PPU matchline ammo 7.62x54

[swampratt]

The crown looked decent except for the bottom which may be just the picture..Hard to get a good picture of a crown sometimes.
I had best luck straight on looking at it and in the sunlight outside.
But does not look so bad that it could not hold MOA at 100 once you find the load it likes.
Unless there is a hickey at the bottom.


Yea 13gr of Red Dot was too hot for my 30-06 and 170gr.
Accuracy sucked. I kept reducing it until accuracy was good.
I even shot a few different regular jacketed bullets with the 11.5 gr load of Red Dot they were 100 fps slower and not as accurate as the cast bullet.
I used Lee Alox as a lube for the bullets then.
I have not tried powder coated with that 30-06.

 

[OKBPS]

I can't comment on the crown, but I will say that I'd be running .311 bullets in that barrel. Cast or condoms, but 311.

Dumpstick, here are three targets. I followed your suggestion and loaded one with .311 diameter bullets. Everything else is the same. The other 2 are .308. Can you tell which one is .311? I think a have a load worked up and will now start on raising the point of impact.

#1


#2


#3
The first hit off paper. I circled it.

 

[Dumpstick]

I'm betting I'm going to be embarrassed here....

 

[OKBPS]

I'm betting I'm going to be embarrassed here....

Don't be afraid, take a guess. Dlbleak was there. None of these are actually my best target.

 

[Dumpstick]

Welp, number 1 is the best target, so that's my guess.

 

[swampratt]

That lower target..If you have 3 in a group and a flier or 2 I set that flier brass to the side and mark it.
Next time out shooting after all the brass prep if those 2 pieces of brass make another flier group.
Then are not used ever again to shoot tight groups.

Once you perfect a load and you know there is not shooter error you can sort brass like that.

My cast 30-30 load was shooting like your lower target almost every time out.
Neck turning fixed it...But the neck thickness varied as much as .005"


I think the lower target was .311.... The holes are larger
Or IAFOC

 

[Dumpstick]

@swampratt

*Smacks self in forehead*. Freaking wonderful tip !

Why didn't I think of that?

 

[OKBPS]

That lower target..If you have 3 in a group and a flier or 2 I set that flier brass to the side and mark it.
Next time out shooting after all the brass prep if those 2 pieces of brass make another flier group.
Then are not used ever again to shoot tight groups.

Once you perfect a load and you know there is not shooter error you can sort brass like that.

My cast 30-30 load was shooting like your lower target almost every time out.
Neck turning fixed it...But the neck thickness varied as much as .005"


I think the lower target was .311.... The holes are larger
Or IAFOC

We have a winner. #3 it is. However, this is what I feel is the best target of the day. First 2 shots were off paper. I got irritated and said screw it and shot the last 8 without letting the barrel cool down. These are Sierra 180gn Pro Hunter Spitzers. I might be on to something here. But I have several decent targets to work with. 1st item is filing the front sight to bring POI up. These were all shot at 50 yards. swampratt thanks for the tip. I was watching the chrono and it seemed like every time FPS went up or down drastically I had a flier. But you have now given me something else to track. Wish I had known that earlier, I had every case individually numbered.
.

 

[swampratt]

I read about sorting brass based on fliers a few years ago.
Written by some top bench rest shooter..He gave the cases 3 chances before deciding if they were usable.

I had a savage heavy barrel gun that grouped best when barrel temps got to 85 and not until about 110 degrees F. did accuracy begin to fall off.
Yes I was so anal I checked barrel temps.
I have no idea why I do all the load work up to try and make tiny groups on paper when all i do is plink with buddies and sit on a tree limb in terrible conditions and shoot game.
2" groups would get the job done.


Get this .
Lake City .308 cases I got 500 of them all same year LC-05
I tried and tried everything to make those cases group well.
I sorted case weight and sorted by case volume.. sorted by neck ID and OD after sizing.

I measured depth inside of case to case mouth.
Chamfer inside flash hole.
Annealed neck turned ..The darn things would not shoot tight groups ..My winchester cases did just fine.

I had the perfect batches made all exactly the same and I had 3 cases that were very far apart on case weight..the lowest and highest weight I measured and a middle weight one.

Those 3 were my fouling shots to get on paper.
Guess what!!! Those 3 junk cases grouped tighter than all the rest I shot that day.
All 3 almost touching.
Makes you wonder what is really important in case prep.
I no longer have any of those LC-05 cases.

 

[OKBPS]

Swampratt, I shot three other targets, increasing powder grains from 17.5 to 18gns, but different bullets. The resulting groups were,

FPS 1,470.0 1,440.8 1,375.8
Group 1.0440 1.2280 1.8050
Bullet Sierra MK 168gn Hornady ELD M 178gn PPU Pulled bullet 182gn

All at 50yds. I will use the Sierra or Hornady and now move to 100yds and start working on POI. Thanks for the tips.