"Reading" OCW Targets

[kaskin]

I finally had time to go to the range and shoot the handloads in OCW round robin style. Hard part is I can't figure out which charge is the most stable. I want to say the flyer in 25.8 was me or ,,, maybe just wishful thinking lol

Oh yeah this was at 50 yd 223 AR 15
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[thrusty]

I'd venture to say that somewhere between 26.4 and 27 is going to be your OCW. Appears that your groups are consistently high and left through those charges.
Though, at 50 yards, I'd almost expect better groups altogether....were you using optics?

 

[kaskin]

You know I thought the same thing. For 50 yds with a scope. The groups were poor. Given its a new rifle and not broken in yet. ( only 100 rds)

Funny thing the red dot did about the same groups @ 50.

 

[kaskin]

You know I thought the same thing for 50 yds with scope the groups were poor. The rifle is not broken in yet ( 100 rds) but still.... Funny thing the red dot did just as good group wise at 50

 

[ACPjunkie]

Details on the rifle used?
Details on ammo? Powder/ bullets used?

Shooting position?

And don't take this in an offensive way, seems like you have two rounds that show promise, then one flung way the hell out there. Whats your previous shooting/ reloading experience?

Seems like that if that is truly the accuracy of that particular rifle with that ammo the triangles your seeing from the impacts would be more 'equilateral' (SP?) rather than the more 'acute' triangles shown. Hows the rifle shoot with a known factory ammo?

Good luck!

 

[kaskin]

No offense taken. Alrighty, so for shooting experience I started as a hand gunner then moved to clays, moved to rifles last year. I've had plenty of experience with triggers and recoil.
This particular ar is 16" carbine 5.56 1x9 twist, free floating barrel. Built on dpms lower. A friend let me barrow his scope a - barska 4x12 x50.
Shooting position was seated with rifle resting on a plywood table. Perfect? No. But doable. Haha.
Only been hand loading for a few months now. I am really meticulous with it though. Powder was h335. Cartridges specs were 1.755Trim length 24.6 grn 2.255 COAL 55gr FMJ Winchester primers.

Thoughts?

 

[Killshot44]

Shooting position was seated with rifle resting on a plywood table. Perfect? No. But doable. Haha.
Thoughts?

Well, as you can see from the "groups" your method isn't doable.

Get a bipod or sandbags and try it again - and do it at 100yds. Even the crappiest load you can make should shoot less than a half inch at 50yds.

An OCW at 100yds is barely enough distance to have it tell you anything. Better done at 200/300 yards. 50yds tells you nothing.

 

[kaskin]

I was thinking of tossing this test and starting it all over again. I agree that even a rock at 50 yards should group better than this. I'll have to make another trip to a range when I'm not so rushed and can take a bit more time shooting.

Thanks for all the advice!
Will post again with new targets in a couple of weeks

 

[sharpshooterbr]

I agree with the others, scrap this entire test session. Pick a load, either factory or handloads, and practice, practice, practice. Once you are getting good consistent groups, then re-visit the OCW at a distance of at least 100yds, and see how it turns out then.

 

[1lnbrdg]

You're not going to get any kind of decent accuracy with the 55gr FMJ's. Try a better bullet. You get what you pay for, accuracy isn't what you pay for with the FMJ's, in either .223 or .308 unless you are shooting Lupua.

 

[sharpshooterbr]

You're not going to get any kind of decent accuracy with the 55gr FMJ's. Try a better bullet. You get what you pay for, accuracy isn't what you pay for with the FMJ's, in either .223 or .308 unless you are shooting Lupua.

Not sure you can chalk it all up to the bullets. I've shot a lot of .25-.5 MOA groups with FMJ bullets. I agree that there are definitely more inherently accurate bullet types out there, but the bullet in this case is only a small variable.