Went shooting today with new rifle

[sluggie24]

I went shooting today since I got out of work early. Was around 60 F with 5 - 10 mph inconsistant wind and I was shooting 100yds off a bipod at a standard 100yd sighting target. This was my first real attempt with my new rifle and my first load that I made just to see how it shoots and break in the barrel. I don't know what is the proper procedure for measuring groupings so I'll tell you how I got my measurements and I'm sure someone will tell me if I'm doing it correctly or not. I wanted to find center to center hits so I measured the widest spread outside to outside using a digital caliper. I then subtracted the diameter of the bullet. Those are the numbers I'm going to be using as that is where I feel the bullet actually hits. I don't know if when people talk about groupings it is supposed to be the overall width. Anyways....

This is the whole target. 20 rds, four 5 shot groups with a quick clean after 10 shots.

This was the first group with the flyer being the cold bore shot. discounting the cold bore shot I measured .533"

this was the second group after a 5 min cool down. I measured a .471" center to center group.

This was after the barrel clean. Another cold bore flyer that was fairly consistant with the first. Discounting the cold bore shot I measured .397"

This was the last group after a 5 min cool down. I measured a .463" center to center.

This is the rifle I'm using. A Remington 700P with the barrel cut down to 22" with an AWC Thundertrap suppressor and a MK4 LRT scope.

[mike001]

Very nice shooting... and a nice looking stick... Where the groups shot with or without the can ?
Mike,

[sluggie24]

Thanks. I shot them all with the can. I hate wearing plugs or muffs

[Lycanthrope]

New barrels will need several round to settle in.

Clean barrels will need at LEAST 10 rounds to settle on a group. Do not overclean! Cleaning does not always make good groups!

Read everything here: http://www.benchrest.com/

The rifle has real potential.


Lycanit'stechnicalthrope

[sluggie24]

Thanks for the info! Yeah. I understand about overcleaning. I just ran a patch through quick to see if the cold bore shot shift would be similar all the time. I didn't feel like waiting till the next time I got to the range.

[PA Rifleman]

Well done Sluggie! I read you shot all these with the can. Did you compare with & without the can for accuracy at any point?

Shot a few out of my 700P as well recently (post).

[sluggie24]

Thanks! I read that post of yours. It was very informative with the comparison! I still have not taken a single shot without the can yet. I guess I got spoiled off the get go. Not only is it quiet but the can pulls alot of the recoil out of the rifle. It's almost like shooting a 22mag.

When I get to the range again I will try without the can to check the POI shift of the can and the grouping I get with the rifle alone. I've been told that a can will tighten groups up on good rifles.