Zastava .308 range results

[35 shooter]

With a heavy work schedule, i haven't had the time to work with this one as much as i wanted this summer, but that's going to change now.
I did manage to burn up most of a pound of imr 4350 and 4831 before realizing my lee seating die was sizing my .311 bullets to .310(unevenly of course).
I bought a rcbs full length die set and problem solved...plus gained about 1000th in bullet pull.

Had one of the worst rain and wind storms we've had in a while slowly moving in on me, but still managed to get the shooting done and load everything back in the car before it hit hard.

I was shooting 40 gr. of imr 4350 with the 30 xcb and 311299 bullets and getting 2" plus groups with the forend of the cheap synthetic stock rested right under the rear sights. Then i rested the forend at the end of the chamber area and tried 40.5 gr. and things came together with both bullets.
The xcb put 5 shots in a 1.1ish" group @ 105 yds. and the 299 followed with a 1.2ish" 4 shot group as i adjusted the scope up after the first shot. The first 3 of those were just over a 1/2" though.
Had to take that last shot quickly on a hot bbl. as the rain was starting to come down.

Didn't take any pics this time because of the rain, but i saved the targets. Think i'll get a chance to shoot it again later this week to see if it repeats and take pics of the targets then.
All in all, i'm pleased with the light sporter weight bbl. so far.

 

[Ben]

Wonderful.
It is amazing what a new set of dies did to the " equation ".

 

[fiver]

one little thing...
it's always the little stuff.

 

[35 shooter]

Wonderful.
It is amazing what a new set of dies did to the " equation ".

Ben, yes.
I also learned a new found respect for all of you guys shooting tight groups with the 2 stage triggers.
I always shoot from the bench with only my trigger hand on the rifle and my off hand on the rear bag.
I found with the 2 stage trigger that by the time i take up the slack, i'm getting extra pressure with my trigger hand on the rear of the stock somehow.

Anyway, i started getting the crosshairs just below the x and then lightly grasp the forend with my off hand and things came together then. The cross hairs would then make that slght upward movement right where they needed to be.
I've got to work on my technique with the 2 stage....i like it though, just take out the slack and you better be on target then lol.

 

[35 shooter]

Fiver your right, i'm a little upset with myself for not noticing the sizing die issue sooner though.
I was using 3 coats of BLL, but it wasn't "scraping it all off the bullet...they still had a gray coating on them.
I finally spotted one little shiny spot on one bullet the last time i used that die and that's when i caught it....DUH.

That's the first time i've ever had that kind of thing happen...guess lee thought i didn't need to be sizing my bullets to .311?
Darn it, i always liked those lee dead length seating dies too. Still do..just not this particular one lol.

 

[Ian]

Ahem, cough cough FORSTER BENCHREST SEATING DIE cough cough.......

Might have to hone the neck a tad if you want to seat any bullet larger than .3100", but you won't find a better tool for the job with threads on the outside.

 

[35 shooter]

Yep, haven't used Forster's in a long time now, but they're worth every penny you pay for one without a doubt.

Last one i had was in .222 rem. and i kept all the settings for every bullet i used recorded, which was everything made by sierra and hornady back then.
Just had to try them all.

 

[Ben]

Fiver your right, i'm a little upset with myself for not noticing the sizing die issue sooner though.
I was using 3 coats of BLL, but it wasn't "scraping it all off the bullet...they still had a gray coating on them.
I finally spotted one little shiny spot on one bullet the last time i used that die and that's when i caught it....DUH.

That's the first time i've ever had that kind of thing happen...guess lee thought i didn't need to be sizing my bullets to .311?
Darn it, i always liked those lee dead length seating dies too. Still do..just not this particular one lol.

I've taken a wooden dowel about 10" long, Slit the end for a piece of 220 grit paper about 1/2 " long. Put the paper in the neck of the Lee seating die and start spinning it until a .311" cast bullet will drop through the die.

Problem fixed.

Ben

 

[Ian]

Problem fixed.

Well, THAT problem fixed maybe. I've done that too. There are three other problems with the Lee seating dies that still have to be fixed if you want straight ammo.

 

[Intheshop]

Skinny brrls and cheap,flexi-flyer stocks are a world to themselves.Getting more weight in the forend can really help with the tune.We use Stay Smooth EA40 epoxy.Same epoxy we build bow limbs with...basically,Brownells rebadges this as accraglass.Anyway,take an aluminum or carbon arrow and "inlet" into the bulkheads present in these forends.Then,fill her up with the EA.

