Catch-22

11 hours ago, No i deer said:

I think there's a range at Warminster. A mate used to go there occasionally.. it's either 900yds or 900m.. I can't remember the name of the range at the mo..

Yes Warminster is a stable ODRC range. However the issue for most Of us who work is that it’s only on Thursdays. Shame as it’s supposed to be a nice one.

Most ODRC ranges are located in the northern part of ‘The South’ or further north. So for those of us based around Bristol and South Wales, I’d certainly welcome the opportunity to shoot at Yoxter and Langport if they were available as Saturday shoots.

Is that not Yoxter, near Wells? That’s a 600m range.

That would be a nice option for ODRC I think.

Lovely gun - if I were still rough shooting and busting clays, I’d be all over this.

Merry Christmas and good luck with your sale! 🎄👍

Ralph - where exactly is Langford? My Googlefu is $hit today!

41 minutes ago, SchmidtP3 said:

So, N150?! 

Personally I would use N150 for anything 175gn+ 

N140 is ideal for the 155gn bullets.

1 hour ago, furrybean said:

I’ve found Viht to give lower ES and SD than RS powders. 

I’d say either N150 or 140

Interesting, I’ve largely found the same as you but specifically with respect to some of the RS double based powders.

N140 was infinitely better (with the components I tested) than RS52 (double based). But RS62 (single based) was very good, though still didn’t have as low ES/SD as N140.

But I’m VERY impressed using RS80 (mildly double based) in the big .338 Norma Magnum. Consistently single digits SD and extreme accuracy with that powder. Below examples are 5x groups.

It might be that some of the RS double based powders are just a bit different/finicky??

1 hour ago, Bangbangman said:

I like RS52 and N140. The latter will give higher velocities but harder on barrel and brass. 

 

Both are readily available.

I think you mean the former has higher velocity and is theoretically harder on barrels as RS52 is a double based powder, whereas N140 is a single base.

To the OP, both of those powders are very good. I’d also consider adding N150 and RS62 in the options too. Both single base, both readily available and both work well with heavier bullets as they’re slightly slower burning.

Ah ok, though with the extra capacity I’d personally be looking at the 85gn Eld-m or Bergers 85.5gn Hybrid or 90gn VLD. The BC spanks that of the 75gn ELD and is definitely better than the 80gn ELD.

With the above in mind, go with a faster twist (1-6.5”)

You've got the extra capacity - would be a shame not to fully realise it.

I think if you just get the ‘.223 Wylde’ reamer you’ll be absolutely fine shooting anything up to 80gn. There’s enough freebore to permit the long bullets to seat long enough to maximise internal case volume...but also short enough to allow you to chase the lands as they erode over time. The Wylde reamer is a common reamer and a lot of rifle smiths will have one in their inventory. 

On 11/30/2019 at 12:24 PM, lee w 118 said:

Hi there, what freebore would i need on  .224 75g and 80g bullet.

The bullets are Hornady 75g and 80g ELD match. 1-8 twist

Why im asking is that i have to spec this when ordering new reamer

And could i , if i want shoot hornady 53g v max in the same chamber

Below are bullet lengths , cheers Lee 

I’m having a .223ai barrel spun up for my impending Impact Precision/MPA comp chassis rifle.

The reamer is throated for 77gn-80gn bullets and has a 0.60” freebore (very similar to a .223 Wylde freebore) and a .255” neck diameter.

Barrel will also be a 1-8” twist.

Im likely to shoot the 77gn TMK or 80gn SMK with it.

1 hour ago, Moorlander said:

Maybe Lapua are telling all their  retailers to stick to their territory or get no more stock ? 

Na, it’s been like that for years. I think they simply don’t have a policy for shipping outside the EU - possibly a German firearms export control thing which makes it hard for retailers to export to non EU countries ??

To your other point, I bet ballisticservice24 sells more Lapua products than all the UK retailers combined...they wouldn’t be threatened with being cut off.

