Well, I ran out of primers and randomly grabbed some last weekend. I was getting numbers way out of my usual range! I thought I had a brass batch problem, but the more likely cause is the mixing of primers!! Since I need to start a new box, I wanted to properly test a few and find what will give me the best numbers to use for the next year of matches. If I can minimize one more variable, that is always a win. I did not see near the variations between these 3 lots as I did last weekend, but there was some change. So, always remember to test a new lot of primers before depending on them for precise shooting needs! Thank you for watching. Some fun stuff coming soon I show a little of in this video. Inline Fabrication stuff and testing the new Armageddon Gear bag! Stay tuned for more cool stuff from me!
@Charles_ONeal 🤣 Well, that is me! I will take ideas from others, but I don't trust anything until I try it myself! The numbers last weekend were very wild. Figured it would be best to do a real test. Maybe I should have selected some from different months more than Oct, Nov and Dec production dates. I think my weird ones were early in 2023. But, I think I got 1 that should do well for me. If nothing else, it should be consistent for a while! I have 3,000 of the same lot, so it will last a bit 🤣 I do need to figure out my inch left shift from one weekend to the next. Everything else should be nearly identical, but that consistent move left is messing with my head, lol. I will hopefully figure it out this weekend. Then load up 75 to 80 rounds and go to my match the 29th and see how this work pays off!! Thank you for coming by again, Charles. Always good to see ya here!!! Have a great weekend!!
@hanselito2416 That is the hope! I am trying to learn and test all the different techniques and ideas out there. If I can find some way to remove a variable, I am going to try and make that happen. I didn't even pay attention to the lot numbers before I noticed some numbers out of my usual range. But, I am glad I did and now my primers are all sorted and every box of 1000 is marked on the outside what lot they are. I will use the odd lots for random testing or .223 loading. Keep the best performing set aside for my PRS attempts! Thank you for finding my video. I hope to see you around more in the future!! Have a great end of the week and an awesome weekend, Hansel!!
@Hazzbro1964 Yes, this is the likely culprit. I think I had some from January and then grabbed some from June. These shown were Oct, Nov and Dec. Much closer between them, but the December seemed the best on paper. Will be using these!! Still have a small difference between the two. Not sure if 7 to 12 fps is enough to worry about, but I don't think my OCD will let me pile them all together 🤣 I now have to figure out why I shifted to left about an inch! That has me concerned. It was consistently the same left shift. Turrets correct, everything seems tight still. Not sure. I did use a new bag for the rear. And shot most at sundown/dark using a flashlight on the target. Maybe that's it. Or, I only had 1 contact in my scope eye. Maybe threw off my depth perception? Not sure. Or, this lot of primers just behaves differently and I need to change my zero. Gotta figure this out Sunday or Monday. Match is next Sunday the 29th, so I will be out of time!! Thank you for putting me on a better path. Plus, I had a legit reason to go thru my 14 or 15 boxes of primers and mark them by lot and organize them better!! Awesome. Have a great day, and an awesome weekend, sir! See ya on some streams later!
Those Lot M primers look good to me! They print some sweet groups. I think I'd keep your brass lots separated. Heck, in that jumbo stash of 223 brass that I got, I separated all of them by head stamp and have about 40 different ones. 🤣 Of course, when I shoot competitions, I'll use all of one type and thankfully several of them have over 500 of the same kind. All of the oddball ones that only have like 50 or less of that particular type, I'll just chop and resize into 300 Blackout since I'm not trying to shoot bug hole groups with them (I just bang steel with them and use them for SHTF or bad guy in the house defense).
