7mm STW build in progress... Budget LR Hunting Rifle Phase I

[Shrek]

Justin , I use to use an electronic scale but got tried of the drift. I would check it with the check weights and the weigh out fifty or a hundred charges and then recheck the scale and it would be off a tenth or two. Too much work and bother to use an electronic filter and make sure my neighbors dryer didn't start up in the middle of loading. Gravity works every time . I just bought an old Lyman M5 and sent it off to Scott Parker to be tuned. Put a camera hooked to a monitor and watch it move with each individual grain of powder. To the nearest grain of powder is as good as it gets. I can't wait until it arrives but until then I'm using an old lee I had and just loading plinking ammo.

 

[Matt Cashell]

I use an RCBS Chargemaster. Love it, and no problems with "drift" while loading. I will occasionally have to calibrate it if it sat for a long time between loading though.

 

[Justin Crossley]

I have all my stuff setup in my dad's shop which sits on 6.5 acres so I don't have the neighbor problem. I have also checked the scale after loading for a while and it has always been right on. I use the RCBS also.

 

[Shrek]

I had the 1500 . I think part of my problem is that I live in an old section of the city where the houses are close and the grid is ancient. Power goes out all the time and I get voltage spikes that trip the surge protectors often enough that I know how to reset all my appliances and clocks by heart. There is hardly a week that I don't have to reset all or some appliances.

 

[Whisky]

I have mixed feelings on this. I started out throwing light with a Uniflow, and finishing with a trickler on a beam scale. That method is very accurate.

As of late I've been using the Chargemaster. I love the convenience of the thing, and it make decent ammo. But I find, assuming my beam scale is accurate, that it throws charges consistently +/- .1 grain of my intended weight. Some rifles I have, I can live with that. But for a couple, I'm debating other options. My buddy also had an old beam scaled tuned up by Scott Parker. It's amazingly accurate, doesn't get anymore accurate than that. I'm considering getting one of those for my LR rigs, and sticking with the Chargemaster for my "volume" reloading.

ETA: Actually, with a tuned beam scale, I would still use the Chargemaster to dispense most of the charge. And finish by trickling.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

Sorry for the thread hijack coop, hope to see the results of you hard work with wolf blood on your hands.

 

[philw]

But I find, assuming my beam scale is accurate, that it throws charges consistently +/- .1 grain of my intended weight. Some rifles I have, I can live with that. But for a couple, I'm debating other options.

Whisky, I'm curious as to what kind of cartridges/rifles you're seeing problems with a 0.1 grain variation, what kind of accuracy you're looking for, and any estimate you can give on how much your accuracy is degrading with the 0.1 grain variation? This is a subject that interests me, thanks.


a

 

[Whisky]

Whisky, I'm curious as to what kind of cartridges/rifles you're seeing problems with a 0.1 grain variation, what kind of accuracy you're looking for, and any estimate you can give on how much your accuracy is degrading with the 0.1 grain variation? This is a subject that interests me, thanks.


a

Actually, we're talking a .3gr spread here. If my target weight is 43gr, the Chargemaster will throw 43.1 and 42.9 quite frequently. Again, this is assuming my beam scale is accurate though. My Chargemaster scale will say 43 everytime. But when I drop it on the beam that's where I see that deviation. Also, my ES and SD will also show that deviation...

Can I shoot the difference?? Maybe, maybe not....But it does bug me with certain rifles. For example, one of my customs, where I turn necks and run a bushing die, use Lapua brass, bump shoulders, uniform pockets, etc, all in the name of consistency. You do all that work, and then have a .3gr spread on your charges, just seems like your throwing a lot of that hard work away accepting a .3gr deviation. For my factory rifles, which don't get shot as much or as far, I don't worry about it.

 

[Travis Bertrand]

Can I shoot the difference?? Maybe, maybe not....But it does bug me with certain rifles. For example, one of my customs, where I turn necks and run a bushing die, use Lapua brass, bump shoulders, uniform pockets, etc, all in the name of consistency.

I hear you on that, I do above mentioned on all my cartridges except bushing die, I run bushing dies on a .220 swift though and one day all of my accurate cartridges but those buggers are expensive.

Have you read the bench rest shooting primer? That book as upped my reloading game tremendously. It might shed light on the reloading for volume vs weight debate as well and not all powder measurers, dispensers are created equal. I strongly believe my rcbs quick change powder measure doesn't dispense consistently via weight or volume.


Here is my next powder measure.

http://www.quick-measure.com/index.htm

 

[Whisky]

I hear you on that, I do above mentioned on all my cartridges except bushing die, I run bushing dies on a .220 swift though and one day all of my accurate cartridges but those buggers are expensive.

Have you read the bench rest shooting primer? That book as upped my reloading game tremendously. It might shed light on the reloading for volume vs weight debate as well and not all powder measurers, dispensers are created equal. I strongly believe my rcbs quick change powder measure doesn't dispense consistently via weight or volume.


Here is my next powder measure.

http://www.quick-measure.com/index.htm

I have not read that book..... My problem is I hate reloading. But I want to make good ammo at the same time. Kind of that attitude, if you're going to do it, might as well do it right. I'm no benchrest shooter, and not nearly as anal as them guys. But I believe in consistent neck tension, therefore put in a little extra effort in that department.

