 110 action, and I can get replacement barrels through Mystic Player that will just screw right on. Come on income tax cheque !!!! :D
 
"...much of a difference..." Not likely. Wiley won't care anyway. However, as mentioned, consistent groups like that are what you're looking for. Load a box of that load and go see if your rifle keeps shooting groups like that. I wouldn't worry if it opens up a bit though. Wiley won't care about that either.
 
I'm still not convinced that 3-shot group after 3-shot group is the best way... why not just 10 shots? I'd be far more convinced with a 10-shot group than 6 3-shot groups... or at least take the time to superimpose the groups over one another.
 
From my Experience with the Stevens 200 your ten shot group will surely widen but's not your fault or anything to be concerned with.

Id fire more 3 shot and maybe some 5 shot groups to confirm the repeatability if the paper groups really matter but that looks pretty good for a hunting rifle.
 
Ducimus said:
Steven's 200 in 22-250
Range: 100m
Brass: Winchester
Primer: Winchester
Powder: Varget @ 35.3 grains
Bullet: 50 grain Blitzking - seated .020 from the lands.

This is my coyote rifle. It had a few hundrend rounds of factory ammo through it before I started reloading. Will playing with the seating depth more make much of a differnce or should I just let it be. Not sure if I want to burn through more components or barrel life.

IMG_1256.jpg
Click to expand...

You did that with a Steven's model 200? There was a guy the other day with a $1500.00 Tikka T3 setup in 308 that couldn't keep groups like that and he had a vice. I thought those rifles were decently accurate hunting machines, not precision rifles.
 
The hardest part of shooting the groups was the trigger...man is it heavy. Not sure about spending cash on a trigger for a Stevens though the whole point of a Steven's is to be cheap.
 
Ducimus said:
The hardest part of shooting the groups was the trigger...man is it heavy. Not sure about spending cash on a trigger for a Stevens though the whole point of a Steven's is to be cheap.
Click to expand...

I'd have to agree on that. like I said.....it's a Savage 110 action (at least my 300wm is) stuck in a tupperware stock with a pencil barrel. They're an incredibly accurate gun for the money. I put a Timney target trigger on mine (this gun is slowly being turned into a heavy barrel target rifle) and it made a bit of a difference. It was right around the $100 mark for the trigger and it's no great feat of gunsmithing to install and set it up. Just follow the instructions that come with the trigger. Pure "plug and play"
 
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