Please Critique My Shooting Part II(Pics)

Prdtrgttr

New member
Allright fellas, thanks so much for all your responses!/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
So, I took the scope off, checked and tightened bases and rings.
I cleaned the barrel with Hoppes and then swabbed and scrubbed with Sweets, I cleaned until the patches came out clean.
I loaded similar loads but tried 2 different primers.
As you can see on the pics, the left 3 shot groupings are Remington 7 1/2's and the right 3 shot groupings are CCI Magnum small rifle primers. Top is Varget, bottom is H4895, as you can see I had to make some scope adjustments;however, these adjustments were always done at the end of the strings.
Barrel was allowed to cool between each string.
The day was calm. Shots from a bench on a bag, distance 100yds.
Ideas and suggestions certainly appreciated. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
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Well, it seems the different primers did not have as dramatic effect as it did with my buddies. We found through over 800 rounds working up a load for his .17 Fireball that H322 was the powder of choice for that rifle. I do not remember what rifle you said you had, but I know of two guys that had head space issues with their Remingtons in that caliber. They both had to have the head space fixed by the gunsmith and now they shoot very well.
 
As you may have seen from my previous post, the rifle is an LVSF 17 Remington. The barrel is free floating. The action is not bedded.
 
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Try some 10-shot groups as well. Those are a much better test when looking for how a rifle/shooter/load combination is actually performing.
 
You should bed the action before burning up any more ammo.
your point of aim is very consistent so I would say it is not scope/shooter
problems. Remington changed from the HS Precision stocks on it's varmit
rifles so I would be inclined to look in that direction. And from reading about
there pillars and blocks in the stock I am suspect it's plastic not fiber.
 
Prdtrgttr,How did the rifle shoot before freefloating ??

I had a 700 ADL in 223,Tupperware stock.it shot all over the place,i tried to convince the gunsmith to float it,he wouldn't.

Anyway he bedded the action & crowned the muzzle,it turned out to be a good shooter.

A wise man told me that some 17 remmy's like bullet's seated out to .035 off the land's.

I think i'd get the action bedded & go from there.
 
Maybe it's the loads and not the gun? Have you tried Dan's OCW method to find a good load for that gun? The nice thing about an OCW load, it gives you some elbow room without your groups falling apart. If nothing else its interesting reading, although it seems to work for me.
http://www.clik.to/optimalchargeweight

peace.
unloaded
 
Looks like you are shooting just over moa at 100yds. What more can be expected from a stock factory rifle? If every factory was a sub moa shooter out of the box, then there would be a boatload of custom gunsmiths out of business...

An action bedding job and trigger work can only help.

Have you shot any factory ammo for comparing your reloads to?
 
Look how it shoots a pattern with the Varget, first shot left then the next two right. You said you let the barrel cool between strings and your first cold bore shot is left. I would have the stock work done, tune or replace the trigger and reshoot that Varget load, 5 shot strings this time.
 
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seem to me you have a good bit of left/right in your groups, both these and the others you posted. Might be bag technique. You said you were shooting it off of a sandbag. Is that one bag? Might want to borrow a better rest or tighten up the bags a little to keep the left/right out of the equation.

Looks like the Varget load is the best. I'd load a few more up with each primer and try 5 shot groups. Looks like the first shot is out of the group. I'd fire one "fouler" shot at a different target then shoot 5 for group. If that first shot is always out of the group, bedding the action and additional free floating might help.

Charlie
 
doesn't look like you have the right load, the barrel harmonics are all out of whack thus the wide patterns

it looks like it shooting to the left try a different rest what ever you using it is throwing them to the left

vary your charge up or down 2-3 tenths of a grain in both directions if they get worse try a different powder.. it's not very often that changing primers will make much difference

My 17FB and 204 love benchmark
 
I'd keep it simple.

1. Start with just 1 type powder, 1 type primer, and 1 type bullet, 1 COAL. You already know what bullet you want to shoot.

2. Shoot about 3-5 rounds to carbon/foul up the clean barrel and sight in, then don't adjust your scope, just shoot groups. Your scope may not tract correctly. Fine Sight it in again after you have found a load.

3. Go up/down .2 -.3 gr increments staying in the established reload info.

If one of these look good, then play with COAL. Or move to another powder and start over. I use those two powders for my 17 Rems. I prefer Varget, and Rem 7 1/2 primers the most.

A correctly bedded rifle will never hurt your groups. And in the very worst case, you can easily kill coyotes with any of those groups.
 
Had the same rifle never did get it to shoot. Traded it off guy who bought it bedded and still no group under 1 inch. Have seen a 204 in same model that would not group. May be nature of that model. Good luck.
 
Like I posted prior, my 204 wouldn't shoot worth dick. Put it in a new stock, barrel floated, bedded, and a new trigger, and it still shot like crap. I was about to order a custom tube for it, when I tried one more load. Now it shoots tiny groups.

If it isn't your scope, I think you just need to find the right bullet/powder combo. If Berger makes .17 bullets, I would start there.
 
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