help my reloads

[butterman]

I have a Browning Micro-medallion in 7mm-08 , I know you shouldent expect better than 1"groups .
 everything I shoot will shoot 1" with some comdo of powder and bullet,  ok  but what do you do to get that extra 1/4" ,        I have a 338 win.mag.  that will shot one load into 1/2" , it is a slow
vel. load ,it will shoot lots of 3/4" groups so whats with the 7mm-08 .I would like to see just a load or two that are 3/4" . is that to much ?  I have used 160 Accubonds , 120 Barnes , Nosler Partitions , and the Rem. cor lok .  Get this the PSPCL is the best load  yuck,   Help??

[beemanbeme]

I'd make sure all the screws are tight, there's no bind between the stock and the barrel, the scope is on good and snug, and the barrel has been cleaned well before testing and then, if 1" is all it will do, be happy with it.  I say this because if this is a hunting rifle, 1" is all you need.  And the "price" you have to pay for that .25" might be kinda high.  What weight does the trigger break at?  Is it crisp or gritty?  Have you bedded the action?  Have you given the bore about 500 strokes with a JB patch?
Try some 140gr bullets.  And some H4895.  If Core Lokt bullets are your best groups, you're in good shape as the velocity window of the 7-08 is ideal for a standard bullet. 

[jpsmith1]

What's wrong with 1"  There are a heck of a lot of people out there who kill deer with guns that shoot 2" or a little better at 100 yards. 

1" accuracy is great, even considering todays excellent machining and manufacturing tolerences.  I've shot guns that will pump rounds into a ragged hole at 100 yards with anything I fed the gun and have also shot guns that can only manage about 1 1/2" with the best handloads I could feed them.

Are your loads near max?  I was just reading in the newest handloader that sometimes, especially with the new 'wonder bullets' that a stiff load of near or at max gives the best accuracy.  Lean on them a bit and see what happens. 

[jhalcott]

Try a Past recoil shoulder protector also. That Micro is a light gun. I have one in .260.that will get sub inch groups with 140's and AA4350 powder. My 708 (788) is a stubby 18.5" barrel and I get 1.2" five shot groups with IMR 4320 and 154 Hornady's. Both of these guns have taken quite a few deer. If you want those tiny groups, you might want a little heavier gun.

[butterman]

My thing is I shoot 1000 rounds at paper to each deer I take so I like to play with smaller groups .
I have changed the spring on the trigger, it fires at 3 lbs. now , it use to be 7.5 lbs. I have bedded the action and the barrel floats, I clean the barrel after every 20 rounds .On the reloading I have weighted the brass , the powder, the bullets for shape, use CCI BR-2 primers, Have RCBS compation dies, neck turn ,and I do'nt sit the shoulder back when resizeing,     Is their something I am Missing?

[Sir Charles deMoutonBlack]

My eyes are 64 years old, and I don't have a very good benchrest.  Why can't I get 1" groups like the other guys?  Heh, Ma?

[Val]

Have you tried playing with the bullet seating depth?

[butterman]

I cann't play to much with setting depth because of the lenght of the bullets . The browning has a mag. so I am stuck with 2.800" ,  some of the bullets are 0.105" of the rifleing ,great B.C. but not good groups ,  I have taken the Accubond to a belt sander and shortened it .050" so I can get within .050" of the rifling. I think that is maybe the PSPCL shoots so well , I can get it to .010" off the rifling. maybe ?   I get to play alot  If they all shot 1/2" groups what would I do?

[beemanbeme]

Don't angst too much about bullet jump.  Put a couple of biz cards between the barrel and the stock about 1" back from the front.  You want some up pressure.  Also, moving the pressure point forward and back can change the barrel harmonics and change the exit point of the bullet.  Also, did you say you're shooting a 160gr bullet??  I don't think that's the optimum weight for a 7-08.  Again, I'd reccommend something @ 140grs.

[goodconcretecolor]

I have a rifle with a long throat relative to the magazine. I found useing a Lee factory crimp die with a cannelured bullet cut my group size in half with most loads. It did not help bullets with out a cannelure. The crimp works best with the cannelure just inside the mouth. My best groups for this rifle are with such loads.
The trick with the business cards works in reducing group size but I found it made point of impact much more sensitive to how the rifle was held. I bedded my barrel with Dow Great Stuff urethane foam as I saw described for an NEF HandiRifle. Called a dampened free float, It shrinks groups but the POI is as constant as free floating. My rifle is just a Howa 1500 in 30-06 I picked up used for $285 with a good scope. It has been a great rifle to experiment with. You may be reluctant to try the urethane with a nice rifle like your Micro Medallion. Send me a message if want to know more about the foam beeding.

[Almtnman]

I cann't play to much with setting depth because of the lenght of the bullets . The browning has a mag. so I am stuck with 2.800" ,  some of the bullets are 0.105" of the rifleing ,great B.C. but not good groups ,  I have taken the Accubond to a belt sander and shortened it .050" so I can get within .050" of the rifling. I think that is maybe the PSPCL shoots so well , I can get it to .010" off the rifling. maybe ?   I get to play alot  If they all shot 1/2" groups what would I do?

