Re: Let's ALL stop doing it wrong. (wind call verbage)
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TresMon</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kentactic</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i chrono'd federal Gold medeal match 168gr sierra and it was within 4fps out of 3 shots starting with a cold bore... screw hand loading.. i agree it is a distraction to keep fucking with loads when you should be fucking with your shooting skills.</div></div>
Great! Way to spill the beans. Words out.
(You have to have stellar shooting skillz to know the rifle or ammo could be better. You have to have stellar shooting skills to work up a load.Who makes claims of Chrono numbers on three shots? Do you brag about two shot groups as well? Why in the world are you shooting 168's? Drank the .308 Kool-aid too I see. Watch some more gun shows on TV and get back to us.)</div></div>
For a "trainer" or at least someone looking to train, you have a dim view on arguably the best "training" round available... inexpensive, long barrel life, good accuracy, not to mention, great for learning the values of the conditions that move the strike of the round.
I can tell you, this month we chronographed a lot of military weapons, using things like the new Mk316, Mk248 Mod 1, etc... and more than 3 rounds for each shooter, and with the 300WM, 220gr load the average SD was 8fps, the best was 4fps so it mirrors many things seen by others with factory ammo. Especially lately... better bullets, and powders for sure.
I have read, seen, experienced, people who used "load development" on why they couldn't shoot a match, bothered to train, you name it, yet I have, in field conditions seen factory ammo beat handloads, a great example, ASC with their "dirty group" more than 1 year I was able to ace the dirty group, always with factory ammo...
I shot this with factory ammo, the winning group:
Now let's put this in perspective with the other shooters... this is more of the board, I am #7
I have one image from another year, it was shot on paper at 600 yards, field conditions, I, with factory ammo won again shooting a 3" group in a 12MPH wind... so there must be something to this "kool aid" you speak of.
Granted I will tell you I don't advocate 168gr ammo, but will contend you can shoot great groups with it inside 600 yards, people like Tac Ops prove it with every rifle, managing .25 minute groups with factory flair.
So, I would be careful about shooting down factory ammo, because you never know who will show up and beat you with it. It's more the indian than the bow and conditions dictate, just because your handloads do one thing, doesn't mean you can do it across the board. Ask the Top 5 shooters at the SHC who beat a field of wind cheaters with 168gr Federal... all those 260s, and 243s, well behind them... if your thinking held true, any person shooting a ballistically better bullet could not be beat by a factory 308, the math demands it cannot happen. At least that is my read on your words.
Reloading is fine, but relying on it for success will not get you to the finish ahead of the guy who is out shooting every week, and by shooting I mean shooting to win, not to "develop" a load before he develops himself.