What am I doing wrong here? (Update - I went out again)

[KDX]

These are two separate 5 shot groups with the same ammo. I decided to try max book loads to see what this rifle liked and I will definitely be going down a grain or more and starting to move up from there in .2gr increments. I don't understand the vertical stringing.

This group was last night at a longer distance with less powder and a different OAL. The rifle has less than 50 rounds through it so far.

 

[Wissem70]

223? What rifle? I don't think you did anything wrong. You found a load that doesn't satisfy you. Back to the drawing board. Good luck.

 

[t-star]

you don't give the twist either- that's about as good as i get with those 55's using my 1/7 colt - move up to 69s and i get a lot tighter than that

 

[K0na_stinky]

Never change 2 things at once.

Pick a OAL, powder and primer. Start 0.005 off the lands. Find what powder charge your rifle likes. Then play with the OAL. Once you fine the OAL it likes then try +0.1 and -0.1 gr from the original powder charge you found.

 

[KDX]

Sorry, it's a .223 with a 1-9 twist.

 

[KDX]

Some other groups I shot. Not too impressed to say the least.

 

[t-star]

well, that's the powder charge i use, but it's 748, not 335, if that makes a difference': it SHOULDN'T- it's the same powder';i've never had any luck with those 55 grain bullets- i know other guys use those but they have 1/12 twists

 

[ultimate_monkey]

Goin by what I can see on your pics it seems happier with the lower powder loads, off hand I don't know what the load data is for the powder your useing, I'd start refining your loads from there, some barrels will never like hot loads. From what I can see your running the lighter bullets wih a hotter load and the heavier with the lower loads. With a 1:9 you will probably have luck with the 60 to mid 60 grain bullets, pick an OAL and work your powder charge from there never change two thinges at once



Sorry iPhone answer will do better for you later

 

[KDX]

Should I just build a dummy round and chamber it with each bullet type to get the OAL?

 

[ultimate_monkey]

the "ghetto" way to find your lands is..

build a dummy round and seat the bullet long, collor it with a jiffy marker, chamber it and extract carfully, messure the skuff marks where the ink has been rubbed off, write it down, do this 3 or so times to get an average, take that messurement add how far off the lands you want to be, shirink the OAL bu that number.

its will be with in a few tho but like i said its a ghetto way, i would start with about 15thou off the lands as it seems to be a pretty good all around jump.

id try a 60gn Vmax, 22.8gn h335 and 15 thou off the lands

 

[maynard]

Sorry, it's a .223 with a 1-9 twist.

Great, but what rifle? Bolt gun or AR15 or Mini 14?
What type of rest are you using? Front rest, rear bags? Front rest with no rear bag? Bipod? How fast are you shooting? Have you cleaned the barrel yet?

 

[Mystic Precision]

Ensure the action is properly bedded.

Scope base and anything tied to the optics is secure and proper.

Your rests and bench are solid and conditions are calm.

WORK up in 0.2gr increments from a moderate starting load to where you see pressure signs. I would shoot 2 to 3 rds at each powder level at this time. You will quickly determine the max working loads and likely have some exciting nodes to test around.

Shooting a random charge is of little benefit and the odds of success is slim. Taking someone else data as gospel is a great way to get frustrated.

Each rifle has its own quirks. Each lot of component can react differently. Each scale can read the same mass with a different weight.

I have a few articles on my website on how to tune for LR shooting and how to load for the 223.

I would start with a match bullet and just work up. it will be very obvious if the rifle has the potential to shoot well.

I also always test with fireformed brass from that rifle. Using out of the bag brass is great for creating all sorts of lousy data. All my brass is also prepped for max accuracy.

69gr MK, 68gr HRN, 70gr and 75gr Berger, 75gr Amax are all great bullets for a true 9 twist.

If you follow the tuning steps, you will have an idea of the potential of the rifle if not working nodes in 20rds.

Jerry

 

[yodave]

I would load 25.3 grains of varget under a 69 grain SMK to a oal of 2.250 and see what kind of group your getting, also shoot more then one group of this load and see what your rifle does. It is the accuracy load from the sierra manual, its under max powder load so your good to go. I used it to settle the rifle variables of the bumble bee stocked 223 I just put togeather, 25 even shot better and now its all up to me sorting the brass weight and playing with the coal, I am getting under 5/8 inch groups consistantly at 100 yards right now but I know it can get better.

On a side note what did your wind flags tell you when shooting those groups? If conditions were less then favorable for shooting groups save your powder and wait for a calm day.

 

[broadhead67]

you mentioned vertical stringing, thats usaly an indication of your barrel heating up.are you opening the action & leaving open for a couple min. between shots to insure better cooling? take your time & write everything down.its funny how it becomes clear once you start gathering data

 

[stubblejumper]

My CZ527 with a 1 in 9" twist will groups several bullet weights and powders into 1" at 100 yards, but only the 55gr Ballistic Tip ahead of Benchmark will put five rounds into 1/2" at 100 yards.

 

[blargon]

Is your barrel free-floating?

 

[warrenb]

KDX,

your 26 grain of H335 is a good ways over the Hornady max of 23.2. Not saying you should'nt go over the max but in my 223 1/9 twist, I find the Hornady max charge for the 55 grainers with BLC2 pretty much my accuracy node.

However, some of the Hornady data is a little anemic for the 223 in my experience.

I would follow the advice above check everything is tight and that your comfortable in your rest setup. Also clean the rifle.

If that does not fly then go to the previously suggested 25.3 grains of Varget and 69 grn smks.

Also thanks for posting s**tty groups on the internet. Its quite refreshing to see. Good luck!

 

[agent_mango]

Also thanks for posting s**tty groups on the internet. Its quite refreshing to see. Good luck!

I agree. Reloading is a science, and in science you can't selectively show only the results you like.

 

[lejarretnoir]

What am I doing wrong here?

Not giving us enough information on rifle, technique, etc. Then letting everyone guess what you have.
If it's an AR or Mini14, I'd say nothing wrong.
We all know it can't be a Savage rifle or could it?

 

[KDX]

Well I went out again and somewhat redeemed myself. I made dummy rounds for each bullet and went 10 thousands less when I seated them. I used the same powder charge as the original post to see if there was a difference. I cleaned the heck out of the barrel last night and shot some foulers before I started on the 50gr V-Max and ended up finishing with the 69gr SMK. The wind was left to right about 5-10mph when I started and strong enough to move trees with no leaves when I was done. Probably too strong for a kid to fly a kite. I probably only shot 200 rounds last year and I realized today that I need a lot more trigger time. I definitely need to work on my consistency and technique. The rifle is a Savage Model 10 Predator Max 1 (Accustock) and I haven't done a thing to it. 22" barrel and 1-9 twist. Here's a cell phone pic of the rifle and my ghetto table.

I think these pics are self explanatory. 5 rounds each and I didn't take my time between shots. I would let the barrel cool between the different loads I tried though.