Gun in question is a 7mm-08, 26" barrel 1-8" twist Obermeyer most often shot with heavy weight jacketed loads. Pillar bedded, etc. Very accurate gun, so this is strictly a test of my ability to load PP. Optics are 5-25x Vortex Viper PST Gen 2. For reference I have never had outstanding results with cast in this rifle. Thought I'd try paper patched both low and high velocity "just because."
Boolit used was an NOE 150gr Loverin style. Two wraps of tractor feed paper, no pre sizing. Wet wrapped, finger smear of BAC and run through .286" push thru sizer. WW-ish alloy.
Using arbitrary loads, no workup on either end, 38gr of RL15 @ 2546fps looked not too shabby... except I fired 5 shots and only 3 made it to the target at 100yd? Possible blow up in flight?
Slowing things down, I tried 14gr of Alliant 2400. Two groups on the same target: Black circles are PP, red squares are gas checked and lubed. Again, same150gr Loverin and load, only difference is PP vs lubed+GC. Velocity =1575fps. As you can see the PP group was an order of magnitude larger. Patch not separating from boolit at the lower velocity?
All PP were wrapped, lined, sized, etc from the same batch between both loads. Brass is FL sized Lapua, annealed necks, expanded w/NOE expander mandrel. Any thoughts phenomena at work? Did I err on the weight of my Eye of Newt?