@DocJustinT Yes, I am liking the M on paper. It had the "worse" numbers, but groups say it is the best. I realized I have tested a lot, gonna clean my barrel some and that should bring my speeds down a bit. I am most concerned about the shift to the left from one weekend to the next! I want to say it is something physical I did like my body position or the fact I only had 1 contact in, so left eye was blurry while scope eye is clear. Maybe depth perception was thrown off. But, the week before I had same problem and hit center windage. Odd it was same move to the left for all tests this day. I think it has to do with my body or the new bag. Gotta clean barrel, diagnose this left shift and correct, practice some position building, and verify my data at 500 to 700 yards. Busy weekend!! I am glad I chose to go with new brass. I have lots of .223/5.56 brass from random brands I collected as I got started. Sort it all by headstamp, and store it for someday when I have time to get back to making good AR ammo. I don't practice that nearly enough, sadly. I think you are on the right path tho, know what works best for the results you want and keep those. Then convert the rest to fun use!! I was hoping to get those Inline Fabrication wall panels up this weekend, but not sure if I will have time. May be my after match project, lol. Either way, I will show it off. It is really cool. Got some cheap hooks and bins from Amazon to add to it. I should be able to get 80 to 90% of my bench mess off the bench tops and hung on the walls! I will fill the disaster my benches are so I can get a public shaming in the video about the wall panels when I get to making that 😂 One step closer to cleaning up my work space!! But, after my weird results on the left shift, my upcoming weekend plans have changed. Gotta get final match preps settled before cleaning my loading room, lol. Other stuff is always more important than cleaning to me 😂 Good thing I am single!!! 🤣😆 Have a great Friday, Justin! And I hope you get to have an awesome weekend, man!!
@michaeldunn150 Thank you, Michael! I was worried after last weekend, figured I should pay better attention and do a thorough test to find what box of primers I should use next. I think my last several hundred I have just been grabbing random ones and not watching. I saw a larger than usual variance and took the time to narrow down my options. I am perturbed by my groups moving an inch to the left from Monday test to Sunday's test. That has me stumped. Gotta figure that out this weekend!! Then load up the best ammo I can for my match next week kn the 29th! We will see how this testing works out soon at round 1! Hope I did this right 🤣 Have a great Friday, man! And an awesome weekend!!!
@@T.A.B.Videos Thank you! I believe I found a good one, at least good enough for what I need! Little of double checking and verifying to do this weekend, then load up for the match next Sunday! Fingers crossed the rest of my tests go well 🤣 Have a great Sunday and an awesome week!!
@viejo2a hey Walter! I got some weird numbers last week. Finally realized I was just grabbing primers from the shelf at random. Found the lots I have the most of and wanted to test to find the most consistent and which my rifle seems to like the most. I think I have a winner selected. I need to figure out why my groups shifted an inch left from last Monday's test to Sunday and Monday's tests. 1 week of time and they all moved over. Very strange. I figure it's something with me physically. Either the fact I only had 1 contact in or my position was different a bit. Or the new rear bag maybe moved me around? Not sure, but I will hopefully find the answer this weekend. Gotta get all dialed in this weekend and then match on the 29th. Very little testing time left! Thank you for stopping by, sir! Have yourself a great Friday and awesome weekend!!! See ya on the streams this weekend.
@mgabriel2636 I think I may have to do that. I have not checked that on any brass yet, but with these 2 being close, yet still different, I think it may be worthwhile after I get thru this upcoming match. Was really hoping that using known identical components would give me closer numbers. I don't know if 7 to 11 fps difference on the average speed is enough to worry about, but my OCD won't let me just ignore it and mix them all together 🤣 After this match, I will try and do that process. Test both weights and volume! I think you are correct, that is the only way I am going to know for sure about this difference I am seeing!! Thanks for stopping by this week and letting me know. I agree this is my next step to finding the answer. Have a great Friday and an awesome weekend, sir!!!
@SkipsGunz Hey, dude! This is my place. I built it by clearing a lot of trees and then loaded it with targets. I can set up multiple pistol stages, shotgun stuff, and use the field to get long range. I have it set up for up close and personal or all the way out to 750 yards! It is on some farm land in my family, so it has fields all around it. I named it the Freedom Farm! This is what I mean when I say if you are ever thru southwest Oklahoma, hit me up and I will have you out to my place!! I went overboard with this project for a personal, private range, but I can do a lot of cool stuff 💯 I stopped counting after I hit 60 steel targets in my collection. 😂 I have a better range than a lot of "commercial" ranges and definitely in the top of personal ranges! Come on down someday!!
