I had the same results with a lot of Center X. Usually my go to ammo, I had my eyes opened and spent some time checking my rifle for loose screws or failed optic. Shot it out of two of my Annies and the same poor results. Shows they are not guaranteed to perform the same despite the name but when one is found that's the cats meow be on the prowl and pounce on all you can put ur claws into, unless I get there furrrrst. reahrowh haha
Vudoo Rifle
- Thread starter stubblejumper
- Start date
Range open today, but still very windy. Windy or not I shot at 50m, tested RWS and retested SK Standard Plus. It definitely prefers the SK Standard plus, although the RWS still shoots in the mid .3s at 50 m. Best group with the SK was .210" but one flier opened the other group to .340"
It was too windy, but I managed to get one 100m group under 1"
It was too windy, but I managed to get one 100m group under 1"
Well that's disconcerting. If CenterX is not performing in three good rifles, not good. Over the last couple yrs some of the BR shooters here have observed that it does not perform to past levels. And Midas is not working for me either. Strangely, SK Biathlon has been shooting equivalent to CenterX. In winter and summer. Interesting to say the least. Can't find any good lots.....some guy in ON has em all, lol
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Heck... just wait until you buy a brick of X-Act that gives you mediocre results
I too had good luck with SK Biathlon last couple lots I bought of it. I'd really like to know who is hoarding all the good lots... playing the lot lottery is getting annoying.Heck... just wait until you buy a brick of X-Act that gives you mediocre results
Well to make you feel better I bought a brick of exact for the low price of $325 plus the little queer liars take and its just ok and easily outshot by ammo much much cheaper. I then shot a bunch of five shot groups out of three different guns with my good lot of Center X, which is down too 14 boxes whaaaah, and it put the exact to shame. I was really pumped about the exact and really quite disappointed because its been on my want list and really hard to find in the last couple years. My take is when you can get it ,its not worth it or you wouldn't have had a chance at purchasing cuz it wouldn't have all been sold to some country for Olympic or international shooting. This is just my opinion but im always correct HAHA now that's funny. Shorter range and maybe even longer range, Ive been impressed with SK Flatnose Match and shot groups at 100 yards that are very promising. Ive just bought a case of Center X but gonna experiment more with the flatnose now that we get the odd day that's somewhat normal. The Exact lot number I have is 23554/706911, the really good lot number in my guns of Center X is 27553/703502 and an exceptionaly good lot for me in SK Biathlon sport is 15654/12254.
Along with the Match Flatnose, try a box or two of the Basic Flatnose. I have tried it and sometimes it is as good and maybe better, depending on the rifle, etc. I have experimented w XAct and decided it did not warrant the extra expense. CenterX as good.
It's unlikely that any Canadian dealer gets any large quantities of X-Act ammo. It is the most expensive. Since there's not many cases of any lot of X-Act made, probably less than the number of fingers on your hand, dealers may only have a very small number of different lots. If there are known good lots in their inventory, those get held for regular buyers, that is, competitive shooters who buy and shoot a lot of ammo. The dealers, after all, have a vested interest in keeping these shooters and buyers happy and coming back. What is left over, lots of unknown quality, gets purchased by non-competitive shooters like those of us posting on these pages. Those lots may perform well in some rifles, but they many not perform well in others.
With the premium put on the best ammo by the most serious competitive shooters around the world, it's probably little wonder that when non-competitive shooters buy a brick of X-Act they don't really know what they are getting. It's not that X-Act is not a very good ammo, it's just that not all lots shoot equally well in different rifles. The same holds true for less expensive ammo -- like Center X. I've never shot X-Act, but have shot a number of different lots of Midas +, Lapua's next "best" ammo. Not all these lots shot with similar results. In fact some of them did rather poorly, while some did very well indeed. It certainly highlights the fact of lot variation.
With the premium put on the best ammo by the most serious competitive shooters around the world, it's probably little wonder that when non-competitive shooters buy a brick of X-Act they don't really know what they are getting. It's not that X-Act is not a very good ammo, it's just that not all lots shoot equally well in different rifles. The same holds true for less expensive ammo -- like Center X. I've never shot X-Act, but have shot a number of different lots of Midas +, Lapua's next "best" ammo. Not all these lots shot with similar results. In fact some of them did rather poorly, while some did very well indeed. It certainly highlights the fact of lot variation.
CZ_Silhouetter
Regular
- Location
- Saskatchewan
The chamber is designed around Lapua ammunition. Mike did a very interesting video interview series on the design of the V22.
https://youtu.be/tPkn8HcG2jM
Thanks for the video link. It provides good information straight from the horse's mouth.
In the interview Mike Bush says the 22LR Ravage chamber is designed around Lapua ammo, specifically Center X. He says he doesn't lot test, "I just buy Lapua Center X and go with it". Bush also makes a point of noting that the 22LR Ravage chamber also shoots Eley ammo "incredibly well" and that rebranded ammos (ammos made by a match ammo maker but sold with another name on it -- such as Wolf ammo south of the border) also shoot "incredibly well". He says SK ammo also does very well in Vudoo rifles.
Why did Vudoo choose Center X? Bush says it's because "it's easily attainable…it's at a good price point...for guys that do a lot of shooting." In other words, Center X is widely available and not too expensive.
