Stevens 200 6.5 project complete! H4831 was the answer!

Congrats on a great looking build, chamber aside that is my next rifle. I'll be trying out my Mpod tomorrow, I can hardly wait. :D

Have you weighed the gun yet?
Does the hardware on the stock come in black or stainless?

Again, great looking rifle.

tagged to see the targets!!
 
Range report finally!!

Hey everybody,

Finally got out to the range today to try this baby out at 500yds using 140gr Berger target VLD's. The results were pretty respectable considering my limited trigger time on this rifle and the minimal amount of case prep I put into the reloads this time around (insert lecture here):p

Groups at 200yds were what was expected being around 1/2 moa and I never did take the time to photograph the targets but next outing I will take a pic of my zeroing target prior to more 500yd practice.

Here's a pic of the entire target with the groups marked and a sighting shot taken with a 140gr AMAX to set up for the test.
IMG-20120521-00011.jpg


The loads were as follows: Group A (circles):
140gr Berger Target VLD
Lapua brass
CCI BR2 primer
47gr IMR 4831
COAL: 3.040" (.010" off lands)
2950fps, ES 27fps
IMG-20120521-00012.jpg


Group B (triangles)
140gr Berger Target VLD
Lapua brasshttp://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=7190224
CCI BR2 primer
48gr IMR 4831
COAL: 3.040"
3000fps, ES 44fps
IMG-20120521-00014.jpg


I believe I will stick with the 47gr charge as it seems to have much less vertical stringing and only 50fps different, so it only makes sense :)
I'm still not finished as I want to step up my brass prep and try bushing neck dies to uniform neck tension rather than the Lee collet neck sizer I have been using. May also try H4831 to try and tone down the ES in my loads as I have heard it is a bit more temp stable and the weather around here is so up and down it could affect accuracy somewhat. Any other advice anyone could throw my way would also be appreciated as I want to improve and constructive criticism is always welcomed.
 
For the IMR powder, you are correct that 47gr is the better of the two. If you look at the first target with no caliper, the circle group has 4 out of 5 shots 1 1/4" high/thick. That is FLAT.

Maybe the upper is a pull, mirage, wind, ????

3 are within 1.5" so that is an awesome start. Unfortunately, you were unable to tell where each shot landed vs the air cause that would have told you a ton of info.

Hopefully, you were getting right to left gusts with maybe some tailwind?????

In contrast, the triangle group has 4 out of 5 shots vertical. Again, about 1 1/4" spread (width). So you have gone too far in your node. With that tall of a group, I hope that your shooting rests are solid????

You may find an even more stable load from 47 to 47.6gr if you go up in 0.2gr increments. 0.1gr would be better but only if your scale is up to the task.

There is alot of assumption on my part that the groups weren't pulled or acted on by variable air.

Repeat with flags on a calmish day. Watch the mirage and wind gusts.

Temp will play a big role on how your groups land. H4831SC was my powder of choice and you may find even more stability here.

Off to a great start.

enjoy...

Jerry
 
Hey Jerry,
Yes there is pretty much always a tailwind on our 500yd range and when we do get gusts downrange they are almost always left to right... Just the topography of the Hinton area and the gun range. Wind usually blows from the mountains (west) towards the backstop (east) so definitely always tailwind and there are gusts downrange that almost seem to swirl f:P:2: . Coverage by berms and trees are pretty sufficient on our range out to about 475yds, then they seem to taper off between there and the 545yd backstop. Flagging is hard to read but practice makes perfect I suppose as well. As for the rest was using a caldwell rock jr today and seemed super stable, but I do admit my technique may need some work as pulls aren't out of the question... Live and learn!
 
Flags are going to be super important if you have this type of twitchy air.

You can get Cdn flags at dollar stores. Put them onto a bamboo pole and make a simple stand out of 2x4. Stick them out every 100yds or where ever you feel there is some wonky air.

I shoot in an area that has been twitchy as all get out. Went from 3 mins Left to 2 mins Right in about 1 min. Then neutral but 1min lower due to tailwind. Without flags, I would have missed by FEET and not known why.

Jerry
 
Definitely going to hang some more and better flags. Problem is morons and their dang shotguns tend to ruin most nice things we rifle folk build and use on the regular when nobody is around... oh well, video surveillance was approved at the last monthly meeting so should help that situation along!
 
A very nice gun in a great chambering. You are getting impressive MV's with that 30 inch barrel.

With that action you could throat it and extend the OAL to the 3.200" range and add a bit more powder and higher MV, or you could wait until you see some throat erosion and do it then.

I have lots of playing to do, but found my best groups so far with H4350 and H1000, with H4831SC close behind, but with the highest MV which becomes important at extended ranges.

Thanks for sharing.
 
kmartel said:
Hey everybody,

Finally got out to the range today to try this baby out at 500yds using 140gr Berger target VLD's. The results were pretty respectable considering my limited trigger time on this rifle and the minimal amount of case prep I put into the reloads this time around (insert lecture here):p
.....snip....
I believe I will stick with the 47gr charge as it seems to have much less vertical stringing and only 50fps different, so it only makes sense :)
I'm still not finished as I want to step up my brass prep and try bushing neck dies to uniform neck tension rather than the Lee collet neck sizer I have been using. May also try H4831 to try and tone down the ES in my loads as I have heard it is a bit more temp stable and the weather around here is so up and down it could affect accuracy somewhat. Any other advice anyone could throw my way would also be appreciated as I want to improve and constructive criticism is always welcomed.
Click to expand...

