postal match for 22cal boolits only

[Bullshop]

No entry fee unless someone wants to make a donation to Ken then we all win.
PS I tried a test load today from a Ruger hornet and the first shot went dead center. That would have been a good one to save for one of my three closest to center targets,
Unfortunately I fired a second shot that decided to land about 2" away, dumbdumb!
We have come up to about -10F now but now the wind is blowing. I think I will use up a lot of 22 boolits before March.

[scrapcan]

Do you care what target we use to send in?

[Bullshop]

For your group targets it makes no difference. For your center targets try to use something that will be easy to find center, like circle, or square, or rectangle.
I see we have 315 views so we must be gaining momentum.

[semtav]

I've got a Marlin 1894CL in 218 Bee, so count me in.

Now for the Hard part, Never participated in one, so don't know the rules.
We just pick the nicest day we can and shoot our targets? Witnesses? No do overs I assume.



Maybe post a good set of rules here so Those fence sitting will know what is coming and jump in.

Brian

[Bullshop]

NO RULES accept that you shoot at 100 yards with a scope or 50 yards with iron sights.
Shoot all you want and send in your best effort.
I have seen too many postal matches killed by too many rules.

[rhbrink]

All-righty!!! Sounds like my kind of a game.

Make it for fun and maybe learn a thing or two, I can handle that!

[Bullshop]

Testing testing testing 123. Wow primers make a lot of difference in a 22 hornet with H 4227 at zero degrees.
I did coax the Ruger into a decent three shot three target average of 1.31" today.
Some particulars,
case - WW unsized
boolit - Ranch Dog with Gator check at .228"
alloy - 6pt ww/ 1pt mono type quenched
lube - speed green of course
temp - zero F
humidity - 66%
I found that using sized cases and sizing boolits at .225" or even .224" I was getting too much run out on the bullet/case center line. I tried three sets of dies including the Lee Collete. I even tried two presses including a coax press. The cure was to use unsized cases and lubing the boolits in a .228" die. The gas check only sizes to .228" even though the boolit is only about .225" or slightly over. They still fit tight enough in the case the the boolits can not be turned with my fingers. Boolits are seated to slightly engrave. Details details it all in the details

[rhbrink]

Good shootin' especially in zero degree temps I got some 225415's cast today found out that they will not work in my Encore .223. the throat is way too short pushes the base of the boolit about .125 or more past the bottom of the neck. Never had any luck with the gas check hanging down in the powder chamber. Guess have to shake the dust of the old Sako it will allow the boolits to be seated out far enought to work.

[Bullshop]

rhbrink
I am right in the middle of experimenting with nose sizing either with custom or standard dies for that very reason.
I am getting some very impressive results with a custom 6.5 Roberts and nose sizing boolits to bore ride so they can be seated out enough to avoid having the GC or lube grooves past the neck.
The same can be done for your Encore 223 but will require a custom die. No big deal really at about $20.00 from Buckshot. Size as much of the nose as is needed to be a snug fit riding the lands and you may be very surprised with the results.

[semtav]

Loading up some 218 Bee tonight. Just realized I'd never shot it with cast so have no data.

Can we enter twice.

thinking:

Marlin 1894CL 218 Bee in open sights category
Winchester 94/64 219 Zipper in Scope category.

Brian

[Bullshop]

That will be OK. What mold are you going to use? The Ranch Dog is a good one for that Marlin. It seems to shoot well in about anything, even slow twist. I like its length for weight. It goes about 52gn with my alloy but is about the same length as my 45gn molds. That is what I was shooting today in a Ruger. I did go dig out my CBE mold and cast a couple hundred today with it. It is only three gn heavier but is quite some longer. That RD cuts some clean holes in paper too.

[semtav]

I 'm going to use the 225438 to start. I still have a bunch of them cast up that I was shooting in my 219 zipper.
I thought I hadn't shot any cast thru it, but I found an old post that says I did. Just can't find my data. Luckily my old post says 4198 worked good in it, and thats what I'm starting with.

Yea, I just saw your other post on the ranch dog.

