CouseforLife

Brother just got a custom 28 Nosler a last month. I have been trying to work up loads for our deer hunt in 2 weeks and it is giving me fits. I have never had this much problem. Started with 175 ELDx and R25 and Retumbo. Best group I could get is 1 inch. For some people that is good enough, I won;t except that especially when the rifle is capable of much better. I have tried different depths from 3.250 all the way to 4.30 (barely fit in magazine). So I gave up on the ELDx I did get it to group 150 Scirrocos under half inch with 85 grains of retumbo and a short bullet depth. That is what he is going to use. Did not have time to work up anything with 160's. What loads is anyone having any luck with. The only reason we tried ELDx is because that is what the manufacturer recommended. I have never been a Hornaday fan anyway was always partial to Swift and Nosler bullets.

If you are going to have it bedded, have it pillared at the same time. Won't cost much more and worth it in the end. If you do not know what pillaring is, I do it myself. It is a pillar, usually aluminium, that is cut the exact length as your action screws from the distance from the stock to the action. So when you tighten the action you do not smash the action into the bedding and it allows you to more consistently tighten it each time. If done right, you can remove the gun from the stock, re tighten and not have to sight the rifle back in.

As has been suggested .003 is fine. Each bullet maybe a different length also. Soft points are never the same length because the tip on one is not the same as the other. I always measure Ogive rather than tip. Another reason I despise RCBS dies is the adjustments. I prefer Redding and I buy the Comp Dies when I can. The micrometer is so much easier. RCBS Comp Dies are pretty good too, just not the normal everyday dies. I hate them.

Forgot to add the twist it is 1-8 and should shoot heavy bullets just fine. I have done a bunch of research over the years on harmonics as I was a huge skeptic. Not anymore as it does play a role and I think the ELDx just does not work with this rifle. I have burned 100 bullets and a pound and half of powder just playing the OAL. I was surprised the 150's grouped so well. But he will have to be careful with shots under 200 yards with that of a bullet. With that velocity the bullets will be exploding on impact. He did pick up some Berger 175's we will play with after his hunt. H1000 and Retumbo are almost identical burn rates but I will try it and see if things improve. I have always had great success with Alliant powders but I was not impressed with the R25 in that rifle. Have never used H1000 does it meter better than Retumbo. Retumbo is meters horrible.

Thanks for the help earlier guys with the tips. My brother managed to call me in a 310 bull to about 50 yards and I dropped him on the 3rd day. I was surprised by the amount of road hunters for a rut hunt in unit 8. You could hear the quads and UTVs going up and down the road all morning and evening. They were not talking much at all like I was hoping but we managed to get one to come in close enough. Never got a good look at the hear bull so don't know what he was other than bigger. It was a fun hunt.

Got my first rut tag in over a decade. Got a unit 8 muzzleloader bull. Been to the unit a few times now and found some great looking country. Plan on making a few more trips up before the Archery hunt starts. I hate it when people ruin my hunt by scouting and walking up on a tank that I am sitting so I won't do it to others either. My question is I need some help with calls. Haven't hunted the rut in a while and I am out of practice calling. I hate diaphrams. Any suggestions on some good cow calls? The type I use to have and use are no longer in production. Don't remember the name but it was a Quaker boy. Also used a hyper hot years ago that worked great. Planned on making a purchase next week and then driving the family nuts with practice time. HA! Thanks in advance.

I have had that late Muzzleloader tag several times over the past 15 years. It is very dependant on the weather. If its dry and warm you can hunt water. That happened to me twice in all the tags I have had, 5 total. All the rest were wet and it made the hunt more difficult but not impossible. If it snows up top they will dive off into canyons and work lower. Good luck, sounds like you have already gotten some good advice. You may also have problems with people scouting for their rifle bull hunts. Almost every year I had some knucklehead ruin a stalk or walk up on my tank at 5pm. Never did understand that.

Started my daughter on a 6.5 x 55 custom built. With that said, I would go 243. What I started on and wish I still had it. Great deer rifle.

If you are just neck sizing a WSM stop. I have loaded for 5 different WSM and a few SAUMS. Every single one had issues when you just neck size the brass. It is also well documented that neck sizing the WSM's causes chambering issues later. I FL size everything now and have not had a problem with tight brass since. May not be the issue you are having but just in case. I also bump shoulders back just a touch on all them. I have tried annealing my WSM brass and I am either doing something wrong or it just wont work with the pressures but after about 2 or 3 reloads the brass cracks just below the shoulder. Brass is cheap enough and readily available so I quit. I get about 10 to 12 reloads before having to toss the brass. I have also learned that Winchester brass is crap for WSM and SAUMS. No issues at all with Remington, Norma, and Nosler brass. Have found the Norma to be the most consistent with length and weight.

I just never liked them. I have used them turkey hunting mostly in the past and just never liked having it in my mouth. I guess I am not totally against them just would prefer not to. Not sure if my teeth are shaped oddly or the roof of my mouth, always had to trim the heck out of it to get them to work right.