More specifically, Bush says that if a customer specifically wants to shoot Eley ammo, which, he says, has harder brass than Lapua and different (shorter) headspacing, Vudoo will take that into account and set the rifles up a little differently with a "little more energy in the fire control" and accommodating a tighter headspace and perhaps a different leade angle.
From this information it's possible to say that the Vudoo rifles not specifically set up for Eley ammunition have headspacing that will accommodate a very wide range of ammos, including the varieties made by the big three match ammo makers -- Lapua, Eley, and RWS. The chambers also allow the use of a wide variety of ammos, including those specifically lauded by Bush -- Lapua, Eley, SK, and the rebranded varieties.
Regarding Bush's statement about not lot testing, it can only be said it's an odd and unanticipated remark. Even a chamber designed for a specific ammo can't make an inconsistent or poorly shooting lot of that ammo shoot well. The thing is that not all lots of ammo of the same variety will shoot equally well. Some are better, some are worse, depending on the individual rifle. Two rifles of the same make and model may shoot the same lot of ammo differently. Shooters with ammo-specific chambers still lot test to find the best lot of the particular brand they favour and for which their rifle is chambered.
It's worth noting that custom rifle makers are able to use any specific chamber that a customer may desire. There are many different "match" chambers available, some more accommodating of a wide variety of match ammos and others more specifically designed for a particular ammo, such as the several made for Eley. Other chambers, many of them custom match, are shown in the more-than-a-few-years-old image below of PTG chamber reamers. There are other chamber designs not shown, many of them created since the image was produced.
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I spent approximately $14,000 on rimfire ammo last year. I’m not a shooting superstar but I burn a lot of ammo and my friends buy from me for what my cost is. I only buy cases to maximize the savings. I think that should get me in the “regular buyers club”. I do agree with what you say mostly but on high end match ammo it’s tested at the factory and goes straight to World record shooters and the vast majority of us will rarely ever get the cream of the crop. We do occasionally get some decent ammo.Better advertising as the ammo that won worlds titles than “Old guy wins local PRS match” haha or winner of the backyard bbq challenge shoot at the #####nchew gun club.
With that much spending you must be lot testing to get the best bang for the buck.
No doubt the best shooting high end ammos are identified at the factory and word is passed on to distributors and dealers and to shooting teams and individual shooters. There's a great demand for the best ammo and the serious shooters understand and are prepared for this.
By communicating regularly with your ammo dealer you can develop a relationship where he knows what your shooting goals are, the rifle(s) you are shooting, and what kind of ammo you're looking for. Dealers who know the ammo they have in their inventory will test it themselves and can get an idea of what shoots well in a number of rifles and what might not. Of course even this is not an iron-clad guarantee to getting good lots of ammo, but it is a step that can help get you on the way, especially when there aren't a large number of different lots of the same ammo available at a particular time.
The rifle was shooting well, until the trigger decided to act up. It's a Triggertech Diamond, and now as you squeeze it, there is a random glitch, where I can feel and hear what feels like a
momentarycreep, just before it fires. It does this maybe 10-15% of the time, but it certainly is unnerving. I will call the dealer tomorrow, to get this dealt with
momentarycreep, just before it fires. It does this maybe 10-15% of the time, but it certainly is unnerving. I will call the dealer tomorrow, to get this dealt with
Triggertech recommended a good flush with lighter fluid, and if that didn't work, they would send me a new trigger. I removed the barreled action from the stock, gave the trigger a flush, and torqued it back into the stock. The trigger is back to normal, and it took one click to readjust the scope. Accuracy is back to normal at 50m, and I am still waiting for a calm day to see just how good it shoots at 100m. It definitely likes Standard Plus.
Triggertech recommended a good flush with lighter fluid, and if that didn't work, they would send me a new trigger. I removed the barreled action from the stock, gave the trigger a flush, and torqued it back into the stock. The trigger is back to normal, and it took one click to readjust the scope. Accuracy is back to normal at 50m, and I am still waiting for a calm day to see just how good it shoots at 100m. It definitely likes Standard Plus.
Happy to see the lighter fluid did the trick. Trigger Tech are awesome triggers and super crisp and repeatable. I have a few in different guns and love them. Id buy as much of that lot of SK standard plus as you can get ur mitts on. I have had it shoot very well but always seemed to get flyers which drives me even more nuts than I am already. Picking up two different Lots of Lapua Center X for testing this week, a split case and then Ill return the loser and refill the case and add another of the same lot number to give me two cases which should hold me over for six months with all the other SK long Range Match Ive been playing with for fun. My guns are zeroed at fifty and with most Im dialing 2.75moa at 75 and 6.50moa at 100 and 14.75moa at 150yds. The Sk Long Range Match is 1.0moa at 75 and 4.0moa at 100 and 12.25moa at 150yds. All these were confirmed last night out to 305yds. At 305 with my Vudoo and the SK LR Match the dial was 42.0 moa as opposed to 50.0 with Center X or SK Rifle Match. I will strap on the magneto speed and burn some to get the velocitys but it seems to shoot even flatter than the SK Biathlon from my dope on the three guns I play with most. Just an FYI