There's something about the resonance,sort of how a stabilizer works on bows.It damps out higher frequency vibration present in skinny brrls.

As well,the finish on these forends isn't written in stone.Translated,we shoot(paint) our plastic stocks with a "pebble" finish.Where serious BR stocks like to slide,we've found that the drag induced with these rougher stocks slows down the recoil pulse,further damping vibrations.

 

[yodogsandman]

I learn something each time you post 35 shooter! Now I'll try out different ways to lay the stock in the bags for best accuracy.

 

[35 shooter]

Yodog, i've learned a ton from your posts also and from everyone here.
I don't think it's possible to read through these forums and not pick up a little here and a little there.

 

[Ben]

Well, THAT problem fixed maybe. I've done that too. There are three other problems with the Lee seating dies that still have to be fixed if you want straight ammo.

How can we find out what those other 3 are ? ?

 

[35 shooter]

Loaded a few more 311299's @ 40.5 gr and 41gr of imr4350. Also a few xcb's @ 41.5, 42 and 43 gr. of imr 4350.
I only had 30 pieces of brass ready to load, so decided to push the xcb for more speed this time and follow with hotter loads behind the 299 next time.

Bullets have 3 coats of BLL only, hornady copper checks and loaded in perfecta range brass with cci lr primers.
Can't wait to compare the same loads in my rem. brass, which a certain member here set me up with close to 200 rds. of....Thanks pardner!

 

[Ian]

How can we find out what those other 3 are ? ?

Try to solve that pesky flyer problem at long range. Check bullet and neck run-out as part of the diag, find big problem, back track through processes and discover the seating die is the culprit. Examine die, find huge hole at bottom that lets case in crooked, examine top and find seating stem floppy-loose in cap and cap inside cupped so stem can never be straight. Examine stem and find bullet point cavity unfit for any bullet shape yet produced by mankind. Throw die in trash and buy a Forster seating die.......or bush the bottom of the Lee to fit the case body, bush top cap to hold seating stem dead-center, re-cut seating stem to fit bullet of choice.

 

[Ben]

Ummm, ..........some way or another none of that really surprises me with Lee.

Thanks Ian,

Ben

 

[quicksylver]

Well I had one of the three ...guess I was lucky...fixed it with my Swiss Army Knife...(seating stem cut for something ,but nothing I owned)

 

[35 shooter]

Finally got another range trip in today with the zastava.
I had determined on earlier trips the best potential loads were 40.5, 41.5, 43.5, and 44.5 gr. of imr 4350 with the 30xcb bullet.
The bullets got 3 coats of BLL lube and were loaded in perfecta brass with cci lr primers and this time were sized and seated with rcbs dies.

1. 40.5 gr. gave a bit of vertical, but would keep 5 shots under 2"

2. 41.5 gr. kept 5 shots in 1.2 ish" groups

3. 43.5 gr. kept 5 shots under 1.5"

4. 44.5 gr. kept 5 shots just barely over 1"
All loads were shot at 105 yds.

I kept the targets and will take some pics later...pretty worn out right now lol.
This rifle has a 1/12" twist with a 23.5" light sporter bbl.
I haven't chronoed any of the loads yet, but will next trip, now that i know its shooting well enough not to shoot the chrony.

I have seen at least one report of 44 gr. of aa 4350 @ 2384 fps. with this same bullet and 45 gr. @ 2433 fps. I think he was using a Palma rifle with a bit longer bbl. though....I'm hoping since imr 4350 is a bit faster burning compared to the aa version, that i'm somewhere north of 2300 fps...we'll see.

This rifle has finally earned it's(now official) name of "OL BEN", in honor of the Ben's Red and BLL lube i use in it and the man that invented those lubes.

Btw, one wet patch of atf oil followed by one dry patch, and my first shot took out the x on a redfield target today...right where i left it sighted in 2 weeks ago.

Thanks Ben!

 

[Ben]

WOW !
I'm honored.
May you fire many tight groups with that rifle in the future !!!!

Thanks Buddy !
Ben

 

[35 shooter]

The 41.5 gr. imr4350 load with the xcb bullet is on the right.
The pic on the left is the 44.5 gr. load on top and the lower group is one of the 40.5 gr loads that shoots around 2"".

On the 44.5 gr. load i had 6 and adj. the sxcope up and right for the first shot to test the tracking, and then back down and to the left to fire the 5 shot group.
Then i moved it back to the right and centered to shoot the 41.5 gr, load in the pic on the right.....i'm pretty impressed with the tracking on the little bushnell banner 3x9 scope.