Following with interest. I have several rifles with plain black Tupperware stocks that I'd like to enhance. A few comments stress the importance of good prep. What is the recommendation here?
When I did mine I prefilled those voids with casting resin. Same with the voids in the forestock. Adds a little weight but reduces flexing and makes it more stable.
I have used it and found the predicted results to be very close to real world results. They do emphasise the importance of taking accurate measurements, particularly the H2O volume of your FIRED cases. You can feed in your own actual results to fine tune the outputs if desired.
I would definitely do that. If you want reliable data, you need to eliminate as many variables as possible, including your barrel temperature, which is bound to affect your velocities.
Yep, been there, done that. Only happened once with a primed but unfilled case. Must've taken my eye off the ball whilst reloading. Also dumped powder into an unprimed case. Now have a strict routine that I stick to. Visual checks for primers and powder before seating the bullet.
You can ask the question by all means, but just because a particular brand of ammo shoots well in one person's rifle doesn't necessarily mean it will shoot well in yours. Same goes for handloads and bullet/powder combos. Every rifle is unique in that regard.
I consistently shoot sub MOA off a bench. But shooting off a bench at a range is a whole lot different to shooting in the field. To be proficient you need to practice shooting from a range of different field positions: standing supported (monopod, shooting sticks, trees, etc) and off-hand...
In my experience, the SSTs don't hold together very well. They expand ok, but tend to fragment. Never had a deer get up after being hit by one mind, so in that regard they do work.
I would suggest that if it is related to seating depth, if you were previously shooting ragged holes but now have stringing, you try seating further out a little, as the change may be due to throat erosion.