@kyley808 these were a little faster, but not really compared to the 10 I tested last Monday. Then I went out Sunday evening and tearing the first 10, all left. Went back Monday and the next 20 all left. Consistent. Hitting the same area. Checked my scope turrets. I only changed elevation down 2 tenths. Windage at zero. Just weird it moved the same for 2 days in a row. I did use a different rear bag. And, I had problems getting my new contacts in. Only had 1 on my right eye. So scope eye was clear, left eye was blurry. Not sure if that threw off my depth perception, especially since left eye closed when breaking the shot most of the time. It is weird. But, you do mention a good possibility! I checked my notes and realized I tested more than I thought I did. I am over 200 shots since my last good cleaning. Gonna clean some the next few evenings after work and try a clean barrel. Maybe things just moved around, but this is something I gotta figure out this weekend and get back to centered. Match next Sunday the 29th, so I have this Sunday and Monday to finalize my adjustments and then next shots will be in a match. Time running out!! I should get it settled soon and be good to go! I will see what it does with clean barrel, should drop the speed a bit back to where I want it. Double check my sight picture and bag, rifle level, things like that. Verify any variables I may have induced. If it moved, easy to adjust scope and get back centered on aim point. Just hope I don't lose daylight! Back to 104 degree days, so spending all afternoon is not pleasant. Busy weekend for me getting final match preps ironed out. I will test your idea and see how it goes!! Thanks for the info, Kyle!! I will be checking it and see if that is the culprit! Have a great Friday and an awesome weekend, man!!!
Maybe it’s something you did fundamentally. I have had the same issues when shooting my guns. Especially the lighter weight hunting guns. The left/right is what usually happens to me. Elevation seems to stay consistent.
@mln19631 Funny that you commented here. I was going to text you, then got busy in the shop and saw this comment as I got freed up 🤣 Was gonna ask if you had seen this. Very consistent shift to the left. Pretty sure it's me, but not sure what I did. I was mostly in the dark. I had 1 contact in. Right eye clear and sharp, left eye blurry. Maybe distorted depth perception in the dark? Used a new rear bag. Maybe positioned my face differently? It sits higher than my usual bag. The new Game Changer X. Much larger than shmedium. Bag rider sits in it without me having to fold the smaller bag in half longways to raise my stock to my face comfortably. Could also be me in the prone. I seem to have issues when doing this, lol. Doing a barrel cleaning!!! I know, you are totally shocked to hear this 🤣 Got the carbon steps done last night and let Eliminator sit overnight and brushed this morning. Will check this evening and maybe run Copper cleaning step if the 1st pass didn't clear it out. Way, way, way more clean looking after 200ish rounds than my 750 round cleaning😂 I figure this should bring my speed down a bit and get me back to what I like just under 3000. I seem to be good 2980 to 2995. Now, besides the left shift thing (which I do think is a thing I did more than a loading process shift), I was also going to ask your opinion on the small difference in my lots. Average 5 to 12 fps, depending on primer. With the primer I will use for next 3,000 rounds, I was getting about 5-6 fps difference between the two lots. Is that enough to be concerned about? Drop lot 2 loading by a tenth grain and use same data in Kestrel to get thru a long match, but still mark them so I can keep separate? I think my OCD will not let me mix them all into 1 big batch. Planning to just use first box for this match. Load a few, foul barrel, and verify at 500 to 750, then work on my positions this weekend. I also am noticing some are slightly shaving the jacket when seating? Like, very tiny flakes in my chamber area where the bolt lugs lock in. I figure either some of the jackets are slightly thicker than others, or I need to go up .0005 or .001 mandrel size? Or, run thru my Henderson and chamfer/deburr the case mouth. I admit I have not taken the time to do that 😬 Yes, I was gonna be asking you a lot of questions today as I had time 😂 Every time I think I figure something out, I find a new question that bugs me!! Dang it! Lol.
