Regarding the RRA Varmint, my uncle and a cousin both own them and theirs shoot great, too.
I also found this thread very interesting when I found it shortly after it started. I also found it VERY frustrating! I have a 16 inch lightweight Syrac upper that shoots 77 MK and 8208 well. I have shot many 5 shot groups in the .5s. So when the challenge started and I saw some of the targets, I thought I would do well in the rankings. By the time I was done, I felt humbled!
After seeing the thread I headed to the range and shot two 10 round groups. They both had nice clusters, but a "flier" or two opened them up to a little over an inch. I knuckled down and tried again with the same results. I "knew" I had a half inch set-up, so I thought it must have been the little breeze and gave up for the day. Latter, I tried again with the same results. So I got really anal with my loads. Neck-turned, weighed, uniformed, de-burred, bullets seated less than .001 run out, etc. Still no difference.
So I started load work up over. 50 and 60 Vmax, 50 Sierra, 69 MK, 75 Hornady BTSP and Amax and 73 ELD M and 77 CC.8208, tac, Varget, and H4895, CCI 400, 450, and my usual Rem 7.5. All sorts of seating depths and I did OCW and ladder testing. I was at the range shooting on a cement bench with wind flags out. Just to check the loads I shot over a heavy rest instead of my usual bipod. I tried pads under the bipod. I tried free recoil and different rear bags. I switched scopes. I finally thought it must be the light weight barrel. So I bought a new gun.
This one had 170 rounds on it when I got it and a Rock Creek 18 inch medium weight (SPR?) barrel on it. It had the SSA-E trigger. (First rifle had SSA). Both have the Wylde chamber. I spent A LOT of time at the range. It is a good thing the saying "die trying" isn't literal in this case. I can shoot my heavy Krieger barrelled 308 10 under an inch, so I thought if I just kept working at it, I'd find a load that would do it consistently in one of the ARs.
To summarize, I never did. I get CLOSE, but I can't do it "all day long". And I never got around to taking pictures and posting them because I was waiting for the two ten round groups under an inch. My guns shoot great clusters, but somewhere in there, I mess it up.! I stopped short of getting a heavy barrel. That way I don't need to lug it around for gophers, and I can still blame this on the guns!
The never-ending flight Of future days. Paradise Lost. Book ii. Line 221
