270-300 Win Mag now feasible

[Longtooth32]

Roy-

By zip codes i mean 3-4". I think it is a bullet jump and fine tune tenths of grains issue. I was just bummed because everything else rocked right out of the gate. Cant be too easy though right?

The groups above were shot with a .125" jump. With the 170 Berger, I hit the lands at 3.525" OAL (the 165 Matrix hits the lands at 3.45"). My max mag length is 3.4" I seat the bullets with a Forster seating die to try to get the least amount of runout...

 

[royinidaho]

Roy-

By zip codes i mean 3-4". I think it is a bullet jump and fine tune tenths of grains issue. I was just bummed because everything else rocked right out of the gate. Cant be too easy though right?

Yep, I'd say messing with seating depth may well be the ticket.

I've learned that 90% of the effort comes in the last 10% of the task. :roll eyes:

And there ain't now free lunches...

 

[CogburnR]

I had the barrel unscrewed off my action today.

I called Pac-Nor for shipping preferences and it is a 10 Week wait. Sometime around the beginning of April would be the projected finish date.

 

[Big Jake Duke]

Ok- i need help from the brain trust.

Today i ran 3 shot group in .2 gr intervals in two batches for a 1.5 gr spread around the velocity load i wanted with US869. All of them under in weight from last weeks batch that didnt group well.

Batch 1 had a jump of .10

Batch 2 had a jump of .125

No measureable difference in any group. All were poor near 2". Some closer to 3.

A few had two touching with a third 2 inches away. I shot 16 groups of three and didnt like any of them. The velocity in the groups ranged from 3020-3200. Some groups had an extreme spread of velocity of 13 fps. I think that is pretty good when you are going 3200fps.

I shot the Cutting Edge 140s a few times to check and they shot about 1/2 inch at 3540fps. I also shot my Matrix 165 load and it shot a .6 group at 3350 fps.

Any ideas? The Matrix load is also US869. The Cutting Edge is IMR4350

 

[royinidaho]

Ok- i need help from the brain trust.

Today i ran 3 shot group in .2 gr intervals in two batches for a 1.5 gr spread around the velocity load i wanted with US869. All of them under in weight from last weeks batch that didnt group well.

Batch 1 had a jump of .10

Batch 2 had a jump of .125

No measureable difference in any group. All were poor near 2". Some closer to 3.

A few had two touching with a third 2 inches away. I shot 16 groups of three and didnt like any of them. The velocity in the groups ranged from 3020-3200. Some groups had an extreme spread of velocity of 13 fps. I think that is pretty good when you are going 3200fps.

I shot the Cutting Edge 140s a few times to check and they shot about 1/2 inch at 3540fps. I also shot my Matrix 165 load and it shot a .6 group at 3350 fps.

Any ideas? The Matrix load is also US869. The Cutting Edge is IMR4350

Been there done that....with two barrels. Not worth the effort/frustration/time/expence/barrel wear/ and a few other things I can't mention...

"I shot the Cutting Edge 140s a few times to check and they shot about 1/2 inch at 3540fps. I also shot my Matrix 165 load and it shot a .6 group at 3350 fps."

Either of those loads will effectively harvest anything around my area as far as you can shoot, again in my area.

Committing yourself to the finicky bullet would seem to me pretty much like being married to the wrong woman.

Go with what's working for you and go harvest stuff.

My order is shortly going in to pac nor and if US-869 is "the" powder I have a bunch of it, some CEB 140s & Matrix 165s, so, so be it.

You can bet your boots that I'll try Berger 170 too.

 

[Big Jake Duke]

Heading out for a drop test at 1-3-5-700 this weekend. I am using the Cutting Edge 140s and i will let you know the results. Sunday is a practical rifle match in Avenal with ranges out to 900. Ill give that a try with this rig.

 

[Big Jake Duke]

It saddens me to say this, especially because i built this rifle in anticipation of this bullet, but i cannot get the Berger 170s to fly worth a ****.

I have done load ladders and seating depths up and down and i cant get this bullet to work. Help me Brian Litz!

This is from today: the 1/2" group is the Cutting Edge 140s at 3450fps

The schizophrenic group are the Berger 170s at 3200.

 

[Big Jake Duke]

Berger 170s

 

[royinidaho]

Berger 170s

My experience with a very similar situation, after barrel life costly extensive efforts, should have been to settle for the bullet that shot well and be satisfied.

I didn't grasp that concept soon enough and went through 2 very good barrels in very short order.

The action is headed for PacNor and a 270-300 chambered barrel in pretty short order.

 

[CogburnR]

If I don't get decent groups with a couple different powders and seating depths I move on. I do not recall ever shrinking a group from over 2" to sub 1" with the same bullet.

I sent my action to Pac-nor and I am hoping for it back by the end of March.

What are you guys using for dies? I am planning on starting with miscellaneous Dies that I have. I will probably buy a 300WM full length bushing die at some point and a suitable bushing.

 

[TXAoudadKlr]

Sometimes that's how it goes despite the effort a gun may not want to group with a specific bullet(s).

 

[Longtooth32]

Berger 170s

How is that possible with the Berger 170s?

Could of you received a bad lot of bullets from Berger? My lot number is 8785 and they shoot fine if I do my part...

 

[IdahoCTD]

I don't know if it has been mentioned but I would try R-33 and R-50 with the 170's. Retumbo shoots the best for me in my 6.5-300wm but it's no where near the fastest but it sounds like Retumbo was a no go for you. R-33 is 80fps faster and R-50 is up there too. I know you have mag length restrictions but I would try them seated .010-.020 off the rifling to see how they shoot. The jump could be killing the accuracy. I've seen it many times with 2.85" long cases before there was such a thing as extended mag boxes. I use to load my rifles with one round in the magazine sitting in the feed ramp so it would fit.

Sorry if some of this has been covered. I didn't go back and read everything.

 

[engineer40]

I'm sorry if this has already been mentioned... I read a lot of the pages but did not hit every single one.

Have you verified the twist rate that you ordered is the twist rate that they made for you? It's not unheard of to have the wrong twist rate in a custom barrel.