Lapua are likely to see sales fall in the UK as prices go up and availability goes down. Bad for them and bad for us.

I too don’t know why Ballisticservice24 don’t export. I’ve noticed a few other companies don’t either (a very good one in Luxembourg springs to mind). I guess it’s just way easier for them to ship to other European neighbours without the hassle/paperwork??

I shall miss them though. I got 4000x .338 bullets, 6000x 6.5mm bullets and some brass off them for a very good price. 

Yep, which is why I had a huge order completed before the 1st proposed Brexit deadline passed.

What stock/chassis do you have?

If you’ve a stock, what bottom metal are you using? Is it designed for normal AICS long action (.300wm) or CIP length?

And when you say “...the AI mag isn’t the slickest feeder and is rattley” what do you mean exactly? The round is hard to strip from the mag? And the mag to bottom metal is rattley, or that when stripping a round, the spring is rattley?

I would say if the mag is rattling in the bottom metal itself, then there’s a poor fit somewhere. Sure Mags will move a bit, they’re never going to be completely stiff, but it shouldn’t be flopping about (that’s what she said!).
 

If your stock/chassis is AICS, do you have the correct model/length of AICS magazine? The long action come in several sizes, including standard and  CIP length. There’s even a wider AX type cut, which is a wider mag well opening for double stack, double feed.Could you by chance be using a shorter standard length mag in a stock/chassis/bottom metal that’s designed for CIP length or even AX mags?

If the round is hard to strip from the mag, you can always carefully adjust the feed lips just a bit, opening them outward to let the round sit a little higher in the mag and with less tension, this permitting a smooth bolt cycle. Go gentle here if you do open the feed lips a bit, a little goes a long way and you need to keep the lips straight.

Otherwise, I think I’d be speaking to the person who built you the rifle for clarity on what’s going on.

And in terms of alternate mags, you can look at Accurate Mags or American Rifle Company (ARC) but tbh, you’ll be hard pressed to beat a genuine AI mag!

Per the V-V website, using N140 (which you have) it suggests a starting load of 46gn and max of 49.0gn with a 110gn Hornady VMax. 

I would say that should duplicate the recoil felt of a 6.5 Creedmoor with 130-140gn bullets.

Id suggest you move her up from the .220 Swift to the 6.5. Then transition to the mild .308w load...then slowly work her up to mid .308w loads.

The .308 is great for learning to read the wind whilst rapidly chucking lead down range.

Hausken - says on the side.

Yeah absolutely - it was a real shame the recent Sennybridge J3a was cancelled because they’d seemingly lifted the .30cal only ban, so was looking forward to taking the .338NM out again. ☹️
Next time.

3 hours ago, Wiltshire Boy said:

You'd be third mate I'm afraid.

Ok no probs - thank you!

1 hour ago, Plecotus said:

Thanks for that.  I have tried adjusting that screw a bit but it didn't seem to make a great deal of difference.  I ust admit, I didn't lube the inside but, based on your experience, it's probably worth trying. 

I've never used graphite of HbN before and I had to look up what HbN was.   I presume with HbN you just dab it onto the plastic?  All the products I've seen thus far seem to be powders so perhaps I'm missing something?

Sorry if I'm being thick....I just want to make sure I don't end up contaminating my loads with lube.

Yeah that’s right. If you have some graphite (or similar) just swab a little on the internal plastics of the thrower. I believe Adam puts some details in his instruction manual.

I used HbN because I coat my bullets with it. But I could have also used just a dab from the Redding Dry Lube (graphite) I use for sizing brass.

Neither graphite nor HbN will affect powder in a case. I believe most powders have a slight graphite coating (or similar) applied to them anyway.

Coating the internals may help (it did for me) but may not. Worth giving a go. If it doesn’t work and loosening the screw doesn’t work either, no matter how much you loosen it, then it might be worth getting the v3. For me it worked well enough to not need to upgrade to v3. 

