Working up a load for my new savage fcp HS precision in 308. I did about 20 rounds of break in using the shoot, clean, shoot method on the same day of load work up. Then i started with a clean barrel and shot 5 foulers, then three 3 shot groups of different loads, starting with 43.1gr of varget under 175 smk's and going up in .2gr increments from there:
43.1 = 1.5 MOA(100 yards)
43.3 = 0.25 MOA
43.5 = 0.8 MOA
Then i took a break, cleaned the barrel, shot 5 foulers, then:
43.7 = 1.1 MOA
43.9 = 0.45 MOA (consequently, my go-to for my last savage)
44.0 = 1 MOA (but two bullets went through the same hole)
Anyway, does this look like a typical work up or more like inconsistencies in the barrel or shooter? Based on the shape of the groups, the 43.3 and 43.9 varied only in windage (and mirage was a heavy left to right flow) and yielded the best groups. The others varied more in elevation and windage.
So, am i seeing myself up for failure expecting 43.3 and 43.9 gr loads to be my primo loads? I guess i question the ability of .2gr to affect a group by over an inch...
43.1 = 1.5 MOA(100 yards)
43.3 = 0.25 MOA
43.5 = 0.8 MOA
Then i took a break, cleaned the barrel, shot 5 foulers, then:
43.7 = 1.1 MOA
43.9 = 0.45 MOA (consequently, my go-to for my last savage)
44.0 = 1 MOA (but two bullets went through the same hole)
Anyway, does this look like a typical work up or more like inconsistencies in the barrel or shooter? Based on the shape of the groups, the 43.3 and 43.9 varied only in windage (and mirage was a heavy left to right flow) and yielded the best groups. The others varied more in elevation and windage.
So, am i seeing myself up for failure expecting 43.3 and 43.9 gr loads to be my primo loads? I guess i question the ability of .2gr to affect a group by over an inch...