Accuracy issues

[colesdad]

As previously mentioned, I shoot a Savage .30-06, prior to the AccuTrigger days. It has always performed pretty well, but lately, I can't seem to hold a group. I did notice one of my bedding screws was loose, so I tightened it, but I think it is a barrel heating issue. Now that I am reloading, I'm shooting a whole lot more at a time, at various distances. After shooting a while, the impact starts to "walk." When I finally get it zeroed, the next session after the barrel cools, the impact is way off again. As we all know, in hunting, it is the first shot that counts. Any ideas on what the problem might be or how to fix it?

[colesdad]

Well, it looks like I might have figured it out.

I cleaned my rifle throughly and fired two shots. They were off center, but grouped touching each other. I cleaned the barrel again and came back about 30 minutes later, adjusted scope, and fired two more shots. Again off, but touching. Repeated cleaning and came back 10 minutes later, adjusted again, and fired again. Dead on windage, about 2 inches high at 100 yards. Took a poke at 200 yards, windage is still dead on, about an inch, inch and a half low.

Looks like the issue was barrel heating. Note to self, if you are going to sight in for season, do it is short bursts, clean frequently, and allow your barrel to cool.

[colesdad]

OK, I'm not nearly as smart as I had hoped. I pulled apart one of my rounds last night and low and behold, I'm way light on powder. I was shooting only 41 grains of IMR 4350 pushing a 165 gr. bullet. It is about 5 grains below minimum and over 10 grs. from where I wanted to be. Slow bullets often mean accuracy, but now I have to pump it up to a slightly higher power and see if I can't keep some of that accuracy. Does anyone have any experience on shooting very slow rounds?

[MywifeandMe]

I would help If I new anything about re-loading, I might have to give it a try.

Jon Navarro

[colesdad]

Well, I think I have it licked. I bumped the powder up to the minimum, and then on up to 52 gr. which puts the bullet around 2700 fps. The accuracy was worse than my very light load, but between 48 and 52 gr. not much of a difference so I loaded a ton of 52 gr bullets. I'll let everyone know how well it works on the deer.

[p97dc]

On rifle reloads, I have found they like different loads. I start on the low end of the scale whenever I change bullets and work up on the charge and shoot the different settings until I get the most accurate load. It varies with bullet wt. and design, powder, primers, and different rifles. Thats part of the fun of reloading. Finding what your rifle shoots best.

[docholladay]

I have never reloaded before, but from all the reading I have done, I would also check the bullet seating depth. Your rigle may like the bullet touching the rifling or it may like to make a "jump" before getting to the rifling. Experimenting with different depths is also part of the challenge of making handloads. Keep a notebook of what the rifle likes and doesnt. Then all you have to do is look back at it to see what worked and what didnt.

[rnettles]

I had a similar problem with a Remington 7400 Synthetic Semi-Auto in .270 where heat would start POI's walking down and right... I've heard that the barrel heat would heat the stock, and cause the barrel to move. I now know that "floating the barrel" would have fixed the issue. It just so happened it would jam very often too. So I traded it for a new Ruger M77R MarkII .270 Bolt Action. The best move I ever made... 3/4 to 1" MOA groups.

[ba]

There are many, many things that will influence accuracy. The "walking" likely is mostly heat. The under loading... Did you load those? Man! be careful. Underloading is just as dangerous as overloading. You can blow the barrel up with either. Of course the powder load makes a difference as you already know. The bullets that you are using makes a difference too. Casing lengths, powder type, floated or not floated barrel, barrel crown, your shooting skills, etc., etc.

[ECHIV]

Colesdad,
Welcome to reloading. I just joined this board so sorry if I am posting on a "Sleeper" thread. There is a tremendous sense of satisfaction when you see a clean kill on an animal from a cartridge you built. I would give a thumbs up to the advice you have already received from other replies. Be very careful while you are leearning. I have been reloading for years and wouldnt think of trying to work up a round outside of the established cookbooks. Have you made a dummy round for your rifle to make certain you are seating the bullet properly? Some rifles will shoot anything accurately and some get finicky. The best thing about rolling your own is the confidence you have in knowing what the cartridge does all along the bullets trajectory. Have fun, be safe.