light loads at 200 still work!

[RU shooter]

Found something quite interesting this morning at our monthly CMP style match.I have always heard that staying above or below sonic speed is whats needed with light loads if you wanted any decent accuracy and I have followed this until this mornings match ,I had some light loads ready to go expecting to shoot at the 100 yd target ,Well all the spots were filled so I had to shoot at 200 I though Oh Great! I'm gonna use alot of buff pasters on this target!:( My load was a mild but accurate in my 03A3 11.0 grs of Unique and the Lee 155-312 spire point . So I proceed to hike up the rear sight to 600 yd setting, 100 yd setting was 300, Good guess I hope! Sling up and fire my sighters from prone,Here goes nothing! One away then the second, third,peek in the spotting scope ,Wheres the holes??? I cant see them I raise the sights up two more clicks ,Fire two more ,Theres one hole I can see 7 ring 11 o'clock But wheres the other four? I walk down to paste up and to my suprise the first three rds were just to the left of X in the 10 ring! and the forth was 11 o'clock 8 ring. I return to the line lower the rear to 600 ,one click right and proceed to shoot one of my better matches of the season(551/600) all with a powder puff load that went transonic before the target I guess you never know what that load will do till you try it.Go figure:)



Tim

[stephen perry]

In benchrest if groups are good at 100 the same load is used at 200. You learned more about yourself and your gun in one day than probably have in the last year.
Trigger pull is what seperates the top agg shooters from the fair weather shooters. Always strive for great technique in shooting.

Stephen Perry
Angeles BR

[Larry Gibson]

RU

Don't want to burst a bubble here but it's probable with that load under that bullet the velocity was sufficient that the bullet was still trans sonic at 200 yards. My experience is that load should be pushing 1500 fps and if so it is not dropping subsonic until after 200 yards. That is a good load and bullet for some decent 200 yard shooting as you've found. Good on you.

Larry Gibson

[damron g]

I shoot my 200 yard Military Bench rest matches with a 190 pointed Plain base bullet or the 180g Pope 308403 @ 1200. When i hear how much the guys are having to hold off with 1600-1800 fps loads i find i sometimes only take 1/2 the correction they are.But who knows maybe they are over correcting?
i also shoot the same "Harris" bullet (mine is the NEI 72 though) as a plain base in a 7.62 Russian at 100 and 200 and it shoots fantastic @ 1350.

George

[RU shooter]

RU

Don't want to burst a bubble here but it's probable with that load under that bullet the velocity was sufficient that the bullet was still trans sonic at 200 yards. My experience is that load should be pushing 1500 fps and if so it is not dropping subsonic until after 200 yards. That is a good load and bullet for some decent 200 yard shooting as you've found. Good on you.

Larry Gibson Larry, That may be true and would explain the better results. I dont have a chronograph and was guessing it was only in the 1300+ range?either way I'll shoot that load again at the range.


Tim

[Larry Gibson]

RU

You could always put the chrono out at 200 yards, then we'd know for sure..........maybe......

:kidding:

Larry Gibson:drinks: