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Thread: Who says Microgroove doesn't handle lead

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
    7br's Avatar
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    Who says Microgroove doesn't handle lead

    I swapped the Skinner rear sight for a Burris 4x mini for deer season. Took it to Basspro's indoor range to sight it in. Started with a different target at 25yards. Ran a fresh target to 100yards. First two shots were high. Adjusted down for the second two. The second shot was a called wobble. Now if the deer will cooperate.

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  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    The old beater rifle in question.

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  3. #3
    Boolit Master scattershot's Avatar
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ID:	306512. Marlin 336 microgroove
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  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master

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    Not sure where the idea that microgroove barrels aren't accurate originated but I've had a Marlin 1895 with microgroove barrel and have a Marlin 1894 with microgroove barrel and both handle cast bullets just fine!

    One issue with the 1894's in .44 mag. is that the bore and groove are fat so "standard" 0.430" boolits generally don't shoot well. Fatten them up to at least 0.432" and it makes a world of difference!

    Longbow

  5. #5
    Boolit Master
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    You did not say what the caliber is ? What the load is ? You called this a wobble ? IMO For what I can see, These are tipping, not shooting straight?
    All 4 holes are out of round ? Oblong ?
    Might want to try a shorter bullet ? They will still kill deer. If you hit them.

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  7. #7
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    Bullets are definitely tipping and on the ragged edge of stability.
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  8. #8
    Boolit Bub
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    Quote Originally Posted by BLAHUT View Post
    You did not say what the caliber is ? What the load is ? You called this a wobble ? IMO For what I can see, These are tipping, not shooting straight?
    All 4 holes are out of round ? Oblong ?
    Might want to try a shorter bullet ? They will still kill deer. If you hit them.
    The caliber and load are written on the target.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    By wobble. I meant I rolled the rifle on the rest when I pulled the trigger on the last shot.

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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by stubshaft View Post
    Bullets are definitely tipping and on the ragged edge of stability.
    A target hanging loose, without a backer, will also give that kind of hole in the paper.

    Hope this helps.

    Fred
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  11. #11
    Boolit Master TurnipEaterDown's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ReloaderFred View Post
    A target hanging loose, without a backer, will also give that kind of hole in the paper.

    Fred
    As does many a target stapled up to "hasty" target hangers at many ranges I have used, where I see things such as the top tilted forward of base, hanger able to flop in the wind due to supports being housed in oversized receiving pockets, target paper being "puckered" because it wasn't stapled flat, etc.

    One of the first things I do after hanging targets at current range I use is to find some splintered wood around the target hanger base and shim the uprights until they are tight and about as straight I can get them. Fairly hard to diagnose issues when you don't know the target is true, or at least know the presentation of target to bullet at time of firing.

    I just think of the bullet like a draftsman: if the target isn't "true view" you are handicapped in analysis.

  12. #12
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  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    I have some Redfield targets like that and are over 30 years old. I read the instructions last week an they say to shoot at the corners of the diamonds. Fancy that. I been doing it wrong.

  14. #14
    Boolit Master schutzen-jager's Avatar
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    Marlin micro grooved barrels have been shooting lead .22 rimfires very accurately for decades -
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  15. #15
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    This has often been discussed here. Micro groove shoots lead just fine and I’ll add PC too.

  16. #16
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    My take on the "Inaccuracy" issue is that those shooters had no idea what "cast slug fit" is..
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  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master

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    That is it exactly Mike!

    If fit to groove is right there is no reason cast lead shouldn't shoot well in microgroove barrels.

    My 1895 shot cast boolits from the get go and did so very well even with the hotest 1895 load data. I had trouble with my 1894 because I wasn't smart enough to slug it to ensure that I was using correct size boolits. The Lyman 429421 mould I mistakenly bought for that gun suffered two problems (for a Marlin)... the boolits cast at 0.429"/0.430" which is undersize for Marlin bores, and the crimp to nose length is too long for proper COAL. Not only didn't I get accuracy but I didn't get reliable feeding either. Both issues my fault for not paying attention!

    With fatter boolits of 0.432" to 0.434" that gun shoots just fine and if cartridges are loaded to correct COAL they work too! DOH! Whoda thunk it!?!

    I am not surprised by 7br's success with the .35 Rem. at all! That seems to me to be a good cast boolit cartridge design too.

    To be honest, I am surprised that Marlin went away from the microgroove barrels but I guess there was customer pressure to do so.

    Longbow

  18. #18
    Boolit Master elmacgyver0's Avatar
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    I have a Marlin 99M1 22LR with a microgroove barrel that accounted for many a rabbit, all head shots.

  19. #19
    Boolit Buddy

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    My 'poor mans cowboy' 1895 in 45-70 is microgrooved, and once i found the right sized bullet mold- .461"- it shoots just fine at least out to 200. not bad for a $310 rifle.
    The procedure is no different, slug the bore, cast to fit/.001" over.
    I had some concern that the rifling was going to strip, but it has not happened as of yet. bullets do not keyhole as they did with the smaller lee mold boolets.

  20. #20
    Boolit Master

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    The myth that MicrogrooveŽ does not handle lead /cast bullets started with gun writers who dabbled in cast bullets.
    They would read in the cast bullet manuals that bullets had to be sized to bore diameter.
    Those of us who were shooting cast bullets discovered that cast bullets were more accurate when sized to 0.002" over bore diameter or larger, in normal rifled bores.
    I discovered that my Marlin 30-30 liked bullets sized to 0.311" or larger (under 1" at 100 meters) but gave 6" groups with the same bullet sized to 0.309".
    MicrogroveŽ barrels give remarkable accuracy with cast bullets when the correct diameter cast bullet is chosen

    On a slightly different note.
    Gun writers maligned the 303 British as woefully inaccurate when they loaded 0.308 Commercial bullets for bores that ranged from 0.311" to 0.314" during the 1950s and 1960s. They blamed the 2 piece stock for any inaccuracy.
    I have a 303 (Martini No 3 rifle) with a 0.313 bore that will shoot under 1" all day at 100 meters if i do my part.
    The same cast bullet sized to 0.312" will give keyholes and 16" groups
    Because of gun registration and the introduction of the "magic" WSM calibers many old 303 rifles got traded in. I managed to collect a number and almost all turned out to be able to give me a 2" group or less at 100 meters with cast bullets.
    Not bad for rifles that were made almost 100 years ago. or 70 years ago (the No 4 Lee Enfield).
    Go now and pour yourself a hot one...

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check