That powder measure looks interesting. As does this one. It's well above of what I'm willing to spend though, for my needs anyways....

http://www.teamusaammo.com/fullarticle.aspx?cat=&id=187

 

[Shrek]

Prometheus II is awsome ! Don't think I'm ever going to have one but if I win a big powerball jackpot it will be on my bench for sure .

 

[philw]

Can I shoot the difference?? Maybe, maybe not....But it does bug me with certain rifles. For example, one of my customs, where I turn necks and run a bushing die, use Lapua brass, bump shoulders, uniform pockets, etc, all in the name of consistency. You do all that work, and then have a .3gr spread on your charges, just seems like your throwing a lot of that hard work away accepting a .3gr deviation....

I hear you, I tend towards good quality brass and bushing dies too. But I guess my question was more along the lines of whether you had actually observed any fall off in accuracy with the 0.2 grain spread in charge weight? I'm assuming we're talking big-game rifles?

 

[Shrek]

I enjoy the loading process so it's not a big deal to weigh every charge to the tenth of a grain , turn necks , weigh cases , ect. My loads are much more precise than I'm able to shoot or my my rifle is. I will fix me rifle shortcomings within a year but I will always have a slight tremor that limits my shooting. If I didn't enjoy my time at the bench I guess I too would try to get by with a volumetric powder dispenser.

 

[philw]

I enjoy the process too, but I load for a bunch of different rifles and I don't shoot competitively so I don't need to squeeze that last little bit of accuracy out of my loads. I try to limit the operations I use to those that make a difference in the level of accuracy I need; if I can get a rifle shooting 1/2-3/4 MOA consistently that's good enough for me. I find that I can almost always do that by using good brass, finding the right charge weight/bullet combination, and controlling runout. Sometimes that means a neck-sizer bushing die, sometimes not, it depends on the rifle/brass/and die and ho they fit together. I don't turn necks, weigh brass, uniform primer pockets etc. but I do dump or sort cases that won't seat a bullet straight.

I use a Chargemaster and will probably never go back to a balance scale, mainly because of the convenience. The reason I'm interested in the charge weight variation question is that smarter people than me have said a variation of +/- 0.1 grain will not affect accuracy if you're loading at a good accuracy node. I've shot a few ladder tests using 0.3 increments that seem to bear this out. So I'm interested in other people's experiences in how charge weight variation affects heir accuracy.

 

[Rent Outdoor Gear]

I have all my stuff setup in my dad's shop which sits on 6.5 acres so I don't have the neighbor problem. I have also checked the scale after loading for a while and it has always been right on. I use the RCBS also.

Sweet setup! I'm working on my shop... hope to have the archery/reloading/man-cove done this summer.

 

[Rent Outdoor Gear]

Would installing a Wyatt's extended magazine be a good investment on my STW? Can you seat bullets far enough out to eliminate most of the free-bore in a stock Remington chambering? Just thinking ahead a bit. I haven't done any reloading yet but looking at the factory loads I'm using they seem to be seated really deep so there has to be a mile of free-bore. It shoots really good now, but wondering how long that will last after the throat starts to wear...

Thanks!

Coop

 

[Shrek]

I have a wyatts extended magazine in my sa 700 and it lets me reach the lands in my 7-08. That said I don't like it. The follower slides back and when you cycle a round from the magazine it will sometimes allow the base of the round drop as it feeds and the round jams accross the breach. I have been told I need to work on the feed lips but a better fix would be a follower that fits the box. Another problem is when the follower slides back it catches the the bottom metal frame and will not load the last round. To work around this I open the hinged floor plate just enough to reach in and push the follower forward with three rounds in the magazine already. Close it and then load the fourth round.
Once you machine the back of the magazine well there is no going back. I would see what you can get out of it with it as is and replace the barrel when it starts going south. A custom barrel with a custom chamber and throat will do a whole lot more for you.

 

[Rent Outdoor Gear]

That sounds like a pain in the butt Dave... wonder if that's "typical" for the wyatt's extended boxes or if you maybe got a bad one? I would assume the Rem 700 LA would have to be a different, longer design (although not necessarily better). Anybody got experience with other options for extended box magazines for the LA Rem 700?

Coop

 

[HellsCanyon]

That sounds like a pain in the butt Dave... wonder if that's "typical" for the wyatt's extended boxes or if you maybe got a bad one? I would assume the Rem 700 LA would have to be a different, longer design (although not necessarily better). Anybody got experience with other options for extended box magazines for the LA Rem 700?

Coop

Darin,
We'll be using one in that 300 ultra here shortly and will let you know how we like it!

Mike

 

[Shrek]

Coop , there is nothing to go bad as it is just like your standard magazine box that is in your rifle now except it's 1/8th inch longer. The play it opens up is what allows the follower to move back and forth. Wyatt needs to make a matching follower. I think if I maching the lips back an 1/8" it will let the nose come up sooner while the base of the cartridge is still on the body of the round beneath it. As it sits now the base is right at the shoulder as it comes up. With the follower back the round underneath noses down and the base of the feeding round slides down the shoulder and the nose goes up and hits the top of the action right behind the barrel. If the follower is forward it supports the round underneath and it feeds fine.