Savage Axis .223 WOW

[Larry Morgan]

I annealed all the cases I experimented with ,, My 30-06 loved R-P cases and best accuracy is obtained if I anneal every time.

I do not anneal because I think a neck will split. I do it for even neck tension.
I have modded my 505 beam scale so that you can see easily less than .1gr..I will trickle to the granual.
Takes longer but it is not wasted time.

Well if you feel your gun and you have the ability to shoot small groups.

I hand trickle my .223 loads to +/- 0.02gn, as low as the gempro 250 will show. I'm sure after errors and drift it's not truly that tight, but hey. As we've talked about before, I've begun to think about neck tensions. You seem to have similar experience with Federal cases. The neck tension on them was so inconsistent I didn't bother shooting for groups because I knew it'd just make me mad. They are for plinkers and foulers now.

I've had good results with mostly unprepped brass. Although that term might be subjective. Virgin winchester brass, trimmed to length (although they were inconsistent enough that some were under my nominal trim length) , and sized for my chamber netted just under 1/2moa in my factor barrel 5r remmy. Cheapy win primers and the venerable 69gr SMK. I haven't gotten into weight sorting brass or bullets. Maybe some day. RL-15 is a killer .223 powder if you can find it. Fast and consistent. It won't straighten out in my gun until I get within .5gr or so of max. No pressure signs, quick, and tight.

 

[swampratt]

A friend of mine has an electronic powder dispenser and it trickles to the granual ..It may be the same thing.
I watched it in action and I was very impressed..He will double check and triple check sometimes and it is on the money.

What a time saver that tool is.
When i was doing my brass fail test and shooting for groups at 100 yards..That scooped loading with a lee scooper produced Sub MOA shots for different head stamps many times.
I feel when you get in the middle of an accuracy mode you can be .5gr off either way and still have really swell ammo.
Even scooping quickly I tested weights and it never varied more than .3gr Not bad for stone age loading.

 

[swampratt]

I do have a big jug of RL15.
I shot the Axis again today at 100 yards.
All LC-13 cases and all weighed within .7gr after prep work.
Definitely a very sub MOA rifle For CHEAP! remember this is a Tasco 3-9 scope.

 

[NikatKimber]

I'd say 25.5gr is definitely an accuracy node! I wonder what you'd see if you vary up and down by .1gr from there.

 

[swampratt]

Could it get better?
This thing shoots to the point of separating cases and bullets by weight and ogive to base length.

At 26gr of varget with federal cases the group opened up a lot.. and the case is pretty full at 25.5gr.

 

[NikatKimber]

I don't know, but the curious in me wants to!

 

[Larry Morgan]

Nice shooting again! I have a jug of Varget I've never touched. Now I kind of want to. My trigger hand is holding me back, though. I changed my trigger technique, shooting by just having my thumb right on the back of my stock to counterbalance the pressure from my index finger. Before I usually gripped the stock completely. It was a noticeable difference. I've polished and adjusted my X-mark pro, but I feel like it needs to be lighter. Oh well.

 

[swampratt]

I have 3 batch numbers of Varget and they do not shoot the same with the same load ,,at least when i did testing in my .308.

When i stuck a bipod on my .308 accuracy got better. Even folded up.
I feel the legs up front flattened the forearm resting area and keeps the gun from rocking right to left. When it is on a bag or some other rest that is.

This Savage Axis .223 has a very skinny forearm area that is very rounded..Just terrible for shooting tiny groups at long distances.

I think i will add a bipod.. a cheapie one..I have thought of carving wood and attaching it to make a flater forearm area and painting it black , or get dark wood or burn it and polish it..
Bipod sounds easier.

How light is that X-mark pro trigger now Larry Morgan.

My buddy shot 10 rounds through it today at hedge apples on fence posts at 100-150 yards..he loves this little gun.
Exploding hedge apples He missed on the first shot..I think he flinched,,The last 2 guns of mine he shot dotted his eye.

 

[Larry Morgan]

I haven't tested it formally.. When I had my gun bedded and recrowned, I had my smith check it. From the factory, with the "adjuster" (they use that term VERY generously) totally out it was still about 3.8lbs, even though it should have been 3lb. I pulled it apart and made sure there was no thread locker gumming it up, polished the mating surfaces, and backed out the real adjuster only one turn and loctited it. I didn't want to get too crazy since I'm assuming that trigger was never designed to be super light. If I had to guess I'd say it's probably 2.5 - 3 lbs now.

Since I started chasing groups I moved away from a bipod. It was an instant improvement. I just can't be as consistent on a bench with a bipod. I keep it though for prone shooting, etc. My best group from the last outing measured right about 0.380" for five shots with my 2.5-10x scope. I keep thinking maybe I need one of those new fangled 2 ounce benchrest triggers and a weaver t-24 or something, but that's not practical for anything but the bench.

 

[swampratt]

Get a baggie of bullets and a string to check your trigger pull weight..Just weigh the bullets ..say 150 count of 168gr bullets weigh
24,750gr or 3.535 lbs.
Here is a picture.



When i shoot on the bench with my bipod it is folded shut, I rest it on the front bag..what this does for my .308 is allows me better stability.
But every gun and every shooter is different, as we all know.