I'm learning a LOT about long guns. Did not know that any given gun will shoot to different points of impact with different ammo. I was naive enough to believe that if I put the crosshairs on target and maintained constant trigger pull that the bullet was going where I aimed it. My Savage model 10 .223 has taught me otherwise.

It was frustrating because I could not get good groups and I was finding that sighting in with FMJ and hunting with ballistic tips of the same bullet weight was no recipe for success. I educated two coyotes and have not been back since until I get this sorted out.

My quest led me through several different bullet manufacturers and varying bullet weights and styles. I started shooting at 2 x 3 foot pieces of paper with crosses drawn on them for aiming points because it was iffy that the next load would even hit an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. I kept those targets with notes as to which bullets made which groups and sat down at the kitchen table with a set of calipers one day to collect some data. To my surprise I found 40 Gr ballistic tips gave a 0.6 inch group and a 55 gr FMJ gave me a 0.79 inch group. I bought a Dillon 550 reloader and a set of Lee dies and went to work.

I picked up some H335 powder for it's ability to meter accurately and because others I've talked to have had good luck with that powder. (had to start somewhere) Savage told me that they test fire their rifles for 1 1/2 inch groups with 69 gr match ammo so I bought a box of Barnes 69 Gr Matchburners. I got one group at 0.6 inches with a reduced load and another at 0.91 inches near published max.

Reloads with 55 gr Nosler ballistic tips has so far been all over the place. Groups over 2 and three inches!

I suspect that some of my issues may be different kinds of brass. I've dumped all of my once fired, albeit from different manufacturers, brass into one bucket and processed them for reloading. So, there is nothing consistent from one cartridge to another of case capacity, wall thickness, etc. I've also used BR primers which are pretty hot from what I've been told. My last trip to the range I ran out of the BR primers and used some Winchester small rifle primers and it seemed that the groups tightened a bit. More range time will tell.

When I was a kid I learned to shoot with a 22 that had, and still has, a hair trigger. That sucker is accurate. I don't like the accu-trigger on my .223 so I've ordered a Rifle Basix SAV-1. That is the only aftermarket that I can find that will fit the Savage model 10 with a lower bolt release. I've also ordered three hundred LC processed cases to try to get some consistency from shot to shot.

I will continue to try different bullet weights and powder charges until I get the accuracy that I'm looking for. I basically want to stack holes and am convinced that the rifle is capable of better groups than I've seen so far. It is my intention to squeeze out as much as I can in reduced groups before I go to a gunsmith for glass and pillar bedding.

I don't want to educate any more coyotes but I do want to have fun.