6.5 SAUM Range update

[Lethal_Chica]

I loaded these tonight for a range session tomorrow. Gave my barrel a thorough cleaning.
140 Grain Berger Elite. Seated .015 off the lands. Loaded 59.0, 59.5 and 60.0 grains for 5 shot groups each. Let's hope these perform.. or rather I perform while shooting them. Performance anxiety is real...

 

[eshorebwhntr]

Performance anxiety is real...

No comment....

I know you've been saying the brass is new but did you do any prep on it?

Some of those flyers from the 142s seem odd to me.

I've got ADG brass for my saum but I've never used it yet. I do know it's annealed. Sometimes the annealing process leaves a scale or tacky finish to the necks. May be giving you an inconsistent neck tension and bullet release causing your unexplained flyers.

There are quite a few threads going now on the debate of brass prep/cleaning. Wet stainless pin vs just dry cobb vs beach stones from the shores of lake minnetonka vs steel wool outside and nylon brush inside. Everyone has their process and their reasons.

The consensus to me is you need to have something in the necks acting as a dry lube. Whether it's dedicated dry lube, leftover residual carbon fouling, or tumbler media dust. I learned this the hard way when I bought a stainless wet tumbler. It works great for what I intended, which was cleaning the primer pockets without hand tools, but cleaning the necks down to bare brass was an unintended negative consequence. Easily remedied by simply tossing bank into the dry tumbler for 20 mins to reapply some dust or dipping the brass neck/bullet boat tail in some Lyman motor mica. But I do believe clean, new, or freshly annealed brass has a surface texture that isn't conducive to consistent bullet grip.

Might be worth a read to see what you think.

But I will say if what you've loaded with those Berger do the same thing with unexplained flyers that brass condition is your problem.

 

[DJ Fergus]

If the target we're overlaid, Shots 3&4 of the .060 group and shots 1,2&3 from the .090 groups would have made a nice 5 shot group. This may not be the appropriate thing to do and may not help, but knowing how I normally do things I would try 61.5 or 61.6. gr and see what happens. May or may not help. Next I would seat about .080 from lands. I do believe you are close to something good.

 

[Lethal_Chica]

Thank you for the info. That is good to know. Before long I will be prepping once fired brass. I will be interested to see how it fires compared to virgin brass.

I will come back to the LRABs at some point, but I am going to give these Berger's a try. Hoping they shoot good today. Hoping I shoot good today

Thanks for all the thoughts and information. I am enjoying the learning journey.

 

[Lethal_Chica]

If the target we're overlaid, Shots 3&4 of the .060 group and shots 1,2&3 from the .090 groups would have made a nice 5 shot group. This may not be the appropriate thing to do and may not help, but knowing how I normally do things I would try 61.5 or 61.6. gr and see what happens. May or may not help. Next I would seat about .080 from lands. I do believe you are close to something good.

I agree we are close. But looking back over my targets with the LRABs, every group was like these. I am going to give these Bergers a try. Hoping for good suceess. I have not given up on the LRABs, but from what I have been reading, many are reporting similiar issues. I may give the standard accubonds a whirl as well.

Thanks for your input! Best, Victoria

 

[Deputy819]

Performance anxiety is real...

No comment....

LOL! The reverse is also true. Shooting repetitive 'good groups' is a great confidence builder.

@ Lethal_Chica
I'm certainly no expert, but I've seen many times where fliers show up even though I know the seating depth is good, I was in a stable powder node (low SD/ES) and I didn't induce shooter error to cause it/them. I guessed it to be merely less than perfect barrel harmonics. Tweaking the powder charge slightly either way (while still staying in the node) has taken care of that issue for me.......most of the time.

 

[DJ Fergus]

I agree we are close. But looking back over my targets with the LRABs, every group was like these. I am going to give these Bergers a try. Hoping for good suceess. I have not given up on the LRABs, but from what I have been reading, many are reporting similiar issues. I may give the standard accubonds a whirl as well.

Thanks for your input! Best, Victoria

I also noticed on your notes that you had a good bit of wind, with gusts up to 15 mph. And that may or may not have been an issue but something to possibly consider. When the wind is blowing with intermittent gusts, it can prove to be difficult sometimes to decide if what happened on the target was due to wind or not. I found this chart a while back. I have found it to be useful. I'm not saying wind was or wasn't your problem but just something to think about.

 

[338 dude]

I also noticed on your notes that you had a good bit of wind, with gusts up to 15 mph. And that may or may not have been an issue but something to possibly consider. When the wind is blowing with intermittent gusts, it can prove to be difficult sometimes to decide if what happened on the target was due to wind or not. I found this chart a while back. I have found it to be useful. I'm not saying wind was or wasn't your problem but just something to think about.
View attachment 197440

That chart illustrates what is called the Magnus effect

 

[Shane Lindsey]

Those LRAB groups look similar to what I have experienced. Several close, thinking I have found it and then several outside it. Would shoot ok one day and then not at all the next. Saving barrel life for known consistent pills!!!

Regular accubonds have proven consistent and easy to load in another rifle.

 

[DJ Fergus]

Those LRAB groups look similar to what I have experienced. Several close, thinking I have found it and then several outside it. Would shoot ok one day and then not at all the next. Saving barrel life for known consistent pills!!!

Regular accubonds have proven consistent and easy to load in another rifle.

I have had good results as far as consistent accuracy with regular accubonds. But as I said before, I stay with eldm or Berger bullets.

 

[Rflshootr]

 

[Lethal_Chica]

That is really good information. I appreciate it. I shot today and it was gusting to 25ish.. 15mph was about average.

 

[Lethal_Chica]

I have had good results as far as consistent accuracy with regular accubonds. But as I said before, I stay with eldm or Berger bullets.

I definitely want to try the standard Accubonds. I am sure I will after some more time with the Bergers.

 

[Lethal_Chica]

*** Range Update June 7,2020 *** BERGER BULLETS ***

Well I finally got around to loading up the Berger's. All are seated at 0.015 off the lands. COAL was 2.933.

Super windy here today. The winds were ripping out of the WNW coming right across the farm fields. But I was determined to give those loads a try.

I shot 3, 5 shot groups. 59.0gr, 59.5 and 60.0gr. All loaded with RL 26. No signs of pressure. I shot ok, determined to tighten up a couple of the shots. But in all honestly, the shooting felt good. Getting behind the rifle feels natural and I am not fighting to get into position. My cheek weld feels really good since I moved the kydex cheek piece over some.

More shooting with the Berger's soon for certain. 87 rounds through the rifle at present.

I owe a big thank you to @sedancowboy for mentoring me and taking his valuable time to talk me through much of this. And thank you all for your advice, comments, and support. Handloading has been a very rewarding expereince.

Best, Victoria