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I shot my best five-shot group ever today, with my Savage .243...

( Click image to see it bigger )





Savage sent a note with the gun recommending Nosler 70 grain solid-base bullets, and sure enough, that's what I've had the best luck with.

Am not so proud of my groups with 90 grain Noslers, ( 1.2" ) or 58 grain Hornady V-Max bullets ( 2" ) - Great bullets, but not in this rifle so far.

Now that my brass is all empty, I think I'll just concentrate on the 70 grain Noslers. This gun will probably never be shot at anything but paper, so accuracy is the first and last consideration.

100 yards?

lens makes it look like a 1000 yarder at Perry!!

I'm sorry, I should have mentioned that it was on a 100 yard range.

That's the longest range that I can shoot at the Big Bend Sportsmans Club.

It would be nice if they had something longer, as a lot of the shots at game here are at longer ranges.

The scope on the rifle is a Nikon Monarch 4-16x42 Side Focus BDC. - Soon to be taken off and put on another rifle.

I guess the group is @ 1/2", the best I've ever done with five shots.

It surprised me, because when I was looking through that 16X scope, every heartbeat had the cross-hairs jumping around, all over the place. The trigger is only 1.5 pounds, I just waited until it was jumping back toward the bull before I touched it off.

Flinched it in, basically.

perazzi wrote:lens makes it look like a 1000 yarder at Perry!!

That's a problem with that camera... We have beautiful mountains around here, but the camera makes them look tiny, and far away every time.

Someday I hope to get a better camera that has more lenses available for it.

Nice going!

R,
Bullseye

Great shooting Charlesb!

Using a high-powered scope can be a real challenge.

Nice shooting with your Savage. I have this Savage:
http://www.guns.com/reviews/savage-model-12-vlp-dbm/
I really like it and have found the 70gr to shoot the best, as well. I use the
Sierra 70g MK HPBT and can keep about 1" 5 shot group, on my better days.
(Note: the better days are getting more rare these days)

I noticed something unexpected about that range session with my .243. - The 70 and 90 grain bullets left ragged holes with little tears around the edges, but the 58 grain bullets going a bit faster left nice clean holes, like wadcutters or something.

70 grain


90 grain


58 grain

Heavier bullets are longer and slower and not spinning fast enough to stabilize and are wobbling and key holing a bit. In my BTVS Savage in .223 I shoot 50 or 55 and they are stable and make nice neat holes.

Very nice shooting. The stock looks like the one on the M93 I fired today. Great feeling stock.

Very nice rig you have

bearandoldman wrote:Heavier bullets are longer and slower and not spinning fast enough to stabilize and are wobbling and key holing a bit. In my BTVS Savage in .223 I shoot 50 or 55 and they are stable and make nice neat holes.

Charlesb was using a .243 cal. I have never shot anything as small as a 58g bullet in my .243, so I don't know how it would fly. I do have good luck with 70g bullets though. In my .223 I get best results with a 69g Sierra MK, and a 75g Hornady Match. The group could probably be made smaller with an experienced shooter, but about 1 inch is not bad for 20 shots.

My bud and I were out one day and he was trying to find a good load for his .308. As little change in load of .5 grain of powder would make a change in the bullet hole, He had about 6 ;pads .5 gain apart. and as you went up some holes were clean and some showed key holing but the next .5 gain might straighten it out or sometimes not . It varied across the board of loads3

That's why they tell you to work up your loads. When you find some thing like that you make a spread through the best group looking for the one tighten it up more. Most loads you will find 2 sweet spots. 1 low and 1 higher but very seldom at max.