100 vs 200 yard testing my loads

[swampratt]

I have said a few times that I like to test loads at 200 yards or more unless all your shooting and killing is at 100 or less yards.
I am not finished with trying to make my Ruger .308 shoot well.
This story is about my Savage .308 model 10SR with 18" factory barrel and factory trigger and factory stock.

I love the short barrels and have said before they are not as finicky on the loads and you have a much larger accuracy node window with the shorter barrel.

Now It was very windy this day i went shooting 20+ MPH winds and I choked on 1 shot out of 16 shots.
That one I called before it hit the target at 200 yards.. wind gets gusty and picked up the table i was shooting from and blew me backwards a bit.

I used Lapua mixed batch cases multiple times fired. Some had tight primer pockets and may have been fired 3 times and others could have over 20 rounds through them.

I did Anneal all of them for this test and Turned the necks.
All ID and OD measurements were the same.
Sized no more than .002" anywhere on the case after firing in this Savage chamber.
Excluding pinching the neck tighter of course.

Now I was using 210M primers with all loads.
Some loads used IMR 4064 powder and 155 A-Max.
Some used 8208 XBR and the same 155 A-Max bullet.
Then I had the 168A-Max and 4064 powder also.

This experiment was to see if 2 quick to fire shots would land in pretty much the same spot.
2 rounds of each were fired at 100 yards .. 7 minutes rest between the pair of rounds.

At 100 yards it measured like this . 2 shot groups.
IMR 4064 & 155gr A-max = 1.175" center to center.
8208 XBR & 155 A-Max = .695" center to center.
IMR 4064 & 168 A-Max = 1.2" center to center.

Yea not impressive.
The entire 6 shot group combined was 1.790" @ 100 yards.

Then I went to 200 yards as i really want to see if the load holds together or falls apart terribly.
For some reason the testing I have done on the A-Max bullets and even the little 55gr V-max the groups stay tight at 200 or more yards.
Lets see.

At 200 yards the 2 shot groups measured like this.
IMR 4064 & 155 A-Max = 1.140" center to center.
8208 XBR & 155 A-Max = 1.340" center to center.
IMR 4064 & 168 A-Max = .600" center to center.
Total 6 shot group size = 1.7" center to center @ 200 yards.

Now we know you need the first shot to hit the spot and all other shots do not matter much unless your critter falls and gets back up not knowing it is really dead.

So I let the gun sit for an hour and ate some lunch.
Went back to it and shot 1 round of each load at 200 yards.
I adjusted my scope so I could hit the upper cross area and not stick bullets where all the others were landing.

Both 155 gr rounds made a large hole and the 168 gr load was high and left and 3 shot group of those mixed loads measured .890" at 200 yards.

Short 18" fat barrel gotta like them.
Here is the target..Lots of writing on it.. I was taking notes you know.
Upper holes are 3 shot at 200.
Lower right are 100 yard loads and lower left are the 200 yard holes.
Notice the flier in the 200 yard that is what happens when the wind blows your table up.

 

[Glock 40]

Hey Swampratt good to see you doing some testing and back on the forum.

 

[slas]

Since I got a 200 yard range I find myself pretty much ignoring 100 yards unless I'm sighting in a newly mounted scope......Have to drive an hour to get there but it's always a great way to pass a day load testing. My hunting spot offers shots out to 275 yards so if I feel comfortable at 200 I'll be comfortable at any shot there.

 

[swampratt]

Have to drive an hour to get there

My drive is also an hour where I tested these..I have driven 160 miles one way many times to sets loads.
I have some spots I can shoot way too far.
Have not measured it but I would say 2000 yards or more.
Just hail mary shots. We were shooting 700 yards one day with strong winds from all directions and never hit the gallon sized rocks we had stood up. It will humble you when you shoot in terrible conditions.

 

[EKing]

Lots of good data to go through. Interesting difference between the 100yd and 200yd results. Since bullets do not get more accurate at longer distances, it looks like your shooting got better, more focused on fundamentals, while shooting at 200 yards. Your rifle seems to like the 168 A-max bullet, dang near 1/4 MOA group; I think you've found the right combo.

 

[swampratt]

You would think the groups would open up farther out but many of my guns shoot .75" at 100 yards and hold the same .75" at 200 yards.
Then there are loads I have had that shoot in the .3 or tighter area at 100 yards and go to 8" or more at 200.

