Thread: Variables affecting precision

Originally Posted by 19Badger

I wouldn't call a Benchrest rifle a low recoiling rifle, a 10 1/2lb BR rifle shot free recoil gets a run up to your shoulder and none of the rifles have recoil pads, lighten up the rifle even more and it gets pretty lively.

I have shot enough rounds through barrels attached to BR rifles and can tell you the aggregates at the end of 2 gun competitions, 20 x 5 shot groups give you a very good indication of what the accuracy of that rifle, barrel and load will do, I have put over 100 rounds through a barrel and still had an aggregate less than 0.400" for over 1000 rounds.

When tuning it is easy to see a group tighten up and grow larger by adjusting seating depth, all Benchrest competitors use this same method or a variation of it when they tune.
I would never try and shoot the loads Benchrest shooters use in Benchrest competition in a Factory rifle like a Sako 6PPC either.

I believe what I see and what I've experienced from multiple BR rifles and many barrels for each of those rifles, I've also taken barrels off one rifle and put them on another rifle and got the same results

I'm certainly not questioning that you or any other bench rest shooter can find and utilize an accurate load. Results are clear.

I do question the dogma though especially shooting small sample sizes. When developing a load with seating depth, what is the delta between the largest and tightest load?

My thesis is that those loads that shoot high scores would probably do so with a different jump, but would definately do so with a different charge weight.

Its worth mentioning I'm mostly referring to charge weights here.

Again though, regardless of the result the absolute fact remains, due to the random nature of shot placements inside the cone of fire, identifying "nodes" with small data sets of 3 or 5 shots is statistically very unlikely.