June 2, 2022. When a rifle isn’t performing to its potential, we must ask “Is the gun or the shooter?” Multiple shooters can test the same rifle under the same conditions and with the same load. This can reveal a lot about the rifle’s potential. If you are too focused on loading variables and your target results are poor, you might think you need to modify your load. Sometimes the load is fine. Sometimes, however, the problem is with the trigger puller or the setup on the bench. Two new Savage F-Class rifles were tested in 6mmBR chambered. Initial results were not promising but were encouraging. One gun’s owner was able to get around groups of shots at 10 o’clock, 2 o’clock, 5 o’clock, 8 o’clock and none were touching. The load could have been deemed unfit for purpose. Another shooter then sat behind the rifle and placed the next two shots, an identical load, through the same hole. Shooter #2 produced a 6-shot vertical group with two shots in each hole, but at three different points. Okay, now we can conclude that the load must be adjusted to eliminate the vertical. Right? Wrong. Wrong.
What was the problem? Each shooter had a different method of holding the gun and adjusting it. The gun’s owner, shooter #1, used a wrap-around grip with cheek pressure and hand pressure. He was also squeezing his bag. All that contact was moving shot up, down and left and right. Wrap-around holds produced unpredictable results. Shooter #2 used no cheek pressure and only a very slight thumb pressure behind his tang. However, he was trying out different amounts of bag “squeeze”. His hold eliminated the side push but variations in squeeze technique and down pressure led to the vertical string. The gun shot successive shots through the same hole if he was consistent. Shooter #3 used heavy cheek pressure. This not only settled the gun vertically but also side-loaded it. This result was almost vertical, but too horizontal for this shooting style.
Conclusion? You might want to change your shooting style before you spend the day fiddling with a load. It is almost always a good idea to have another experienced shooter test your rifle. The way that the shots grouped on the target changed dramatically each time we changed the “drivers” during our test session. We went from a big round group, to vertical string, to horizontal string.Interestingly, all three shooters were able to diagnose problems in their shooting styles, and then refine their gun-handling. In a second session, all three shooters shot the gun better and the average group size dropped to 0.5-0.6 inches in the threes. This was with no changes to the load. Switching shooters showed that the load was good, and the gun was great. The limiting factor for group size was the skill of the trigger-puller(s).
Similar Posts:Tags: Accuracy Test, Benchrest, Common Sense, Driver Error, Load Development, Multiple Shooters, Savage, Shooting Technique
