(I posted this over on THR but thought it could sit here too)
Forced myself to get to range this afternoon (real struggle!) ..... in fact was not over endowed with time but - just had to be done! Conditions - bright and mostly sunny but - more than irksome gusty wind. Light also at this time of day is already coming round behind targets - not useful. Had two lots of ammo - 20 rnds of ''mortgage category'' Rem 405 grn SP, and 10 rounds of first homeloads .... 40 grains rather old RL7 shoving a Lasercast 405 FP, all in Starline brass. Primer was Rem 9 1/2 (using up some old stock) - this load based on inspection of several lots of rifle load data - and is about a lever action load. Set up chrono a few feet forward of bench .. three sandbags for resting. Here's basic set up for initial sighting in at 25 yds.
It was very tedious and wasteful of ammo - getting the HoloSight set up to be on the paper, but eventually got there (why I didn't bore sight before going out I don't know!!!). Also (more poor planning!) .. Chrony printer died on me almost before I'd started .. duh! Who forgot spare batteries!?) - so all figures recorded on back of an old target! Yet again ... laziness will prevail and SD will not be calculated!!
First ten rounds of the Rem were all getting sighted ..... didn't take speeds.
Once actually on paper at 25 .... set up 50 yd target, and started taking chrono readings. Took another five shots to be approx centered on a large board and put up a paper target for final five rounds of Rem left without further sight changes. Target below ......
Let me say - the damned wind, even with gun rested, was NOT helping any and I am sure spread my shots. This target has one shot clipping upper right .. the other shots you can see. Hardly tight but .. bearable. Needed another few rounds of Rem to bring hits in tighter to center. Here are the figures for 10 rounds of the Rem ammo .......
Ammo type ........ Remington 45-70 (for all rifles) ..... 405 grain JSP.
Shot # 1 - 1032 fps
Shot # 2 - 1012 fps
Shot # 3 - 1023 fps
Shot # 4 - 1009 fps
Shot # 5 - 947.9 fps (!!!)
Shot # 6 - 1031 fps
Shot # 7 - 1034 fps
Shot # 8 - 1019 fps
Shot # 9 - 1052 fps
Shot # 10 -1015 fps
Low vel = 947.9 fps
Hi vel = 1052 fps
Average vel = 1017.5
Hi-Lo extreme spread = 104 fps
Muzzle energy (based on average vel) = 931 ft lbs
The Rem ammo is obviously soft loaded ... safe in everything. Thru this weight of gun it is a pussycat load ...... stout but hardly uncomfortable at all. One round let down the spread figure ... which otherwise was pretty good. This ammo is probably below 25,000 psi
Proceeded then to try the homeload stuff. Without any initial sight changes laid several shots down (still danged wind troublesome) ... you'll see on target below that the bias is low right. The lowest shot was me I think. Also seems like one went wide of target altogether. For final two shots I cranked on some up and left ... over did it rather!! Leaving aside me and sight adjustment excesses, the six main group has makings of useful. Wish I'd had more ammo, tho wrist was tiring a bit!
Here is the chrono data ........
Ammo type ........ Homeload 45-70 .. 405 grain Lasercast SP.. 40 grains RL7, Starline brass and Rem 9 1/2 primer..
Shot # 1 - 1305 fps
Shot # 2 - 1342 fps
Shot # 3 - 1318 fps
Shot # 4 - 1254 fps (!!!!)
Shot # 5 - 1300 fps
Shot # 6 - 1307 fps
Shot # 7 - 1316 fps
Shot # 8 - 1283 fps
Shot # 9 - 1292 fps
Shot # 10 -1313 fps
Low vel = 1254 fps
Hi vel = 1342 fps
Average vel = 1303 fps
Hi-Lo extreme spread = 88 fps
Muzzle energy (based on average vel) = 1527 ft lbs
This is looking more useful, tho seemingly as always - one round spoils the spread figures. Even so not too bad and I didn't weight bullets I must admit. Did use factory crimp tho, and powder was accurate to 0.1 grain. Recoil is ''brisk''!! --- no, pretty strong! Not however up to .454 Casull hot loads, but, crank up power to match those levels and it probably will. The gun's weight is a major factor in taking the sting out, tho it lifts a full 90º and some ..... nearly whacking the spotting scope once! This load is probably in region of 30,000 psi - and the gun will accept 35,000 loads. Reckon I can go further safely with ease (in stages) ... cases from these loads fell out .. and primers not flattened at all.
Out of interest - the pic below is an attempt to show sight picture. The light colored arch is the diffusers on the chrono ... but if you look close you should see the red dot just under that ... just to right of target support post. This sight does give a good field of view .... nice to use. The final pic is similar but zoomed in a bit ..... and easier to see red dot on the orange aiming sticker, tho not on exact center.
Conclusions? ....... this is one nice gun to shoot, albeit not too many rounds in a session. I'd like to have had more ammo of both types, particularly homeloads - as I think once sights right on, it'll produce some OK groups. Yet to get to 100 yds .... that'll be next time - when I hope the grouping will be close to that today at 50 yds - well the ''trend'' anyways! I'll post more another time regarding loads and results when I get them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are the two rounds used today .......
