My next reload adventure/misadventure (Read 98639 times)

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #40 on: March 17, 2017, 09:08:43 PM »
It was a Russian day at the range today with my Mosin Nagant and AK-47. My Wheeler kit finally arrived so I can properly mount the scopes on my AR-15 and 300BLK... but not yet. What was weird today was that the wind was coming from the mauka side of Kokohead instead of makai which was messing up my brass deflector with the VEPR. Surprisingly, I only lost one brass. I glued a rubber bumper along the dust cover which worked well and stopped gauging my brass.

VEPR x39: 50 rounds of H335 26.6 to 27.0 gn with .310" Hornady 123 gn. I zerod the scope with Tulammo and Federal on a different target which worked well. The lower load rounds went to the right, so I adjusted the scope after each load. Overall, I'd have to say that the 26.9 gn grouped well but it's hard to tell. Guess it's time to try 100 yards.



MN 91/30: Top, the last of the Win748 from 36 to 36.4 gn with .312" Hornady 150 gn. The 36.3 gn grouped best. The first load was weird with two in the bullseye and two about four inches away.
Middle: This was the ARcomp 36 to 38 gn loads that I accidentally loaded and the new .311" Speer 180 gn. I actually like this combo. I had to lower the scope by 3 MOA to stay on paper. The 36.5 gn grouped best, so I'll try 36.1 to 36.5 gn next time.
Bottom: IMR4895 from 36 to 40 gn with Hornady 150 gn. The first two shots were below paper, so I had to raise the scope 3 MOA to where it was before. The 38 grouped best so will try 37.6 to 38.0 gn next time. I hit the 8" gong 3 out of 5 times.



The metal targets had a bad day. I shot the chain and one of the shackles again. I need to buy them by the gross.

« Last Edit: July 06, 2017, 10:09:26 PM by rklapp »
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #41 on: March 23, 2017, 07:35:47 PM »
Beautiful day at the range today. I used the Wheeler kit on the AR-15 and 300 BLK and seemed to work. I'm not sure if the lapping was worth it but it seemed to make sense. I could see where the grit rubbed against the area of the rings to increase contact with the scope. I ran 50 rounds of .308 out-of-spec/ugly bullets to zero the scope and it was way off, plus I smacked the metal targets around with the rest. 



300 BLK: 12 to 16 gn A1680 with .308 bullets at 50 yards. The 12 gn didn't lock the bolt back, and the 16 gn grouped best at 1.207 MOA. The top two hits were from a previous load. Perhaps I'll try 15 to 17 gn next time. I tried the paper targets, but I don't like how it holes so will be going back to the splatter targets.



AR-15: 19.8 to 20.6 gn ARcomp with Hornady 55 gn FMJBT at 50 yards. The 20.6 gn grouped well at 0.745 MOA but not sure if I could pick a best. Perhaps it's time to try the new 62 gn or the new Nosler poly tips.



The new shackles seemed to be working despite my attempt to shoot it.

« Last Edit: July 05, 2017, 09:57:52 PM by rklapp »
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #42 on: March 29, 2017, 09:13:21 PM »
So many bullets, so little time. I bought a bunch of .310 from TooFewPews to try in the 300BLK and VEPR. I have the .308 sizing die on order. http://www.300blktalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=141&t=79076

Rounds ready for my next adventure, probably Sunday morning. I'm going back to the 15 to 19 gn A1680 but at 100 yards. I'm using the last of the box of Hornady 130 gn .308 I bought at Sportsman's Warehouse in Vegas. Back when I lived in Vegas, I remember that place as being shooters nirvana but was disappointed to discover the prices aren't as good as I remember. OAL is 2.08" with a very light crimp as I find that's the most accurate. I hate messing up my brass with a heavy crimp.
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #43 on: April 04, 2017, 07:20:21 AM »
Didn't go to the range Sunday. Decided taxes needed to be done, but the reloading must go on. I think these are the best looking 223 I've made so far.
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #44 on: April 05, 2017, 08:42:50 PM »
Mixed results today. I was smacking the hell out of the metal targets with the 300 BLK. I tried the Hornady 130 gn bullets that I had great results with before. Now I was getting 5 inch groups at 100 yards. The view in my Barska scope is no longer perfectly circular so will be following up on that. I also loaded 60 of the fugly .308 bullets I collected and loaded with the 1cc scoop (15.3 gn of 1680). I smacked the metal targets about 50 times without shooting the chains once, so I was very proud of that. I next tried to shoot the VEPR but discovered that I left the magazines at home. Doh!

