Newbie In Need of Help Please
- Thread starter Timberelk
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Re: Newbie In Need of Help Please
That is good shooting! Glad you got it ironed out, they are excellent rifles.
Fwiw...all the shooting I've ever done, I've never waited more than about 5 min between shots. Granted, I'm not typically shooting super long distances (150 or less) but I've been able to get very acceptable groups with that wait time - sometimes extremely good groups. Good luck on your hunt! :yeah:
That is good shooting! Glad you got it ironed out, they are excellent rifles.
Fwiw...all the shooting I've ever done, I've never waited more than about 5 min between shots. Granted, I'm not typically shooting super long distances (150 or less) but I've been able to get very acceptable groups with that wait time - sometimes extremely good groups. Good luck on your hunt! :yeah:
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Re: Newbie In Need of Help Please
You'll find a wait time that works for you Timber. I'm sort of on WV hunter's page with my time between shots but I have my pistol for between rifle shots and alternate the loading sequences so unless its very, very warm outside 5-6 minutes is ok and I won't have a real warm barrel.
I believe you mentioned having the 300 grain XTP bullets and at the 100 grains you're loading those will be absolute hammers for deer. I use 300's [with 77 grains weighed 209] in my long guns and 240 grain XTP's [63 grains 209 weighed] in my pistol. Both use the green sabots as both bullets are .44 caliber. If you have .45 caliber bullets you're still good to go. All of the XTP line of bullets open at around 960 to 1000 feet per second and your velocity is well over that so you know they'll perform and being that the gun is accurate with what you have, go in confidence to hunt.
I have a couple boxes of deep curl Speers, one in .44 cal 300 grain and the other in .44 cal 240 grain that I plan to tinker with before the deer season here opens but I have the guns ready for the XTPs and will hold off hunting plans using anything else until next year after I've had a chance to seriously shoot the deep curls off the bench. In that year I am also going to buy a box each of .44 Swift A-frames in 240 and 300 grain [spendy at over a buck a bullet] just for paper comparison. When you're finished with your seasons this fall you can always do as I am going to do and check out other bullets and sabot combinations to see if there is anything more accurate. I always figured that 2" at 100 yards is super good hunting accuracy and anything better than that is only a smile....a confidence nutrient. I still enjoy the shooting as it keeps me in tune with the weapons and if I can be better thru a different bullet I will work towards that when I don't have a deadline, like an opening day a week or two away.
Enjoy your hunt Timberelk and I wish all the luck! Go bag a brute! You 've earned him!
You'll find a wait time that works for you Timber. I'm sort of on WV hunter's page with my time between shots but I have my pistol for between rifle shots and alternate the loading sequences so unless its very, very warm outside 5-6 minutes is ok and I won't have a real warm barrel.
I believe you mentioned having the 300 grain XTP bullets and at the 100 grains you're loading those will be absolute hammers for deer. I use 300's [with 77 grains weighed 209] in my long guns and 240 grain XTP's [63 grains 209 weighed] in my pistol. Both use the green sabots as both bullets are .44 caliber. If you have .45 caliber bullets you're still good to go. All of the XTP line of bullets open at around 960 to 1000 feet per second and your velocity is well over that so you know they'll perform and being that the gun is accurate with what you have, go in confidence to hunt.
I have a couple boxes of deep curl Speers, one in .44 cal 300 grain and the other in .44 cal 240 grain that I plan to tinker with before the deer season here opens but I have the guns ready for the XTPs and will hold off hunting plans using anything else until next year after I've had a chance to seriously shoot the deep curls off the bench. In that year I am also going to buy a box each of .44 Swift A-frames in 240 and 300 grain [spendy at over a buck a bullet] just for paper comparison. When you're finished with your seasons this fall you can always do as I am going to do and check out other bullets and sabot combinations to see if there is anything more accurate. I always figured that 2" at 100 yards is super good hunting accuracy and anything better than that is only a smile....a confidence nutrient. I still enjoy the shooting as it keeps me in tune with the weapons and if I can be better thru a different bullet I will work towards that when I don't have a deadline, like an opening day a week or two away.
Enjoy your hunt Timberelk and I wish all the luck! Go bag a brute! You 've earned him!
Went out and shot again yesterday.. I will post pics later. Took the girlfriend out yesterday and I rushed some of the shots and only waited 5-10 min between shots.
First shot at 100 yards was about 1.5-1.75" left and 1" high (I want to be 1.5" high and dead center left and right). But I think I pulled that shot a little bit.
I took the next 3 shots... they were +- 1" left and right and were +- .5" of the 1.5" high mark. I had a 3 shot group that was within 1.75" group.
Then moved on to the half body metal targets. 3 shots in a row at the 200 yard target and smoked the 3" Circle every single time!
Next was 300 yard metal half body target. First shot missed the 3" Circle to the left by about 6" but elevation was perfect ( think I pulled that one). Next shot hit the right side of the 3" circle. Final shot was dead center left and right but about 4-5" low of 3" circle. But I think all those shots would be kill shots on a mule deer were the vitals are 9-10" in diameter
Even let the girlfriend take a shot a 200 yards (she had some experience shooting) and she hit the half body target in the upper right hand corner (about 5" high and 5" to the right of 3" center circle) still a kill shot though at 200 yards for her!
I definitely think I can find a more accurate load somewhere between 60-85 grains of weighted BH 209 with the harvester sabot and possibly the SST bullet or a Barnes bullet.
