Moving on After a Conclusive OCW Test - The next step.

[EXSOCAL]

SO after a conclusive OCW test, what do you guys fiddle with next to dial in the group size? Primers? Seating Depth? Neck Tension? Other?

I found a very solid node for my 26" Surgeon .308 win and the groups average around .75" with the OCW load (43.8 Varget, Lapua brass with no fancy prep, FGMM primers, 175 Sierra @ 2700 FPS seated .02" off)

Last time I did an OCW I got lucky and the OCW load was an absolute tack driver, average 5 shot groups were sub .5" all day every day, with many being in the 3's and 2's, so for this load I did nothing but load, and shoot…. until I shot that barrel out after 4 years.

What say ye?

 

[dustinoif3]

What dies are you using? Bushing or standard? Have you been able to measure your current neck tension? The next step is seating depth though. Do you magazine load or single? I would seat deeper. Maybe some test loads deeper in .005 increments till you get close to .1 jump. I jump mine at .101due to mag length. Shoots consistent 1/2. Its a sloppy 700

 

[EXSOCAL]

What dies are you using? Bushing or standard? Have you been able to measure your current neck tension? The next step is seating depth though. Do you magazine load or single? I would seat deeper. Maybe some test loads deeper in .005 increments till you get close to .1 jump. I jump mine at .101due to mag length. Shoots consistent 1/2. Its a sloppy 700

I was using full Redding Competition dies and had issues in the past with runout so I swapped the Redding neck sizing die out for a good old Lee Collet neck sizing die and have much, much more concentric ammo. Now my runout never goes over .002 and is usually .0015 or less.

The Surgeon rifle runs AICS mags and seating at .020" off gives me plenty of meg length left. I will run the next test for seating depth in .005" incremements from seated at the lands out to .040 jump and see how that does. I have always had great luck with the 175 SMK's jumping right around .020" so thats where I started, this barrel (Bartlein 5R, chambered for 175 SMK by Chad DIxon of Long Rifles Inc) may like em a bit shorter.

thanks for the response!