MN 91/30: Excellent results today. Top is Speer 180 gn with 36 to 38 gn R15. Next time, will try 36.6 to 37.4 gn. Bottom is Hornady 150 gn with 37.6 to 38.4 gn IMR4895. Next time, will try 37.8 to 38.2 gn or maybe I'll just load all with 38.0 gn. The rifle really likes the combo of the .312 bullet with 4895, more so than R15. On the top target, someone keyholed before I could shoot at it.



Out of the 10 loads, I would shoot 4 then try for the metal target after adjusting the 1x reddot. I was able to hit the metal targets with each of the 10 loads. I was very happy.



I was resizing the photos so they're not too big, but decided that it's easier for you to adjust the browser size if you want a smaller photo.
« Last Edit: July 05, 2017, 09:52:05 PM by rklapp »
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #45 on: April 09, 2017, 04:01:43 PM »
It was a hot busy day at the range. I was seeing heat waves through my scope. I got to the range in between the morning rush and the afternoon rush so didn't have to wait for a bench.

AR-15: Tried the new Hornady 62 gn FMJBT and they were awesome with ARcomp 20.0 to 20.8 gn. The 20.4 gn grouped best at 100 yards (all five loads were subMOA). I'll have to wait to get the MOA calculation because I registered the On Target program only to discover that they will send me the code in a day or two. I did have one misfire so not sure what happened there. Update: average 0.640 MOA. Update2: No powder in the almost squib. The crimp kept the bullet in place.



My accuracy seems to greatly improve after several dozens of rounds. The two on the left were zero in with 20 rounds of 55 gn ARcomp using the yellow scoop or 21.3 gn. Not an entirely accurate method for measuring powder but fast. The target on the right was 30 rounds after firing 120 rounds. Perhaps it takes me several dozen to relax and get my groove on or perhaps the rifle is more accurate when it's hot. Update: average 0.694 MOA. Also, the middle target and right target had almost the same average moa so maybe there wasn't much of a difference after all.



AK-47: This was the first time I tried the VEPR 23" at 100 yards and was disappointed (bottom target). You'd think a Russian rifle with sights out to 300 meters would be more accurate at 100 yards. I guess that's Russian optimism for you. I've decided the 26.8 gn H335 grouped best, but I used up all of the 123 gn SP I bought in Vegas. I'm now going to focus on the 900 polytip bullets I bought from TooFewPews. For the 300BLK, the plan is to resize them from .310 to .308 using the Lee sizing die. Specifically, I'll pass them through 0 to 4 times to see how each does.

« Last Edit: July 05, 2017, 09:48:30 PM by rklapp »
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

TooFewPews

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #46 on: April 17, 2017, 12:02:26 PM »
It was a hot busy day at the range. I was seeing heat waves through my scope. I got to the range in between the morning rush and the afternoon rush so didn't have to wait for a bench.

AR-15: Tried the new Hornady 62 gn FMJBT and they were awesome with ARcomp 20.0 to 20.8 gn. The 20.4 gn grouped best at 100 yards (all five loads were subMOA). I'll have to wait to get the MOA calculation because I registered the On Target program only to discover that they will send me the code in a day or two. I did have one misfire so not sure what happened there. Update: average 0.640 MOA. Update2: No powder in the almost squib. The crimp kept the bullet in place.


My accuracy seems to greatly improve after several dozens of rounds. The two on the left were zero in with 20 rounds of 55 gn ARcomp using the yellow scoop or 21.3 gn. Not an entirely accurate method for measuring powder but fast. The target on the right was 30 rounds after firing 120 rounds. Perhaps it takes me several dozen to relax and get my groove on or perhaps the rifle is more accurate when it's hot. Update: average 0.694 MOA. Also, the middle target and right target had almost the same average moa so maybe there wasn't much of a difference after all.


AK-47: This was the first time I tried the VEPR 23" at 100 yards and was disappointed (bottom target). You'd think a Russian rifle with sights out to 300 meters would be more accurate at 100 yards. I guess that's Russian optimism for you. I've decided the 26.8 gn H335 grouped best, but I used up all of the 123 gn SP I bought in Vegas. I'm now going to focus on the 900 polytip bullets I bought from TooFewPews. For the 300BLK, the plan is to resize them from .310 to .308 using the Lee sizing die. Specifically, I'll pass them through 0 to 4 times to see how each does.


what is your method of measuring your groups?

how big is the inside ring and the outer diameter of your orange sticker targets?

