First off, I want to thank those of you who helped me back in February. I finally settled on the Ruger American Predator in 223 REM.
Suggestions?
Just to give you some background, I consider myself a hunter that shoots rather than the other way around. For most of my history, I shot deer from the ground or a treestand in deep woods. Rifle season was just an extension of bow season for me. It has only been in the past 10 years or so that I have seriously contemplated reaching out to any distance. Pinpoint accuracy was never a big thing for me.
One of the projects I had on my list this year was to finally do some serious shooting for its own sake. I wanted an inexpensive rifle that would potentially get me sub-MOA accuracy out of the box so that I could concentrate on my loading and shooting form. In March, I purchased the Ruger American Predator in 223 REM, and overall, I am quite pleased with it.
I have a description of my most recent time out with the rifle here:
Wringing out the Ruger American Predator
I have a few questions for y'all regarding that shooting experience.
My main question is about wind. Of all the chamberings I shoot, I have previously shot 223 REM the least. When I did, it was mostly plinking. My 100-yard range is set up along an N/S axis, and most of the wind comes from the west and northwest. There are a treeline and a large tobacco barn that run parallel to the travel of the bullet. The exposure of the bullet to the wind, therefore, is quite erratic. In the first 50 yards, the bullet has no obstruction, but during the last 50 yards, the barn, and the trees create a chaotic situation.
I was working up a load based on H4895 and the 75 grain Hornady BTSP and found that the best I could do was shoot a group that was less than 1" in the vertical but had a 4" horizontal spread. It was erratic as well, no clear progression. At the time, I was shooting the wind was 12-15 MPH out of the NW with gusts to about 20 MPH. Lighter bullets I had shot earlier in the day faired worse.
Is the wind causing that perturbation? If not, what is causing it?
Would switch my shooting so that I am shooting west to east help remove that perturbation? I have that option. When we want to shoot at our longest possible distances, I take the bench out in the yard and fire out to the field to the east.
Suggestions?
Just to give you some background, I consider myself a hunter that shoots rather than the other way around. For most of my history, I shot deer from the ground or a treestand in deep woods. Rifle season was just an extension of bow season for me. It has only been in the past 10 years or so that I have seriously contemplated reaching out to any distance. Pinpoint accuracy was never a big thing for me.
One of the projects I had on my list this year was to finally do some serious shooting for its own sake. I wanted an inexpensive rifle that would potentially get me sub-MOA accuracy out of the box so that I could concentrate on my loading and shooting form. In March, I purchased the Ruger American Predator in 223 REM, and overall, I am quite pleased with it.
I have a description of my most recent time out with the rifle here:
Wringing out the Ruger American Predator
I have a few questions for y'all regarding that shooting experience.
My main question is about wind. Of all the chamberings I shoot, I have previously shot 223 REM the least. When I did, it was mostly plinking. My 100-yard range is set up along an N/S axis, and most of the wind comes from the west and northwest. There are a treeline and a large tobacco barn that run parallel to the travel of the bullet. The exposure of the bullet to the wind, therefore, is quite erratic. In the first 50 yards, the bullet has no obstruction, but during the last 50 yards, the barn, and the trees create a chaotic situation.
I was working up a load based on H4895 and the 75 grain Hornady BTSP and found that the best I could do was shoot a group that was less than 1" in the vertical but had a 4" horizontal spread. It was erratic as well, no clear progression. At the time, I was shooting the wind was 12-15 MPH out of the NW with gusts to about 20 MPH. Lighter bullets I had shot earlier in the day faired worse.
Is the wind causing that perturbation? If not, what is causing it?
Would switch my shooting so that I am shooting west to east help remove that perturbation? I have that option. When we want to shoot at our longest possible distances, I take the bench out in the yard and fire out to the field to the east.