Slick
02-12-2008, 10:37 PM
It took forever, but I finally got out with my 10 FP today->
http://www.drinkfromthefirehose.com/images/SavageFP.jpg
And it didn't dissapoint. I was a bit worried because I have a really spastic colon, and I have to fast for at least 16 hours when I'm going to be away from the house for very long (sorry for the personal info)... The combination of no food and numerous heavy-duty medications makes my hands tremble a good bit and today was no exception. Once I got the scope zeroed, I was getting 5-shot groups right around an inch or so - so I got a (non-carbonated) lemonade from the soda machine and got some suger in me about 90 minutes before my next medication cycle.. It "smoothed me out" and I turned in my best 5-shots in .607 at 100 yards. I also had a group with the first 4-shots in .410 - until I flew the fifth round :cussing: damn!!
Surprisingly, there really wasn't any "huge" differences in the groups even though I shot five differnt powders. IMR-4064 gave the most uniform results, even though my best 5-shot group (.607) was loaded with IMR-3031. IMR-4895 and WW748 ran middle of the pack and AA2520 yeilded the worst results, but I only shot 10 rounds of that. I think part of the problem was that my health issues tended to obscure the results. Now that the rifle is properly sighted in, I can take it to shoot on the range I have on my property. When I shoot on my range, I don't have to skip eating and it's easy to take a break when ever I need to - so I think I'll do even better next time out.
One thing I screwed up on is shooting with the scope covers closed. I use the Weaver "polar-caps" and even though you can see through them (obviously), they tend to blur the image. My eyesight is starting to go (I'm close to 47), but it made a HUGE difference once I removed the covers. All my best groups came after ditching the caps..
I only managed to get 75 rounds through it as I was taking my time and cease-fires were every 15 minutes. I was a bit dissapointed that even though I carefully weighed ever charge loaded, some groups had deviations of nearly 100 FPS in just 5 rounds. I had hoped for more uniform results - but I had to park the chronograph a bit too close to the muzzle and may have gotten some skewed readings from muzzle blast. My tripod was too short to park it at a better distance and I kept blowing the skyscreens off (not hitting them). Fortunately, I was able to read most shots without the screens. Next time I'll bring my taller tripod and set it up right.
Here's my best 5-shot group at 100-yards->
http://www.drinkfromthefirehose.com/images/FPgroup.jpg
This is my one "true" minute-of-eyeball rifle... :mrgreen:
http://www.drinkfromthefirehose.com/images/SavageFP.jpg
And it didn't dissapoint. I was a bit worried because I have a really spastic colon, and I have to fast for at least 16 hours when I'm going to be away from the house for very long (sorry for the personal info)... The combination of no food and numerous heavy-duty medications makes my hands tremble a good bit and today was no exception. Once I got the scope zeroed, I was getting 5-shot groups right around an inch or so - so I got a (non-carbonated) lemonade from the soda machine and got some suger in me about 90 minutes before my next medication cycle.. It "smoothed me out" and I turned in my best 5-shots in .607 at 100 yards. I also had a group with the first 4-shots in .410 - until I flew the fifth round :cussing: damn!!
Surprisingly, there really wasn't any "huge" differences in the groups even though I shot five differnt powders. IMR-4064 gave the most uniform results, even though my best 5-shot group (.607) was loaded with IMR-3031. IMR-4895 and WW748 ran middle of the pack and AA2520 yeilded the worst results, but I only shot 10 rounds of that. I think part of the problem was that my health issues tended to obscure the results. Now that the rifle is properly sighted in, I can take it to shoot on the range I have on my property. When I shoot on my range, I don't have to skip eating and it's easy to take a break when ever I need to - so I think I'll do even better next time out.
One thing I screwed up on is shooting with the scope covers closed. I use the Weaver "polar-caps" and even though you can see through them (obviously), they tend to blur the image. My eyesight is starting to go (I'm close to 47), but it made a HUGE difference once I removed the covers. All my best groups came after ditching the caps..
I only managed to get 75 rounds through it as I was taking my time and cease-fires were every 15 minutes. I was a bit dissapointed that even though I carefully weighed ever charge loaded, some groups had deviations of nearly 100 FPS in just 5 rounds. I had hoped for more uniform results - but I had to park the chronograph a bit too close to the muzzle and may have gotten some skewed readings from muzzle blast. My tripod was too short to park it at a better distance and I kept blowing the skyscreens off (not hitting them). Fortunately, I was able to read most shots without the screens. Next time I'll bring my taller tripod and set it up right.
Here's my best 5-shot group at 100-yards->
http://www.drinkfromthefirehose.com/images/FPgroup.jpg
This is my one "true" minute-of-eyeball rifle... :mrgreen: