Let the beatings begin......

[Fuj']

Same basic setup as the 2023 rifle, and with my SA284 wildcat. Changes to start this year
is, a shorter throat for the bullets being used, and my redesign of a barrel tuner.....I do not
normally shoot the winter matches but this weekend we are having extreme unseasonable
warmth in my region of Pa., and the 200 yard "Kill Phil" match is this Saturday. Going to the
range this morning to finish the tuner test. I have 4 settings to re-test and will shoot them at
300 yards. The match itself will be shot at 200 yards.

[charlie b]

Good luck on the match.

So what is the design change of the tuner? Do you use a straight or slight taper for your barrels? Is it still the Lilja barrel?

[PhilC]

Shoot their lights out Fuj!

I'm working on all new 7BR loads for this year as well. A long session with QL revealed some "judgement error" in my prior load which probably explains why it was so touchy. Also trying 2 new moulds in the 155gr range vs the 168SP that drops at 170gr. Weather conditions look decent tomorrow.

[Fuj']

Good luck on the match.

So what is the design change of the tuner? Do you use a straight or slight taper for your barrels? Is it still the Lilja barrel?

The original tuner comes with a large spring on the inside to supposedly keep things in tension.
Arguably, springs don't belong in tuners. Spring was shipped to the landfill, then I added four
more ounces and a larger diameter, for my personal test purposes.....The Lilja, I set back and
pushed in a different reamer. Barrel itself is a Max Varmint contour. It has 5 inches of straight
then tapers to .915" at the muzzle, to 26". It's shouldered.

I Identified several areas of the tuner at the 100 yard test yesterday, and took them to 300 yards
this morning. #'s 48 and 47 were shooting the tightest with 39 an 38 close at 100. Going to 300
yards the results flipped. 48 and 47 threw a larger horizontal, and 39 and 38 tightened up. If not for
that vertical flier on 38 it would have been in the one's for 300 yards. Such is fate, and it was dead
calm. Saturday will be a different story. I'll start the match with it set on 39. If it looks good I'll keep
it for the next target. If bad, I'll take a look with 38.....There will be a sighter period early, so may have
time to figure it then.

Note....I had a brain fart and wrote SA248 on the target, should say SA284. I have the 150's going at
2945 fps

[charlie b]

Thanks for the barrel info.

I'm kinda glad to see that kind of stuff happens to other people too :)

I've gotten in the see-saw battle with just loads and seating depth. I'd thought to add a tuner but having to balance all three gives me a headache. :)

[Fuj']

Thanks for the barrel info.

I'd thought to add a tuner but having to balance all three gives me a headache. :)

I had misgivings about adding a tuner. Since I'm mainly shooting short range BR as of late,
it's been a good tool. I feel it's biggest advantage is in shaping a group. Shoot a group in the
3's that's all vertical, then a slight move put's you in the 2's that's nice an round, then another
move strings it horizontally. It's not absolute though. What I shoot at my home range won't
be the same at another range and changed conditions. But at least I'll have a window to play
with during the sighter period......

This is from a couple of weeks ago doing my first tests with the new tuner at 100 yards. I was
moving two marks at a time. Running low on ammo and groups were not getting any better,
I looked for the tightest ones, and shot the number in between 40 and 38. And why I took these
out to 300 yards. 39 shot nice and round and repeated it's shape at 300.

[charlie b]

Nice.

I was just getting desperate for kind of the same reason. The 6BR was showing small round group (0.3) at one load, but, the es was close to 20 and sd close to 10. Another load was es of 11 and sd 5.5 but the group was long in vertical (0,5). If I changed seating depth a little the situation reversed.

Will go out to 300 for the next session and see if things fall apart or I get a consistent load. At least I'm closer.