One thing I like to do is test the same loads many different days.
I will be making up some of those 168 and the 155 gr loads with 4064 powder and retest at 200 again and if I get some trees and vines moved I think I can make a 300+ yard shooting spot.

 

[magna19]

I have said a few times that I like to test loads at 200 yards or more unless all your shooting and killing is at 100 or less yards.
I am not finished with trying to make my Ruger .308 shoot well.
This story is about my Savage .308 model 10SR with 18" factory barrel and factory trigger and factory stock.

I love the short barrels and have said before they are not as finicky on the loads and you have a much larger accuracy node window with the shorter barrel.

Now It was very windy this day i went shooting 20+ MPH winds and I choked on 1 shot out of 16 shots.
That one I called before it hit the target at 200 yards.. wind gets gusty and picked up the table i was shooting from and blew me backwards a bit.

I used Lapua mixed batch cases multiple times fired. Some had tight primer pockets and may have been fired 3 times and others could have over 20 rounds through them.

I did Anneal all of them for this test and Turned the necks.
All ID and OD measurements were the same.
Sized no more than .002" anywhere on the case after firing in this Savage chamber.
Excluding pinching the neck tighter of course.

Now I was using 210M primers with all loads.
Some loads used IMR 4064 powder and 155 A-Max.
Some used 8208 XBR and the same 155 A-Max bullet.
Then I had the 168A-Max and 4064 powder also.

This experiment was to see if 2 quick to fire shots would land in pretty much the same spot.
2 rounds of each were fired at 100 yards .. 7 minutes rest between the pair of rounds.

At 100 yards it measured like this . 2 shot groups.
IMR 4064 & 155gr A-max = 1.175" center to center.
8208 XBR & 155 A-Max = .695" center to center.
IMR 4064 & 168 A-Max = 1.2" center to center.

Yea not impressive.
The entire 6 shot group combined was 1.790" @ 100 yards.

Then I went to 200 yards as i really want to see if the load holds together or falls apart terribly.
For some reason the testing I have done on the A-Max bullets and even the little 55gr V-max the groups stay tight at 200 or more yards.
Lets see.

At 200 yards the 2 shot groups measured like this.
IMR 4064 & 155 A-Max = 1.140" center to center.
8208 XBR & 155 A-Max = 1.340" center to center.
IMR 4064 & 168 A-Max = .600" center to center.
Total 6 shot group size = 1.7" center to center @ 200 yards.

Now we know you need the first shot to hit the spot and all other shots do not matter much unless your critter falls and gets back up not knowing it is really dead.

So I let the gun sit for an hour and ate some lunch.
Went back to it and shot 1 round of each load at 200 yards.
I adjusted my scope so I could hit the upper cross area and not stick bullets where all the others were landing.

Both 155 gr rounds made a large hole and the 168 gr load was high and left and 3 shot group of those mixed loads measured .890" at 200 yards.

Short 18" fat barrel gotta like them.
Here is the target..Lots of writing on it.. I was taking notes you know.
Upper holes are 3 shot at 200.
Lower right are 100 yard loads and lower left are the 200 yard holes.
Notice the flier in the 200 yard that is what happens when the wind blows your table up.

View attachment 148743

You would think the groups would open up farther out but many of my guns shoot .75" at 100 yards and hold the same .75" at 200 yards.
Then there are loads I have had that shoot in the .3 or tighter area at 100 yards and go to 8" or more at 200.

One thing I like to do is test the same loads many different days.
I will be making up some of those 168 and the 155 gr loads with 4064 powder and retest at 200 again and if I get some trees and vines moved I think I can make a 300+ yard shooting spot.

So far I gathered five things from your test, that all those 2-3 inch @100 yds groups ive shot in the past may have shot 1" at 300 yds, Or if I switched to 1 shot groups they could be improved to the elusive .000 inch one hole group at all distances. Mix up a bunch of brass so I can retest with good brass to shoot more often, Shoot only when the table not moving from the wind. Or go back to reading Patrick F Mcmanus articles.

 

[swampratt]

I know Not benchrest accuracy and not benchrest type shooting either.
I will try better next round.

Here is the 155 A-Max and same 8208 powder load I shot in this gun much earlier 88F outside.
9 shots as quick as I could get back on target all chambered from the magazine.
I had to stop and reload the magazine as it only holds 4.
This was also mixed Lapua cases but none of them were neck turned.

1.174" center to center at 100 yards.
Still not better just some holes in paper.