309 JDJ woes

[shootum]

Well I have my new 14" 309 jdj up and shooting. Unfortunately it has not been easy getting it to shoot good groups. My fore end is floated using washers between the barrel lugs and the forearm so that no wood is touching. I'm shooting off of a good rest and my trigger is set to about 2 lbs. My barrel is a factory TC 30-30 that I sent to SSK to have re bored. I also had them put on their TSOB mounts and am using a 4x Leupold. My best group at 100 yards is 2.255 in. Shouldn't I be able to expect tighter groups? I have been reloading using IMR 4350 (SSK recommended) and 165 gr Nos. BT. I've just about gone through the whole range trying to find the right combo in there. When I shoot my 223 barrel I get groups right about 1 1/4" so I feel I shoot better than what I'm getting out of the 309.

Any suggestions for improving accuracy? Any ideas from other 309 shooters regarding powders/bullets?

Thanks
Mike

[Davemuzz]

Mike,

I DO NOT shoot the jdj, but I do shoot a lot of Nosler bullets in different calibers. Just a suggestion, and perhaps you have already done this, but have you tried setting the OAL of the cartridge to different lengths? I have found that setting the Nosler closer to the lands (15 to 20 thousands) on some barrels that had previously refused to give good groups, has made a big difference in shrinking the group size.

Also, either upping the powder charge by a grain, or down by a grain in conjunction with the OAL, can make a difference as well.

Just a thought.

Dave

[MS Hitman]

My .309 is a rechambered .30 Herrett barrel and I have gotten sub-caliber (center to center) size groups at 100 yards.  I shoot 51.0 of IMR 4350 and 150 grain Nosler BTs.  I've also shot the 165 Grad Slams and 170 Remington Core-lockts with good results. 

Your barrel may not like the particular lot of powder, bullets.  You may also want to try different powders.  What works well in one barrel may not necessarily work well in another.  Reloader 15 is another powder that has given me good results. I second the suggestion of setting the bullet 15 to 20 thousandths off the lands.  Measure what length your OAL is from the breech face to the lands. 

I use the Pachmyer hanger bar and rubber forend.  Nothing free-floated here.  Try getting rid of the washers and just go with the regularly attached forend. 

[Hopalong7]

With my old eyes and a 4X scope I'd consider 2.25" pretty good at 100yds.  If I remember correctly a 4X Leupy is actually about 3X anyway.  What scope are you comparing to on your .223.  That may be the limiting factor.  My .309 with 4350 and 150BT's will do -1" but I'm using at least a 7X.  GOOD SHOOTIN',  Walt

[MS Hitman]

The .309 should do better than 2" at 100 yards.  I've got a M-N-P Stalker that will do that well with a 2X Leupold.

Case-forming is important as well.  One needs to make sure the shoulder is not too far back and I usually set my bullets on the fire-form load to hit the lands and hold the case a bit more firmly.  Works for me as I'm still loading some of my original cases after 15 years of use.

[shootum]

Great replies everyone--thats why I love this site!

Davemuzz - I haven't tried seating the bullet closer to the lands - yet. That will be my next step. A guy can spend a fair amount of time finding that right combo. I love it!

MS Hitman -  After playing with the OAL I will then try going to another powder and/or bullet. Originally I was using the wood forend attached dirctly to the barrel and then tried the washers as a thought. Didn't make any difference so it wouldn't hurt to change it back. Also, thats good case life! I not sure how to make sure my shoulder isn't set too far back. Suggestions?

Hopalong7 - good point about the scope power. Sitting on my 223 is a bushnell 2-6 trophy. I did put the same scope on my 309 but the recoil ruined it after about 50 rounds. I didn't figure I would be able to hunt with that much power (not steady enough) so I went with the leupold also figuring the fixed power might be stronger.

Thanks everyone.

Mike

[MS Hitman]

Basically it's trial and trial again.  Keep setting the shoulder back until the barrel will just close and the firearm function; meaning will cock and and the hammer go completely forward when you pull the trigger.  This will set the shoulder at the proper location for your chamber. 

[Ken ONeill]

Good replies from everyone already. I also think that 4350 and RE 15 are the best powder choices, and prefer the 165 Nos BT above all others. An SSK barrel will certainly shoot much better than you describe. I've almost always had very good success with factory T/C barrels, but there can be some poor ones from time to time. A re-chambering won't fix a bad barrel. How did yours shoot as a .30-30 ? Was it better than 2 1/2" ? Both calibers are capable of sub-MOA in a Contender.

[shootum]

Ken ONeill - I would love to have an SSK barrel. Just not in the cards YET. I have/had 2 factory 30-30 barrel and both of them shot better than what I was getting with my re-chamber.

Now, That being said I did some more reloading and went out shooting this weekend. Good news, seating the bullet out closer to the lands (20 thou.) helped quite a bit. I went back to my log and reloaded my 4 best loads. ALL of them improved! The load that had previously gotten me 2.25 in now dropped down to a 1.75. I then started working around that load and dropped it down to a 5 shot group of 1.61. I still have room to work and can't wait to get to the range and see what happens later this week.

Thanks to everyone for the help. I'll keep you posted

Mike

[swampthing]

A trick I learned was to use some rubbing alcohol and clean out the chamber. " Get it dry, and, oil free."
Are you using dies from SSK? That will help a bit. I found that I could full length re-size every time and still shoot better than an inch @100yds.
There is a bit of "get a feel for it science" going on when you first run your brass through the ".308win" sizing die. Sized so that the action "juusssttt" snaps shut. After fire-forming, I then full length resize them in the ".309JDJ" die. Then I seat the bullet 1/4turn at a time until the case/bullet would drop in the chamber, and, drop out when turned upside down. I also found that it was accurate with either Nosler's or Hornady's 165's.
 

[shootum]

swampthing - My die were ordered through SSK. Apparently they use Hornady because that's what they sent me. They seem to be well made. I used the same method for forming as you described. So when your dropping the round in the chamber I assume this is with the barrel off.

Thanks for the reply.

Mike

[swampthing]

Yes, because of the extractor, I want to hear the rim just clink on the chamber. If you have to go closer to the lands just remember to lessen the powder charge a bit an work up again. Time consuming, but well worth it.
Are you using 165-180g bullets? 1-10twist barrels tend to favor them a bit better than 150's.

[shootum]

Good info swampthing.  Thanks.
I have as of yet only tried Nos BT 165 gr bullets. I don't mind working for a good load. I love shooting so going to the range is nothing but fun anyways.

Mike