Apparently I crimp hard.   

Apparently I crimp hard.   

My wife tells me the same thing all the time!!! 

I don’t know how to process that.

It was a beautiful day at the range… no traffic, light wind, 82F, not too crowded. For some reason, I left the chrono at home but remembered to bring the water jug to weigh it down. Doh!

6.5 Creedmoor: Starting with the good, I created 20 rounds of IMR4350 at 39.2gr based on the previous results. The last five shots are below and probably the closest I’ve come to Mitch’s proverbial five rounds and one hole. I swear there’s five rounds in there, but that’s what happens when you get the shots too close together.



300BLK: Almost the same load as I shot two weeks ago with two sets of loads this time. In the spreadsheet below, I included the previous results in grey. The loads were continuing the behavior of jumping to the upper left or one out of ten a flyer. Usually, the flyer was the first shot of the group. I was able to get two decent groups in each set. In the targets below, the 13.8gr and 14.2gr are from the first set, and the 14.0gr is from the second set. It looks like the flyer wanted to pull the group to the left (if that makes sense). I’ve run similar sets three times now and come up with three different results so my conclusion is that the rifle doesn’t like this bullet and powder range. I still have plenty of CFEBLK left so will try the 16.5-17.4 gr range from my initial attempt. Otherwise, it’s ironic if CFEBLK doesn’t work well in my 300BLK.

I finally bought a new Rock River Arms two-stage trigger for the AR lower. Nothing fancy. The first stage is 2# and second is 4#. I might try the lighter trigger spring from my other set. I also switched over to the Rock Jr. shooting rest instead of the bag. Neither seemed to help me with the flyers.



MN 91/30: I tried the last of the IMR4895 38.0gr with the Hornady 150gr SP and 38.2gr with the Hornady 174gr RN using the 25 OnTarget sheets. The first five of the SP shot well then went inexplicitly two inches high after that. I didn’t feel comfortable in the table I was at because I was having to balance my large mass on the back of the board which kept pivoting up. I shot the other half of the SP rounds at the metal target and saved the RN for another day.

I ordered on Ebay the thick rubber straps for the metal target. It was supposed to come with the mounting screws, so I wrote a negative review and asked for refund. I told the seller that if they mailed me the kit, I’m okay. Instead, the seller refunded me the $18 and Ebay won’t let me change my negative review. When I look on the seller’s profile, it says I’m the only one who has given a negative review since he began in 2003. Now I feel bad…



The straps worked great and didn't have that side to side swing that Len hates so much. The 6.5 Creedmoor bullets make a deep impact like the .223 do. The .308 and .312 bullets make a large superficial splash.

I got my new bullet puller in the mail today. Amazon said it would be delivered on Sunday but didn't believe it. Sure enough, the label was marked USPS and Sunday Delivery. That's a first for me.

It was a grey day on this Super Bowl Sunday. It was mostly busy but no rain, just clouds and light wind. Got back home in time for the second quarter. It was an amazing victory for my high school classmate, Doug Peterson who was our senior quarterback. It was awesome how he went from Miami quarterback to high school coach to Super Bowl coach champion.

6.5 Creedmoor. I met a fellow Johnny’s Reloading Bench fan, and he’s waiting for his Compass 6.5 to arrive at the FFL. I’m still waiting for my $75 rebate to arrive. We compared notes. The H4350 remains elusive on this island, but WGS has RL17 for $40 a bottle. Also, Roy’s Fishing has good prices on primers, better than SEC. I wasn’t impressed the last time I visited so time for a revisit. I visited Young Guns the other day, and they have decent powder prices but their primers are about $50 a brick.

Today was a similar repeat of the previous load test with the last of IMR4350 38.7 to 39.5 gr and 140gr Nosler RDF. I loaded 49 rounds because I ran out of powder for the last one. The velocity SD were higher today at about 20fps compared to 10fps last time, and the velocities were about 75fps less than the Nosler (and Hornady) data. Overall, the results were good but not excellent. The first load grouped with a 1.350 moa and a decent 12fps SD. The next three loads were flying to the upper right. There was a break between the 39.1 and 39.3 gr and a break half way through the 39.5gr. I didn’t want to repeat last time where the second set of the load opened up, so I shot at a different target at the beginning of the next round and used the OnTarget software to combine the group. It ended up having the tightest group (with one flyer) but the SD was a high 21fps. I know that the SD doesn’t make that much difference at 100 yards, but I would like to think I could shoot further with it.

