Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

1479.0. "Arrival" by ACISS1::ROGERSR (hard on the wind again) Mon Nov 06 1995 11:54

    Cool barrel, scrubbed mercilessly, wiped dry and a single fouling shot
    sent down range. 
    
    Chrono set up, 15ft away... the test begins.
    
    A 7mm Shooting Times Westerner fireformed cartridge is loaded into the
    Remington 700BDL. A Leupold 6.5x20 sits on top of the 1989 FS version
    which has been restocked into an HS Precision custom Sporter.
    
    The cartridge, one of five, is part of a special test project
    representing many hours of range work. The case has been fireformed,
    reamed, sized, trimmed, annealed, polished and weighed. These five are
    within a grain of each other (257gr). The primer pocket and neck walls
    have been uniformed and trued.
    
    A Sierra 100gr Varmitter sits atop 90grains of IMR7828. The bullet is
    seated out a little but still over .125 from the rifle lands. It is two
    short to get closer. AND the cartridge itself is too long to allow much
    bullet spacing. The action will not feed anything longer than 3.680"
    through the magazine.
    
    I squeeze off the 32oz trigger, trying to time between heartbeats
    showing on the target at 20x. The 24" barrel emits impressive
    concussion. This cartridge really could use a longer barrel. All in
    good time. Recoil is impressive, but soaked up by the decellerator pad.
    
    3951fps on the chrono reading makes me smile. Yessir, up in the
    stratosphere.  Looking through the scope, I see that the bullet
    survived, striking two inches low and an inch right of center. After 
    five or so minutes and when the barrel loses its warm to touch condition, 
    I touch off the second cartridge. 3942fps reads the chrono which is set
    15 feet away.
    
    The target still only shows one hole. %&#$! Did I aim at the wrong one?
    Or does that hole look slightly elongated vertically? After studying it
    for a few minutes, I decide that it really is an overlap. Load up #3
    and do it again.  This time the chrono still says 3942fps but the
    "duplicate" indicator is lit.  Wow....Consistancy in spades.  The
    target still only shows one hole.
    
    I have to get up and walk around to work off the rush.  A bug hole with
    a belted magnum. Compared to the scapels in use around me (I'm shooting
    with a bunch of benchrest guys using 6mmPPC and other exotica) I'm
    using a sledgehammer. But targets do not lie. 
    
    I'm running out of time. This #2 taper (.650") does not soak up the
    heat. I launch number four while the barrel is slightly warm. 3938fps
    and just a bit left. Still overlapped but definately a bigger hole now.
    
    The load is a tremendous success. No doubt about that part, but still
    one to go. The two minute warning comes just a few seconds after my
    last shot. The barrel is moderately hot now. I give it until the "fire
    round in chamber and move back from bench" command. Boom! 3921fps.
    About .25" of paper between that one off to the left. Bummer....
    four and one. The group was a high "2" (less than .300") prior. 
    
    But this is NOT a bench rest gun. It is a plain old, plain old. Other
    than the HS stock it is simply a 7mmRem Mag rechambered to 7mmSTW. 
    
    Guess the woodchucks are in danger....time to work up the 140gr
    Partition loads for Antelop/deer/etc....
        

    Ahhh Gi'day...
    
    What a beast!!! Congrats on some fine work. Is it a standard Remington
    barrel? You might need a spare one if you see too many varmints :-)

    It is a standard production, rough as cob, fouling SOB of a barrel. 
    
    One day of shooting equals two days of cleaning.........
    
    I hope that it will eventually lap out. Most others have, but then most
    of the others were starting life as a Shilen blank. I have 140 rounds
    through it. Up til this load, the best was 1.5" group. Not too bad, but
    not exactly great either. 
    
    BTW, I bought it used. However, the bolt, also blackened, showed almost
    no marks. By the time I had 100rounds through it, it was well marked. I
    can only draw the conclusion that it had not much more than a box fired
    prior to the owner getting it rechambered for 7mmSTW. Why he/she
    abandoned the the rifle at the gunsmith, I will never know. 
    
    

At nearly mid-life on this barrel, all the important work
is done. In .0 I detailed the prepartion for each of the 
loads to follow. Here are the results. 


	Mule Deer/Heavy medium game:

		140gr Ballistic Tip, 83gr H1000 = 3380fps, .33MOA


	Elk/Moose/larger game:

		175gr Nosler Partition, 79.5gr H1000 = 3090fps, .73MOA


	Antelope/lt medium game:

		120gr Ballistic Tip, 88gr N170 = .30MOA


	Varmits:

		100gr Sierra HP, 90gr IMR7828 = 3950fps, .29MOA


	Elk load hits at 2" above point of aim
	Muley load    at .5" above point of aim
	Lope load     at 1" below point of aim
	varmit load   at 1.5" below point of aim.

Not bad at all for a hammer forged standard old .650dia sporter BBL.
NOTE: disclaimer on all loads. Work up to your own. My database on this
wildcat is over 500 rounds, each chrono'd. with the following components.

		powders		bullets

		AA8700		Speer 130gr SP
		H870		Nosler 175 part
		H1000		Nosler 140 part
		IMR7828		Nosler 140 BalTip
		Vita N170	Nosler 120 BalTip
		H5010		Barnes 150 X
				Speer 145gr boattail
				Sierra 100gr HP

		

Sorry I missed the velocity in the Antelop load:


		120gr BalTip, 88gr N170, = 3550fps, .30MOA

H1000 actually achieved 3720fps, but with much less precision (1.2MOA)

In the initial test with Vita N170, the five rounds loaded with:


		85gr, 86gr, 87gr, 88gr, 89gr

printed an amazing group of .41MOA. I sorta knew I was on the right track with 
this powder/bullet. You can go faster with N170 (up to about 3640fps) but the 
consistancy falls off after 3560fps. I found it quite astounding that all 
bullets from 3339fps to 3556fps would overlap.

Aren't Ballistic Tips just wonderful.