Andrew

My 20 inch Tikka loves R-50. When the wind gods allow, it is no problem to put 10 shots on a 1" square at 100 yards. ~Andrew

I shoot a 14.5", 1-8 twist AR-15 and I get half MOA with 50 and 55 grain Noslers. I have a 18" Ruger bolt gun that loves Fiocchi 50 grain factory ammo and it is also a 1-8 twist. The twist rate is probably not the issue. The OPs initial post was written as if to limit the information: What rifle? What barrel length? What factory ammo? And lastly, what is considered 'terrible' accuracy? Frankly, JCS' remark was not far away from what I was thinking. If you shoot a variety of factory 223 ammo and get terrible accuracy, the rifle might be suspect. Factory 223 is generally good in most rifles. JMHO ~Andrew

Strange. ~Andrew

Do you mean a scabbard? ~Andrew

Tikka/Sako say it isn't necessary with their rifles. ~Andrew

My eyes are crap these days but I still like to shoot iron sights. My favorite irons sight target over the decades has been a white sheet of poster-board. Over the top of this I staple a black sheet with a 16" circle cut from it's middle. This makes a very good aiming point for irons and even with my sorry vision these days, I can manage good groups. I staple a sheet of common typing paper in the middle of the white circle to collect the groups. The target will last as long as the I want it to. I have one I've been using for three years. ~Andrew

When the powder shortages hit the shelves in the US I began looking at alternatives to Varget and IMR 4064. Settled on Lovex D073-06. (Shooter's World Match Rifle, here) I have loaded it in 204, 223, 6.5 Grendel, 7-08 and 308 with great success. My girl friend uses it in her 308 steel rifle with 168's out toi 1000 when the weather is right, otherwise we use 175s. It has been the best powder (and i've tried all of them) in my 6.5 Grendel CZs using 120 and 123 grain bullets. I have shot steel out to 700 yards with 123 Noslers over this powder. It is very versatile. Might be worth a try if you all can get it. ~Andrew

New 527 bolts clear all but absurdly large rear objectives. I have a 4-12 x 42 with a 1" tube on my American Hornet. I like to keep glass size in proportion to the size of the rifle, with the glass mounted as close to the bore as possible. ~Andree

I have a pair of T1X that shoot better than I can hold. R50 will shoot 1/4" at 50 yards for 10 shots when I don't mess up. I just couldn't see replacing a T1X (SAKO) barrel without giving a serious workout before hand. One of my rifles is in a KRG chassis and I have used it on small steel plates out to 400 yards with SK Biathlon Sport -the second best ammunition for accuracy in my guns.( but also, less than half the price of R50.)~ Andrew

I don't remember if I've posted this, but as an aside to the CZs: I recently purchased the 22" barreled 527 American in 7.62x39. I was surprised to find that the recoil lug was glass bedded and there was a steel bedding block as I found in my 2020 Varmint 6.5 Grendel. Additionally, the action was pillar bedded from the factory. No more steel 'roll pin' under the tang. No more turning pillars in the lathe.... Out of the box accuracy is top-notch. ~Andrew

FWIW: I have learned that some of my Brit friends equate "Not cataloged" to "No longer made." For some reason CZ doesn't ship their full line to the UK. No where near the offerings posted on CZ-USA's website. ~Andrew https://cz-usa.com/product-category/rifles/micro-centerfire-rifles/

If you go to Products you'll find the 22 Hornet but only in the Lux.~Andrew

Why? Mine is a standard CZ American. ~Andrew

At what distances do you shoot 200's from a 308? ~Andrew

I load 175 SMK, 180 SMK, or Nosler RDF. Never shot a Berger. ~Andrew

Berger made a 50 grain and 55 grain 20 cal but they dropped them. I shot some 50 grain 20's from my 204 and they were no faster than a 50 grain 223. I have never seen a 55 grain but I know they were offered briefly but were discontinued. Evidently the velocities from a 204 were around 2650 fps and people didn't seem to get much benefit from them. I shot Nosler 40 grain through my (well, now my girlfriend's) 204 CZ. I shoot 50 grain 223 through 1:8 223. We both shoot prairiedogs out to 400 yards. Her rifle shoots a little flatter but we both kill the dogs as wind allows. ~Andrew

With the exception of my BSA Light Express rifle, I shoot only cast bullets in my 303's. I have several moulds that cast as large as .320" with a .307" nose riding surface. Due to the throat dimensions in most 303's the smallest diameter bullet I shoot is .314". My No4 MKII with a .310" groove diameter loves these. ~Andrew (PS: I have a lot of 303s)

Lyman 314-299 hard cast at 215 grains and sized to .314". Loaded to nudge the leade. Silly accurate.~Andrew

True that. All the weighing, sorting, measuring and obsessing will not save you from poor follow through on target. ~Andrew

Age? I just shot some 1950's WInchester 30-40 Krag ammo that grouped better than my handloads. It doesn't go stale. ~Andrew

It is another rabbit hole to fall into. Glad you decided to avoid it. ~Andrew

You are bound and determined to weight sort your brass, aren't you? The tolerances are for you to choose. Are you bored? If you are sorting brass, you might as well sort your bullets too. I anneal every reloading.~Andrew

Weight comes into play when you are changing from one brass manufacturer to another. By averaging sample weights of both cases (identically prepped) you can conclude the heavier brass has less case capacity. If that is the brass you are moving too, reduce the charge by 12% of the difference. If the difference in average weight is 10 grains, you'd reduce your charge weight by 1.2 grains. ~Andrew

I hope it is good. I have 1000 pcs of 7.62x39 new UPB made by them. Hope to load some soon. To properly 'batch" brass by weight, the cases need to be FL resized, trimmed all to the same length and scrupulously clean. A bit of a pain outside the highest level of competitive shooting. I buy good brass, prep it uniformly, and go with it. ~Andrew

I have shot to 497 with 22LR. At that distance the wind is the larger problem; any puff of breeze will kill you. Get a 40 MOA rail if you haven't already.~Andrew