Looking at the data from the three load tests with IMR4350, it appears there are nodes at 38.7, 39.2, and 40.5 gr, but I’m mostly pulling this out of my butt. When I get a new bottle, I’ll try out the 40 to 41 gr range or maybe I’ll do an actual full work up from 38.3 to 41.3 gr at 3 shots each. I know you’re asking why I didn’t try that to begin with but it’s the journey I’m after, not the ending. Plus that’s a lot of different charges to load and I get easily confused in my old age.

I got a new bottle of Superformance. The first bottle I bought at HFR. There were 9 bottles for $23 each but wasn’t sure if they worked in my rifle so only bought one. When I texted Rocky if they were still available, he said no. Missed opportunity…



1911-22: While waiting for the round to end so I could move the target from 100 to 50 yards for the AK, I shot the pistol at the orange gopher. I finally cleaned the pistol yesterday but was still functioning like crap. Tom suggested that I need a faster round to work the action. The Blazer load data says 1235fps muzzle and 1060fps pistol which is what I’ve been getting. I bought the brick last year at the Gun Show and will look for something with more oomf at the next event.

We also decided that the firing pin spring is worn out which is causing light strikes on the rimfire ammo and subsequent misfires. Unfortunately, the manufacturer appears to be out, so I’ll call them tomorrow to see if I have options. https://www.chiappafirearms.com/parts_air.php?id=1&idprod=35&id_fam=9

AK VEPR: I started out with the 123gr Xtreme .312” bullets that I haven’t had much success with in the MN and 300BLK (resized). These were all over the target except for a curious four shot group. Why these sorta grouped and the others didn’t is a mystery. The velocities matched the Vmax.

Relatively good results with the H4198 25.2 to 26.0 gr and Hornady Vmax 123gr. The groups were mostly the same with velocity SD in the teens. I believe the 25.6gr grouped best. I was gonna shoot the last two at a different target like last time but decided to stay on one target. The velocities were also about 75fps less than the Hornady data so perhaps it was just my chrono today. The two holes in the upper left are stray Xtreme rounds.

At Roy’s Fishing in Aiea, $28 for #250 and $24 for #41!!!

Don’t be too greedy. Save some for others.

Did Roy's have pistol primers?

Yes, Federal and CCI. They said Roy is at the Reno show ordering powder and should be in a month or two. Will be interesting to see what he gets.

Six cracked necks from last Sunday’s range visit. Two are Winchester (plus one from previous visit) and four are Hornady. I also have seven almost cracked (2 Winchester and 5 Hornady) that didn't pass the scratch test on the inside of the neck. This was the fifth firing. The obvious solution is annealing. Perhaps it's time to purchase a blow torch. There's also the option of buying fat-neck cases for turning, not that I have a turning apparatus.
https://www.ecwid.com/store/petersoncartridge/6-5-Creedmoor-Fat-Neck%E2%84%A2-Cartridge-Box-of-50-p83317513

Is it possible the rifle breech is causing the necks to over stretch?

It was a peaceful day at the range. Almost 80F with a light wind chill of less than 70F. I felt a chill for a brief moment, but then it passed. I was thinking of going on Sunday but saw that it was gonna rain so decided to meet Shaun at the range with his new T/C 6.5 Creedmoor that just arrived. That reminds me. I need to call them to find out where my $75 rebate is.

I’ve been working with annealing the brass. After the previous range trip with the 6.5 Creedmoor, about 15% of the cases had cracked necks. I used a blow torch and a socket screwdriver on the remaining cases. It was exciting, but I could see how it could get old after doing it week after week. I only plan to anneal every fourth firing. I ordered new large primer cases with fat-necks from Peterson Cartridges. I also annealed the 300BLK cases and dropped each in water to keep the primer ends intact. By the time all of this came about, I had already inserted primers into the .223 cases, so annealing would be problematic. I decided to shoot them anyways despite the high velocity SD I’ve been getting. I figured I could at least figure out my next move regardless.