Forced myself to get to range this afternoon (real struggle!) ..... in fact was not over endowed with time but - just had to be done! Conditions - bright and mostly sunny but - more than irksome gusty wind. Light also at this time of day is already coming round behind targets - not useful. Had two lots of ammo - 20 rnds of ''mortgage category'' Rem 405 grn SP, and 10 rounds of first homeloads .... 40 grains rather old RL7 shoving a Lasercast 405 FP, all in Starline brass. Primer was Rem 9 1/2 (using up some old stock) - this load based on inspection of several lots of rifle load data - and is about a lever action load. Set up chrono a few feet forward of bench .. three sandbags for resting. Here's basic set up for initial sighting in at 25 yds.
It was very tedious and wasteful of ammo - getting the HoloSight set up to be on the paper, but eventually got there (why I didn't bore sight before going out I don't know!!!). Also (more poor planning!) .. Chrony printer died on me almost before I'd started .. duh! Who forgot spare batteries!?) - so all figures recorded on back of an old target! Yet again ... laziness will prevail and SD will not be calculated!!
First ten rounds of the Rem were all getting sighted ..... didn't take speeds.
Once actually on paper at 25 .... set up 50 yd target, and started taking chrono readings. Took another five shots to be approx centered on a large board and put up a paper target for final five rounds of Rem left without further sight changes. Target below ......
Let me say - the damned wind, even with gun rested, was NOT helping any and I am sure spread my shots. This target has one shot clipping upper right .. the other shots you can see. Hardly tight but .. bearable. Needed another few rounds of Rem to bring hits in tighter to center. Here are the figures for 10 rounds of the Rem ammo .......
Ammo type ........ Remington 45-70 (for all rifles) ..... 405 grain JSP.
Shot # 1 - 1032 fps
Shot # 2 - 1012 fps
Shot # 3 - 1023 fps
Shot # 4 - 1009 fps
Shot # 5 - 947.9 fps (!!!)
Shot # 6 - 1031 fps
Shot # 7 - 1034 fps
Shot # 8 - 1019 fps
Shot # 9 - 1052 fps
Shot # 10 -1015 fps
Low vel = 947.9 fps
Hi vel = 1052 fps
Average vel = 1017.5
Hi-Lo extreme spread = 104 fps
Muzzle energy (based on average vel) = 931 ft lbs
The Rem ammo is obviously soft loaded ... safe in everything. Thru this weight of gun it is a pussycat load ...... stout but hardly uncomfortable at all. One round let down the spread figure ... which otherwise was pretty good. This ammo is probably below 25,000 psi
Proceeded then to try the homeload stuff. Without any initial sight changes laid several shots down (still danged wind troublesome) ... you'll see on target below that the bias is low right. The lowest shot was me I think. Also seems like one went wide of target altogether. For final two shots I cranked on some up and left ... over did it rather!! Leaving aside me and sight adjustment excesses, the six main group has makings of useful. Wish I'd had more ammo, tho wrist was tiring a bit!
Here is the chrono data ........
Ammo type ........ Homeload 45-70 .. 405 grain Lasercast SP.. 40 grains RL7, Starline brass and Rem 9 1/2 primer..
Shot # 1 - 1305 fps
Shot # 2 - 1342 fps
Shot # 3 - 1318 fps
Shot # 4 - 1254 fps (!!!!)
Shot # 5 - 1300 fps
Shot # 6 - 1307 fps
Shot # 7 - 1316 fps
Shot # 8 - 1283 fps
Shot # 9 - 1292 fps
Shot # 10 -1313 fps
Low vel = 1254 fps
Hi vel = 1342 fps
Average vel = 1303 fps
Hi-Lo extreme spread = 88 fps
Muzzle energy (based on average vel) = 1527 ft lbs
This is looking more useful, tho seemingly as always - one round spoils the spread figures. Even so not too bad and I didn't weight bullets I must admit. Did use factory crimp tho, and powder was accurate to 0.1 grain. Recoil is ''brisk''!! --- no, pretty strong! Not however up to .454 Casull hot loads, but, crank up power to match those levels and it probably will. The gun's weight is a major factor in taking the sting out, tho it lifts a full 90º and some ..... nearly whacking the spotting scope once! This load is probably in region of 30,000 psi - and the gun will accept 35,000 loads. Reckon I can go further safely with ease (in stages) ... cases from these loads fell out .. and primers not flattened at all.
Out of interest - the pic below is an attempt to show sight picture. The light colored arch is the diffusers on the chrono ... but if you look close you should see the red dot just under that ... just to right of target support post. This sight does give a good field of view .... nice to use. The final pic is similar but zoomed in a bit ..... and easier to see red dot on the orange aiming sticker, tho not on exact center.
Conclusions? ....... this is one nice gun to shoot, albeit not too many rounds in a session. I'd like to have had more ammo of both types, particularly homeloads - as I think once sights right on, it'll produce some OK groups. Yet to get to 100 yds .... that'll be next time - when I hope the grouping will be close to that today at 50 yds - well the ''trend'' anyways! I'll post more another time regarding loads and results when I get them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are the two rounds used today .......