Wado II's Range Report

[Wado II]

When Gun Hive Forum was alive it had a range report thread that was ongoing for a few years. If you went to the range and felt like posting that was the place I made a lot of posts on it. Anyway, today was range day. The cows got moved and I had some new loads for the Stevens .243 and a couple of improvements to the rifle. I replaced the stripped screws for the scope base got it torqued and secured. I added a front rail on the stock where the swivel stud was to attach an Atlas bipod instead of the Harris style still use a bag in the rear. Shoot from a portable bench at 100 yards against a tank berm pretty basic, no lead sled or bench rest swivel stick rest. I still have a few more powder bullet combinations left to try and that will about be it. Next step will be getting overall length for the bullets that can reach the lands of the riflings. The light projectiles are barely in the case neck so it is what it is just tune the powder charge and get some velocity numbers it's limited with a 20 inch barrel. The scope I have on this rifle is a Vortex Strike Eagle FFP 5-25 power 34mm tube. It's an entry level long range scope I will leave it at that.
For the report, I will say I don't really like any of the groups but and this is a big but it's a sub 400 dollar rifle. Just about all of them are an inch a couple are over a little and if I had shot three shot groups I think they would have all been an inch or less. Target one first shot from an extremely clean bore went high right then the remaining four went into an inch or so those little squares are a half inch. The targets are self explaining one group was four shots (target 4) I was out of prepped brass targets 2 and 3 were three shots. I was using new Remington brass that had the case mouths straightened and was chamfered and Federal 210 primers. Hopefully there is a magic load for this rifle maybe something around 95 grains I still have some Balistic Tips and Vmax to try and Partitions even some A Max but they might need a faster twist than 10. Now that I have some real velocities I will shoot without the Magnetospeed hanging on the barrel maybe just maybe that will make a difference.

[Wado II]

I couldn't set up a target and not bring The Manbun out for a romp. It has a new scope on a really nice La Rue set of low rings. It felt like a new rifle and shot pretty good too even with the wind. The scope is a Meopta SFP 30mm tube 4.5-27 power with a plain duplex reticle none of that Christmas tree clutter stuff. It has zero stop dials and lots of elevation so it can be dialed for several hundred yards just no holdover marks. It's a hunting scope but with tactical dials. First shot went far right after bore sighting I made the adjustment and shot a five shot group center target. It would have been a really small group but shooter error blew it up that wasn't a flyer neither was the one in the second group top left. Center target were 95 grain V Max top left were 100 grain Sierra varminter both going 3000 fps +.

[WhiteBassFisher]

Those are really nice groups IMO. What caliber is that?

[jimk]

Amen to the grouping...Savage 243?

[Wado II]

Top LaRue targets are a Savage Stevens 334 in .243 Winchester I bought a while back. Bottom is the 6.5 Creedmoor Savage Hunter I got last year.

[Wado II]

6.5 Creedmoor I shot a little yesterday in the wind. I had to weight down the target stand a couple of times I had to get off of the trigger and let it clam down even with my low center of gravity I was getting rocked. Seems like all my muscles have settled around my belt. I had four loads for the Creedmoor, the Match King load I had shot before it's the center target #1 I was verifying velocity with the chrono I added 1 grain of powder and lost about 60 fps. Weird but I think that's the cost of a short barrel 18 vs 24 or 26. It's confirmed by many with a Manbun you lose about 25fps per inch. So it is what it is. Still tried to group had three into one hole with a 15-20 right to left wind at 100 yds. One shot was my fault I had the rear bag cocked sideways and it slipped.
The other three targets are new bullets and I don't have any data for Blitz Kings guess I need to buy a Sierra book I crossed over some charges but they seem to shoot pretty good velocities are a little slow, short barrel blamed. They were 3 shot groups managed to stick a couple through the same hole wind must have caused the "fliers".

[WhiteBassFisher]

Sincere question: Your 6.5 obviously is a darn accurate rifle. Although the 6.5 may be inherently accurate, isn't a lot of it also the quality of the gun, the trigger, barrel bedding, etc?

[Wado II]

Here's what happened. I bought all the stuff to load 6.5 Creedmoor and was going to give it to someone and get them reloading. He already had a press and at the time was stuck with only match ammo. Had a deer run off on him he liked the rifle he has, a Bergara I believe. I tried a couple of times to get him enthused about it I finally figured I needed to butt out. If he wants to take this on better he does it without pressure. I had loaded a few rounds and I saw this article in an NRA magazine reviewing this Savage Magpul Hunter when they were released. Saw another article where it was put against a Bergara costing twice as much and it came out on top. Lots of these gun writers fluff up everything so much I really took a chance but I ordered one from Buds. It's ugly and short might not shoot accurately to a mile but so far so good. Wasn't what I call cheap but compared to some it is. Supposedly a "blueprinted" action who knows it was a mess when I got it I sent it back to Savage all corroded up. It doesn't eject worth a damn I do have a new plunger and spring for it I need to install maybe it will help Savage just cleaned it and test fired it. Said they checked the headspace. It's not bedded, has a factory trigger screwed all the way down and the rest is Savage. Magpul stock is kind of like bedded it has an internal skeleton and the action screws are torqued I believe 65 inch pounds. It came with a 20 moa canted rail and I have a Meopta scope on it. Best scopes I have come across in their price range next up is a Nightforce SHV that I have. The caliber, 6.5, has a lot going for it. Long and sleek been around for many years I also have a 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser but it can't compete with this thing it's a whole different animal. The 6.5 Swede was and is Europe's darling match wise and hunting. It's been called the .270 of Europe. I also have a .260 Remington. Same thing, takes more powder the Creedmoor shoulder angle gives it a big advantage it's just more efficient. I was told by a gunsmith once shorter cartridges tend to be more accurate. The .260 I have is on a Mauser action it doesn't perform as well as the Creedmoor but a good .260 will outperform a Creed. The barrel in my .260 is too slow it won't shoot anything heavier than 120 grains. A .260 built by the right gunsmith and fast barrel twist would be dangerous to have. The only other thing I might put out for is a Timney trigger for this Savage. I tried a lighter spring in the stock trigger it didn't help hardly any Savage does make a Target trigger I don't know if it will work with one like I have.