Could I have 2nd dibs on the Seb Mini w. Blake top please, if Elwood doesn’t take it?!?

Cheers

5 hours ago, Plecotus said:

Could you tell me what screw you adjusted, please?  I keep having problems with RS80 in my V2.

On the outside of the round drum (thrower) there’s a small Philips head screw. 
Per the instructions, it needs just fine adjustments. Essentially it loosens or tightens the operation of the thrower, changing how different powders flow through it.

I’d originally tightened it a bit for use with RAMSHOT Magnum (ball powder) but had trouble with RS80. Unscrewing that screw, thereby loosening it a bit, made RS80 flow through it better. Also worth mentioning is the fact that I also followed Adam’s suggestion of coating the inside of the thrower drum with graphite or HbN (I used HbN on a Q-tip) to make the internals just that much smoother. That might have also helped a bit?!??

I still use the v2 and haven’t had issues with large kernel powders (i use RS80 too) since adjusting the screw in the Auto-thrower.

But the v3 updates do look nice.

You’ll be happy with either tbh!

Don’t bother with the monopod...totally useless for anything other than making the rifle stand up after taking it out of its slip.

Personally I’d put a bag rider (if your stock isn’t flat) for use with a rear bag. Way more stable IMO.

You do have a point, the A&D with Autothrow & Autotrickler combo does look a bit like a delorean. And admittedly there’s a bit of trial and error with setup when using it for the first time.

But having used mine for a while now, it’s surprisingly quick to plug and play - about 2mins to setup which I do whilst I leave it to warm up for an hour. I use the dining room table, so must setup and pack down each use, and it’s very easy. And it’s actually a lot more robust and stable than it might look. Adam MacDonald did an excellent job in manufacturing the Autothrow/trickler combo, nothing looks cheap nor amaturely put together. Plus he backs his product with a no quibble life time guarantee.

Why not buy a Matchmaker and see. Does seem convenient to use. I liked my CM Lite for the same reason.  

3 hours ago, No i deer said:

On the videos other scales were used to validate the weights but it was suggested that the same check weights were used on both units and testing shown the matchmaster was accurate down to less than one kernal

The vid I’ve seen is the ‘Ultimate Reloader’ one.

Weighing a charge on another scale isn’t what I mean. My testing on the CM Lite showed the load cell was capable of weighing accurately and repeatedly to within 0.02gn - no different with this Matchmaster.

But what he didn’t show was throwing a new charge into an empty pan, record what weight the load cell said, THEN check this thrown weight on a different scale.

Two VERY different things.

Personally I think he didn’t want to show the unit automatically throw a charge, then compare what the LCD said the weight is on the A&D, because I bet they wouldn’t match. The way he fudged the test simply looked at the accuracy of load cell, not Accuracy of throwing and load cell combined. His channel is after all sponsored by RCBS...so why would he run a thorough test that could show RCBS up?

And again, at the same price point of the A&D setup, I’d much rather the A&D because it throws and weighs a perfect charge in 10 seconds or less, compared to the 20-30 seconds for the MM. so why for the same price would you buy a slower and likely, less precise unit?

1 hour ago, No i deer said:

Hi catch..

Have you seen the new RCBS matchmaster digital powder dispenser.. check it out on youtube.

The A&D and auto trickler is good but its a bit of a contraption.

The new rangemaster is a nice unit and can throw charges that will match the A&D auto trickler but a little slower..

A few seconds means nothing to me...

Repeatability does....

I have...it’ll be interesting to see if someone actually does a proper test with it by validating thrown charges on a separate & known dependable scale. Believing what the display tells you isn’t good enough unfortunately.

But the current MRSP in the US shows it’s not cheap, at around $850. So when it hits the UK, it’s likely to be almost the same $ to £ ratio. If that’s the case, that’s A&D with Autothrow & Autotrickler money...and I know which I’d rather have.