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As you may all remember, I set out several years ago to purposely improve my accuracy. Y'all suggested a RAR Predator in 223 Rem as a cheap, easy way to get going. Steps I've taken so far:

1) Acquired the RAR Predator
2) Built 100-yard target frames at 90 Deg so I can best deal with the wind
3) Added a better front and rear bag arrangement to the bench
4) Secured a good supply of single-headstamp brass
5) Re-stocked the RAR Predator in a Boyd's AT-One stock
6) Built a rear elevation platform to raise the rear bag

Yesterday was supposed to be the culmination of all this work. It was going to be a 95 F scorcher. I had a bunch of chores to do at the farm; this was just one of many. As soon as the sun rose, I got going setting up. This was a rarity: it was dead calm.

I had two loads to test:[Linked Image]

RP Brass, H4895, CCI 400 Primers.

25.5 gr H4895, 55 gr Hornady FMJBT
24.5 gr H4895, 62 gr Hornady SPBT

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I made two 5-round groups with each:

1) 55 grain
2) 62 grain
3) 55 grain
4) 62 grain

1 and 2 were made without worrying about the barrel heating. I wasn't rushing, but I was not waiting for the barrel to cool
3 and 4 were made with several minutes between each shot. By this time I was on the Cub Cadet, mowing the yard. I'd stop every 10 minutes or so and take a shot.

By the time I got to 3 and 4, the temperature was climbing to near 80F. The heat mirage, even at 100 yards, was getting hard to deal with. After the second target, I decided to call it quits. The best thing about this shoot was that with the new rear bag elevator, I could walk away from the rifle, and the scope was still roughly on the target when I got back.

If this were a deer rifle, I'd call it quits and go hunting. However, I'm trying for the first time in my life to actually minimize the group.

In the past, I've gotten better groups out of this rifle. It is recently re-stocked. This is the first time I've really sat down and tested it.

My questions to y'all are as follows:

Given those 4 groups, how would y'all proceed?
To what do y'all make of the stringing? Is it the rifle? The load? The nut holding the rifle?

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