Handload Performance at 600 Yards and Beyond?

[jc5420]

***UPDATE***



SO, I finally had time this weekend to play around at the range with some 130 Hybrids and Varget powder.



The rifle

Surgeon 591

Benchmark 24" 1:8

Silencertech suppressor

Just for reference, my go to load with 140 Hybrids is with 36 gr of Varget jumped .015" at 2730 fps.



I ran a rough test over the chrono watching for mostly for Speeds, ES, SD and secondly accuracy. (Magnetospeed always makes my groups larger)

The test loads were 36 > 36.5 > 37 > 37.3 > 37.6 > 37.9

Bullets were jumped .020"



Each load was 5 shots over a chrono and these were the numbers printed.



36.0 > Max Vel. 2794 - Min Vel. 2774 - AVG. 2787 - SD 7.8

36.5 > Max Vel. 2817 - Min Vel. 2804 - AVG. 2811 - SD 5.6

37.0 > Max Vel. 2857 - Min Vel. 2841 - AVG. 2848 - SD 5.7

37.3 > Max Vel. 2865 - Min Vel. 2849 - AVG. 2858 - SD 6.0

37.6 > Max Vel. 2898 - Min Vel. 2873 - AVG. 2887 - SD 9.6

37.9 > Max Vel. 2904 - Min Vel. 2897 - AVG. 2900 - SD 3.6

Things to note:


•5 Rounds of 140 Hybrids and 36 Varget were fired prior to testing for a base. (Velocity average was 2728 fps)
•Barrel was given 5-10 minutes to cool between every 5 round string.
•36 Varget only had 57fps of velocity gain over the 140 hybrids.
•Highlighted in blue I believe a node to be around 37-37.3gr due to the minimal rise in velocity between the two charge weights.
•I hit unexpected ejector marks at 37.9 which were prominent enough I am claiming that as a max pressure for this rifle / load combo.

I will post pictures of these terrible groups, but remember this was mostly a test of velocity / consistency in each load. The chronograph was attached to the suppressor and as noted ALWAYS reduces accuracy potential usually by about .25" on this rifle.



(This is 100y testing)

Group in the middle is dialing in the 140 hybrids.

 

[magna19]

Im not an expert but that nice looking group at 36.5 is what id be shooting.

 

[jc5420]

Im not an expert but that nice looking group at 36.5 is what id be shooting.

As pointed out, those groups are not to be trusted. This test was not based off group sizes, but consistency in the loads. Next test would be group sizes, but I seriously doubt there will be a next test because I hit a limit before where I wanted to be with this powder bullet combo. I will explore more, but for now I will stick with my 140 hybrids as they give the same performance without the pressure. If I could have reached 2930 comfortably I would have stuck with them. Of course all of this is still subject to change, especially with a few other bullets coming to the market.

And for the record, if that were a final test the load I would have chose and refined would have been 37.3gr Varget.

 

[jc5420]

Copy and pasted from another discussion.

HodgdonExtreme wrote: Thanks for the update, it coincides well with the velocity prediction you get from an energy balance that assumes muzzle energy will be same between both bullets, only the velocity will be different to reach that energy parity.

Based on this, I'm unsure what the advantage of these 130s is over the 140s??

It seems to me that Berger was going after a specific audience with these: The autoloader shooters - hence the name "AR Hybrid". The ogive is short and stubby on these. Clearly Berger traded off some BC to facilitate 2.800" COAL with the gasguns, a limitation us boltgun shooters don't share.

After this rough test, I completely agree. BUT, I do see an advantage of less recoil and flatter shooting. The down side is you have to run higher pressures to achieve the end goal.



140 Hybrid with 37.4 Varget is my MAX load.

I am running 36gr Varget at 2730 (rough numbers here for drop from JBM)

1000y >> 304.3" drop / 63.7 10mph wind drift



130 Hybrid with 37.9 Varget is my MAX load.

Running 37.3 Varget at 2850 (rough numbers here for drop from JBM)

1000y >> 286.3" drop / 66.0 10mph wind drift



As you can see very similar numbers in performance, only drop shows difference.

140 Hybrid runs 96.25% of MAX load where as to keep the same performance with the 130 Hybrid running 98.4%

What I gather from that is a shorter brass life expectancy and possibly barrel? (Though barrel doesn't really matter and not sure how much that would reduce the brass life) Just looking at a cost perspective even though irrelevant you could assume to spend more on powder, less on bullets, more on brass and more on barrels. (More overall cost for minimal performance gains?)



All of this is just thinking out loud and none of it really signifies anything. Hell I could be completely wrong in my thinking and turned around logically.

 

[Jedabug92]

Interesting,
Now, I'd be happy with any of the 100 yard groups.
But I'll give you a call when I get my 47 built. It will need some testing.

Sent from no where

 

[magna19]

Just curious what were you testing for using the 130 gr. berger. (low SD, high velocity, accuracy).

 

[jc5420]

Just curious what were you testing for using the 130 gr. berger. (low SD, high velocity, accuracy).

This was the first stage of load workup with the 130 hybrid. Testing for pressure first while recording load consistency before moving onto accuracy tests and refinement. Because of this test, I have no reason to move any further and will be ditching the 130s because of my barrels inability to give the speed I want without preasures. All of this should be in my post above, but I will go through it again once I can sit down at a computer.

 

[magna19]

This was the first stage of load workup with the 130 hybrid. Testing for pressure first while recording load consistency before moving onto accuracy tests and refinement. Because of this test, I have no reason to move any further and will be ditching the 130s because of my barrels inability to give the speed I want without preasures. All of this should be in my post above, but I will go through it again once I can sit down at a computer.

I guess I do the same once I have a load that is better than the one im testing. But I usually do another test with a tenth or two above and below of a load like the 36.5 group you showed.

 

[jc5420]

If I would have shot for accuracy I would bet most of those would shoot just as well except that shotgun patterned one.