My factory hunting rifle shoots between .5"-.75" all day! Really? Prove it!

Unfortunately my options for ranges suck, as it is I'm driving an hour to go there and everything else within an hour and a half is a 25 or 50 yard indoor range. This place gets busy on weekends and anyone with a PAL (or not they also do beginner range packages shoot variety of guns) can come as a guest so plenty of riff-raff makes their way through. I've been in the office/shop one time and a "person of colour" was checking out handguns, held it sideways and I quote "That's so gangsta yo!" shopkeeper replies clearly unimpressed "Yes, it is gangsta..."

People have been caught on security camera's pointing guns at each other and taking pictures and selfies for their facebook... People start uncasing guns while the green flag is up and people are down-range changing targets... guys take guns off the rack and "sweep" the bench line instead of keeping it pointed up... all kinds of face-palm moments on a regular. Best to go monday-friday in the morning...

It's also happened innocently where guy beside me bought a new rifle and is sighting it for the first time, I start seeing holes appear on my target as he shoots so "hey bud, where you aiming?" "center of my target" "well, you're way off it's hitting the right edge of mine, about 14 inches left of your POA"

What's a poor southern ontarian to do?
 
RabidM4U5 said:
Unfortunately my options for ranges suck, as it is I'm driving an hour to go there and everything else within an hour and a half is a 25 or 50 yard indoor range. This place gets busy on weekends and anyone with a PAL (or not they also do beginner range packages shoot variety of guns) can come as a guest so plenty of riff-raff makes their way through. I've been in the office/shop one time and a "person of colour" was checking out handguns, held it sideways and I quote "That's so gangsta yo!" shopkeeper replies clearly unimpressed "Yes, it is gangsta..."

People have been caught on security camera's pointing guns at each other and taking pictures and selfies for their facebook... People start uncasing guns while the green flag is up and people are down-range changing targets... guys take guns off the rack and "sweep" the bench line instead of keeping it pointed up... all kinds of face-palm moments on a regular. Best to go monday-friday in the morning...

It's also happened innocently where guy beside me bought a new rifle and is sighting it for the first time, I start seeing holes appear on my target as he shoots so "hey bud, where you aiming?" "center of my target" "well, you're way off it's hitting the right edge of mine, about 14 inches left of your POA"

What's a poor southern ontarian to do?
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Sounds like an accident waiting to happen. If it's that bad I would never go there. EVER!!!
 
I've really only stuck around there due to my ongoing load development for my .270, otherwise I'd maybe just pay the guest fee once a year to check my zero before deer season and look into a 50 yard indoor range for my .22 shooting. They also recently removed the 25 yard line on a 50 yard range and installed baffles effectively preventing one from shooting standing. Nothing but bench, bench, bench. Sigh.

Speaking of load development it has been an exercise in frustration. I should have had this challenge licked long ago but I cannot get a consistent load for the rifle. When first shooting factory loads I got a box of winchester silvertip that would have done the challenge, bought another box and not a sub MOA group was to be had out of the whole thing! Thus inspiring my reloading adventure my first crack at it was very encouraging. Load A: 43.4gr IMR 4064 130gr SST for 0.388" group, B load: 45.1gr 1.278", C load: 46.8gr 0.953". Bottom target on my overlay.

Another ladder of loads top target. F load (can't find the target I shot it on): 43.6gr 0.444", G load: 47.3gr 0.679", H load: 47.8gr 0.57" now getting into hard extraction and flattened primer, I load: 48.3gr 1.222". So I went through two nodes of good accuracy while working up the powder but the higher charge was a little much so I settled on the lower charge "F" load. By now I only had enough bullets to load another 20 rounds as I was also developing another rifle from this batch and set these aside for my hunting. I have 11 remaining after zeroing and confirming performance so I couldn't do the challenge with them even if I wanted to.

I bought another box of the 130gr SST from a different store and did up my "F" load for a challenge attempt. Groups were: 1.442", 1.222", 2.202", 1.846", 0.970". What the frick eh? When I finally bought a bullet comparator the base to ogive measurement between boxes of bullets was not the same so my original loading to same OAL based on nose of bullet was flawed. I loaded to same COAL to ogive and got better groups but not the good groups like the first box of bullets. So while the rifle will shoot just about anything in the range of 0.75" - 1.5" which is very acceptable hunting performance, it's true sweet spot is extremely narrow and like a unicorn to find. I'm crying that I spit nearly half the good box of bullets out of my dad's remington 7400 :( and I'm not to sure what I can do reloading wise to make it easier to find a good load than dumb blind luck.

 
Im relatively new to the shooting sport and wondering about the aiming when measuring the groups.

I notice that groups are off the centre of the target or bullseye. Is the shooter aiming at the bullseye and the groups are off the centre? Just wondering how to go about shooting groups?
 
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bryan35 said:
Im relatively new to the shooting sport and wondering about the aiming when measuring the groups.

I notice that groups are off the centre of the target or bullseye. Is the shooter aiming at the bullseye and the groups are off the centre? Just wondering how to go about shooting groups?
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It is common to insure the point of aim (bullseye) be separate from the point of impact to keep the POA clean when shooting groups. Taking out the centre of the POA makes it difficult to centre up.
 
Well, tried the challenge to FINALLY! I'd like to think I passed lol. Maybe the OP will give me some leeway due to my extra group :p Haha

But according to rules it'd be a failure due to myself, not the rifle. I pulled on the 2nd shot(Hole with the X through it) in my #4 group, so I took a fourth shot to make up the .268 group. Also that is the reasoning for the extra #5 group, just to show it was me and not the rifle lol. I'll be back!

Exactly 100.2 yards (leupold RXi 1200 DNA rangefinder)

Equipment used:
- Browning X-Bolt LR Stalker 26" TB .308
- Harris Bi-pod
- Falcon Menace 5.5-25x56
- Swapped out the factory muzzle break for a VG6 muzzle break(Only upgrade done to the rifle, besides that 100% factory)
- Factory Hornady Precision Hunter 162gr Ammo

Groups:

#1 - .664
#2 - .576
#3 - .571
#4 - With my flier: .962 Without: .268(My tightest group)
#5 - .491("Actual" tightest group)
#6 - .582

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Underthegun said:
Sorry there Brappp, the extra group is fine, but the bigger one is what disqualifies it.
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That's crap and not in a the spirit of your test... the gun is obviously capable. The shooter pulled a flier yet shot extra groups. Is this test the capability of the rifle or the shooter? Just saying it's your test so your rules but I think his rifle passed your test!
 
Here is my results using a Rem 783 in 243 Win, Harris bipod, Sightron STAC 3-16X42, EGW base, Burris rings.

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All shot at 100yds, around -4C this morning but pretty much zip for wind. 0.600", 0.452", 0.403", 0.516", 0.747"

Average group 0.544"

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Smallest group. 0.403"

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Picture of the rifle and set up.

Jerry

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Previous attempt that missed the goal by 1 shot... The rifle and load are working very consistently.
 

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That must have been painful shooting off the bench with a 300 weatherby. Really nice groups. I will have to give this a try with my 300WM. I wonder if people are letting their barrel cool off after each group.
 
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Winchester Model 70 Super Grade chambered 308 Win. at 100m, Leupold American Marksman 3-9x40. Using Winchester Supreme 168 gr. BTHP Match. Best group I got so far.

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