Handsome Rob

Yah, me too :(

Thanks guys!

Selling a shotgun on gunbroker. The guy who won the auction is coming to TN from Florida this afternoon. The handover has to be done through an FFL, correct?

That was brilliant!

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/569...ser-box-of-100

It's on sale at Midway right now for $66 per hundred! Just a heads up!

I'm no expert (I've only met a couple) but once you start reloading you may want to look at lighter bullets. 1:12 is a wee bit slow a twist for the longer 168gn boat tails. Try a handful of 110gn Sierra Varmints pushed to about 3100-3200fps & I think you'll be in for a happy surprise! That said, that's some fine shooting for factory ammo.

Aaaahhh.... Sorry, I forget that people shoot non-traditional muzzleloaders!

I'm utterly desperate for Varget & I wouldn't walk next door to have to buy it at that price.

Ohhh myyy.... Unfortunately, mine we'll be way more utilitarian. Like this...

Oddly (again) Sierra bullets reloading data calls for a max load of 40.6gn of 3031 for the same bullet. This confusion is why I put off reloading for so long! I'm dreading having to start 'proper' reloading once I get my 6.5x55 target gun built! Neck turning, seating depth, jump-to-lands measurements.... It's honestly pretty freaking intimidating!

Definitely the correct powder. I only had 3 different powders on hand (4189, 4895 & 3031) and I only ever take them out of the case one at a time to save mixups on my bench. It was a 'Chrony' type chrono, tripod mounted, roughly 2' from the muzzle (it's not mine & I didn't want to either accidentally shoot it or keep calling for a cold range after every shot!) One of the guys on the line (a serious F-class shooter) also tested the chrono & verified it to be on the money. I know it's an odd thought, but if I'm over pressure (on closer inspection, my primers are slightly flattened, but none are pierced or falling out & my brass isn't extruded into the extractor) could that cause a velocity loss over normal??? I've been researching (Googling) all day & I've learned that badly over pressure could cause that, but I wouldn't imagine less than half a grain would be THAT significant, surely(?) Interestingly, the Lyman 49th book lists 42gn as the maximum (although in a 24" bbl) Would barrel length alter chamber pressure to that extent?

Someone else has mentioned that I may have a contaminated or 'off' pound of powder. Unfortunately I'll never know that now as I used up the last of it with these loads. As soon as midway delivers some more bullets I'll try a different powder & chrono that too. I really wish I'd chrono'd all the others I put together with this powder & didn't crimp. My honest second thought was possibly I'd messed something up reaming out the primer pockets of the Lake City brass, but the primers all seated nicely & none blew out or acted oddly at all.

RCBS, but trickled & individually weighed.

Savage Hog Hunter, bolt action, 18" barrel. Brass looks perfect, no sooting around the neck, primers look good. No obvious signs of over pressure. I don't have any factory ammo to compare to I'm afraid. Recoil felt about right (muzzle break) but I could feel the differences, shot to shot.

Any idea what could cause the extremely low overall velocity?

I've got a question: Can crimping a rifle case cause HUGE velocity differences? I loaded up a bunch of .308 the other day. 165gn Sierra Gamekings over 42gn of 3031. The only thing is, I messed up & ran them all through a Lee FCD by mistake. I ran them all through a chrono yesterday & had the weirdest velocities. I was expecting speeds around the 2400 fps area. What I got was velocities from 1347 to 1986!! The only thing I know I did wrong was the crimp. Every charge was measured & weighed individually to +/- 0.1gn. Every round was measured for length to within 0.001" The only variable I can see is the crimp. I tested the chrono with some factory loads in .223 & they were right on spec. I'm having a hard time figuring this out.

That's not at all unusual. All barrels have tight spots. Tight at the muzzle is good! You don't need to lube your barrel at all. Only grease it for storage. Other than that, your patch lube is all you need. Just out of interest, what's the gun?

This is my first Savage bolt &, well, I know it won't be my last (mostly because I already have most of a second...) I'm honestly astounded by the out of the box accuracy with what basically amounts to whatever load I could put together with whichever powder I had on hand. I haven't even started working on load development yet. I bought the rifle as a cheap, knock about range/hunting gun that seemed cheap. I mean, that's basically all it still is. Other than the bottom metal & box mag the stock & break stand me at under $70. The only reason I changed the stock was to install the mag. My next Savage is getting put together on an old 110 long action. Now that I've joined Strategic Edge, I have the long range bug ;)

A little more than that! It ended up being around 34". The scope 'says' each click is ¼"@100, but beyond 100 that seems to be a crapshoot. With a 100yd zero, I had to hold roughly 30" over the 5' steel plate to hit near center. From there I came up 10 clicks at a time until I was shooting to POA. No science was harmed in the making of this! No idea what my BC or velocity is. I loaded up 100 rounds with whatever I had on hand, just to get the barrel broken in.

Took it to the range today, just to walk it in to 500yds & see how badly set up it was, for a cheap gun. I've got it in a take off Savage non-Accustock with Accurate Mag bottom metal. The action isn't bedded at all & the torque settings on the action screws are 'that'll hold it' tight. Cheap EGW alloy rail, really cheap UTG QD rings, Redfield Revenge 2-7x32 scope &$20 eBay brake. And after 46 clicks of elevation, this is how it performed at 500....

You're not trying to go for a real, thorough cleaning, just getting rid of the excess fouling. Leave the hot water for a deep clean when you get home.

If it's just between shots, just to clear fouling (I shoot 5, then swab) I use 1 patch, dampened with straight 91% alcohol, followed by 1 dry patch, wait a minute, load & continue. My accuracy will remain consistent up to 14 shots, but loading gets progressively tougher with every shot beyond 5 or 6.

It'll be fine. I brine rabbits & skwerls for up to 72hrs. Usually refrigerated, but room temperature will be fine.

Peggy Sue, my baby bloodhound. 8 weeks & 14 pounds.... Aaand at 21 weeks & 64 pounds.... I'm training her to blood trail deer, but mostly she spends her time doing this....