@@ChadKelly7 Chalk up the left/right to fundamentals. It could also be a parallax issue which I think it could be as well. Parallax shows up more the closer you are. So 100 yards is much worse than 500 or a 1000 yards. It would be harder to notice in low light conditions or in a hurry to get done. Like 99% of your testing. LOL Clean your barrel after every three matches (150-200 rounds) and it will be easy to clean. Remember to run about 15-20 rounds through it after cleaning to get it to settle back in to grouping and POI. I also don't do load development with a perfectly clean barrel because that doesn't represent my normal shooting conditions.Don't worry about every last spec of copper. The barrel, although lapped isn't perfectly smooth, there are microscopic pores that pick up copper and this smooths it out. It's called copper equalization. Just don't go too long. See cleaning regime above. I'd shoot the second lot of brass if you can. It takes two to three firings before brass is fully formed. That's why I don't reset my sizing die to final dimensions until after the third firing. Until then I just make sure it fits in the chamber. This could be contributing to the slight speed difference between brass lots. That said I would not even worry about it and confidently take both lots to a two day match. I promise you that the speeds of your rounds at 50 rounds will be slower than at 250 rounds. That's just the bore getting constricted with fouling. Unless you can clean after every 20 rounds like the bench rest and F class guys we just learn to deal with it. At a two day match I just pull a bore snake through a couple of times and roll with it. The shaving of bullets you see means you need to inside chamfer your brass. Do the outside while you are at it. Feel free to call any time.
@mln19631 Dude! I am pleased with my self diagnosis on these issues. I came to mostly the same conclusions/fixes. Awesome. I am getting it down!! Uh, what??? I am rushed doing things?? No way!!! 🤣😂🤣😂 Yeah, I get out and set up right as the sun goes down and have to put a flashlight on the target. My body is in total darkness, and the target is visible. But I can't really see what I may be doing differently when I can't see my position. I think parallax could be where I need to look. I saw a video about it saying that when set correctly, you should be able to move your head a little and dot stays in the same place. I think mine moves around with my head still. I didn't take much time to adjust that. Set to the 100 line and took my shots. I figure from 1st test Monday when I realized my numbers were 25 fps different, then loading during the week with known primer lots and then back Sunday for 1st lot, things moved left. Also, first time I tried the new bag. But then, the same left move Monday night when I did the last 20. I'm pretty sure it is in my bag, face, and probably parallax. That is what I will check as I foul the barrel. My intent is to get the worse out. My patches this morning came out clear. I left it with some Eliminator in the barrel for the day. Will dry patch after work and take a look. If not much copper is visible, I may just call it good. I noticed the mouth of the cases are sharp. I will either hand chamfer or just set up the Henderson so I can swap the head and set the stop bolt with new brass. Easy way to do it instead of adjust as trying to cut down long brass. Probably my better bet, then it will be set for later on when I need to trim eventually. I figure I will get 4 or 5 before trimming. Seems to be growing very little, if any so far. I am on the same firings for each of these. That is why I am overthinking the speed difference. I expected them to be the same, but obviously not. So, wait until I hit 3 or 4 firings before deciding if they are close enough. I got a process down now, so keeping separate is not a big deal. I will probably do that. I am thinking ahead to matches needing over 100 rounds and I am not there yet. I really, really want to do a Ninnekah match soon tho. If not this fall or winter, spring I will make it happen. If I can find a Saturday that I'm not in high demand at work 🤣 so, practically impossible! I will try these things and continue my current plans. Trip to Lawton tomorrow, most likely, then home to foul and practice. I really need to work on the moving stuff. 1 NRL Hunter stage this match. Dang it. I did send my binos to Vortex. They couldn't fix it, so I got a totally new set. I have not done much with them, but I checked the compass, and it appears to have resolved that issue!! I will text or call when I hit another wall 🤣
Well, I ran out of primers and randomly grabbed some last weekend. I was getting numbers way out of my usual range! I thought I had a brass batch problem, but the more likely cause is the mixing of primers!! Since I need to start a new box, I wanted to properly test a few and find what will give me the best numbers to use for the next year of matches. If I can minimize one more variable, that is always a win. I did not see near the variations between these 3 lots as I did last weekend, but there was some change. So, always remember to test a new lot of primers before depending on them for precise shooting needs!
