shots stringing

A

axis223

New member
hey guys.

i shot 3 groups of 23.3gr benchmark, cci400,Lc brass, 55gr v max seated to 2.235 and each group looks like this.

http://i1030.photobucket.com/albums...895&1468156116134&1468156127521&1468156127537

now when i shoot 24gr h335, same brass, cci450 primers, same bullet seat, etc. i get stringers. i shot 5 groups of 3 last night because bullets ran low and each group would string and im aiming at the same point each time. i even had someone else shoot the rifle and it did the same thing. im at a loss.

http://i1030.photobucket.com/albums...895&1468156116134&1468156127520&1468156127537

http://i1030.photobucket.com/albums...896&1468156116135&1468156127521&1468156127538

any ideas.
 
#1 If those are 100 yd groups then none of them are horrid. I would agree that the first pictured group does look to be the best. IMO you didn't shoot enough rounds in the last two groups to truly tell.

Reloading is going to consume time and materials. I have almost never stumbled across an excellent load by randomly picking components and loading cases. Some powder/primer/bullet/rifle combinations are going to produce excellent results in nearly any configuration. I tend to think that way with my 308 using 150gr bullets and imr4064. Other rifles of mine have needed much more coaxing in order to find a suitable combination, but it gets done regardless.
What I am getting at is perhaps 24grs of H335 isn't the sweet spot, Might want to try some at 23.5gr and some at 24.5gr and see if things improve. Might be that H335 and CCI450 primers aren't going to produce the results you're looking for in your rifle. I start at the bottom and work my way up in 1.5% increments trying to isolate accuracy nodes. Once I find a node I will adjust my seating depth and see if I can fine-tune it any. Many times the combinations do not make it to the fine-tuning part before experimentation ceases.
 
I worked up from hornady minimum which I think is 20.8 to hornady book max and went up .03gr for each 5 pack but started running low on bullets the other day so had to load 23gr-23.3, 23.6. 24gr in 3 packs and shot them last night. the 24gr was the best out of all. my concern is why they shoot touching but in a perfect line. some say for a savage axis to be happy with the 3 in a row but imo I can get better results.
 
If you think you were feeling good enough to shoot better than the results show then I would check to make sure the scope rings/bases are tight and that the action/receiver screws haven't come loose. If you don't find anything there then I would conclude that benchmark and CCI400 primers were a better combination in your rifle. I've had it happen in my 30-06 and 243 where one powder would produce 4-5" pattern @ 100 yds and simply changing to a more appropriate powder produced 1MOA or better with the same bullets. In your situation you have two appropriate powders and one is showing slightly better results. Just to experiment I would swap the CCI450s for some CCI400s in the H335 load and see if that changes anything.
 
That's not stringing. Stringing will have the holes in a vertical group that's spread out more. Those are the wee groups you've been after. Nice when it happens with two different powders.
 
Stringing just means making a straight line. It can happen horizontally or vertically. When it is up and down it is called vertical stringing to distinguish it from either horizontal or diagonal stringing (as happens in a variable side wind due to the bullet corrections into the air stream changing its small amount of lift).

Looking at the two groups that are strung out, I notice one is horizontal and one is diagonal. If you combine them into a single six-shot group, the group gets rounder. So the idea the 3-shot samples are too small to tell the tale would seem to be born out. When you get some more bullets, try 10-shot groups or overlaying two groups of 5 to see the combined group. That will give you more feel for what is happening.
 
I'm assuming that the stock was good as I shot the benchmark group and 2 days later h335. I will swap out the primers. the reasoning for using mag primers was when it gets cold out. I did this on a recommendation from a veteran 223 loader.

I'm also thinking of scrapping the plastic stock and putting a boyds on it to see if it will help.

My concern was something was wrong with h335 and I wanted to use it cause its cheaper than benchmark.

part of me says save the $150 for powder and buy a good stock and see what works best than.
 
The distance between the high and low shots aren't much different in the two photos.
No much apparent stringing as the definition of stringing goes.
Unless you're shooting at gnats, don't sweat it.
 
I have a Savage Axis .223. My .5" load at 100 yard is LC cases, WSRP, 24.0gr Benchmark, Sierra #1390 55gr HPBT GameKing, COL at 2.20.

I don't recall the speed that I once Chronographed them at off the top of my head, but with consistent groups at a half inch, I don't really care.

Anyway, Benchmark has been a great powder for my axis, as well as my Marlin 1895GG using 405gr LRNFP.

Bye the way, there's nothing wrong with those groups from a $300 box gun. That's why I started reloading. I want to wring every thing out of my guns that I can, regardless of their cost, but it's pretty cool when your $300 gun can hang with your buddy's $1000 gun.............
 
the reasoning for using mag primers was when it gets cold out.
Click to expand...
Not sure where you're at but cold is going to be more objective than subjective here. Adjusting for the cold for a rifle load for the most part is going to be below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
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