204 OCW test

K

KyleWoods35

Inactive
Well I took advantage of yesterday's unseasonably warm weather, it was 75 here in western PA! I made up some loads for my 204 using H4895 and 39 gr SBK's. Needless to say I am very please with my results. I am thinking of using 26.1 gr as my load, not only did it shoot very well but 26.0 and 26.2 have almost identical POI's. I also noticed that there really isn't much POI change from my lowest load to my highest. If you guys have any opinions on what you would pick for your OCW load feel free to chime in, I'm open to suggestions. I am planning on loading 1 round of 26, 26.1, and 26.2 and shooting at my max range I plan to shoot groundhogs at which will probably be 400 yards (had a 370 yard kill last year with 32 gr vmax factory ammo). I expect MOA results with those three shots. Here are a few pics of my setup and targets:

Savage Model 12 FCV
Mueller Eraticator 8.5-25x50


Top left target was my sighters with 24.1, 24.6, and 25.1 gr of H4895. I also used these to look for pressure signs.


Top left I used 4 shots of 32 gr Hornady factory ammo to foul the barrel.
 
I am not up to speed on OCW and scratch my head a bit.

Is it normal to use 3 shots and not 5.

I am seeing a nice group at 25.6.

So is it shooter and or loads and ?

It does look like the 26.0 to 26.2 area is worth a check.
 
Basically the goal of OCW is to find 3 charges that are close in weight, that have the same POI. So for example, looking at my targets it looks like 26.0, 26.1, and 26.2 have the same POI, so my OCW load would be 26.1 because you take the middle of the 3. This helps to ensure that any error in weighing/throwing powder is taken out of consideration because the charges above or below it have the same POI.

As far as 3 shot vs 5 shot groups, the goal of this test is to find charges with the same POI so for that a 5 shot group isn't needed. Group size is not as big of a consideration because that can always be adjusted with the OAL once the OCW is found.

All of this is how I understood how/why it works so don't take it for gospel.
 
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