Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Mixed Results with XXX

I have been working up a load for a friend's Wby Mk V lightweight Acumark in 30-06. This gun is fussy. While it's happy to shoot most decent loads into 1.5" at 100 yds, it really doesn't like to shoot much better. After 162 rounds, 120 of them with 168 grain XXXs, I finally found an okay load. Four 3-shot groups went into an average of .89" at an MV of 2787 fps. The groups were 5/8", 1 3/8", 5/8", 15/16".

For those of you who suspect my load development was incomplete, I tried 4 or 5 different powders and seating depths in .005" increments from .005" off the lands to where it shot the best at .085" off the lands. This gun is just plain fussy, wherther it is with an X bullet or a Partition.

This gun shoots these 168 XXXs as well as any other premium hunting bullet. It shoots them as fast as conventionally jacketed bullets, and it fouls very little. The bullets do not throw any wild fliers, which is very "un-X bullet like" in my experience. Overall, this is a positive endorsement of the XXXs. Based on how this gun shoots, I imagine that in an accurate gun you can get top velocity and good accuracy with minimal fouling.

Blaine

Please hurry up this monolitic development please. I am waiting for the dregs to settle to the bottom.

Not so many years ago people would pay good money for a rifle that would do that!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />


Mike

I better get back to work before I get in trouble..he..he..

A 162 rds. you say ? And you tested seating depths with .005 differences ? No, I, for one, aren't going to accuse you of "incomplete" load development.
Heck, it wasn't long ago when I hunted with ammo that would do better than 2.0 and, sometimes did 2.3 inches for three. E

E,

I guess that's why I always raise an eyebrow when someone says they have a 1/2" big game gun shooting hunting bullets. I do not doubt they shot one or two 1/2" groups, but I always wonder if they really shot enough groups to get a meaningful sample saze.

Blaine