I replaced the barrel on my 22-250 in 2012. Bought it in 1990 and if I had to guess probably put 3500 rounds through it. Killed everything from a couple couse to a squirrel with it. The gun liked hot loads. If it wasn't 3500 rounds it wasn't much over 4000. I replaced it with a Mcgowen barrel and it shoots better now then it ever did or maybe I got better over the years, which I doubt. For those that say it is to light for couse, dropped a 110 inch buck at 400 yards in his tracks and a 85 inch 2 point took 3 steps from 250 yards. It loved plain old 55 grain remington factory soft points. I put a 1-10 twist to shoot heavier bullets and it still handles the lighter bullets just fine, have not tried anything lighter than 45 grain bullets. The barrel went with no warning. One day is shot 1/2 inch groups the next day a full choke shotgun was tighter grouped. Lost about 3 inchs of rifling just out of the chamber. You should get years of good use out of a great caliber.

I have a 7x57 which for all intense purposes is the same cartridge. I have had excellent results with R-15 and IMR 4350. 140 grain accubonds around 1/2 inch groups at 100 yards. Maybe shoots tighter with someone else behind the gun. Work your way up to it but if memory serves I get best results from IMR4350 at 48.5 grains.

That price sounds about right. I had a barrel threaded a couple years ago and the smith charged me $95.

16 points now for antelope. But I got a 2nd choice 6a muzzleloader bull!!!!

132 1/8

I do not have a lot of expirence yet with barrels. But over the past several years my dad and I have built 5 rifles on Mauser actions. 3 7mm Mausers and 2 30-06. The 7mm Mausers all have Shilen barrels and shoot 3/4 inch groups when I do my part. They were standard blanks that we threaded and chambered. the 2 06's we used Mcgowen barrels. 1 of the 06's shoots about 1/2 inch groups and the other we have not shot yet. The price was better then Shilen and they will contour, short chamber, crown, and thread it to whatever action you have. You can also send your action to them and they will install the barrel. We were very happy with the service and the fact we got 1/2 inch groups with factory ammo. We used Boyds laminate stocks and bedded and pillared them which helps. Good luck in your quest. The suggestions you got are all good. If you are on a budget consider the Mcgowens. We are happy with them anyway.

Thanks I ended up going with a Mcgowen Barrel. My dad has built two 30-06 rifles on Mauser actions and we got good groups from Mcgowen barrels. A little cheaper than Shilen in price. Thanks for info though.

Shot out my old barrel and need a new one if anyone has a new standard contour. I am looking for a Remington, Shilen, or Douglas barrel. Short chambered is fine but would prefer a threaded barrel.

6a Muzzleloader Bull now 18 points for goats

I would not pay someone. I agree with the ones that say if anyone is going to blow up my rifle its gonna be me. This is the way I look at it. I don't have all the time in the world to go shoot. But I make time and do it. I enjoy developing loads, researching my books, and then shooting the the loads. I feel very confident shooting out to 500 yards because of all the shooting I have done. Trigger time is just as improtant as developing the load. If you pay someone to develop the load what good is it if you haven't shot and practiced out to the ranges specified. I can also tell you everyone shoot different. A perfect example. I developed some 180 grain accubond loads from this 300SAUM. I took it out and shot it and got about 1/2 inch group at 100 yards. They were about 1 inch high. When he shot the load I developed it was 3 inches left and 1.5 group. Why. It took alot of head scratching and playing around but it came down to the way he holds the rifle and the "harmonics" of the gun when he shoots it. He does not hold it tight in his shoulder like I do, he grips the forearm different, and he slight cocks the gun to the side, or twists it. So now he has to shoot all the loads I develop for him. I also reload and develop loads for a few friends. I always double check all my powder charges in the rounds and usually accompany them when they shoot the load to check for pressure signs. I would not want the liability of loading for people I don't know. I think all the time behind the trigger developing loads is the best practice in the world and without sounding conceited I am alot better shot now then I was 10 years ago because of reloading everything myself.

I am no expert but I am usually within 3 to 5 inches. However in velvet always throws me off. I would guess around 100 on the first and two and three 105 to 110. Very nice deer I would not hesitate going after those three.

I know you said you will order it later but Red Rabbit suggested that to me last year and I bought one. I love it!!!

113 1/8 if someone picked that before me i missed it and give them the prize

The machinist we use to chamber the customs that my dad and I have built said it is an ATF regulation that it must be stamped. He will not allow it to leave his shop without it. Now I am not sure if this is his rule and he is BSing us with the ATF or if it really is a regulation. I am curious why you would not want it on there anyway. That would suck if someone put the wrong ammo in your custom gun.

My dad use to ship guns all the time. He swore to never use UPS when he ships because of this. He shipped guns with fed ex for years without one problem. When people would ship to him UPS one out 5 came with a problem. In one instance the box did not have a mark or blemish but the stock was busted in half just behind the action. UPS paid for it. He also started buying those inexpensive gun cases at walmart for that are around $10. He shipped using those inside a cardboard box and I think that helped alot too. If you get a anti hunter or anti gun person handling the package they will intentionally break it too. My brother use to work for UPS and he witnessed it.