Fine tuning.

[Huntkook]

Here's a question for you that reload. Get good groups with both loads, but stuck on what to do next. Everything is the same on both loads except powder. The IMR 4350 seems to group better, where as the the H4831sc seems to have better velocity based only on POI. I have done .5 grain adjustments, so where do I go from here?

 

[cowboy]

What caliber, powder weight, and bullet weight? Were these targets shot at 100 yds?

 

[blueridge]

Call it good with the imr. Nothing wrong with those groups for a hunting load.

 

[Huntkook]

What caliber, powder weight, and bullet weight? Were these targets shot at 100 yds?

7mm rem mag, 150 Barnes TTSX, IMR 4350 61.5 and H4831sc 62.5 all at 100.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I suggest needlepoint. You're done at the range. Conserve your precious components.

 

[EastTNHunter]

POI may or may not be affected by velocity in this case. Only a chrono will tell. That could simply be a case of barrel harmonics.

If you want to tighten the groups then tweak seating depth, especially since TTSXs are seating depth sensitive

 

[Huntkook]

POI may or may not be affected by velocity in this case. Only a chrono will tell. That could simply be a case of barrel harmonics.

If you want to tighten the groups then tweak seating depth, especially since TTSXs are seating depth sensitive

Yeah I found that out on the other 7mm. It seems that they shot best at or near factory seating depth. Would/does barrel pressure affect the harmonics?

 

[JLS]

Load up a bunch of the IMR loads and call it.

 

[EastTNHunter]

Yeah I found that out on the other 7mm. It seems that they shot best at or near factory seating depth. Would/does barrel pressure affect the harmonics?

Harmonics are affected by lots of things, and pressure and pressure CURVE are big parts of that. Someone smarter than me may know a better way to describe it, but it’s above my pay grade

 

[EastTNHunter]

And for the record, the I4350 group looks great

 

[N2TRKYS]

That grouping tells me nothing without chrono results.

 

[deer_shooter]

I'd lock in that IMR load and call it a day. I used to chase accuracy like an OCD loon but realized the Law of Diminishing Returns applies for hunting loads. If you get MOA or better, call it and save components.

 

[Addicting]

It’s not the load, it’s good. Your breathing and you rear rest are moving. It may just be your crosshairs are too thick to distinguish the movement but it is definitely moving with your breathing.

 

[220yotekiller]

Call it, those groups look great.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Curious, how much room do you have in the case with that much IMR4350? In the past I had troubles getting a group with 30-06 and 168 gr TTSX. That was before I learned Barnes recommends 0.050 clearance to rifle lands. Typically, I set clearance at around 0.010. 55.5 gr IMR4350 really fills the 30-06 case when loading 165 gr Hornady InterLok. I'm concerned pushing a longer bullet further into the case will compress the powder. Anyone with experience compressing 4350? Should I try switching to another powder?

 

[Sheltowee]

As most everyone above has said, those groups are plenty accurate for hunting purposes. That said, I don't think they're taking into account that we handloaders suffer a debilitating illness-- otherwise, why in the world would we obsess over hitting 0.25MOA when we're already at 0.5?

If you really want to keep tinkering, I would first experiment with seating depth, then neck tension and finally maybe trying different primers. Hornady makes a very useful OAL gauge that will give you a clear picture of your chamber's true length. Would highly recommend picking one up if you've not already.

 

[nhenry]

Curious, how much room do you have in the case with that much IMR4350? In the past I had troubles getting a group with 30-06 and 168 gr TTSX. That was before I learned Barnes recommends 0.050 clearance to rifle lands. Typically, I set clearance at around 0.010. 55.5 gr IMR4350 really fills the 30-06 case when loading 165 gr Hornady InterLok. I'm concerned pushing a longer bullet further into the case will compress the powder. Anyone with experience compressing 4350? Should I try switching to another powder?

I used a lot of compressed IMR 4350 loads in my old 280 AI and they did just fine with great velocity and accuracy. The only bullet that I used that didn't compress it was a 120gr TTSX. Don't be afraid to compress loads, within reason.
If you just don't like the crunch, buy an electric toothbrush and vibrate the side of the case with it to help the powder settle better.

 

[Jbotto]

I used a lot of compressed IMR 4350 loads in my old 280 AI and they did just fine with great velocity and accuracy. The only bullet that I used that didn't compress it was a 120gr TTSX. Don't be afraid to compress loads, within reason.
If you just don't like the crunch, buy an electric toothbrush and vibrate the side of the case with it to help the powder settle better.

Never tried the toothbrush trick, but I’ve even at luck settling stick powders my slowly poring them through the funnel rather than dumping the whole scale pan at once. Other guys use extended drop tubes too and they seem to swear by it.

 

[EastTNHunter]

I use 57.5 gr I4350 with a 165 NBT or NAB, and 56.5 I4350 with a 180 NAB using Winchester cases. It’s compressed, but it shoots great. No drop tube or vibratory settler needed

 

[Redside]

7mm rem mag, 150 Barnes TTSX, IMR 4350 61.5 and H4831sc 62.5 all at 100.

Agree with the others, load up a batch of the IMR and see if you can repeat the results.

If it follows Hodgdon load data, the IMR might be faster as well. Roughly H4831 at 2850fps and IMR4350 at 2925fps at those charges above.