Thread: a newbie to reloading , sako 75 finnlight 270wsm with a vx5

Heya crew , im a newbie to this.
Dairy farmer based in central north island , so abit busy at the moment.
Im struggling to get the gun to group well , im not sure if its a bedding or something else issue or its my load. an inch at 100 , 6 inchs at 500.
ive pulled it apart and had a nosey etc ,
Who would you guys recommend for me to send my gun to , to get checked over and a load worked up for it ? im hoha with tutu-ing with it lol

thank you

What load are you using ? What sort of speed are you getting ?
Is it a new rifle ? Has it had many rounds down the barrel ? Could copper fouling be the issue ? Have you had someone else try shooting it ? Does it group well with factory ammo ?
So many variables

Originally Posted by dannyb

What load are you using ? What sort of speed are you getting ?
Is it a new rifle ? Has it had many rounds down the barrel ? Could copper fouling be the issue ? Have you had someone else try shooting it ? Does it group well with factory ammo ?
So many variables

average of 2870 from 5 shots the chrony told me

Originally Posted by dannyb

What load are you using ? What sort of speed are you getting ?
Is it a new rifle ? Has it had many rounds down the barrel ? Could copper fouling be the issue ? Have you had someone else try shooting it ? Does it group well with factory ammo ?
So many variables

2nd hand rifle , unsure but the barrels pretty tidy

Originally Posted by vtkomene

2nd hand rifle , unsure but the barrels pretty tidy

Second hand and unknown round count yet another variable, you say the barrel is pretty tidy but is this your opinion from looking down it with a torch or have you had it inspected with a bore scope ?

What ammo or load was the previous owner using and what kind of accuracy where they getting ?

Are you using the same optics as the previous owner ?

Is your mate that shot it a reasonably proficient shooter ? Can he achieve consistent groups with another rifle without getting fliers ?

Your mate that does a bit of reloading, no offense but how experienced is he ? Does he get good results with other rifles ? Just cause someone does a lot of reloading doesn't mean they are good at it (no offense intended it's just another unknown variable at this stage). It is one thing to be given a recipe and then just duplicate it, its a whole lot different can of worms and a lot more experience and knowledge is required to develop your own recipe and know what to look for when trying to develop a load

As much as I don't like sst's I've not really heard of anyone having trouble getting them to shoot, in fact the opposite is true and one of the reasons why they are so popular is that they are easy to get accuracy out of them.

You say you have been tutuing with it have you had the action and barrel out of the stock ? Did you torque it back up to sako specs ?

Are the sope rings and bases torqued to spec ?

Have you tried your scope and rings on another rifle or vice versa another known good scope and rings on your rifle.

As Mimms2 has said if you were closer I would help, surely someone from here is up your way and can help.

I know some of my questions might seem like I'm having a go, but rest assured this is not the case there are just so many variables that are unknown, getting consistent performance out of reloads and accuracy out of a rifle is all about removing the variables and getting everything as consistent as possible.

G'day mate, 1moa accuracy is not bad for hunting. At 500 you will hit an animal in the shoulder.
Fine tuning a load will help tighten the groups up. There are a few guys on here with 270wsm who will help you out

70gr 2225, 150 LRAB or VLD. Go shoot stuff

How have you decided on your COAL (cartridge overall length)?
Without measuring it for your rifle and projectile you could be jamming in the lands or jumping the Grand Canyon, or anywhere in between.

When i first brought the gun , i took it to my mate who does alot reloading. factory loads are worse. our best load we came up with was , 66gr with 2217 150 sst's ( all i had ).
but every 3rd shot would fly. both of us shooting .
I just want it to shoot well. and cant be faaarked pissing around with it at the moment

Also, look at timing of shots, an over-warm barrel can significantly open up groups, if the first two are close and the third is a flier, may just need some more space. I find that shooting lots in quick succession is better for replicating grip etc, but very bad for warm barrel.. A fan can also speed up cooling.

Are you using a muzzle device? if not, could also be a flinch and/or just jumpy recoil. could also check its not coming loose after 2 shots if you already are.

if you are sure its the load, then best to work it up from scratch. not overly hard to do if you follow a systematic process.

6" at 500y is fine to go hunting with, wasn't that long ago that may rifles couldn't get close to that

If you want to have accurate sub moa rifle/load then you're going to have to get used to " tutu-ing with it". No free lunches or shortcuts - sorry about that. Plenty of good advice above and I'd suggest going for a slower powder than 2217.
As a factory rifle ~1 moa might be as good as you get, unless you go to bedding action etc. And just fine for hunting out to 500 yrds or so.
To get tighter groups you need to methodically work thru a trouble shooting list to rule in/out different potential issues. As @dannyb has said - check rifle action/stock for fit and correct torque, then check scope base & rings for torque. Also make sure the mag box is not binding once you torque the action screws up. This is easy to miss and WILL cause fliers.
Then check bore for carbon and copper fouling. Both can ruin bbl accuracy. Put Hoppes thru it and leave it over night - muzzle down on a several paper towels so the Hoppes can drain out. Then dry patches, bronze brush and repeat. For stubborn Cu fouling i use Boretech Eliminator - dont leave it in too long (~30 mins should do the trick). See how much blue shit you pull out. Observe Cu fouling from muzzle end by shining a LED torch down it. Cu in lanz is pretty easy to spot.
If the bbl has had a fair few rounds thru it then a polish of the bore with JB's borepaste or autosol would help.
..... then you can start tutu-ing with pills/powder/ loads etc

Originally Posted by vtkomene

Heya crew , im a newbie to this.
Dairy farmer based in central north island , so abit busy at the moment.
Im struggling to get the gun to group well , im not sure if its a bedding or something else issue or its my load. an inch at 100 , 6 inchs at 500.
ive pulled it apart and had a nosey etc ,
Who would you guys recommend for me to send my gun to , to get checked over and a load worked up for it ? im hoha with tutu-ing with it lol

thank you

who would I recommend?????? ...Nathan Foster....located just down the road in the naki...knows his shit....

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

who would I recommend?????? ...Nathan Foster....located just down the road in the naki...knows his shit....

Thank you mate. Thats what im after. cheers

I was thinking 6" at 500 yards is a very tidy group and a very dead deer out to maybe 700....... much further than I would contemplate trying.