Thank you for watching. Some fun stuff coming soon I show a little of in this video. Inline Fabrication stuff and testing the new Armageddon Gear bag! Stay tuned for more cool stuff from me!
Hello my fellow Okie! I always enjoy seeing someone trying things instead of regurgitating the crap they have read or watched on tv.
@Charles_ONeal 🤣 Well, that is me! I will take ideas from others, but I don't trust anything until I try it myself! The numbers last weekend were very wild. Figured it would be best to do a real test. Maybe I should have selected some from different months more than Oct, Nov and Dec production dates. I think my weird ones were early in 2023. But, I think I got 1 that should do well for me. If nothing else, it should be consistent for a while! I have 3,000 of the same lot, so it will last a bit 🤣
I do need to figure out my inch left shift from one weekend to the next. Everything else should be nearly identical, but that consistent move left is messing with my head, lol. I will hopefully figure it out this weekend. Then load up 75 to 80 rounds and go to my match the 29th and see how this work pays off!!
Thank you for coming by again, Charles. Always good to see ya here!!!
Have a great weekend!!
This is the type of attention to detail that produces extreme accuracy
@hanselito2416 That is the hope! I am trying to learn and test all the different techniques and ideas out there.
If I can find some way to remove a variable, I am going to try and make that happen.
I didn't even pay attention to the lot numbers before I noticed some numbers out of my usual range. But, I am glad I did and now my primers are all sorted and every box of 1000 is marked on the outside what lot they are.
I will use the odd lots for random testing or .223 loading. Keep the best performing set aside for my PRS attempts!
Thank you for finding my video.
I hope to see you around more in the future!!
Have a great end of the week and an awesome weekend, Hansel!!
Great work Chad! Glad you found it!
@Hazzbro1964 Yes, this is the likely culprit. I think I had some from January and then grabbed some from June.
These shown were Oct, Nov and Dec. Much closer between them, but the December seemed the best on paper.
Will be using these!!
Still have a small difference between the two. Not sure if 7 to 12 fps is enough to worry about, but I don't think my OCD will let me pile them all together 🤣
I now have to figure out why I shifted to left about an inch! That has me concerned. It was consistently the same left shift. Turrets correct, everything seems tight still. Not sure. I did use a new bag for the rear. And shot most at sundown/dark using a flashlight on the target. Maybe that's it. Or, I only had 1 contact in my scope eye. Maybe threw off my depth perception? Not sure.
Or, this lot of primers just behaves differently and I need to change my zero.
Gotta figure this out Sunday or Monday. Match is next Sunday the 29th, so I will be out of time!!
Thank you for putting me on a better path. Plus, I had a legit reason to go thru my 14 or 15 boxes of primers and mark them by lot and organize them better!! Awesome.
Have a great day, and an awesome weekend, sir! See ya on some streams later!
Those Lot M primers look good to me! They print some sweet groups. I think I'd keep your brass lots separated. Heck, in that jumbo stash of 223 brass that I got, I separated all of them by head stamp and have about 40 different ones. 🤣 Of course, when I shoot competitions, I'll use all of one type and thankfully several of them have over 500 of the same kind. All of the oddball ones that only have like 50 or less of that particular type, I'll just chop and resize into 300 Blackout since I'm not trying to shoot bug hole groups with them (I just bang steel with them and use them for SHTF or bad guy in the house defense).
@DocJustinT Yes, I am liking the M on paper. It had the "worse" numbers, but groups say it is the best. I realized I have tested a lot, gonna clean my barrel some and that should bring my speeds down a bit. I am most concerned about the shift to the left from one weekend to the next! I want to say it is something physical I did like my body position or the fact I only had 1 contact in, so left eye was blurry while scope eye is clear. Maybe depth perception was thrown off. But, the week before I had same problem and hit center windage. Odd it was same move to the left for all tests this day. I think it has to do with my body or the new bag.