[Wado II]

The article.
Hardware: Savage 110 Magpul Hunter | An Official Journal Of The NRA (americanhunter.org)

[Wado II]

243 Winchester Savage Stevens
I had a couple of new handloads to try and also wanted to shoot three shot groups instead of five on each target. Just to see if they would be under an inch each time. The remaining two rounds I shot directly under each target with the corresponding load. It looks like if I placed the two with the three it didn't do much to the measurement of the group. After about twenty rounds consecutively this barrel heats up and groups do grow especially with large powder charges. Point of aim is the little box in the center I might adjust the scope at some point get it more centered.

[Wado II]

Messed up moving the bottom shots had to re-do it. Redneck cut and paste.

[Wado II]

The 75 grain V Max as far as accuracy goes isn't too bad. Take out the one bad shot and it's a half inch group. Velocity is about 200fps slower than the Hornady book lists with that charge. And we're back to the short barrel discussion. The Sierra group doesn't really suck and velocity is again slower than the book. That's a whole 4.5 grains higher charge for 15 grains of bullet weight though and that is from Sierra not something I conjured up. They say you can push this bullet to 3800 that is vaporizing a prairie dog speed.

[Wado II]

Should be a good one for tomorrow. I shot a couple of new handloads today the wind wasn't as bad and overcast very little mirage.

[Wado II]

Shot some more today and a different short barreled rifle is in the game. I never recorded any speeds of the loads with a chronograph I shot in it. Interesting stuff, and some more of what a Magnetospeed does to accuracy and point of impact on different rifles. There's some chronographs out there now that don't require the rabbit ears to shoot through I thought the Magnetospeed was the answer to them I should have kept my 100 dollar Caldwell it worked just fine. Had to be careful or you might blow it away. Garmins are about 600clams Labradar are 450 smackers. The V3 I have must have been around 350-400. It isn't a whole lot of fun attaching it to the barrel either they do have some other mounts but I'm not interested.

[Wado II]

Savage Stevens 334 .243 Winchester
I got sidetracked trying something different with the pictures they take so long to download. I made up a couple of new loads first is 75 grain VMax in Winchester brass primed with Remington 9 1/2 Magnum primers. Charge is 44.5 grains of Win 760 ball powder. I got an average speed of 3272 fps and some good SD and ES numbers hopefully we can read the targets. Second is 58 grain Barnes Varminators same brass and primers loaded with 46.3 grains of Win 760 also. I got an average speed of 3412 fps and also good SD and ES numbers. Accuracy for both was sub one inch at 100 yards WITH a Magnetospeed bayonet attached to the barrel . Targets one and two bottom row 75's on T1 58's on T2. I went back to the bench and loaded up three of the same loads since I had two presses already set and shot them without the Magnetospeed thingy attached. Point of impact of the 75 grain shifted up and somewhat right the 58 grain shifted up and right also exactly to my point of aim which was center of the diamond. I suspected the bayonet was messing with the barrel harmonics I didn't think this much. As far as velocities this rifle with the 20 inch barrel it's a little slower than the 25fps per inch rule most of the manuals are based on a 24 inch barrel I am getting real close to max loads now working my way up and speeds are not coming up fast and in another load I tried one shot went 100 fps faster in one string . I still don't know how that happened I think it was a glitch with the chronograph. The pictures download faster just aren't as good.

[Wado II]

Savage Stevens 334 .243 Winchester Part II
I made up another load this time 58 grain Hornady Vmax with 47.5 grains of Win 760 same brass same primers. Load straight out of Hodgdon website I got an average speed of 3573 fps and some decent numbers. According to their data the minimum load of 46.0 grains would yield 3633 fps so I am running way behind velocity wise. I have tried four different powders they all run behind and the heavier bullets have been worse. A twenty inch barrel isn't good for a .243 if you want speed. I will settle for better accuracy any day. I only loaded five so I shot them with the bayonet on the barrel group was 1.26" for five shots. I had six factory Norma 76 grain Tip Strike loads left so I decided to check the speeds while I had my speed gizmo hooked up. Muzzle velocity on the box is3445 FPS pretty sure for a 24" barrel I got 3305 FPS what's that, 140 fps slower? Divide that by 4 and that's 35 fps per inch. You can only kill things so dead so it doesn't matter I'm ready to put the speed thing away and shoot. This Norma was very consistent only three shots recorded but good ES and SD numbers. I will most likely change my camera settings back these pictures suck.

[Wado II]

Look at the point of impact and accuracy difference of the Norma before and after.

[Wado II]

The Stevens 334 as it sits now.