Don't know how to interpret this OCW test

[7magsavage]

So here is my OCW test that I did with my .308. I don't know what to look for to be honest. Overall I was disappointed with the group size, but the velocities were pretty awesome IMO. I was shooting the 155gr Scenars here. I already have a pretty good load with the 175SMKs but wanted to see if the Lapuas shot any better. If I develop the load further I may play with the seating depth some to tweet it. These were all loaded 10 thou off the lands. The chrono numbers were with my Pro Chrono, which I have modest faith in at best. The charge weights all are highlighted with a square around them. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Steve

 

[groundhogbuster]

Shooting for LR? Look for vertical, looks like bottom right, but if you wanna good 155 load try 46g Varget, and work up. I found a node around 47.5 if I remember correct. Sorry can't read any data at all. I imagine these are all shot at 200yd?
Also Scenars aren't sensitive to jump, so you can load them to 2.800-2.810, and stay with the same oal. too many variables going on here.

 

[7magsavage]

Shooting for LR? Look for vertical, looks like bottom right, but if you wanna good 155 load try 46g Varget, and work up. I found a node around 47.5 if I remember correct. Sorry can't read any data at all. I imagine these are all shot at 200yd?
Also Scenars aren't sensitive to jump, so you can load them to 2.800-2.810, and stay with the same oal. too many variables going on here.

I should have mentioned that this test was shot at 100yds. The groups sizes are all around 1". Not what I was hoping to see.

 

[groundhogbuster]

Specs? Gun,brrl, twist, length, stock?

 

[7magsavage]

Specs? Gun,brrl, twist, length, stock?

It's a custom Rem 700 with a Bartlien 5r barrel. 1:10 twist at 24". Stock is a PDC Custom aluminum chassis. Scope is a Nightforce ATACR with MOAR.

 

[groundhogbuster]

Everything looks good there,lol. Don't know your builder, but I'd say you need to tweak your load. It should be printing 1 ragged hole with factory FGMM 168 & 175g. Get a box of that, good rest, and shoot it and post pics. Most 08's I've owned run Varget and H4895 very good. But there are many powders for the 308 case that will work. Make sure everything is torqued to specs, and put some Fed match through it. Also it's a brand new rifle so shoot the heck out of it. I'd actually buy 100 FGMM in both weights, and after having fun shooting. I've had a rig or 2 that drove me crazy at first, but after the tube started getting broken in, vel increased, and so did accuracy. Sounds like a nice stick, if you wanna just send it to me, and I'll break in in over the Spring n Summer, lol. It will come around, and you'll be smiling.

By the way, .10 off lands? Back those suckers back into the case a bit more, and see what happens. Try 2.810" OAL and show groups. Like I said, scanars are similar to SMK's and sometimes like to be jumped more.

 

[7magsavage]

Everything looks good there,lol. Don't know your builder, but I'd say you need to tweak your load. It should be printing 1 ragged hole with factory FGMM 168 & 175g. Get a box of that, good rest, and shoot it and post pics. Most 08's I've owned run Varget and H4895 very good. But there are many powders for the 308 case that will work. Make sure everything is torqued to specs, and put some Fed match through it. Also it's a brand new rifle so shoot the heck out of it. I'd actually buy 100 FGMM in both weights, and after having fun shooting. I've had a rig or 2 that drove me crazy at first, but after the tube started getting broken in, vel increased, and so did accuracy. Sounds like a nice stick, if you wanna just send it to me, and I'll break in in over the Spring n Summer, lol. It will come around, and you'll be smiling.

Yeah the bullets didn't perform as well as the SMK load that I have worked up, but hopefully I can tweak it a bit. Never shot factory ammo through it, but I do have some southwest ammo I may try. I think part of it is just like you said. Trigger time. My 7mm that I started the long range game with over four years ago just seems to shoot better and better, but I have a good amount of trigger time with that rig. I'm actually waiting on the barrel to give up the ghost at any time. I have another barrel for it in the safe for when the time comes. The .308 has maybe 150-250 rounds down the tube so far. I would have to take a look at my notes to know for sure. I really do think with the proper load development it will shrink the group sizes considerably.

By the way, I noticed you are in western nc and so am I. Where do you live?
Steve

 

[timelinex]

It would help if you wrote what group is what here... Its impossible to read the small text through the blurry image.

Also, vertical does not matter regardless of whether your going LR or not. This is an OCW test, groups,vertical and horizontal don't matter. If your just trying to test a bunch of weights and see which shoots best, thats fine, but then its not OCW.

 

[7magsavage]

Here is a close up view of the five targets.

 

[groundhogbuster]

I only work loads up at 200yds. 100 just won't show you any signs of what the bullet is gonna do at distance. At 300, wind comes into play, and that's no good for load development. If I get signs of vertical at 200, and I'm on a good solid rest I won't choose that load, but if it's some horizontal... It can be wind. I don't do as much OCW load dev. as running a OCW/Ladder test. My first Smith taught me this process years ago when I was in the BR game, and it wasn't as fun when shooting for Sponsorship,$, etc. Now that I'm loading and Hunting game from far away, I still use the same process. A little vertical at 2/300 is a missed target at 1k-1300yds.
BTW for a pretty fresh tube I like your velocities, and every barrel I have shot has at least 2 nodes, and many, many of the Hart's/Lilja's have 3 or 4. I remember shooting my straight 6mm with a Hart 12tw @ 29" would shoot thumbtacks every shot at 2200fps, around 2700, and above 3200fps. I used the reduced load for my nephews, and I shot it HOT at matches. I won many Stocks, Scopes, and barrels in that time, but Steel shooting is much different.
The 48.2 load looks promising, but please don't load those scenars that far out. Load 3 ea .20/.30.40" off the lands and see what happens. That's just 9 rds, and I'm a believer in 3 shot groups. YES 5 is better, but 10 is better than 5. The only problem I have with 3 shot groups, is it makes everybody's gun a qrtr min gun,lol. It will only get better from here.
Are you running a Brake/Can? I've found that a Brake helps groups in some cases, but I'm willing to bet that seating depth, and perhaps primers used will help your groups. If you aren't already, try Fed 210M. I've been loading for several BR shooter's and a cpl Security guys in SC for over 15yrs now, and I still can't get all my bullets to go through the same hole all the time,lol.

