Barrel too Hot?

[BooneHunter]

Shot my 300 win mag today and the groups look strange. Gun has a 26” Brux #4 contour with about 60 rounds thru it.

Bottom right shots are 3 federal terminal ascent from a clean bore. Then starting at top left five, 5 shot groups with 190 VLDs at different powder charges from lowest to highest. Final group 3 more terminal ascent.

Shooting at 100 yards, about 80 degrees out. Waiting 4-5 minutes between each shot.

Do you guys think I didn’t let the barrel cool enough between shots? Any other thoughts or ideas?

Mainly would like to know if I need to change things up since I’ll be finding a load over the summer.

 

[Fetty Wapiti]

Heat isn't the big bad enemy people make it out to be. A weird group is usually the shooter, but I wouldn't worry about a group like that 1 bit

 

[wind gypsy]

Any other thoughts or ideas?

Edit: Looked closer, are you talking about the lower left to upper right stringing?

 

[BooneHunter]

Heat isn't the big bad enemy people make it out to be. A weird group is usually the shooter, but I wouldn't worry about a group like that 1 bit

Thanks, def can’t count the shooter out lol

 

[BooneHunter]

The only thing I would take away from that is that is how you and your gun shoot that bullet/powder/seating depth combo.

If you're dead set on shooting that powder and bullet combo and want better accuracy you could make some significant changes in seating depth but if that doesn't work I wouldn't burn through a bunch of components thinking you are going to find something significantly different

Edit: Looked closer, are you talking about the lower left to upper right stringing?

Yes, each of the 5 groups does it. And also I would’ve expected them to climb some as powder charge went up but that never happened. Same with my before and after terminal ascent groups, which are zeroed at 200yds. Thanks

 

[wind gypsy]

Yes, each of the 5 groups does it. And also I would’ve expected them to climb some as powder charge went up but that never happened. Same with my before and after terminal ascent groups, which are zeroed at 200yds. Thanks

Was there a consistent trend with earlier shots starting at one end of the spectrum and trending to the other or was it random?

 

[Cahunter805]

Is the rifle bedded and free floated enough? Your POI didn’t change much through your handloads which is a good thing.
Did you chronograph them? I would probably retest shot group blue.
What grain increments are those loaded in?

 

[BooneHunter]

Was there a consistent trend with earlier shots starting at one end of the spectrum and trending to the other or was it random?

Random

 

[BooneHunter]

Is the rifle bedded and free floated enough? Your POI didn’t change much through your handloads which is a good thing.
Did you chronograph them? I would probably retest shot group blue.
What grain increments are those loaded in?

The gun was professionally bedded when I had the barrel changed out so that should be good. I did not chronograph them. Not sure of increments it was a load development pack from copper creek ammo. Thank you.

 

[atmat]

Waiting 4-5 minutes between each shot.

Are you really spending an hour of time to take just 12 shots?

I don’t think heat causes nearly the problem people say it does. And 4-5 minutes you should be heating up your barrel very little.

 

[BooneHunter]

Are you really spending an hour of time to take just 12 shots?

I don’t think heat causes nearly the problem people say it does. And 4-5 minutes you should be heating up your barrel very little.

Yes about 3 hours today for 31 shots. Trying to take my time. What’s your process when testing a load at the range with your hunting rig?

 

[swavescatter]

Are you really spending an hour of time to take just 12 shots?

I don’t think heat causes nearly the problem people say it does. And 4-5 minutes you should be heating up your barrel very little.

This depends on the barrel and cartridge. My heavy 6.5CM HMR can hold a 10 round string no problem.

However after 3 rounds in 3 minutes my 300WM Tikka T3X super light is too hot to touch and groups open WAY UP.

 

[PathFinder]

Most certainly not heat in your case.
What's the optic, and how is it mounted?

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

 

[swavescatter]

Most certainly not heat in your case.
What's the optic, and how is it mounted?

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

Most certainly is heat with my fluted tikka. Google it - common issue with pencil barrels. Fine for hunting scenarios but a PITA on the range.

 

[Seeknelk]

Yeah I'd say it sure shouldn't be heat. That's no pencil barrel. #4 is fairly heavy and brux is quality.
I'd not be afraid to try another powder or bullet. At least have another test set to try when you head out. Ooops forgot those aren't loaded by you.

 

[atmat]

Yes about 3 hours today for 31 shots. Trying to take my time. What’s your process when testing a load at the range with your hunting rig?

I don’t reload, so I don’t “test loads” in the same sense you’re referring to. But even when trying new ammo for a rifle I shoot at a much quicker rate than that.

 

[atmat]

However after 3 rounds in 3 minutes my 300WM Tikka T3X super light is too hot to touch and groups open WAY UP.

I’ve owned two Tikka T3x Lites and both could shoot 10 round groups just fine. Though I concede neither were magnum calibers. I’ve had several “pencil thin” barrel guns and all did just fine with heat.

 

[bmart2622]

Definitely doubt its heat with the time you are giving it and you are using a quality barrel heavier contour barrel

 

[PineBrook413]

I shoot 5 shot groups without any time between shots. The I wait 10 min before shooting the next group. I've tried waiting between each shot, never seen a difference.

 

[swavescatter]

I’ve owned two Tikka T3x Lites and both could shoot 10 round groups just fine. Though I concede neither were magnum calibers. I’ve had several “pencil thin” barrel guns and all did just fine with heat.

Why does my tikka Suck?

I can't shoot three shots with Hornady ELDX without driving through a previous hole. I'm around .5 MOA out of the box with those.

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Just a couple examples from others experiencing similar problems with magnums and thin barrels. Heat doesn’t always matter much, but I’m just saying it could be an issue. Easy to test with patience.