AR: I reinstalled the replacement scope that Vortex sent me. They said I might have over torqued the rings because I used the removable threadlocking compound that was included in the Wheeler scope mounting kit. They said the “lubrication” can increase the torque by 50%. This was mentioned in the Wheeler instructions but was within the recommended tolerances. I made sure to torque to the minimum 15# suggested by Vortex with no Loctite or anything. The H335 25.8gr performed well (except for the high SD as expected with the old brass). I also made 22.0gr CFE223 out of the left over powder based on an old note I found that said they worked well. Obviously I lied because they were crap.

I’m not sure why I created 20.5 to 22.5 gr TAC with the new 70gr Nosler RDF bullets when the Nosler load data says 22.5 to 24.5 gr with 22.5gr being the most accurate. In the first set of 50, the 22.5gr were the most accurate with the lowest SD, and 21.5gr performed well in the second set of 50 so not consistent results. What’s weird is that the velocities are about 170fps MORE than the published data (which is rarely the case). Next load will be 22.2 to 23.0 gr TAC. I should have enough powder to make 120 more rounds, this time with new (once fired) LC brass. I dumped the old cases into the brass bucket.



6.5 CM: It was an informative day with the Creedmoor but not a great day with accuracy. Most loads had the first shot about 2" off and the next three grouping together. There also seemed to be an inverse relationship between accuracy and velocity SD. I played with the seating depth and determined that 2.83” is best. The Nosler load data suggests 2.805”, and I’ve been told that the head space is up to 2.94” but the accuracy is crap towards that length. I don't have a bullet comparator so I had to guess and take the average. I also confirmed that the 42.0gr Superformance groups the best. However, the new Peterson cases that are arriving soon have less capacity so will have to start over again with the powder. At least I have something to compare it to now (and a fresh bottle). The chrono didn’t fail on me this time. My fat fingers on the iPhone app is what failed me. My recollection was that the SD were crap for the three missing loads anyways.

AR2: I tried out my new AR upper with the free .223 Wylde 1:9 barrel I got from Bear Creek Arsenal for their Veteran’s Day promotion. I bought the upper receiver, handguard, and accoutrements from Dexter then spray painted. Everything seemed to work flawlessly, and I was able to consistently hit the metal target with the PMC ammo. The H335 25.8gr shot 200fps slower than the Varmint rifle. Not sure what I’ll end up doing with this upper. I mostly just wanted the experience of assembling an AR upper (and not blow my face off).

It was a quiet and sunny day at the range. I suspect the morning rains scared off most because the tables were half full at noon. I was expecting it to be full of shooters after yesterday’s downpour.

6.5 Creedmoor: With so many cracked necks after my previous range visit, I bought 50 new cases from Peterson Cartridge with the fat-necks that are 0.02” thicker for turning based on the manufacturer’s recommendation. The annealing appears to work great with the remaining Winchester cases. I’ll see if there are any split necks from resizing. After my previous testing, I’m seating the bullets to 2.830” which works best with this rifle. Below is a nice little group using 42gr Superformance in the Winchester cases.



I didn’t have high expectations with the unfired Peterson cases and 41.6 to 42.4gr Superformance and Nosler 140gr RDF. This was a repeat of the previous test load when I had the cracked Hornady cases. I thought I cleaned out the preservative oil with the new brass, but the powder was sticking to the insides of several of the necks while charging. Newb mistake. Overall, the velocity SD were an improvement. With the Winchester, I got 16 and 27 fps compared to 30s and 40s previously. The new Peterson’s SD were under 22fps.

