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Author Topic: Handi Surprised my Hunting Partner.  (Read 928 times)

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Offline Sourdough

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Handi Surprised my Hunting Partner.
« on: August 31, 2012, 07:37:18 AM »
Yesterday my hunting partner and I went out to sight in our big guns.  We were working at 400 yards, thats the sight in for those big Weatherby's.  Norm laughed at my RCBS shooting platform.  Norm uses a table and sand bags.  I fired five shots, norm fired three.  We walked down to check our groups.  I had a three inch group, norm had a nine inch group.  Nine inch group, he was frustrated.  So he went back and cleaned his gun in preparation of shooting another group.  I put mine away.

While he was doing that I pulled out the spare gun for Moose camp, my Handi 30-06.  I sat at the bench and took three shots.  I was using a load I developed for my 30-06 Ultra Comp instead of the loads I normally use for my old Handi.  165gr Sierria HPBT in front of 56.5gr of IMR-4831.  Norm laughed about me using that cheap single shot.  Especially at 400 yards.  He then sat down and took his next three shots.  We walked down to check them.  I now had a four and a half inch group with the Handi.    Norm still had a nine inch group.

Norm went back and shot another three shots at 400 yards.  I moved on back to 500 and took three more shots.  I used the 500 yard line on the scope.  This time I drove the Jeep down to check the results.  Norm still has a nine inch group.  I squatted in front of my target, looking at the opened up group.  Suddenly the target was ripped from the box I was using as a target holder.  Norm wadded it up and threw it in the river, yelling you don't need to measure that, let's go.  Norm was really frustrated. 

When I got home I measured the holes in the box.  My group at 500 yards had opened up to six and three quarters inches.  I also noticed I was a bit high.  I placed a target over the holes and decided I was roughly four inches high at 500 yards.  Still tight enough for Caribou.  A bit iffy for Wolves or Coyotes.  I think the group opening up was more me than the gun. 

I love to see Norm get frustrated, it makes him sit down and work harder.  Bow that he is retired it gives him something to think about, instead of bugging his wife.  Still have not told him my best secret.  I use a concentricity gauge, a device that measures the alignment of the bullet to the case.  I just bought the new Hornady one that also trues up the bullet in the case.  One of the things I learned from the pros about reloading.  I even check my factory ammo, and find quite a bit of it out of alignment.  Since I started using the gauge my groups have really tightened up.  If there is a flyer, it's all my fault, can't blame it on the ammo.
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Offline gendoc

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Re: Handi Surprised my Hunting Partner.
« Reply #1 on: August 31, 2012, 07:53:02 AM »
as always, great story rog, and a better secret you got there !!! i also use tha con-gauge.
and folks wonder why my "39" will take there $$$............ ;)
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sea-ya.....
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gotta big green tractor ana diesel truck, my idea of heaven's chasin whitetail bucks and asa country boy, you know i can survive............

hey boy, hit this mason jar one time...
burn ya lil'bit did'nt it. ya ever been snipe hunt'n ?  come on...

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Offline evidrine

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Re: Handi Surprised my Hunting Partner.
« Reply #2 on: August 31, 2012, 07:56:39 AM »
Great post, and very impressive! I havn't hear of a concentricity gauge before, learn something new every day I guess. Thanks for the tip!  ;)
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Offline Sourdough

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Re: Handi Surprised my Hunting Partner.
« Reply #3 on: August 31, 2012, 03:57:21 PM »
My partner uses the Compatition bullet seating dies, to help seat the bullets straight.  Problem is that they are caliber specific, and at around $90.00 per die, someone like me just can not afford them.  I shoot too many calibers.
 
Now the concentricity gauge can be used for everything, and goes a bit farther.
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Where is old Joe when we really need him?  Alaska Independence    Calling Illegal Immigrants "Undocumented Aliens" is like calling Drug Dealers "Unlicensed Pharmacists"
What Is A Veteran?
A 'Veteran' -- whether active duty, discharged, retired, or reserve -- is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America,' for an amount of 'up to, and including his life.' That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country today who no longer understand that fact.

Offline cwlongshot

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Re: Handi Surprised my Hunting Partner.
« Reply #4 on: September 01, 2012, 02:09:38 AM »
Quote from: Sourdough on August 31, 2012, 03:57:21 PM
My partner uses the Compatition bullet seating dies, to help seat the bullets straight.  Problem is that they are caliber specific, and at around $90.00 per die, someone like me just can not afford them.  I shoot too many calibers.
 
Now the concentricity gauge can be used for everything, and goes a bit farther.

Yet another good story Roger!

 I wish I had the oppertunities to shoot at these distances. It's a imposability here on the east coast. There is a range in New Hampshire I could , but its too far away and I would need to join...

The concentricity gauge is a excellent tool to see just how precicely your assemblied loads are..



CW
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Offline quickdtoo

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Re: Handi Surprised my Hunting Partner.
« Reply #5 on: September 01, 2012, 04:50:57 AM »
Good shootin Rog, as usual!  ;) I've been using the Hornady Concentricity tool since they were first available, it's an excellent tool, I even used it to straighten factory 260 Rem ammo, some of it shot great, some not so much, so I checked runout, some of it had up .007" runout, after I straightened it, it had less than .002". I have the RCBS tool that CW shows, but the only time I've used it in the last three years was with the 50-140 rounds because the Hornady tool pilots are too small for the big flat point.

Tim

http://www.hornady.com/store/Ammunition-Concentricity-Tool
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Offline LaOtto222

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Re: Handi Surprised my Hunting Partner.
« Reply #6 on: September 01, 2012, 12:30:19 PM »
I have both the Hornady and RCBS gauges. I think the Hornady is a little easier to use and you can straighten the rounds up a bit with them. If you want the bullets to seat straight, the necks have to be straight too. I think the Lee collet dies do a very good job of keeping the necks straight. I just loaded up a batch of LC '06 223 with turned necks for my heavy barreled Savage. As part of the case prep, I ran these cases through a Lee Collet die to size the necks. I did a random check for concentricity and only found run out of .001" or less on the Hornady for the 10% or so I checked.

Good Shooting and Good Luck
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Offline gendoc

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Re: Handi Surprised my Hunting Partner.
« Reply #7 on: September 01, 2012, 12:58:49 PM »
roger that laotto........
 redding and hornady....second to none........ ;)
performance speaks for its self 8)
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sea-ya.....
in tha meen time, i'm wait'n for tha  7th trumpet ta sound !!!

gotta big green tractor ana diesel truck, my idea of heaven's chasin whitetail bucks and asa country boy, you know i can survive............

hey boy, hit this mason jar one time...
burn ya lil'bit did'nt it. ya ever been snipe hunt'n ?  come on...

I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.
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