I've got the 22 bator and the little 225107 I might try too

[rhbrink]

rhbrink
I am right in the middle of experimenting with nose sizing either with custom or standard dies for that very reason.
I am getting some very impressive results with a custom 6.5 Roberts and nose sizing boolits to bore ride so they can be seated out enough to avoid having the GC or lube grooves past the neck.
The same can be done for your Encore 223 but will require a custom die. No big deal really at about $20.00 from Buckshot. Size as much of the nose as is needed to be a snug fit riding the lands and you may be very surprised with the results.

Thats a good idea I have done the same with 30 cal stuff and it really works out very well. I was very disapointed that boolit wounldn't work, seems like a good design and shoots well in my other 22 CF. I think that I'll make a chamber cast to see what I really have and get some measurements.

[Bullshop]

30 below today so I didn't get to church. It didn't stop me from doing some shooting though. For the past several days I have been working with this Ruger 22 hornet.
I am looking over the targets and see progress. Today even in the cold I got the best most consistent groups this Ruger has ever given.
Four things that changed from previous loadings are #1 .228" sizing, #2 crimping with a Lee factory crimp die, #3 using a small rifle magnum primer, #4 no sizing of the brass.
The reason I quit sizing the case is that no matter what diameter I sized the boolits to I was getting a bulge on one side of the neck of a loaded round. I tried two different presses and three different sets of dies but it did not change. The .228" sized boolits are a reasonably snug fit in the unsized cases but the crimp made a big difference in consistency.
The small rifle magnum primer seems to go against the grain. Most folks shooting the hornet seem to go with small pistol primers. Then again most folks are not shooting thier hornet at 30 below zero. Under these conditions this is working and today for the first time ever with this rifle I shot several groups under the inch mark.
My best three target average for the day is .820". The best group for the day was .716". That is the best this Ruger has ever done.
Here is an interesting point. I was bringing the gun inside between groups but left it on the bench once between loading for two targets. The first group from a warm gun shot its group about 1.5" higher than from the cold gun. The difference was mirage. The gun with warm barrel gives so much mirage its hard to see the target. The cold gun gave no mirage. And you thought it only happened in the desert.
From my view point now I have already won this match. Not saying this score can not be beat but just in the data I have collected on this rifle make it a winner for me.
After shooting these groups and see what the mirage can do I can see that shooting the closest to center targets will be very interesting and maybe not as easy as I thought.

[rhbrink]

I'll bet that there will be a lot of one shot targets throwed in a lot of trash cans.

[Bullshop]

Roll of butcher paper, king size sharpy, and soup can stencil = many targets.

[semtav]

My first try wasn't too successful other than to get the gun sighted in. Gotta work on this 10 lb trigger.

[TCFAN]

From my view point now I have already won this match. Not saying this score can not be beat but just in the data I have collected on this rifle make it a winner for me.


Bullshop
you have probably won this match before we even get started with groups like that. I have a good shooting 788 in 222 rem but I am not sure I can shoot groups that good. But we will see.
I loaded ammo up today and hope to shoot some this week if the wind will stop blowing. It is going to be fun.
Hope we can get more people to enter...............Terry

[rhbrink]

From my view point now I have already won this match. Not saying this score can not be beat but just in the data I have collected on this rifle make it a winner for me.


Bullshop
you have probably won this match before we even get started with groups like that. I have a good shooting 788 in 222 rem but I am not sure I can shoot groups that good. But we will see.
I loaded ammo up today and hope to shoot some this week if the wind will stop blowing. It is going to be fun.
Hope we can get more people to enter...............Terry

Kinda what I was thinking Bullshop aready upped the anti on this one glad we have until March. I loaded up some old 222 Mag cases that I had and noticed that some loaded too easy got to looking and some of the case necks split. Guess I'll take the survivors shoot up what I have loaded and anneal the necks on whats left. Start over again.

[TCFAN]

Kinda what I was thinking Bullshop aready upped the anti on this one glad we have until March. I loaded up some old 222 Mag cases that I had and noticed that some loaded too easy got to looking and some of the case necks split. Guess I'll take the survivors shoot up what I have loaded and anneal the necks on whats left. Start over again.

rhbrink
If your short on 222 mag. cases I have about 60 used ones that you can have if you want them just send a PM with your address........Terry