Even'n shooters,
Well, be'in retired and all, you'd think I'd get out for more shoot'in, but seems something is always in the way.
Just got the insulation blown onto the ceiling of my new shop loft this even'in, so maybe next summer will be better, I hope!
Anyway, needed to take the RUGER Hawkeye - 300 win mag - out for a check after floating the barrel and before hunting season which starts bright and early in the morn'in.
Have had the rifle a bit over a year, but have just not gotten loads worked up for it as it shot the loads I had for the A-bolt with the very bad barrel, better then the browning did.
Anyway, did finally get out for 4 hours or so of bench time this past Wed. and tried some test loads with IMR 4350 behind the 165gr Nosler Partition. Not good! Velocity OK, but not great, groups bad too so so.
Time for the second set of test loads, this time with IMR7828.
Started out with good velocitys but very bad groups, until I got to the 4th set of test loads which went into 1 3/8" w/ a horizontal spread probably cause by the strong wind I was dealing with.
5th set of loads, 83gr. of IMR7828 behind the 165gr Nosler PT was what I was look'in for! 3318fps and a nice clustered group of just a tad over 5/8".
For sure, I need to revisit that load next summer.
The load I will use this Fall, left over from that reject A-bolt, is 79gr of RL22 behind the 165 Nosler, which gives me a velocity of about 3146fps and groups of 1 - 1 1/2" from the RUGER.
While allowing the Hawkeye to cool between groups, I fired up the RUGER "flatbolt" - 243 - to finish up some tests with the 55gr. Nosler B.T.
Well, I have now seen over 4000fps with a 243, as 5 rounds of H414 behind the 55gr. pill averaged 3995fps.
Groups were tacky, but oh so very fast!
Finishing up some tests with the same bullet and IMR4895, I saw 44.5 grains give me an 1 1/4" group and 3813fps, while an even 45grains went across the screens at an average of 3853fps and gave a 5 shot group of 15/16".
Now, considering the very windy conditions I was dealing with, I think this one also needs to be re-visited come 2010.
Good to finally get out and very good to have a rifle shooting as well as the Hawkeye, especially after the problems I had with the A-bolt, and as always it was fun to again shoot the very nice Ol'flatbolt.
Keep em coming!
CDOC