 

[7magsavage]

I only work loads up at 200yds. 100 just won't show you any signs of what the bullet is gonna do at distance. At 300, wind comes into play, and that's no good for load development. If I get signs of vertical at 200, and I'm on a good solid rest I won't choose that load, but if it's some horizontal... It can be wind. I don't do as much OCW load dev. as running a OCW/Ladder test. My first Smith taught me this process years ago when I was in the BR game, and it wasn't as fun when shooting for Sponsorship,$, etc. Now that I'm loading and Hunting game from far away, I still use the same process. A little vertical at 2/300 is a missed target at 1k-1300yds.
BTW for a pretty fresh tube I like your velocities, and every barrel I have shot has at least 2 nodes, and many, many of the Hart's/Lilja's have 3 or 4. I remember shooting my straight 6mm with a Hart 12tw @ 29" would shoot thumbtacks every shot at 2200fps, around 2700, and above 3200fps. I used the reduced load for my nephews, and I shot it HOT at matches. I won many Stocks, Scopes, and barrels in that time, but Steel shooting is much different.
The 48.2 load looks promising, but please don't load those scenars that far out. Load 3 ea .20/.30.40" off the lands and see what happens. That's just 9 rds, and I'm a believer in 3 shot groups. YES 5 is better, but 10 is better than 5. The only problem I have with 3 shot groups, is it makes everybody's gun a qrtr min gun,lol. It will only get better from here.
Are you running a Brake/Can? I've found that a Brake helps groups in some cases, but I'm willing to bet that seating depth, and perhaps primers used will help your groups. If you aren't already, try Fed 210M. I've been loading for several BR shooter's and a cpl Security guys in SC for over 15yrs now, and I still can't get all my bullets to go through the same hole all the time,lol.

Thank you sir for the input. I really appreciate it. I will definitely load some to jump and give it another go. I will also try to do my next outing at 200yds. I am completely new to Scenars. I have maybe 50 or so down the tube. The rest have been SMKs. My 7mmRM loves the Bergers jammed, but the SMK load for the 7mm was with a jump of 42thou. Can't wait to load up some more and give it a go. I, like you, was also pretty pleased with how fast the Scenars were. I also am using a brake with this rifle and I have a suppressor on the way. Thank you again!
Steve

 

[groundhogbuster]

Sound's like we have a lot in common. Name and location,lol. I'm about 30 mins NE of Asheville NC. I have a 5 sec walk to my 100yd range that I can get to 200yd, and one behind my house to 400yds. I have also just about secured a 1400yd range, from shooting from my land to a neighbors cattle field, with a good berm behind it. The cattle are never in that part of the field, and I have set up a cpl cheap steel tgts to 1100yds. Not many places in WNC to shoot that far, but I'm Blessed with that. I'll be going to a few shoots in Va pretty soon, and he's gonna have a Match in 4 months. Also I'm gonna be going to the Hickory Ghog shoot in Hickory NC on the 1st Sat in April as well. You can also shoot at the egg at 500 as well for $5 a shot.

 

[7magsavage]

Sound's like we have a lot in common. Name and location,lol. I'm about 30 mins NE of Asheville NC. I have a 5 sec walk to my 100yd range that I can get to 200yd, and one behind my house to 400yds. I have also just about secured a 1400yd range, from shooting from my land to a neighbors cattle field, with a good berm behind it. The cattle are never in that part of the field, and I have set up a cpl cheap steel tgts to 1100yds. Not many places in WNC to shoot that far, but I'm Blessed with that. I'll be going to a few shoots in Va pretty soon, and he's gonna have a Match in 4 months. Also I'm gonna be going to the Hickory Ghog shoot in Hickory NC on the 1st Sat in April as well. You can also shoot at the egg at 500 as well for $5 a shot.

Man I'm jealous. I have at least a fifty minute drive to shoot at only 100yds (down at the Cold Mountain range). My buddy has some land in McDowell county that we can shoot out past 1200 if we want. We usually shoot between 550-1000 yards. We are probably going to shoot in Virginia at the bang steel match coming up. I live in Fairview. Going to shoot at Woodys in a couple weeks at a PRS match there. I'm not familiar with the Hickory match. Is it a tactical match?

 

[groundhogbuster]

No it's more of a BR. They have an open class (Anything goes) and a factory class (Bi-pod or front bag, and rear bag) If you have a custom tube you have to shoot in Open. Hey I'm pretty close to Mcdowell, lmk next time you go (PM me) and I may tag along. I have a buddy too who has never shot past 200, and he'd like to go. Just PM me and lmk.

 

[7magsavage]

No it's more of a BR. They have an open class (Anything goes) and a factory class (Bi-pod or front bag, and rear bag) If you have a custom tube you have to shoot in Open. Hey I'm pretty close to Mcdowell, lmk next time you go (PM me) and I may tag along. I have a buddy too who has never shot past 200, and he'd like to go. Just PM me and lmk.

Cool. Is it paper target? Steel? I would be up for it. I'm sure I'd come away with learning something. I will let my shooting partner know about bringing you guys out. It would be up to him. He is on a land lease and I just go with him and help him out with the lease fees. We are so close we definitely should get together and swap shooting stories and what not.