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #47 on: April 18, 2017, 09:32:25 PM »
what is your method of measuring your groups?

how big is the inside ring and the outer diameter of your orange sticker targets?
https://ontargetshooting.com/

1"/2"

If it wasn't for that one flyer on the 4th target, the data woulda been perfect according to the MOM procedures for load development.
20.0 - 0.887
20.2 - 0.747
20.4 - 0.640
20.6 - (0.713)
20.8 - 0.731
« Last Edit: April 18, 2017, 09:47:25 PM by rklapp »
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

TooFewPews

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #48 on: April 19, 2017, 01:30:48 PM »
https://ontargetshooting.com/

1"/2"

If it wasn't for that one flyer on the 4th target, the data woulda been perfect according to the MOM procedures for load development.
20.0 - 0.887
20.2 - 0.747
20.4 - 0.640
20.6 - (0.713)
20.8 - 0.731

oh interesting.  I didn't realize that your references to MOA were based on average to center calculations.  i was under the impression that most people (and the industry as a whole) measured MOA using extreme spread.

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #49 on: April 19, 2017, 04:36:03 PM »
oh interesting.  I didn't realize that your references to MOA were based on average to center calculations.  i was under the impression that most people (and the industry as a whole) measured MOA using extreme spread.
I'm not most people. If you shoot 3 rounds of 10 loads, then each load is an average. I shoot 20 rounds of 5 loads because I don't care, so I use the average MOA.
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #50 on: April 19, 2017, 07:02:21 PM »
The next loads are ready for the range with Hornady 62 gn and Tac 20 to 22 gn. I'm happy with the new RCBS "measurer" I bought (despite the cracked plastic but that's a mild inconvenience). I started priming the shiny LC brass I have then realized I didn't have enough regular primers for all 100, so I decided to load them with 22.0 gn of the remaining CFE223 I have left in the bottle. This gave me practice with the new measurer. I'll use these for warm up and smacking my metal targets.

This left me with the fugly PMC brass for the match primers I bought at SEC. It was only $3 more for the match grade, so what the hey I say. Most of the PMC brass is tarnished despite the quick ultrasonic and despite 6 hours in the brass tumbler. They're shiny but tarnished. I finally ordered some polish for the tumbler so hopefully that will untarnish the fugly brass. Still not ready for wet tumbling so don't ask.

I have about 600 of the sorted 55 gn Hornady bullets from the original 1,500 I ordered. I recently bought 1,000 of the 77 gn match Noslers at about 16 cents each. Someone (perhaps Heavies) mentioned they shoot the 77 gn so excited to see how these perform at the range. You all need to stop enticing me to buy new stuff, especially after I get my tax refund. 
:shaka:
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #51 on: April 23, 2017, 06:09:29 PM »
The weather improved today with a light wind and mostly sunny. I hung out with Inspector and with the Black Powder Gang. I got the last open table at 9 am and was mostly full until I left at 1 pm. I shot someone’s 1942 Enfield. I was speculating that this rifle could have been pointing east from Holland during WW2 and my 1942 Mosin Nagant could have been pointing west from Russia.



I next shot "a real man's rifle", the 45/70 Sharps. It was loaded with 110 gn black powder and could be loaded up to 140 gn. I couldn’t hit the gong but have no clue where the round went. The owner (sorry, I'm terrible with names) was telling us about the time they demonstrated an antique gun in the back of the range to a studio making a documentary about the type of guns available when King Kamehameha invaded Oahu. The blast from the rifle knocked everyone backwards.



MN 91/30: First shot the 38.0 gn IMR4895 with the 150 gn Hornady SP at the middle target. Out of 25, 17 hit the red with an average 1.873 MOA and 5 hit the 8” gong. So far, this is my go to load. The flyer on top was from the 300BLK.

Next shot the 36.6 to 37.4 gn RL15 with the 180 gn Speer RN. The 36.6 on the left were awful but was still able to hit the gong. In fact, I was able to hit the gong with all ten loads. Very proud. The 37.2 gn seemed to group the best on the right. I ran out of time with the last three rounds and had to move the target to the 100 yard line for the AR-15. This crowded the metal targets too close to the BPS gong so was only able to shoot the 6” gong. I bought a new box of 180 gn Speers. Not sure what I’ll load next, but I think I'm tired of RL15 with this bullet. The target got a bit of splash damage from the neighbor and a few holes from trying to zero the AR-15.



