Thread: Best way to go about shooting multiple groups

Hey Grandpamac, always good to have a reply from you.

Would you, like the rest also recommended shooting at a distance further than 100m? Would start to become an issue as the only spot i can access easily is only 100m.

So basically I am just looking for the batch that offers the best velocity, grouping and consistency? Once i have determined that then I can start adjusting more slightly to refine it? Obviously I want to have as tight of a group as possible with a reasonable velocity so that I can take advantage of the distance the rifle is capable of. As I have a VX-5HD for glass I will be able to eventually have a custom turret made so consistency is definitely key.

Cheers, 7RMBoy.

Originally Posted by 7RMBoy

Hey Grandpamac, always good to have a reply from you.

Would you, like the rest also recommended shooting at a distance further than 100m? Would start to become an issue as the only spot i can access easily is only 100m.

So basically I am just looking for the batch that offers the best velocity, grouping and consistency? Once i have determined that then I can start adjusting more slightly to refine it? Obviously I want to have as tight of a group as possible with a reasonable velocity so that I can take advantage of the distance the rifle is capable of. As I have a VX-5HD for glass I will be able to eventually have a custom turret made so consistency is definitely key.

Cheers, 7RMBoy.

Greetings Again 7RMBoy,
I much prefer to test and zero my rifles at 200 metres. Sometimes a load that looks good at 100 metres can loose the plot at longer range, often due to marginal twist for the projectile. For initial testing however I often use my home 60 metre range for initial testing when validating the components I am using. I also use it for zeroing my old soldiers which run on light loads. You are going to need a much longer range for checking your trajectory later on. Have a talk to your local NZDA to see what they have access to.
Initially you are just looking for an acceptable load that offers reasonable accuracy and velocity so you can use it as your standard load while you are doing further development. I am still developing loads for my old .308 that I bought new about 1975 but I have a standard hunting load that I have been using for 30 years that the rifle is zeroed for. Clearly for some of us the load development goes on forever. The reason for only loading a small number of cartridges for your initial load is to avoid having a drawer full of orphan cartridges. Recent load testing for my .308 shows that it shoots very well with 165 grain projectiles but there are close to 100 rounds of my standard hunting load in the boxes. At 71 I would consider myself very lucky to use them all hunting.
Regards Grandpamac.

Hey,

For initial testing 100 should be fine then. If a group looks good at 100 is does, as you say have potential to lose it at 200. But a bad group at 100 would definitely be worse at 200. I’ll try find a spot where I can sit back further but if not 100 will have to do for now.

Cheers

100 yrds will work just fine.

Originally Posted by 7RMBoy

Hey,

For initial testing 100 should be fine then. If a group looks good at 100 is does, as you say have potential to lose it at 200. But a bad group at 100 would definitely be worse at 200. I’ll try find a spot where I can sit back further but if not 100 will have to do for now.

Cheers

Greetings,
I see that Nelson NZDA has a 200 metre range.
Grandpamac.