Rangerrich99
New member
Thanks again for all the replies, gents. I feel I have a much better understanding of not only what happened with those loads, but also what adjustments I'm going to make to the next reloads. And that I definitely need to slow down and be more deliberate at the range.
Some side notes: I did in fact match head stamps, though I only trimmed a half dozen cases; the rest were within .04 inches of each other. I also weighed every powder charge (I do this on every test load) to less than .1 grains variance. And when I finally decide on a recipe, I'll continue to weigh each and every charge, as I'm developing these rounds specifically for bear/mountain lion defense.
And I'm well-aware that my POI and group size are going to change once I start shooting off-hand. I just wanted to eliminate as many variables as possible for the initial zeroing of the sights. I feel (perhaps incorrectly) that once I establish what the gun can do with the least possible operator error , then all I have to do is get myself to shoot as close to that standard as possible.
And finally, I'm aware that faster rounds can't exhibit less recoil. I should've been more precise in my diction. What I meant to say was that the factory rounds seemed to recoil more violently, with a sharper initial impulse. The CFE reloads felt as if they were less violent, with a smoother (again, probably not exactly the right word) initial impulse. The 4227 reloads felt as if they were even smoother with the least violent impulse. So while both reload recipes definitely kicked hard, they felt more controllable than the Winchesters.
In other words, I felt that for quick follow-up shots either of the reloads would be easier to achieve than with the factory stuff.
Some side notes: I did in fact match head stamps, though I only trimmed a half dozen cases; the rest were within .04 inches of each other. I also weighed every powder charge (I do this on every test load) to less than .1 grains variance. And when I finally decide on a recipe, I'll continue to weigh each and every charge, as I'm developing these rounds specifically for bear/mountain lion defense.
And I'm well-aware that my POI and group size are going to change once I start shooting off-hand. I just wanted to eliminate as many variables as possible for the initial zeroing of the sights. I feel (perhaps incorrectly) that once I establish what the gun can do with the least possible operator error , then all I have to do is get myself to shoot as close to that standard as possible.
And finally, I'm aware that faster rounds can't exhibit less recoil. I should've been more precise in my diction. What I meant to say was that the factory rounds seemed to recoil more violently, with a sharper initial impulse. The CFE reloads felt as if they were less violent, with a smoother (again, probably not exactly the right word) initial impulse. The 4227 reloads felt as if they were even smoother with the least violent impulse. So while both reload recipes definitely kicked hard, they felt more controllable than the Winchesters.
In other words, I felt that for quick follow-up shots either of the reloads would be easier to achieve than with the factory stuff.