3rd shot flyer

[fastchicken]

Any ideas on what causes a consistent 3rd shot flyer? I'd have guessed the barrel heating up but it only happens with certain loads.
 I shot two .5" groups and a .25" with one load, but with another load the first 2 were just about the same hole and the third would go 1.5" right. That happened several times, same thing each time.
Both loads are 85gr Sierra GK but the good shooting group is H4895 and the other is H4350, that's the only difference. I shoot each shot in a row and let it cool between groups.
 Bummer is that good load shoots .5"  out of my son's 700 but my new 700 shot that load at 2"

[shot1]

Different rifles will often NOT shoot the same load. I would just be happy that you have a load that will shoot consistently instead of having a rifle that will shoot EVERYTHING with a flier after two shots. 

[jhalcott]

 Consider changing the PRIMER in the load with the fliers. I am ASSUMING this is with a .243 rifle so RECOIL shouldn't be a problem. I have two different rifles in various same caliber pairs. 6MM-Ruger and custom, 30-06-Rem 700 and Browning and others. As SHOT1 said they are all different to a degree. Of course you COULD just stick with the .5 load and be happy!

[LanceR]

Remington usually make pretty good twist rate choices but did make some boneheaded decisions some time ago.  What caliber are you asking about and what are the twist rates of the two rifles?  Have both shot bullets of this weight well before and, if so, which bullets?

Lance

[Dave in WV]

With the loads that throw a 3rd shot flyer, try seating the bullets in 1/4 turn of the seating stem and shooting the load for accuracy. Keep turning the stem in 1/4 turn at a time and try again until the third shot is with the first two. Before you say "I don't believe it" try it.

[fastchicken]

Forgot to mention, they are 243s, both have a 9 1/8 twists. My son's shoots 85 Sierra Game Kings and 100s Sierra Pro Hunters great. My 700 was shot the first time yesterday. I'm trying to find an 85 and a 100gr load that shoots good out of both rifles. I had accomplished that with the son's 700 and my Model 7, but since the 7 is screwed up I got myself a new 700.
 So far my 700 doesn't like the 85s but is shooting the 100s acceptably.

[necchi]

FWIW;
 Years back, even before I began loading a friends father-in-law who was a long time loader told a story about how he and a friend each bought Rem 700's from the same shop, the serial #'s where one digit apart, literally made along side one another.
 The two guns needed a full .5 grain differance in charge to shoot the same group.
 
 They brought them in and found the chamber size was a bit different. The only thing they could think of was that the chamber boring tool must have done it's last cutting on one, and a new hone was used for the next.
 Point is, no two guns are alike.
 You might just drive yerself nut's trying to get one load that's the best load for both guns,, I'm sure you can get close,, but maybe a little bit of difference will be needed for really sweet.

[shot1]

Now that you have told us what rifle and that it is a new 700 Rem I can tell you how to make those fliers go away and make the rifle shoot much better. First thing to do to any new Rem 700 is to take it out of the stock and sand the barrel channel until the barrel will free float when you put the action back into the stock. Sand until a dollar bill can be slid between the barrel and forearm all the way back to the chamber area.  If it is a wood stock you need to sand more out because you will need to apply some stock finish to the sanded area to seal the wood and it will take up space. This usually will improve accuracy greatly and usually the fliers go away. If it still does not shoot as well as you think it should after proper load development I would glass bed the action area. To aid in sanding the barrel channel use a piece of 1/2" PVC pipe with heavy grit sandpaper wrapped around it and just slide it back and forth in the barrel channel. I have been making Remington 700's real tack drivers like this for around 40 years.   

[Jim_Ole_Timer]

If your gun is shooting groups that small I think the problem is that you may be loading them right on the curve of good/bad. In other words, might be just a little hot. Try dropping your charge by 2 full grains and see what you get. If you get no flyers then its too hot. You can also try a slower burning powder possibily.
I shot my 700 in .243 in competition one year and quickly found that shooting hot loads doesn't always pay. I started loading down more then a full grain, almsot 2 grns and my accuracy greatly improvd.
Free floating your barrel is always good as long as you do it correctly, but does take time. But this is not your problem or you wouldn't be getting 2 in one hole and one far flyer. You also have to reduce the powder charge as the day warms up. When I shot in competition we started shooting early, and I was lucky to get through the first match/target before having to drop the charge. You will get best accuracy when shooting the hottest load the gun will shoot accurately, but one it goes over the hill accuracy is gone. Your group just blows up.
 
By the way, you should be able to shoot one fouler and 5 target shots easily before over heating the barrel, unless its a sporter barrel. Mine is the varment barrel and it heats up a tad bit slower then the sporter barrels do.
 
Let us know what happens.
 

[huntducks]

Now I assume this is a hunting rifle if so it's where the first shot goes that counts maybe even shot 2 but 3 your just throwing lead so it don't matter much as I doubt anything is holding still by then.

[fastchicken]

Now I assume this is a hunting rifle if so it's where the first shot goes that counts maybe even shot 2 but 3 your just throwing lead so it don't matter much as I doubt anything is holding still by then.

Very true, there hasn't been a load yet I've made that wouldn't kill a deer, and some have been pretty crappy. Both guns are just hunting rifles, a 700 ADL and a 700 SPS both with 20" barrels and factory tupperware [neither shoot bad enough for me to spend any money on a better stock]. After shooting today I solved my flyer problem, I just won't shoot that load .
  That flyer load was my 2nd choice anyway. Now I've got an 85gr load that shoots 3/4" in one rifle and 1" in the other and a 100gr load that shoots about 1" in both. With the occasional better or worse in each, but they're pretty consistent and more than accurate enough for what I use them for.
  On a side note on accuracy, since I started handloading I've let myself start to get caught up in the "shooting little groups" mentality and burnt up a lot of powder developing loads and discarded loads that were plenty accurate for hunting.  And when you thing about it, even a gun that shoots a 4" group won't be more that 2" from your point of aim. And when I get to my deer, I for get which hair I was aiming at anyway