TargetTalk

During matches I currently shoot Lapua Ammo, Mater L, lot 5650 G. I have enough for two more matches, maybe three if I am lucky. I hope to shoot more matches than that this year so I am looking for a replacement lot. Does Lapua have a have a comparison chart that would take me to a similar shooting ammo lot? TIA

Not a chance!

Welcome to the world of ammo testing.

Get a bunch of different lots of ammo, shoot prome with a powerful scope with a sandbag under your arm, start at 100 yards, confirm at 50 yds.

Have fun!

By the way, if that ammo you are shooting is the top of the line stuff (read expensive) and you have never done any testing, figuring that if it the most expensive it must be the best, well, you are about to get an eye-opening experience.

The reason I said there is no comparison chart is that every rifle is a law onto itself. Ammo must be matched to gun. Period. Unless you don't like to win!

Jeff

i agree with the above. You have to match your rifle to ammo. Just because its the most dosnt mean it will shoot the best in your rifle. I bet you would be surprised how well some cheaper ammo shoots. I use sk standard and that ammo shoots better then me. And shoots great in my gun. For indoors i love it. havent shot it outdoors yet.

I was afraid you were going to something to that effect. I had the rifle tuned by a person that was very, very good. I guess it is back to him, have the rifle tuned, again. You are right about the ammo. I practice with SK or Wolf, which scores better than I do. You bring up about ammo testing, why do you start at 100 yards, and move to 50 yards? I would have though it the other way around.
Thank You!

I start at 100 yards because, well, it is a quick and dirty way to screen a number of lots of ammo. If it shoots at 100 yds, then most likely it will shoot at 50 yds. It is just easier to see the spread at 100 yds.

However, sometimes you will find a magic lot that tunes in better at 50 yds. Back in the 1980's it was rumered that RWS R50 would sometimes shoot great at 50 yds, and only OK at 100 yds. Also, the Eley Tenex tended to buck the wind better. No scientific proof here, just subject opinions from a number of people I shot with.

And when shooting groups testing ammo, forget this 5 shot group nonsense you read about from the pundits in the gun press. Shoot 30-50 rounds into ONE target, and then compare the different lots. None of this silly 5 shot group crap. This is a lot more representative of the gun-ammo combination than shooting 5 different 5 shot groups and saying to yourself "gee whiz, one of my 5 shot groups went into .246" at 50 yds, so it must mean my gun-ammo is good for .246"

By the way, how is your gun tuner testing your ammo? If he is testing off a bench or machine rest, then forget it. Doesn't mean much. YOU, and I mean YOU, need to be holding the gun in the position (prone, high power scope, sandbag under front wrist, 100 yds) you are shooting in to do your testing. Isn't that the way you are going to shoot it in competition? So what if you have a combo that shoots great off the bench. When you are holding the gun, particularily in prone, you have a number of different pressure or twisting points on the gun, and well as different recoil than when the gun is shot off the bench.

Next time you are shooting prone, ask yourself how much pressure you are putting on the forend of the gun where the sling attaches to the stock. Ask yourself how much pressure you are putting on the buttplate when shooting. And now ask yourself if you are not putting some stress on the stock that might affect the harmonics of the gun shooting?

And when shooting prone, if your left arm has not fallen asleep within 15-20 minutes, then the sling is probably not tight enough.

Jeff

You test for the greatest distance that you will compete at....if you shoot conventional prone, that is 100 yds.

Also, group sizes at 50yds do not translate to 2x larger at 100yds...the groups grow at a non-linear rate.

Alot of ammuntion shoots great at 50yds and falls apart at 100yds. If you start at 100 yds for testing, you can weed out the garbage lots much faster and burn up less $$ and time.

It is NOT a guarantee that a great shooting lot at 100yds will also be excellent at 50yds. It is common, but not 100% of the time.