AR-15: I've been experimenting with different color backgrounds to see how it effects my aging eyes. I was wondering if the white board is too bright in the sun. So far, I'm not sure if the color actually makes a difference in my ability to focus on the target. I added 1/2" riser to the scope to keep my head straighter on the stock. Overall, I think its better after zeroing the scope again. I made about 75 rounds of 22 gn CFE223 with the remaining regular primers. I used these to warm up the rifle, zero the scope, and smack around the gongs.

I ran a patch through and shot the 20 to 22 gn TAC with the 62 gn Hornady FMJBT and Federal Match Primers. The 21.5 gn shot the best with an average 0.520" MOA. It looks like the TAC shot better than the ARcomp from last time. I don't have more of the 62 gn bullets but do have the 77 gn Nosler.



300BLK: I mailed the Barska scope back to the manufacturer and tried my old AIM reddot with the remainder of the A1680 and the new LilGun. It sorta worked until the reddot window fell out. Doh!

I put that upper away and switched back to the 5.56 to try the new 77 gn Nosler bullets with 22 to 24 gn RL15. I loaded the round to the full 2.260" OAL which barely fit in my Magpul clip. I shot most of the rounds until I ran out of time and my wife was ready to be picked up. She teaches First-aid/CPR at the Red Cross. These are scary accurate bullets, albeit 50 yards. The best part about them is that they were cheap. I can’t wait to try them again, probably 22.2 to 23.0 gn RL15.



I’ve never shot RL15 in the 5.56 before. They sure make for dirty cases.



1911-22: This orange gopher is a warrior, Frank. I have tried to kill her, but she will not die. I have a great respect for that.
« Last Edit: June 29, 2017, 09:41:18 PM by rklapp »
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #52 on: April 26, 2017, 09:58:35 AM »
Turns out I shot almost 200 rounds. I was wondering why it seemed like I was running low on brass. I have been throwing out about a quarter of the brass during prep.
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #53 on: April 28, 2017, 11:33:24 PM »
The new .310 Vmax bullets look awesome for my VEPR.
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #54 on: May 04, 2017, 04:33:39 PM »
I'm getting old. I took me lower receivers out last night to work on the trigger. When I left for the range today, I stood in front of my work area trying to figure out what I was missing. I discovered at the range that I forgot the lower. Dammit! I fired the VEPR then went home. The Force was not with me today.

I did get to hold a 10/22 barrel with a P90ish stock. The dummy magazine is missing and the 22 magazine is located underneath.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2017, 04:53:46 PM by rklapp »
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #55 on: May 07, 2017, 05:41:54 PM »
More adventures and misadventures. I brought my lower receiver this time but with the new DIY trigger. I ordered the parts on the 3rd and USPS delivered on the 6th from Texas. Not sure how that was delivered so quickly because usually it takes a week. Now the trigger has no slop in it and is probably around 4 pounds so happy with that.



For AR-15, I normally load 20 shots of 5 loads but this time decided on 10 shots of 10 loads using 22 to 23.8 gn RL15 with Nosler 77gn HP. I used my new Hornady electronic scale. Of course my mind didn't tell the other half when I created the target and only made 6 target dots instead of 10, so I just shot the 22 to 22.8 gn loads. The Nosler data says the 23 is most accurate, and the 22.8 gn grouped best for me. I think for next time, I'll create more 23.0 to 23.8 gn and go back to 20*5. Changed my mind, decided to load 50 of the 22.1 to 22.9 gn TAC so I can use my RCBS measurer. Note to brain, make ten targets instead of six.



300BLK: Although I got the Barska 16x scope back from the manufacturer and I bought the much vaunted Vortex 6x scope, I decided to keep the reddot on the upper to see how it fared. It took me about 50 rounds to finally zero but was able to hit the 8" gong rather consistently. I think I'll put the Vortex 6x on it for next time. There didn't seem to be much difference between the 19.8 gn A1680 and 14.8 gn Lilgun. I'm out of A1680 so will play with Lilgun next, probably with the resized Hornady bullets.


« Last Edit: June 29, 2017, 09:36:23 PM by rklapp »
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #56 on: May 18, 2017, 08:52:02 PM »
Turned out to be a nice day at the range despite the morning rains.