The loads were going well until the last two shots of the second group (41.8gr) going to the upper right. The first five shots grouped well to the left. I considered shooting the next five at a new target but decided to continue. The third group stayed to the upper right which threw me off a bit so I adjusted down. For the results, I averaged the two groups for comparison. The fourth load grouped well except for the one that went left, and the fifth group had the last two also going to the upper right but may have been rushed because the buzzer sounded and I didn’t want to shoot the last five at the beginning of the next round. The manufacturer said I will need to use less powder with these cases because there is less capacity but seems to be the same result as the Hornady and Winchester cases. I bought a bottle of IMR8208 XBR which Nosler says is most accurate with the 140gr bullet so will probably use that next.



300BLK: Tried the upper range for the CFEBLK powder. I have to conclude that the powder is okay with my 300BLK but not excellent, which I find ironic. The W296/H110 and LilGun remain the best powders. I was dealing with huge POI shifts with this load test of 16.2 to 18.9 gr CFEBLK in ten loads at 0.3gr intervals. The 16.8gr on the left below grouped best after shifting to the upper left. I initially tried 19.1gr but couldn’t compress the load and seat the bullet consistently to the max 2.260”, so I skipped it and added an extra to the bottom. I found that I had to adjust the scope down 1 minute and right 1 minute for each 0.3gr increment. The velocity SD for the annealed brass were good but comparable to the velocity SD I got on January 15th with the unannealed brass. I’ve only had one split neck with the converted brass so far. Overall, the 300BLK is rather light on the cases and barely needs to be trimmed after resizing. I still have plenty of CFEBLK left in the bottle so not sure what I’ll do with it since my AK doesn’t’ seem to like it either. This was the last of the Winchester primers and will be switching over to the CCI #41 I got cheap from Roy's Fishing.

You shouldn't adjust POI until you settle on a load.  POI shifts are due to barrel harmonics.  As you start from lower charge and raise to higher charge the POI will move low to high/ left to right in a cyclic pattern. 

What you should be looking for are consistent circular impacts at the apex of either node with the lowest standard deviation.  Once you have that powder charge sorted, using that same powder charge, seat the bullets deeper in the case by .002" at a time and shoot for the tightest group. 

You shouldn't adjust POI until you settle on a load.  POI shifts are due to barrel harmonics.  As you start from lower charge and raise to higher charge the POI will move low to high/ left to right in a cyclic pattern. 

What you should be looking for are consistent circular impacts at the apex of either node with the lowest standard deviation.  Once you have that powder charge sorted, using that same powder charge, seat the bullets deeper in the case by .002" at a time and shoot for the tightest group.

 

 

Agreed. The problem is that there was such a POI shift that they were going into the next target over and causing me mass confusion, mostly with the 300BLK. It also likes to chop its way through my wood frame. I coulda left it alone with the 6.5 because there was only that one major shift that occurred.

Agreed. The problem is that there was such a POI shift that they were going into the next target over and causing me mass confusion, mostly with the 300BLK. It also likes to chop its way through my wood frame. I coulda left it alone with the 6.5 because there was only that one major shift that occurred.

something else is going on with either your shooting or the platforms
I suggest IDing them before shooting for groups

Agreed. Perhaps I need to shoot a bunch of the 42gr Superformance and see if I get consistency with the 6.5 before switching over to the 8208 XBR. I previously determined that 2.830" was the best OAL. I was expecting the 41.8 or 41.6 gr to shoot better because of the thicker cases but still seems to like the 42gr better.

The 300BLK was a gradual increase with each 0.3gr which happens often with that platform. It was pronounced because I was testing such a wide load range. It wasn't a problem because I was expecting it and didn't seem to impact accuracy.

My first case head separations. Time to 86 all of the brass that was with the Winchester 6.5 ammo. This was the brass that I got the sub moa shots and decent velocity yesterday. The Hornady cases are fine with no cracked necks after FL resizing.

My first case head separations. Time to 86 all of the brass that was with the Winchester 6.5 ammo. This was the brass that I got the sub moa shots and decent velocity yesterday. The Hornady cases are fine with no cracked necks after FL resizing.

Were those annealed?

Yes, before this firing. I didn't quench them in water like I did with 300BLK. Should I have?

Yes, before this firing. I didn't quench them in water like I did with 300BLK. Should I have?

How long are you holding the cases to the flame? Do  you have Tempilac? I go 6 seconds at the end of the flame - on low