But 70 grains weighted, harvester sabot and the 300 grain XTP is consistently producing 1.25"-2" groups at 100 yards and hitting 3" circle at 200 and about a 6" pattern at 300 yards so no sense in messing with something that's working!
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First shot at 100 yards was about 1.5-1.75" left and 1" high (I want to be 1.5" high and dead center left and right). But I think I pulled that shot a little bit.
I took the next 3 shots... they were +- 1" left and right and were +- .5" of the 1.5" high mark. I had a 3 shot group that was within 1.75" group.
Then moved on to the half body metal targets. 3 shots in a row at the 200 yard target and smoked the 3" Circle every single time!
Next was 300 yard metal half body target. First shot missed the 3" Circle to the left by about 6" but elevation was perfect ( think I pulled that one). Next shot hit the right side of the 3" circle. Final shot was dead center left and right but about 4-5" low of 3" circle. But I think all those shots would be kill shots on a mule deer were the vitals are 9-10" in diameter
Even let the girlfriend take a shot a 200 yards (she had some experience shooting) and she hit the half body target in the upper right hand corner (about 5" high and 5" to the right of 3" center circle) still a kill shot though at 200 yards for her!
I definitely think I can find a more accurate load somewhere between 60-85 grains of weighted BH 209 with the harvester sabot and possibly the SST bullet or a Barnes bullet.
But 70 grains weighted, harvester sabot and the 300 grain XTP is consistently producing 1.25"-2" groups at 100 yards and hitting 3" circle at 200 and about a 6" pattern at 300 yards so no sense in messing with something that's working!
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Re: Newbie In Need of Help Please
Good Deal
I was fairly confident you would have some luck with that combination. On average its one of the easier combos to dial in and not terribly finicky.
So, now we know your rifle likes a .503-.504 sabot with a .452 bullet. Well at least a 300gr .452 bullet. That opens up a large number of other combinations too and some with a better BC/Construction....The Speer .452 300gr DeepCurl has a slightly better BC and IMO is constructed a bit better.
One of the new players on the block with slightly better BC than most and a bonded jacket is Fury Custom Bullets. These are not like the super pointy Parker Match Hunters but are similar to the Barnes Original Semi Spitzer. The BC should be getting close to .280-.300 which is pretty good.
His lead tip are selling for about $44/50 in bonded and $36/50 in regular.
Good Deal
I was fairly confident you would have some luck with that combination. On average its one of the easier combos to dial in and not terribly finicky.
So, now we know your rifle likes a .503-.504 sabot with a .452 bullet. Well at least a 300gr .452 bullet. That opens up a large number of other combinations too and some with a better BC/Construction....The Speer .452 300gr DeepCurl has a slightly better BC and IMO is constructed a bit better.
One of the new players on the block with slightly better BC than most and a bonded jacket is Fury Custom Bullets. These are not like the super pointy Parker Match Hunters but are similar to the Barnes Original Semi Spitzer. The BC should be getting close to .280-.300 which is pretty good.
His lead tip are selling for about $44/50 in bonded and $36/50 in regular.
GM54-120 said:
At those prices per shot, I may just shoot my 300 mag! Haha but thank you for the recommendations! I may try messing with the powder amount and see if I can get the cheap XTPs to fly even better!
At my local Scheels, I got 50 XTPs for $15!
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Re: Newbie In Need of Help Please
In my opinion there is nothing wrong with them XTP bullets. They are very accurate, and they kill. More accurate than most is my experience. The deer they kill, taste good in my mouth, and feel good in my belly. ☺
In my opinion there is nothing wrong with them XTP bullets. They are very accurate, and they kill. More accurate than most is my experience. The deer they kill, taste good in my mouth, and feel good in my belly. ☺
As promised, pictures from the other days "semi rushed" 100 yard paper shooting. I'm suppose to be 1.5"-1.7" high and dead on left and right
Not sure what happened on number 1 but I must've pulled it
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Not sure what happened on number 1 but I must've pulled it
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Its not uncommon for the first shot to be a little bit out of the group, some shooters fire 3 primers to condition the bore to simulate a fouled bore, others , myself included, swab the barrel with a patch slightly dampened with lockeze.
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herschel conyers said:
Before the first shot I fired 2 primers through the barrel... what's funny is when I shot the gun about a week ago, I did the same two primers then loaded up my first and shot then loaded up my second shot and shot and they were about 1/4" apart at 50 yards but this time at 100 yards the first shot is about 1.5" away from the group
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Re: Newbie In Need of Help Please
"..the first shot is about 1.5" away from the group" timberelk
Not to fret. At 100 yards that 1.5" is still a very dead deer if you hold like you're shooting the 5th shot.
My two CVA guns need the barrel dirty for the hunting loads using 209 powder. My impact I can load clean and shoot within an inch of dead-on with the first shot. Guns are all different with 209 powder and as long as you know what the difference is you'll be fine.
"..the first shot is about 1.5" away from the group" timberelk
Not to fret. At 100 yards that 1.5" is still a very dead deer if you hold like you're shooting the 5th shot.
My two CVA guns need the barrel dirty for the hunting loads using 209 powder. My impact I can load clean and shoot within an inch of dead-on with the first shot. Guns are all different with 209 powder and as long as you know what the difference is you'll be fine.
MrTom said:
I think mine may like a dirty barrel.. how would I do that before I head into the field? And then you load up with a dirty barrel and then don't unload until you take a shot at a deer? Even if you don't take that shot for a week or so? Like just remove the primer and put it back in the case and then put it in the truck until the next day?
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