So I did a thing yesterday...

[mmeehan97]

Nice setup!

If you are open to some feedback, the horizontal stringing you are getting is usually related to shooting position, torquing your rifle to get on target, and trigger pull. All of which are things you can work on; which is good news because it means that rifle is a shooter!

Spend some time experimenting with your shooting/hand position. When at the range get your cross hairs centered on the bull and then close your eyes, if your cross hairs drift off of the bull your shooting position isn't quite right and you are torquing the rifle. Also, do some dry firing, and see what your cross hairs do when the trigger breaks. They should stay pretty steady, and if they are jumping around too much it would indicate some instability in your position or poor hand position on your grip.

I greatly appreciate the feedback. I'm kind of new to the whole "precision shooting" thing. I was born into the "if you can hit a milk jug at 100 yards, then you can hunt" school. Those are some great tips and i'll absolutely try them out next time i'm at the range!

 

[mmeehan97]

I don't remember if it was mentioned or not, but you should also try Hornady American Whitetail. My wife's .270 shoots half-inch groups with that ammo.

Awesome, I actually just ordered some American Whitetails online! I'll try the Whitetails/Fusions, then step up to Superformance and Nosler Trophy Grade Accubonds.

And if that fails, I may take okie's advice and try some 140s.

 

[okie_hotrod]

If you wanna shoot the 140gr Accubonds Winchester lists them in their Supreme Accubond CT ammo. It's a little pricey as far as Winchester ammo goes but it does well out of my gun and it's cheaper than Nosler's factory ammo.

 

[5Speedjim]

An ammo change can be like night and day sometimes. I tried a bunch of ammo in my 308 years ago and the cheap federal 150gr did the best. Also let someone else shoot your rifle and see how it works.

 

[mmeehan97]

Range Update 2

Killed a whole box of Federal Fusion 130 gr.

Seemed to me to perform a bit better.

Every time I was feeling froggy and aimed at the 208 yd. gong I hit it.

Working on using both the BDC (quick shots at distance, where you don't have time to use a dope card) and using Strelok+ to dial in my vertical adjustment.

I really do like this shooting iron.

 

[mmeehan97]

So, I doubt anyone's too terribly interested.

But I think I need to improve my shooting technique. I'm shooting from a bench, with a front and rear sandbag.

After the manufacturers recommended break in process, I shot FIVE 3-shot groups at 100 yards with four different ammo's, and here were the average 3-shot groups - in order of effectiveness:
Federal Fusion, 130 gr: 1.98750"
Nosler TG AB, 130 gr: 2.08125"
Hornady American Whitetail, 130 gr: 2.27344"
Hornady Superformance, 130 gr: 2.45000"

So. I don't know. Maybe try some 140/150's. Keep working on my shooting technique. Figure something out. Get someone to show me some tricks.

I ditched a magnum caliber for this 270 and bought an expensive scope in hopes that I'd be able to shoot better...and I never actually measured groups with my Savage 7mag. But I know for certain I was under 1.5" consistently. And my old Savage had a cheap 9x scope on it. I'm shooting these groups with 16x.

Just goes to show, you can't buy ability.

 

[mrjashu]

Stick with it, it's not something that you learn overnight. Definitely try some of the heavier bullets to see if your barrel prefers them. You might also get someone that you have confidence in shoot some groups with it. That way you have a baseline of how much of it is you and how much is the rifle/ammo.

Are you cleaning before each group? (not necessarily recommending you do, just asking) How is the barrel fouling looking?

 

[Jape]

The Cerakote is a great finish. "Breaking in a barrel" is a bunch of voodoo in my opinion. Stick to quality ammo. Nosler, hornady etc. Learn the gun, once you find an ammo it likes shoot as much as you can to get comfortable with it. Also know how the gun shoots at various ranges. Don't go shoot a good group at 100 yards and hang it up until hunting season. 270 is a great choice good variety of ammo and low recoil enjoy her!

Wisdom.

 

[Guest member 25165]

Don't get too bummed. There are lots of ammo options for that 270. I was in a similar boat as you were. Got rid of 2 rifles (one a magnum caliber) and bought a 270 and a 308. Both guns were a bit picky with ammo. The one brand that has shot consistently well out of all my rifles was the Barnes bullets. The 270 really likes the 130 TSX. The 308 shoots the Barnes well too, but the barrel gets a ton of copper fouling. I would give them a try.

 

[cahunter805]

I would try some 140 accubonds or the 130gr Barnes.
Also you said you were using a front and rear bag. Did you remove the front sling stud? This can cause lots of trouble during recoil. I'd also recommend trying a bipod and rear bag off the bench. Get comfy behind the rifle.