AR-15: Excellent results as I expected with the Nosler Match 77 gn at 100 yards. The problem is that I got confused and the info I wrote down in my loading log did not match the case labels so I'm not exactly sure if I shot them in the correct order. The data for the 23 to 23.8 gn RL15 is useable with a mean radius of 0.414" for the 23.4 gn. I've been researching more about statistical analysis of the shot groups so this equates to 1.5 MOA accuracy. I don't fully understand it yet but the research continues. As you know, I'm not relying on extreme spread of the groups. The data for the 22.1 to 22.9 gn TAC was spurious. The mean radius for 22.9 gn was 0.390" so I need to try this again but with a higher load, 22.7 to 23.5 gn TAC. I use the powder scoops and scale with the extruded RL15 and the powder measurer and scale with the ball TAC.



300BLK: I installed my new 6x Strike Eagle Vortex scope along with a new hand grip. I have to say that it's very comfortable in my hands. Now I just need to work on the accuracy.



Shot the 12 to 16 gn W296 with the 150 gn FMJBT bullet at 100 yards. I will probably try 13 to 15 gn next time. I'm not happy with the windage spread, and I'm also curious how the CFEBLK works out, so maybe I'll try that. I think it's time to try seating depth. The COL for the 150 gn bullet is 2.210", and I need to figure out the chamber's head space.
I placed 2" stickers on the targets but realized I'm using the narrow frame so just used the center target.



AK-47: 25.8 to 27.8 gn of the last of the H335 with the Hornady .310 Vmax. I was expecting the aim to rise with the increasing powder charge but didn't change that much. Overall, the accuracy has suffered. I reseated the scope and replaced the trigger spring. Doesn't seem to have helped. I'll next try the Speer .311 bullets I've had for awhile. I'll either use RL7 or CFEBLK.



This is why it's difficult to find my AK brass in the grass. I swear that 90% of the brass on the ground is steel AK cases.


« Last Edit: June 29, 2017, 09:32:17 PM by rklapp »
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

ren

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #57 on: May 19, 2017, 07:16:18 AM »
Turned out to be a nice day at the range despite the morning rains.

AR-15: Excellent results as I expected with the Nosler Match 77 gn at 100 yards. The problem is that I got confused and the info I wrote down in my loading log did not match the case labels so I'm not exactly sure if I shot them in the correct order. The data for the 23 to 23.8 gn RL15 is useable with a mean radius of 0.414" for the 23.4 gn. I've been researching more about statistical analysis of the shot groups so this equates to 1.5 MOA accuracy. I don't fully understand it yet but the research continues. As you know, I'm not relying on extreme spread of the groups. The data for the 22.1 to 22.9 gn TAC was spurious. The mean radius for 22.9 gn was 0.390" so I need to try this again but with a higher load. I use the powder scoops with the extruded RL15 and the powder measurer with the ball TAC.



300BLK: I installed my new 6x Strike Eagle Vortex scope along with a new hand grip. I have to say that it's very comfortable in my hands. Now I just need to work on the accuracy.



Shot the 12 to 16 gn W296 with the 150 gn FMJBT bullet at 100 yards. I will probably try 13 to 15 gn next time. I'm not happy with the windage spread, and I'm also curious how the CFEBLK works out, so maybe I'll try that. I placed 2" stickers on the targets but realized I'm using the narrow frame so just used the center target.



AK-47: 25.8 to 27.8 gn of the last of the H335 with the Hornady .310 Vmax. The accuracy has suffered. I reseated the scope and replaced the trigger spring. Doesn't seem to have helped. I'll next try the Speer .311 bullets I've had for awhile. I'll either use RL7 or CFEBLK.



This is why it's so difficult to find my AK brass in the grass. I swear that 90% of the brass on the ground is steel AK cases.



is your scope base sitting on a riser?
Deeds Not Words

rklapp

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #58 on: May 19, 2017, 07:57:41 AM »
is your scope base sitting on a riser?
Yes, otherwise my head is at too much of a tilt and my earmuffs interfere with the stock. What I need are 1.5" scope rings. I have broad shoulders. The one shown came with the scope when I bought it. I did remount it with the Wheeler kit. Suggestions?
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

ren

Re: My next reload adventure/misadventure
« Reply #59 on: May 19, 2017, 05:24:06 PM »
looks high and from your pics you aren't getting a good cheek to stock weld.
I bring the rifle to my jaw bone and slide the stock from the bottom up to my eye.



What ever works for you.

It also appears that there is only one riser in contact with the front of the scope base.
Deeds Not Words