You might want to consider different bullets. A former co-worker of mine could never get a boattail bullet to shoot very good in his 7mm mag, so he changed to a flatbase bullet and his group size went down to where he wanted it. Some rifles will shoot a boattail bullet accurately and some won't. The only suggestion I would have is to have the barrel set back some by a gunsmith and get a shorter throat.

[Graybeard]

My thing is I shoot 1000 rounds at paper to each deer I take so I like to play with smaller groups .
I have changed the spring on the trigger, it fires at 3 lbs. now , it use to be 7.5 lbs. I have bedded the action and the barrel floats, I clean the barrel after every 20 rounds .On the reloading I have weighted the brass , the powder, the bullets for shape, use CCI BR-2 primers, Have RCBS compation dies, neck turn ,and I do'nt sit the shoulder back when resizeing,     Is their something I am Missing?

You're kidding yourself.

Neck turning in a factory chamber is actually more harm than help. Cleaning the barrel every 20 rounds might be helpful or hurtful to accuracy. Some barrels shoot better clean and others not so clean but each has a different level of clean where it does best. Weighting your brass again is of no help in a factory chambered rifle and weighting powder can actually hurt accuracy as hard as that might be for you to believe. Volume really is more important that actual weight. Bench rest shooters measure not weight their powder charges.

If paper punching is what's so important to you then you should buy a rifle for that purpose and have it set up properly. Get a match grade barrel, match chamber with tight neck, have the action blueprinted and then begin doing the other things you're doing and it will begin to show in the results. Also get you some match grade bullets or Sierra bullets or Nosler BTs and that too will help.

If you're having fun fine but it sounds like instead you're getting frustrated in a quest for something that's likely just not in the gun/ammo/techniques you're using. Decide what's truly important to you and then do what's needed to get there. When I want tiny little bughole groups I use a heavy barrel target rifle with high power target scope and shoot match bullets or those by Sierra, Nosler BTs, etc. Even with a factory stock Remington 700 target rifle it's not uncommon to get groups down into the .2s and .3s that way.

[Coyote Hunter]

butterman -

Consistency is the key but first you have to find the right recipe.

Sounds like you're doing things right but you don't mention what you've done regarding distance to the lands or varying powder charges.  I vary charges by 0.5g.   Distance to the lands, well, I try for 0.020" to start but some rifles I can't seat the bullets close enough to reach them with a stick and they seem to shoot fine any way.

[cwlongshot]

I agree with the others who have sugested longer OAL bullets. This has the greatest effect of accuracy in my experience. As far as weighing brass and teck turning (this caliber) I agree with Gray. Your time is better spent in other areas.

Here are some do's and donts I use;

Neck size only when ever possible: YES
Use all the same brass mfg: YES.
Keep brass segrageted by # of fireings: YES
Use same primers: YES
Use SAME weight/profile/manufacturer bullet: YES
Use the SAME lot numbers or powder/primers: YES
Trim cases: YES
Clean primer pockets/brass: YES
Uniform flash holes: poor return for your time with this firearm.
Weigh individule bullets: poor return for your time with this firearm.
Weighing individule pieces of brass: poor return for your time with this firearm.
Uniforming/turning necks: poor return for your time with this firearm.
Checking loaded bullet runout: poor return for your time with this firearm.

 You mention a short magagzine.  Shoot them SINGLE SHOT. You are only testing at this stage. IF you find your rifle NEEDS longer OAL to get the accuracy you need. THEN work on legnthing the mag to accomodate.

Personally, i would not worrry about the extra 1/4" from this gun/caliber. What your are getting is VERY GOOD!!! This will do EVERYTHING you could ask of the setup. 1" is the MAGIC number for most guys, you have acheived it! For me its is caliber/firearm. I mean I do not expect the same accuracy from a Marlin 30-30 w/peeps that I would from a HB 243 Bolt gun w/ 4x12 Leupold. Give me 2" from the Marlin and I am thrilled. Do the same from the 243 and I am NOT HAPPY. Perspective. Light weight guns CAN be made to shoot. dont get me wrong, but 1" groups is VERY much acceptable performance.

IMHO, You have to keep things in perspective. Go out and buy yourself a HB .223 bolt gun. THEN play with everylittle aspect of the gun and load. Watch what happens with each change. Have a ball with it. Just my 2 cents.

CW

[butterman]

HAPPY  HAPPY   HAPPY   tHANKS  GUYS  Today I made some of my good clone  reloads , took them out to shoot .  First 3 round group very normal  .840"  then at   " goodconcretecolor's "
suggestion I took the barrel out of the stock , I didn't have spray foam ,so I used the foam out of
a box of Barnes bullets ,  just layed it in the trough of the stock , at the forend , put the barrelback in , then trimed the foam above the stock with a blade.  It only took 15 min.  My next 3 ,
3 shot groups     .520",  .430" ,  .395" .      HAPPY  HAPPY   HAPPPY.   Thanks Guys  again.

[Questor]

Getting that extra accuracy is usually a matter of having a happy accident in finding just the right combination of components, or it's the result of an expensive hobby that causes you to buy a lot of different components. You can easily spend the price of a custom barrel and its installation just experimenting with bullets and powders. Or you could go for the jugular and get the custom barrel perhaps to be disappointed that the results aren't any better than what you've been getting.