Gotta clean barrel, diagnose this left shift and correct, practice some position building, and verify my data at 500 to 700 yards. Busy weekend!!
I am glad I chose to go with new brass. I have lots of .223/5.56 brass from random brands I collected as I got started. Sort it all by headstamp, and store it for someday when I have time to get back to making good AR ammo. I don't practice that nearly enough, sadly.
I think you are on the right path tho, know what works best for the results you want and keep those. Then convert the rest to fun use!!
I was hoping to get those Inline Fabrication wall panels up this weekend, but not sure if I will have time. May be my after match project, lol. Either way, I will show it off. It is really cool. Got some cheap hooks and bins from Amazon to add to it. I should be able to get 80 to 90% of my bench mess off the bench tops and hung on the walls! I will fill the disaster my benches are so I can get a public shaming in the video about the wall panels when I get to making that 😂
One step closer to cleaning up my work space!!
But, after my weird results on the left shift, my upcoming weekend plans have changed. Gotta get final match preps settled before cleaning my loading room, lol. Other stuff is always more important than cleaning to me 😂 Good thing I am single!!! 🤣😆
Have a great Friday, Justin! And I hope you get to have an awesome weekend, man!!
good stuff! have a great weekend Chad.
@michaeldunn150 Thank you, Michael! I was worried after last weekend, figured I should pay better attention and do a thorough test to find what box of primers I should use next. I think my last several hundred I have just been grabbing random ones and not watching. I saw a larger than usual variance and took the time to narrow down my options.
I am perturbed by my groups moving an inch to the left from Monday test to Sunday's test. That has me stumped. Gotta figure that out this weekend!!
Then load up the best ammo I can for my match next week kn the 29th!
We will see how this testing works out soon at round 1! Hope I did this right 🤣
Have a great Friday, man! And an awesome weekend!!!
Good job
@@T.A.B.Videos Thank you! I believe I found a good one, at least good enough for what I need! Little of double checking and verifying to do this weekend, then load up for the match next Sunday! Fingers crossed the rest of my tests go well 🤣
Have a great Sunday and an awesome week!!
Very interesting test Chad. Thanks! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸
@viejo2a hey Walter! I got some weird numbers last week. Finally realized I was just grabbing primers from the shelf at random. Found the lots I have the most of and wanted to test to find the most consistent and which my rifle seems to like the most. I think I have a winner selected. I need to figure out why my groups shifted an inch left from last Monday's test to Sunday and Monday's tests. 1 week of time and they all moved over. Very strange. I figure it's something with me physically. Either the fact I only had 1 contact in or my position was different a bit. Or the new rear bag maybe moved me around? Not sure, but I will hopefully find the answer this weekend. Gotta get all dialed in this weekend and then match on the 29th. Very little testing time left!
Thank you for stopping by, sir! Have yourself a great Friday and awesome weekend!!! See ya on the streams this weekend.
You could weigh the brass to see if there is a volume difference....or you could actually test the volume.
@mgabriel2636 I think I may have to do that. I have not checked that on any brass yet, but with these 2 being close, yet still different, I think it may be worthwhile after I get thru this upcoming match. Was really hoping that using known identical components would give me closer numbers. I don't know if 7 to 11 fps difference on the average speed is enough to worry about, but my OCD won't let me just ignore it and mix them all together 🤣
After this match, I will try and do that process. Test both weights and volume!
I think you are correct, that is the only way I am going to know for sure about this difference I am seeing!!
Thanks for stopping by this week and letting me know. I agree this is my next step to finding the answer.
Have a great Friday and an awesome weekend, sir!!!
Where are u I wana be there it looks sweet
@SkipsGunz Hey, dude! This is my place. I built it by clearing a lot of trees and then loaded it with targets. I can set up multiple pistol stages, shotgun stuff, and use the field to get long range. I have it set up for up close and personal or all the way out to 750 yards!
It is on some farm land in my family, so it has fields all around it. I named it the Freedom Farm!
This is what I mean when I say if you are ever thru southwest Oklahoma, hit me up and I will have you out to my place!!
