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Forum Index > Rifles general discussion > must I landload to get hunting velocity?

must I landload to get hunting velocity?

04 Feb 2015
@ 04:51 pm (GMT)

james simpson

my newly acquired savage 243 seems to be shooting slower that I would expect from Hornady 95gr SST superformance ammo.
zeroed at 100 yrds. I expected that 200 yrds would put me at somewhere around 3/3.5" low. I am 5" low. the way I am reading the ballistics charts
that would put my barrel velocity at 2700 or lower.
Is it possible for a 7/16 freebore lower pressure that much?

Replies

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04 Feb 2015
@ 07:45 pm (GMT)

Thomas Kitchen

Re: must I landload to get hunting velocity?
hi james
what is your barrel length?
how old is your rifle?
04 Feb 2015
@ 08:15 pm (GMT)

Nathan Foster

Re: must I landload to get hunting velocity?
Hi James, bore tolerances could be a factor here, not just how long or short the freebore is. Thomas also asked about the age of the bore as an inference to wear / corrosion and therefore tolerances while also asking about barrel length. So there are a few factors at play here that could effect the SF ammo.

You may well need to hand load.

Once you get a good load up and running, try to sight it so that it prints 2 or 3" high at 100 yards- not zeroed at 100 yards (unless you are hunting exclusively woods / bush). No point handicapping the rifle unless you are wanting to shoot close ranges only.

Hope that helps a bit.
04 Feb 2015
@ 09:29 pm (GMT)

james simpson

Re: must I landload to get hunting velocity?
22" stainless barrel, as for age? it has no accustock or accutrigger. black synthetic stock a 3x9 bushnell scope, and says model 11. looks in very good shape maybe 3/4 yrs old. Ran a patch down it before I fired it and its CLEAN. after sighting in, my 3 shot, 100 yrd group was under 3/8" and the 200 yrd was just over an inch. off a sandbag

05 Feb 2015
@ 08:49 pm (GMT)

Nathan Foster

Re: must I landload to get hunting velocity?
Sorry, I am just looking a bit more closely at this now.

Using Sierra I6, it tells me that the ammo would have to be under 2600fps to strike 5" low at 200 yards.

Hornady SF ammo is certainly not that slow and if you had a loose tolerance bore, I would still expect reasonably good velocities.

Scope height was not a relevant issue for this level of drop.

I therefore have to conclude that the POI of the rifle shifted from when you changed from 100 yard shooting to 200 yard shooting. The issues may be either elated to the rifle or related to changes in body position / technique.

As an example, if you were shooting on a hard bench with a bipod and crossed arm shooting technique, then lay down on soft ground to shoot at 200 yards, the POI could change a good deal.

Parallax is another potential issue (changes in how you were looking through the scope- angle).

Or as suggested, bedding or the barrel (the rifle) may be an issue. For example, it may have been zeroed at 100 yards when warm, but once left to cool, the POI lowered. Or the forend could have been flexing with a bipod.

So at this stage, I would like you to put velocities aside and go back to doing range work and checking the rifle over. Make sure your shooting technique is sound (see hold that forend article on this website rifle accuracy section of KB).

Sorry, I should have been on top of this sooner.

07 Feb 2015
@ 11:38 am (GMT)

james simpson

Re: must I landload to get hunting velocity?
explain this parallax, Im thinking its some kind of shooter error myself, and I did notice the scope seemed to change its targerted POA if my head was tilted or off to the side. Should I build up my cheek piece?
07 Feb 2015
@ 09:33 pm (GMT)

Nathan Foster

Re: must I landload to get hunting velocity?
Hi James, it is basically a matter of making sure your eye is centered with no half moon shadows. A cheek piece can help but it can also create a false sense of security and a lack of awareness if full reliance is placed on the cheek piece.

Here we come to the final book (yet to be published) in the series which perhaps should have been the first. Still, I had to start somewhere.
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