Best factory gun for Highpower silhouette

[OldRanger]

I'm still getting my loads sorted out for my new Tikka t3 lite but its shooting just under half moa. Which is about 100 times better than I can shoot it, so its all good.

[Bigfoot]

Nice! What load did you end up with?

[OldRanger]

Nice! What load did you end up with?

For my CPT's I'm using 150 grain bthp with 43 grains of 4064. For rams I'm doing 168gr bthps with 46 grains of varget. I'm still playing with my bullet seating since I can't get my 168s to group up as well yet.

I may change all of this after I get to shoot at 500m. So far the ranges have been in use for competitions every time I got the time to go out. I've been shooting all of my ladders and practicing at either 100 or 200 yards. Hopefully next weekend I'll get out to shoot at real distances and get my scope settings all dialed in.

[Bigfoot]

Just a tip that I learned the hard way. If your heavy bullets aren't grouping great at the range your shooting at (I'm guessing 100 or 200) hold off on messing with them or worrying about the seating depth until you can throw some down at 500. With the fast twist rates of the barrels we're all using sometime depending on the bullet it hasn't had time to settle down at the nearer ranges.

I would have never thought that it was possible for groups to be better MOA wise out at 300+ than at 100 or 200 but using the high bc bullets (Lapua's in my case) I've documented MOA's shrinking by nearly 50% when I go out to 500.

BTW. So freaking jealous that you get to do load development at Missoula. I'd love to take my mobile reloading set up (arbor press and powder measure) out there and really dial in to the happy place but again. This is silhouette not bench rest. That game is worse than golf imho! Hope to see you next month!

[OldRanger]

Are you coming out for our sept 'Invitational'? You know, the match formerly known as Montana State Championship.

[Jerry G]

Mark, I have experienced the same effect with my 7 twist 243 and my 8 twist 6.5s. Those high spin rates make the 'wobble' last a lot longer than the slow twists. I just put a new 8 twist/260 cal bbl on my old 7 twist 243. I never could get a good group out of either one at 100m. 200m is still a little iffy but at 300 they were good. I can get under 1 minute groups at 1,000 yds. with the 260 as long as the wind isn't blowing very much.

[Bigfoot]

In a brief summary. Hell yeah! I don't care if it's a state match or not I need to be there at Deep Creek. I might have to find occasion to get there early this year and do prior said load dev if I can figure a way to get all the tools into an Alaska airlines plane.

Jerry, I've read articles and heard peeps claim that it's impossible to get better groups out further but math and calipers don't lie.

[OldRanger]

I would offer to let you use all of my stuff, but my chargemaster needs power and theres no electricity up there. But if you do decide to do something like that let me know, I might be able to get sick for a couple days and join you.

[Bigfoot]

Thanks Chris, I could lug my harrell's powder measure and set it up no problem. I'm kind of in love with the thing. The trick would be getting an assemblage of powders over there which would be a little tricky as the thought was to fly in order to maximize time. As we get closer I'll reach out to you.

Thanks!

[Emietenkorte]

Hey, what are the dates for the "invitational" in September? I think I remember getting the dates in an email or talking to someone at Iron Man but I can't remember.

[Jerry G]

First weekend in Sept.

[Emietenkorte]

Thanks!

[Bigfoot]

Erich is officially hooked on Deep Creek. She's a mean drug. Gets you hooked the first time.

Damn place did the same thing to me...Sigh...

[Emietenkorte]

It is a heck of a range! Definitely worth the drive! Anywhere I get to shoot some steel animals is worth the drive for that matter.

[OldRanger]

I spent part of Saturday out there shooting paper. Those winds are a little shifty in the afternoon. I was trying to get my scope numbers for the match next weekend and the elevations were fine, but out at 500 I would get a group left by 6 inches, then right by 8, then dead on. And I thought the wind was pretty consistent. Guess I need to get a better spotter (i didn't actually have one). On the bright side my factory Tikka 308 hit one group under 3 inches at 500 (just about .53 moa). So the rifle and ammo are up to the task if I can do my part.