I went overboard with this project for a personal, private range, but I can do a lot of cool stuff 💯
I stopped counting after I hit 60 steel targets in my collection. 😂 I have a better range than a lot of "commercial" ranges and definitely in the top of personal ranges!
Come on down someday!!
I think it's the difference in speed that could be why you are shooting left. Maybe try playing with your tuner
@kyley808 these were a little faster, but not really compared to the 10 I tested last Monday. Then I went out Sunday evening and tearing the first 10, all left. Went back Monday and the next 20 all left. Consistent. Hitting the same area. Checked my scope turrets. I only changed elevation down 2 tenths. Windage at zero. Just weird it moved the same for 2 days in a row. I did use a different rear bag. And, I had problems getting my new contacts in. Only had 1 on my right eye. So scope eye was clear, left eye was blurry. Not sure if that threw off my depth perception, especially since left eye closed when breaking the shot most of the time.
It is weird.
But, you do mention a good possibility! I checked my notes and realized I tested more than I thought I did. I am over 200 shots since my last good cleaning. Gonna clean some the next few evenings after work and try a clean barrel. Maybe things just moved around, but this is something I gotta figure out this weekend and get back to centered. Match next Sunday the 29th, so I have this Sunday and Monday to finalize my adjustments and then next shots will be in a match. Time running out!! I should get it settled soon and be good to go!
I will see what it does with clean barrel, should drop the speed a bit back to where I want it. Double check my sight picture and bag, rifle level, things like that. Verify any variables I may have induced. If it moved, easy to adjust scope and get back centered on aim point. Just hope I don't lose daylight! Back to 104 degree days, so spending all afternoon is not pleasant.
Busy weekend for me getting final match preps ironed out. I will test your idea and see how it goes!!
Thanks for the info, Kyle!! I will be checking it and see if that is the culprit! Have a great Friday and an awesome weekend, man!!!
Maybe it’s something you did fundamentally. I have had the same issues when shooting my guns. Especially the lighter weight hunting guns. The left/right is what usually happens to me. Elevation seems to stay consistent.
@mln19631 Funny that you commented here. I was going to text you, then got busy in the shop and saw this comment as I got freed up 🤣
Was gonna ask if you had seen this. Very consistent shift to the left. Pretty sure it's me, but not sure what I did.
I was mostly in the dark.
I had 1 contact in. Right eye clear and sharp, left eye blurry. Maybe distorted depth perception in the dark?
Used a new rear bag. Maybe positioned my face differently? It sits higher than my usual bag. The new Game Changer X. Much larger than shmedium. Bag rider sits in it without me having to fold the smaller bag in half longways to raise my stock to my face comfortably.
Could also be me in the prone. I seem to have issues when doing this, lol.
Doing a barrel cleaning!!! I know, you are totally shocked to hear this 🤣 Got the carbon steps done last night and let Eliminator sit overnight and brushed this morning. Will check this evening and maybe run Copper cleaning step if the 1st pass didn't clear it out.
Way, way, way more clean looking after 200ish rounds than my 750 round cleaning😂
I figure this should bring my speed down a bit and get me back to what I like just under 3000. I seem to be good 2980 to 2995.
Now, besides the left shift thing (which I do think is a thing I did more than a loading process shift), I was also going to ask your opinion on the small difference in my lots. Average 5 to 12 fps, depending on primer. With the primer I will use for next 3,000 rounds, I was getting about 5-6 fps difference between the two lots.
Is that enough to be concerned about?
Drop lot 2 loading by a tenth grain and use same data in Kestrel to get thru a long match, but still mark them so I can keep separate?
I think my OCD will not let me mix them all into 1 big batch.
Planning to just use first box for this match. Load a few, foul barrel, and verify at 500 to 750, then work on my positions this weekend.
I also am noticing some are slightly shaving the jacket when seating? Like, very tiny flakes in my chamber area where the bolt lugs lock in. I figure either some of the jackets are slightly thicker than others, or I need to go up .0005 or .001 mandrel size? Or, run thru my Henderson and chamfer/deburr the case mouth. I admit I have not taken the time to do that 😬
Yes, I was gonna be asking you a lot of questions today as I had time 😂
Every time I think I figure something out, I find a new question that bugs me!! Dang it! Lol.
