Have issues with solid copper

[Wind Gypsy]

Ya I can definitely see that. Not to brag about me im definitely a better shot than most people I know. Prior military had a lot of shooting practice even at long range. So with that said. What group sizes you recommend other than 3?

That is a loaded question depending on the goal. My thought was that it's not unlikely to have a 0.5" 3 shot group and a 1.5" 3 shot group with the same load without either being out of the norm for that system's level of precision. If you have a variance of 0.5" to 5+ inch it's likely there is more going on.

But back to the question - I don't tend to shoot a whole bunch of groups at different charges or seating depths trying to "tune" a load anymore. I found out that my "tuning" was never repeatable and in general, a rifle seems to shoot a bullet/powder/case combination good enough for me or it doesn't and usually all the tweaking amounts to noise. I usually shoot 5 or higher shot groups now depending on intention.

"Load dev" for me now would consist of shooting a ladder of charges to find velocity/pressure. Shooting the ladder of powder charges should give some indication if the combo will shoot or not. At short ranges it should shoot pretty tight even with a range of powder charges. Settle on a powder charge based on velocity and lack of pressure signs and load 5-10 rounds 0.040-0.050" off the lands to confirm it's adequate for me. If it shoots like shit, change bullet or powder and start over. If you have good equipment, choose a cartridge with known performance, and use high quality components, things tend to work out well most of the time. I've wasted countless hours and components playing "find the unicorn" load and it usually isn't repeatable so I dont dick around with that anymore.

 

[Addicting]

I've wasted countless hours and components playing "find the unicorn" load and it usually isn't repeatable so I dont dick around with that anymore.

Bingo

@Fredrickeder this sounds like what you’re doing.

I start with good brass prep. This has to be done, it’s your foundation. Mixed headstamp, not trimmed, overshot hardened, cheap 4x shot Hornday are all bad foundations.

Then powder and velocity because every barrel is different. My results never match what the book says. Sometimes I go thru 3 or 4 different powders to find the best velocity and even spread changes on the velocity ladder. Why waste components if the velocity sucks for that lot of powder?

If I still can’t find a powder my primers are checked. Quality primers, CCI or Federal, seldom are an issue. Winchester and foreign can be.

Once I’ve proven that is good I move on to seating depth.

It’s a one step at a time process verifying each step is good before moving on.

Just loading groups and shooting you may unicorn into a shooter. But if you don’t, you have no idea what the issue was. Which is currently where you are at.

Don’t waste any more components on that 270 till the twist is verified.

 

[Fredrickeder]

Bingo

@Fredrickeder this sounds like what you’re doing.

I start with good brass prep. This has to be done, it’s your foundation. Mixed headstamp, not trimmed, overshot hardened, cheap 4x shot Hornday are all bad foundations.

Then powder and velocity because every barrel is different. My results never match what the book says. Sometimes I go thru 3 or 4 different powders to find the best velocity and even spread changes on the velocity ladder. Why waste components if the velocity sucks for that lot of powder?

If I still can’t find a powder my primers are checked. Quality primers, CCI or Federal, seldom are an issue. Winchester and foreign can be.

Once I’ve proven that is good I move on to seating depth.

It’s a one step at a time process verifying each step is good before moving on.

Just loading groups and shooting you may unicorn into a shooter. But if you don’t, you have no idea what the issue was. Which is currently where you are at.

Don’t waste any more components on that 270 till the twist is verified.

Ya with the .270 I’m thinking about staying with the 150 sst they shoot really well. But want to find a better bullet that doesn’t destroy a lot of meat for the .243. You also brought up another point I have been thinking of. Getting same brass or at least sorting the bass I have to be the same.

 

[Addicting]

Ya with the .270 I’m thinking about staying with the 150 sst they shoot really well. But want to find a better bullet that doesn’t destroy a lot of meat for the .243. You also brought up another point I have been thinking of. Getting same brass or at least sorting the bass I have to be the same.

Same brass and preferably the same lot brass is where to start. If you have mixed brass with a unknown history your wasting money doing anything else unless you have a way to anneal it.

Here is a great bullet that is cheap and will work fine in that 270 for all of North America. SPS is a great place to get deals on good components.

ShootersProShop

Explore the world of Nosler, renowned for crafting the finest bullets, ammunition, rifles, and brass. Discover our extensive lineup, including Partition, AccuBond, E-Tip, Ballistic Tip, Custom Competition, and more. Experience superior quality and performance with Nosler products.

www.shootersproshop.com

 

[Fredrickeder]

Same brass and preferably the same lot brass is where to start. If you have mixed brass with a unknown history your wasting money doing anything else unless you have a way to anneal it.

Here is a great bullet that is cheap and will work fine in that 270 for all of North America. SPS is a great place to get deals on good components.

ShootersProShop

Explore the world of Nosler, renowned for crafting the finest bullets, ammunition, rifles, and brass. Discover our extensive lineup, including Partition, AccuBond, E-Tip, Ballistic Tip, Custom Competition, and more. Experience superior quality and performance with Nosler products.

www.shootersproshop.com

Sweet thank you.

 

[Addicting]

Sps also does a military discount.

 

[tzone]

To me it sounds like possibly some copper fouling if all things were equal. Or you have a scope issue.

 

[Seamaster]

When I first started loading copper I treated it just like traditional bullets for jump. It was frustrating getting a good group, followed by a bad group, with no consistency whatsoever. I finally started giving the much more jump and the problem went away. With some of the loads it seems almost to be that it is hard to have too much jump, but too little is a problem. You have been given good advice in the previous posts.