 

[mmeehan97]

Are you cleaning before each group? (not necessarily recommending you do, just asking) How is the barrel fouling looking?

I did the break-in procedure that the manufacturer recommended. But since then I've only been cleaning the barrel after each box of new ammo. I do Wipe Out Patch Out, in combo with the Accelerator. Soaking it for a few hours, and then running patches until they come back white-ish. I think the stuff works pretty slick.

 

[mmeehan97]

I would try some 140 accubonds or the 130gr Barnes.
Also you said you were using a front and rear bag. Did you remove the front sling stud? This can cause lots of trouble during recoil. I'd also recommend trying a bipod and rear bag off the bench. Get comfy behind the rifle.

I did not remove the front sling stud. I'll give that a try.

I've been toying with the idea of a bipod. I've never owned one and not sure on brand/height/etc. Any recommendations?

Thanks for the reply!

 

[cbat]

Yep we have a couple by different makers and 2 like 140 grain and 1 likes 130 grain bullets better.

 

[IABoilermaker]

So, I doubt anyone's too terribly interested.

But I think I need to improve my shooting technique. I'm shooting from a bench, with a front and rear sandbag.

After the manufacturers recommended break in process, I shot FIVE 3-shot groups at 100 yards with four different ammo's, and here were the average 3-shot groups - in order of effectiveness:
Federal Fusion, 130 gr: 1.98750"
Nosler TG AB, 130 gr: 2.08125"
Hornady American Whitetail, 130 gr: 2.27344"
Hornady Superformance, 130 gr: 2.45000"

So. I don't know. Maybe try some 140/150's. Keep working on my shooting technique. Figure something out. Get someone to show me some tricks.

I ditched a magnum caliber for this 270 and bought an expensive scope in hopes that I'd be able to shoot better...and I never actually measured groups with my Savage 7mag. But I know for certain I was under 1.5" consistently. And my old Savage had a cheap 9x scope on it. I'm shooting these groups with 16x.

Just goes to show, you can't buy ability.

Another suggestion, all that magnification could be driving some bad habits. Try dialing back down to 10x and try your groups at that. If you are really interested in shooting technique look into the book long range shooting handbook by Ryan Cleckner. A quick read with some good tips and pointers.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Good shooting! How do you like the rifle?

 

[10Dogs]

My 06' prefers 165 grain Partitions to 150 grain Partitions.

I feed her what she likes and she knocks the deer down.

 

[mmeehan97]

I'll have to check that book out. And try some groups at 10x magnification.

Rifle shoots like a dream. I'm really happy with it, and i'm positive most of the bad groups are user error.

Hunting season is coming up so i'll likely just stick with Fusions and start working on field shooting positions.

Next spring i'll start throwing some 140's or 150's through it. See if that tightens up my groups.

 

[antelopedundee]

I did the break-in procedure that the manufacturer recommended. But since then I've only been cleaning the barrel after each box of new ammo. I do Wipe Out Patch Out, in combo with the Accelerator. Soaking it for a few hours, and then running patches until they come back white-ish. I think the stuff works pretty slick.

The break in is likely of less importance than the cleaning technique. NEVER use a brush. I'll second the accelerator with wipe out/patch out method. A friend introduced me a year ago. I'm not anal about copper because it's right back in there after a shot or 2. FWIW Nosler has the old standard break in method on their website.

 

[cahunter805]

If using wipe out/ patch out be sure to run a patch or 2 of acetone or brake cleaner after your done. I've seen a rifle that was cleaned but a tiny bit of the solvent was left in the bore. Stored on end the action/bolt were rusted and a complete mess.
I prefer Bore Tech products and Nylon brushes are OK to use. Always use a bore guide also.

Definitely get in some field position practice. Get comfortable with the rifle and your grip/body position and I bet those groups shrink up some.

 

[antelopedundee]

If using wipe out/ patch out be sure to run a patch or 2 of acetone or brake cleaner after your done. I've seen a rifle that was cleaned but a tiny bit of the solvent was left in the bore. Stored on end the action/bolt were rusted and a complete mess.
I prefer Bore Tech products and Nylon brushes are OK to use. Always use a bore guide also.

Definitely get in some field position practice. Get comfortable with the rifle and your grip/body position and I bet those groups shrink up some.

I use the Bore Tech non-copper jags with a bore guide and a Dewey rod. I use hexane patches to remove the wipe out stuff from the bore. Charcoal starter fluid is ok too. Since it's a reactive solvent acetone is iffy IMO unless you run an oily or dry patch after it. The 90% rubbing alcohol would be a wiser choice.