@@ChadKelly7 Chalk up the left/right to fundamentals. It could also be a parallax issue which I think it could be as well. Parallax shows up more the closer you are. So 100 yards is much worse than 500 or a 1000 yards. It would be harder to notice in low light conditions or in a hurry to get done. Like 99% of your testing. LOL
Clean your barrel after every three matches (150-200 rounds) and it will be easy to clean. Remember to run about 15-20 rounds through it after cleaning to get it to settle back in to grouping and POI. I also don't do load development with a perfectly clean barrel because that doesn't represent my normal shooting conditions.Don't worry about every last spec of copper. The barrel, although lapped isn't perfectly smooth, there are microscopic pores that pick up copper and this smooths it out. It's called copper equalization. Just don't go too long. See cleaning regime above.
I'd shoot the second lot of brass if you can. It takes two to three firings before brass is fully formed. That's why I don't reset my sizing die to final dimensions until after the third firing. Until then I just make sure it fits in the chamber. This could be contributing to the slight speed difference between brass lots. That said I would not even worry about it and confidently take both lots to a two day match. I promise you that the speeds of your rounds at 50 rounds will be slower than at 250 rounds. That's just the bore getting constricted with fouling. Unless you can clean after every 20 rounds like the bench rest and F class guys we just learn to deal with it. At a two day match I just pull a bore snake through a couple of times and roll with it.
The shaving of bullets you see means you need to inside chamfer your brass. Do the outside while you are at it.
Feel free to call any time.
@mln19631 Dude! I am pleased with my self diagnosis on these issues. I came to mostly the same conclusions/fixes. Awesome. I am getting it down!!
Uh, what??? I am rushed doing things?? No way!!! 🤣😂🤣😂
Yeah, I get out and set up right as the sun goes down and have to put a flashlight on the target. My body is in total darkness, and the target is visible. But I can't really see what I may be doing differently when I can't see my position.
I think parallax could be where I need to look. I saw a video about it saying that when set correctly, you should be able to move your head a little and dot stays in the same place. I think mine moves around with my head still. I didn't take much time to adjust that. Set to the 100 line and took my shots.
I figure from 1st test Monday when I realized my numbers were 25 fps different, then loading during the week with known primer lots and then back Sunday for 1st lot, things moved left. Also, first time I tried the new bag. But then, the same left move Monday night when I did the last 20.
I'm pretty sure it is in my bag, face, and probably parallax. That is what I will check as I foul the barrel.
My intent is to get the worse out. My patches this morning came out clear. I left it with some Eliminator in the barrel for the day. Will dry patch after work and take a look. If not much copper is visible, I may just call it good.
I noticed the mouth of the cases are sharp. I will either hand chamfer or just set up the Henderson so I can swap the head and set the stop bolt with new brass. Easy way to do it instead of adjust as trying to cut down long brass. Probably my better bet, then it will be set for later on when I need to trim eventually. I figure I will get 4 or 5 before trimming. Seems to be growing very little, if any so far.
I am on the same firings for each of these. That is why I am overthinking the speed difference. I expected them to be the same, but obviously not. So, wait until I hit 3 or 4 firings before deciding if they are close enough.
I got a process down now, so keeping separate is not a big deal. I will probably do that. I am thinking ahead to matches needing over 100 rounds and I am not there yet. I really, really want to do a Ninnekah match soon tho. If not this fall or winter, spring I will make it happen.
If I can find a Saturday that I'm not in high demand at work 🤣 so, practically impossible!
I will try these things and continue my current plans. Trip to Lawton tomorrow, most likely, then home to foul and practice. I really need to work on the moving stuff.
1 NRL Hunter stage this match. Dang it.
I did send my binos to Vortex. They couldn't fix it, so I got a totally new set.
I have not done much with them, but I checked the compass, and it appears to have resolved that issue!!
I will text or call when I hit another wall 🤣