The bullets I loaded were the Lee custom 311041. I lubed them with Lee Liquid Alox, then seated a gas check and sized them to 0.309. I seated them in Remington brass over 25.0 grains of IMR4895 with a Winchester large rifle primer. I applied a good crimp in the crimping groove, with a Factory Crimp die.
To say I was disappointed was an understatement. My average velocity was in the mid 1700's but I was getting an extreme spead of 213. I don't even remember the Standard Deviation, but it was way out of line, too. Something is wrong with this load, and Junior has been helping me diagnose it.
The thing patterns like a shotgun. The target above is at 50 yards, iron sights, supported.
I'm including this target as a lesson to neophyte reloaders. Sometimes something goes wrong and we don't understand what the problem is. When we read about shooting in the magazines, all the rifles shoot beautifully and all the reloads exceed factory velocity, while showing accuracy that can only be found .. well.. in the magazines.
Most of the time, this is what we start with. We cuss and scratch our heads and we cry and try to figure out what the rifle likes.
My Sharps has a load that it likes. It really likes that bullet/brass/powder coombination and will shoot it into almost the same hole day in and day out.
I have a couple of loads that my Wnchester really likes. It shoots those loads extremely well. It doesn't like this load, or some combination of this load. I'll figure it out. It will become a good honest hunting load. It takes time and patience and the knowledge that load development takes time.
I'll figure it out.
wow, at 50 yards? I hope you brought along some good ammo to prove it was the ammo and not the gun or something.
ReplyDeleteIt's not the gun. I've been shooting that gun for a couple of years now and have reloaded jacketed ammo for it the whole time. My current reloads for it duplicate factory ammo. The sights are set for three inches high at 50 yards, which sets it at zero at 150 and down five inches at 200.
ReplyDeleteNo, it's not the rifle. I know that rifle like the back of my hand.