05-22-2024, 11:33 AM
I think you are leading OP down a path of chasing a "ghost", the end of the rainbow, etc, something/ someplace you'll never arrive at. These guys like Eric C are perfectionists, shooting for that last 0.1" ctc of target. They typically have:
1. Precision high$$ resizing equipment that have virtually no variances in sizing tolerances
2. Precision trimming of every brass case every time
3. Use precision bullets that do not vary in any dimension, BTO, ogives, meplats, all of it
4. Precision seating
5. O yes, and a $$$thousand$$ rifle and scope, and trigger, etc. They buy barrels in multiples every year for their baby.
6. Obsess over every shot, every detail, and after 100 shots in a match their throat erodes 0.005-0.006", which makes them chase lands either every match, or sometimes even during the match.
Bless their hearts for all of this, I don't fault 'em, they do a lot to advance the technology of shooting and accuracy, but they are the brain surgeons of the art, we are the general practitioners. ... Well most of us are, I think. I mean no disrespect.
I read a lot of the precision rifle shooting articles, and certainly to be a champion you have to go the extra mile in everything.
So unless one is willing to go to those lengths and be that ocd, well, you get my point. Their results are more than 10 times as accurate as our typicals... most of us look for under 1 moa, 0.75 if we are really good; they look for the 0.1 moa's. And it takes each and every one of their methodologies to get there, you can't just try one or the other of them. If you want to chase that, certainly your right to do so, that's all fine.
This is all an IMO, of course. But the best advice I've seen for accuracy, other than tuning your loads to your barrel, is to seat most bullets (the secant-ogives with loooong tips might be the exception), if you can (b/c AR mags may not allow this) -- but for bolt guns, seat your bullets 0.060-0.080 or so, in this window, off the lands. Reason being (again, PRS blog), is testing showed that a consistently small group can be had with that jump range, and you don't have to chase lands, you don't have to worry about throat erosion and lands-movements for long runs of shots (in the hundreds). They won't be the smallest possible groups. You might not see 0.1's and 0.2's in your targets, but you will stay 0.75-ish without obsessing on finding those lands every time you go to the bench because they moved again. And can focus in on the other shooting issues you're trying to fix. (This is kinda the boat I find myself in, I'll admit!)
This is all my opinion, and like I said, those who want to go after the tiniest groupings, more power to ya. But be prepared to do a lot more than just "touch the lands"..... that's a moving target and a very, very small one, and could likely be even obscured by other things/practices you're doing and don't realize it. I'm admittedly too old (not enough time) and too budget-constrained (retired) and not ocd-enough to do that, although I do read up on all of it.
Ok, rant over. Sorry if I ruffled any feathers.
1. Precision high$$ resizing equipment that have virtually no variances in sizing tolerances
2. Precision trimming of every brass case every time
3. Use precision bullets that do not vary in any dimension, BTO, ogives, meplats, all of it
4. Precision seating
5. O yes, and a $$$thousand$$ rifle and scope, and trigger, etc. They buy barrels in multiples every year for their baby.
6. Obsess over every shot, every detail, and after 100 shots in a match their throat erodes 0.005-0.006", which makes them chase lands either every match, or sometimes even during the match.
Bless their hearts for all of this, I don't fault 'em, they do a lot to advance the technology of shooting and accuracy, but they are the brain surgeons of the art, we are the general practitioners. ... Well most of us are, I think. I mean no disrespect.
I read a lot of the precision rifle shooting articles, and certainly to be a champion you have to go the extra mile in everything.
So unless one is willing to go to those lengths and be that ocd, well, you get my point. Their results are more than 10 times as accurate as our typicals... most of us look for under 1 moa, 0.75 if we are really good; they look for the 0.1 moa's. And it takes each and every one of their methodologies to get there, you can't just try one or the other of them. If you want to chase that, certainly your right to do so, that's all fine.
This is all an IMO, of course. But the best advice I've seen for accuracy, other than tuning your loads to your barrel, is to seat most bullets (the secant-ogives with loooong tips might be the exception), if you can (b/c AR mags may not allow this) -- but for bolt guns, seat your bullets 0.060-0.080 or so, in this window, off the lands. Reason being (again, PRS blog), is testing showed that a consistently small group can be had with that jump range, and you don't have to chase lands, you don't have to worry about throat erosion and lands-movements for long runs of shots (in the hundreds). They won't be the smallest possible groups. You might not see 0.1's and 0.2's in your targets, but you will stay 0.75-ish without obsessing on finding those lands every time you go to the bench because they moved again. And can focus in on the other shooting issues you're trying to fix. (This is kinda the boat I find myself in, I'll admit!)
This is all my opinion, and like I said, those who want to go after the tiniest groupings, more power to ya. But be prepared to do a lot more than just "touch the lands"..... that's a moving target and a very, very small one, and could likely be even obscured by other things/practices you're doing and don't realize it. I'm admittedly too old (not enough time) and too budget-constrained (retired) and not ocd-enough to do that, although I do read up on all of it.
Ok, rant over. Sorry if I ruffled any feathers.