My interpretation of your 500y results:
- good shooting. You, your rifle and your ammo are doing a good job
- note that both of your loads went to the same POI. This is good
- each of your 5-shot group is sub-MOA. Your combined 10-shot group is also sub-MOA
- don't make a final decision too early with too little data. My "read" is that both your 47 and 48 grain loads are good, and at this time there isn't enough information to say that one of them is better than the other.

If you are going to be shooting 1000y with your rifle, you will help your long range grouping by getting your ammo's SD/ES as low as possible. If for 10+ shots your SD is more than low teens or your ES more than 40fps, you will see a payoff at 1000y for your efforts. Doesn't matter at 600y though - you've just shot a sub-MOA 10-shot group using powder charges that varied a full grain and speeds that varied at least 50fps. You could set your powder measure to 47.5, throw charges, and likely have a rifle accurate enough to shoot F-Class competitions at 600 yards and closer.
 
kmartel said:
Definitely going to hang some more and better flags. Problem is morons and their dang shotguns tend to ruin most nice things we rifle folk build and use on the regular when nobody is around... oh well, video surveillance was approved at the last monthly meeting so should help that situation along!
Click to expand...

Simple, Don't leave it at the range. I just put them up as I shoot, take them down when I go retrieve my target. NO one can shoot up what isn't there.

rnbra, with a bit of load tuning, there is little reason why he can approach 1/3 to 1/2 min at 500m. I shot a similar set up for my F Open rig and 1.5 to 3" groups at 500m were very possible and helped win a match on V bulls.

He is getting close.

Jerry
 
kmartel said:
Definitely going to hang some more and better flags. Problem is morons and their dang shotguns tend to ruin most nice things we rifle folk build and use on the regular when nobody is around... oh well, video surveillance was approved at the last monthly meeting so should help that situation along!
Click to expand...

I think we need better, more solid shooting benches.
 
Yeah that's definitely a good idea as well. If nothing else solidify the existing ones or move some of the non adjustable ones from the other ranges and try that. Or just learn to shoot prone better and take the benches out of the equation completely.
 
H4831 may be the answer!

Well during the week I was able to acquire a couple pounds of H4831. Wanted the short cut, but settled for whatever was in stock as at least it was IN stock haha. Lesson learned for next shooting season, definitely going to stock up during the colder months. Anyways back on track, the results made me grin to say the least. I started at the same load as I was running before with the IMR 4831 which was 47gr and this time conducted a ladder test in 0.2gr increments up to my previous max of 48gr. The results were very nice and much different than I had experienced before as far as consistency. Anyways here is the photo.
IMG-20120526-00018.jpg

Keep in mind this was a test at 200yds and I shot one round from each powder charge until one had been shot from each group, numbering as I went. Then followed suit with the remaining rounds while allowing sufficient time for cooling between groups as I marked the holes every 3 rounds or so. This is a 10rd group and I was very pleased to see a very noticeable pattern followed by a pile of rounds sharing holes... finally :rockOn:. Hoping to try the load at 500yds soon as well as chrony results. After studying this test I believe the load I will work with will be 47.2gr of H4831 as it was holes #2 and #7 and shows very little vertical dispersion. Anyhow as per usual input is welcomed and encouraged.
 
I was researching what to do for my first Rifle in 20yrs,have only had Glocks and Sig handguns since,figured it was time to do something new,came across yours and decided to start with the Stevens 200/223 and a lot of what you did really appeals to me,not a huge investment,plus I see Mystic is in BC so thats good for me

Thanks for the inspiration,and congrats on putting together a really nice Rifle
 
northlane1 said:
I was researching what to do for my first Rifle in 20yrs,have only had Glocks and Sig handguns since,figured it was time to do something new,came across yours and decided to start with the Stevens 200/223 and a lot of what you did really appeals to me,not a huge investment,plus I see Mystic is in BC so thats good for me

Thanks for the inspiration,and congrats on putting together a really nice Rifle
Click to expand...

Thank you, glad I could help getting the creative juices flowin. Its really rewarding in its own way. The building is half the fun I think. Jerry at Mystic is a huge help in every aspect of a build and as lent me tons of advice. We are truly fortunate to have a dealer like him in our sport.
That's what th
 
H4831 was the answer I have been looking for

Well finally got to hit the range again and try out the new load at 500yds. Turns out that by running 47.2gr of H4831 as opposed to my prior load of 47gr of IMR4831 my average velocity has dropped to 2800fps but the ES of the groups has also dropped into the single digits! Prior load was 2900fps but had an ES of 30fps.
Temp was 14 degrees, crosswind left to right between 5-10mph with a steady tailwind of about 5mph. Still learning to read the wind but the groups have really flattened out which was what I was looking for. The rest was wind or the meatball on the trigger :p
The proof is in the pudding as they say so here are a few photos:


First group of the day using H4831: Approx 3.5"
IMG-20120603-00026.jpg


The next group shot afterwards with a final round dialed in on the bullseye (probably luck but I was impressed haha):
IMG-20120603-00027.jpg


Two groups s**t with my old load of IMR4831. The triangle marked group was shot first with the one round not even landing on paper, but then corrected and shot the circled group. Still nice vertically but the consistency just isn't there. Have one really good group followed by one goofy one under almost identical conditions:
IMG-20120603-00028.jpg


Still need some tightening up, but at least there's progress. A lighter trigger may be on the wish list, the timney just doesn't match the target accutrigger on my .223. Oh well, more trigger time!
 
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