lancetkenyon

In Bellmont and Parks, there are water stations. One right off the turnoff at the Parks exit on the north side of I-40.

I would stretch it out to at least 400 and plug in your numbers to come up with a more reliable ballistic chart. 400+ yards will help you correct your actual muzzle velocity in most ballistic programs. I would not solely rely on a chronograph myself. To me, a chrono just gets you close, and shooting at distance gets you closer to a true ballistic calculation.

One of the reasons some chronos have the white shields on them. You don't needs them on cloudy days but you do on sunny days. They read when an object breaks a light barrier.

You have to consider what powder you are using too. Some are very temperature sensitive, and will change velocities as temps go up or down. As much as 70fps in some cases. So the loads you shot in December could be a lot faster in July, or loads you shoot in the morning can vary if you leave your ammo in the sun at noon.

For measuring true scope mounting height above bore, you will need a micrometer, or a tape measure at least. Measure your bolt diameter and divide by half (bolt diameter is .700, so .350") Measure your scope tube diameter and divide by half (scope tube is 1" so .500") Measure the distance between top of bolt and bottom of scope tube. Say .750" for example. Add these three measurements together. .350" .500" .750" 1.600" would be scope height above bore. This is an example, you will have to take your measurements and do the math. As for barometric pressure, without a Kestrel or rangefinder that gives a reading, it would be difficult to determine. You can get some weather apps that will be close too, but might not be exact. Barometric pressure can make a big difference in ballistics. It is like changing elevation a couple thousand feet at times.

Very nice. Love the scenery, and the solitude. Congratulations, when is the BBQ?

Good call. I would not pass him with an early rifle tag either. Congrats.

I love H414, but I use it for smaller case capacity loads, like my .22-250 and .250 Ackley. It is a close burn rate to H4350/IMR4350, so I do not see any reason it would not work with .270. And I can confirm it is very temperature stable. I have shot it from 4° to 110°+ with no point of impact change from what my ballistics calculated. And it is a ball type powder, so it meters well, and is very consistent.

To add to what I said earlier, make sure your data that you sighted in your rifle is correct. You will need: Elevation where you shot. Barometric pressure when you shot. Temperature when you shot. Any inclination declination in degrees when you shot. Actual scope mounting height above center of bore. Ensure proper parallax was set. Ensure proper techniques were adhered to. Get corrected BC from Litz, not just published BC from manufacturer. Verify velocity. When you go back out to shoot, and variables WILL throw your dope off. Sometimes WAY off. Higher temps mean less dense air, but also can cause faster velocities due to hotter loads. Higher elevations mean thinner air, resulting in less drag and less drop. Higher barometric pressure has similar effects to higher altitude. Incline or decline in target will give you an actual longer distance from a chrono than a true level reading would, meaning less drop. Scope mounting height discrepancies will not give a true algorithm to your ballistic program, and will cause dope errors. Bad parallax adjustment means you crosshairs can float and move around on target, meaning change in point of aim. Bad BC will not give a true algorithm to your ballistics program, and will cause dope errors. Bad velocity inputs will not give a true algorithm to your ballistics program, and will cause dope errors. Barrel whip inconsistencies will cause erratic flight vertically. Did you do a ladder test or OCW test to see if you are in an accuracy node? You need to do this at 300-600 yards, 100 or 200 yards will not show you a big enough spread to identify an accuracy node. Add a little bit of each of these being off, and it will cause your drop chart to be WAY off.

A lot will change the drop chart. Elevation, temperature, barometric pressure, scope mounting height, actual BC, actual velocity, barrel whip, inaccurate parallax setting, inaccurate 200 yd. Zero, etc.

W760 burn rate is faster than H4350, IMR4350, even H414. Way faster burn than 4831. Maybe your gun likes faster burning powder? Here is a great chart for looking up powder burn rates. http://www.reloadersnest.com/burnrates.asp Max loads listed in books are very conservative. Only your gun can tell you what it's max actually is. Some of mine are over published max, some are right at it, and others shoot best below. My 150gr. NAB LR is not a max load. I had two loads that were faster, and still showed no signs of pressure, but were not as accurate. So I stepped it down. Speed is not your only friend. Accuracy and putting the bullet where it needs to go is more important. But the original velocities you were getting were well below what I would consider normal. Also, more case capacity allows a bit more powder while still keeping pressures lower. So "Max" loads are not actually max in a case with more capacity. I would be looking for between 2900-3050 with 140gr. bullets. Over that will be getting pretty hot, and while it might not show pressure signs, it will shorten brass life by loosening primer pockets and stretching cases over time, causing case head separation eventually. If you can live with 5-6 loading before your cases are junk, you can run a little hotter, but your gun will also suffer earlier throat wear. But barrels are like tires, they wear out over time when you run them hard. I have a .22-250 that ONLY Likes one powder and one weight. Pickiest gun I have ever loaded for. But the load it likes? It REALLY Likes it! It went from a 1+ MOA gun, to a .157" gun once I found the load. And now shoots that consistently.

What hunt?

Spayed or not?

I bought a big set of old school lockers. Works amazing.

Any advise for us AZers would be great on the application and hunting process. I have heard it is mostly private land up there, and getting hunting areas figured out can be a nightmare. But if that is not the case, I would LOVE to take my daughter up there!

I researched this once. How much of a PITA is it to actually do the hunt? Especially since I do not know anyone in WY.

You can also buy a full-sized rifle and cut down the wooden stock and install a Limbsaver or Pachmayr Decelerator recoil pad. Then upgrade to a better stock when he gets older. That way, you have two stocks for future hunters, like other kids, grandkids, wife, friends, yourself, etc.

For deer, the 150 would be fine. For elk, I would opt for the 180. The 165 is a great all-around bullet. I would rather go heavier if you are going to shoot only one bullet for all species. Now for the real question....what bullets are you shooting? Have you thought of trying a different brand? Or a "non-conventional" bullet? Like Barnes, a Sierra Match King, Hornady A-Max, etc.?

I think in the other thread he stated 28" barrel. 5 chokes Weight 6.9 pounds empty.

If they shoot well, I have more for your daughter's hunt. If you want to grab some 62 or 70 grain Barnes TTSX, I can load those up quick for you as well.

That is an awesome story, and a great bull! Nothing wrong with that. I bet the memories will stick with him forever. Congrats to the young hunter.

Good luck. That stinks. Hope you get it back.

Replied.

If you are seriously going to buy these, just grab 20 of mine and try them out. If they don't shoot in you gun, bring back what you don't use. As for the Sierra Match King construction, like I said, my daughter shot her pig in February. .224" going in, quarter size coming out from a quartering on shot. I use Match Kings for a lot of hunting loads. .250Ackley, .25-06 Ackley, .300RUM (in 175 & 210gr.) They fly great, and penetrate and expand great too. I have also shot coyotes with them, and had all pass through with no bullets to recover, but similar results. Not explosive like varmint bullets at all. If you want to try some 50, 55, 62, or 70 grain .224" Barnes TTSX, buy a box of bullets and drop them off and I can load up some for you. I have plenty of empty, prepped and primed brass just waiting to be loaded. It will take half hour or so to load up 20+. I have plenty of powder on hand too.