95 GR Maker TREX H322 Trouble

[65GbySeven]

Horde,

I need some help troubleshooting my Maker 95 GR TREX H322 Recipe. Here's the story. Ran some factory ammo to dial in the new scope 3-12 Vortex Diamondback HP with Hornady 123SST and Underwood 110 Controlled Chaos. Both shot great .375 and .400 respectively, 2 groups of 3 shots each. I run an oiled patch and 2-3 dry patches between each load. Shooting at 50 YDS bench, bipod, bag. 16-inch ARP 3R barrel.

New Hornady Bulk Brass which I ran through the press to uniform the neck, champfered and deburred
CCI450 Primers
2.260 COAL
H322 0.3 ladder from 27.0-29.8 no powder compression, no signs of pressure
Maker 95GR TREX length 1.68-1.60

Groups were 2-4 inches with the exception of 28.6 which had two touching and one an inch to the right. No consistency in POI.

Best I can figure the projectiles were unseating a bit as they ran through the action. I was thinking of seating them at 2.245-2.250 and loading 28.6 of H322 and retesting. If I get good results, retest the ladder starting at 28.9 checking for compressed powered and stopping there.

FYI, Shot another 3 shot group of the SST and Controlled Chaos after working the Maker 95GR TREX loads, and got the same results, great groups on the bull...Did this for a sanity check to see if the scope was the issue.

All suggestions and solutions are welcomed and greatly appreciated in advance.

[grayfox]

I have some general comments, but I believe A5 has some experience with the 95 Trex bullets. I have not shot them, nor am I using any H322 for my loads. $0.02 ... ok, maybe 10 cents' worth So hope this helps.

1. You say you are shooting a ladder, but I do not see any chrono data. You really need to do development over a chrony. The MV's, ES and SD numbers will tell you a lot more than the paper.
2. Is that Arp barrel the older 264 LBC style (single angle throat) or the Saami Grendel compound throat angle. Straight wall chambered throats may not do all bullets that well, they are designed more for a couple particular ones. Arp has done both styles of chamber.
3. How many shots do you have through the barrel, if less than about 75-100 it might be too early to generalize on group sizes/ performance. shoot some more of the 123 and 110's to complete the break in.
4. You would be better off doing your development with 1x or 2x fired brass so it is sized to your chamber.
5. I wouldn't generalize with just 2, 3-shot groups on the 123sst and the 110 Underwood's. Btw when I shot the 110 Chaos they did the best with 8208xbr, for both my 16" and 20" barrels.
6. Sad to say, but some barrels simply do not "like" certain bullets. Your experiences with your Makers... may come down to that. Have you tried the 95 Vmax (for varmint of course), or perhaps the 100 Ttsx for medium game.
7. 26.0 to 28.8C is the load range for H322 and the 95 Vmax (Hodgdon), which is a cup/core bullet. Usually for a solid (mono) bullet you can't dial up the powder as hot or as much as a cup/core style.

IIRC Klem had some advice on how to decipher bullets that move when going into battery. May want to search the forum on this, I don't recall where it's written down. May simply involve shooting first one, letting #2 strip into battery, then don't fire it but eject and measure for any length increase.

There are others on here with some experience with the Trex's, maybe they'll chime in.
Stay safe.

[65GbySeven]

GrayFox,

1. New "Corona Rules" at the Range includes no Chrono's...to be fair it's typically limited to weekdays when the range isn't crazy.
2. SAAMI Grendel
3. 150
4. Noted, I have developed a 3 loads for my 12" PSA Grendel using new brass, but I understand the logic here.
5. Agreed. Groups 3 and 4 with a 5th after the "ladder" of TREX
6. It may just be the lighter weight it doesn't like. It doesn't hate my 90 TNT's, but I wouldn't hunt with it. I did a work up of AR COMP and 120 Gold Dots and got great results... and used once fired brass. Worked up to a dream grouping. Photos attached. Probably try 110 TREX or 118 MKZ. Really trying to find a copper projectile for this build.
7. May give that a shot to find a varmint type round.

Thanks for the help![ATTACH=CONFIG]15773[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]15774[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]15775[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]15776[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]15777[/ATTACH]

[meatsweats]

My PSA barrel doesn’t do well with lighter pills.. except the 90 grain TNT. I have a promising load- I pulled one shot but the rest was one ragged hole @ 100 yards.

Gold dots shot well also the Sierra Pro Hunter shot real well. I shot a deer with the PH last year. Real nice blood trail.

H335 with lighter pills, TAC for the rest

MS

[Rosecrans1]

I would repeat the ladder but load the cartridges individually instead of feeding them through the magazine. If you don't have good neck tension with your reloads, this may tell you something. You'll have the "smack" of the bolt closing on the cartridge in the chamber but not all the inertia of the first round's recoil/eject then the strip & slam into battery of the next round, etc.
You could also bring your caliper to the range and measure once before and then after manually putting the round in the chamber and dropping to bolt. (Just eject it and measure).
Not sure if you can shoot at 100 yards or not at your range but 50 yards doesn't tell you a whole lot. Sighting in a scope at 50 yards until it's dead on then moving back to 100 can and has given wild variations in accuracy on many calibers I have shot over the years.

[A5BLASTER]

What is the jump distance at 2.260?

Stop cleaning the bore between loads.

Don't use 1x fired brass for work ups.

Find a new range so you can work up over the chronagrah.

If you ran your brass in a full length sizing die you have plenty of neck tention on that bullet.

Load 50 of them at your top load and go shoot them, don't clean the bore, don't shoot any other kind of bullet, then run your ladder.

The Makers are a soft copper that's how they have such a low expansion limit. They like a dirty bore in my rifles.

31.8 grains of h335 and a coal length of 2.260 is straight money in my ar grendels with the 85 Maker Trex bullets.

[65GbySeven]

What is the jump distance at 2.260?

Stop cleaning the bore between loads.

Don't use 1x fired brass for work ups.

Find a new range so you can work up over the chronagrah.

If you ran your brass in a full length sizing die you have plenty of neck tention on that bullet.

Load 50 of them at your top load and go shoot them, don't clean the bore, don't shoot any other kind of bullet, then run your ladder.

The Makers are a soft copper that's how they have such a low expansion limit. They like a dirty bore in my rifles.

31.8 grains of h335 and a coal length of 2.260 is straight money in my ar grendels with the 85 Maker Trex bullets.

Copy. A Dirty Bore would have never been a solution I would have thought of trying...it just goes against everything I've been taught or read.

My range will allow chronos again. They just put the Alamo on lock down. House arrest essentially for everyone. I'll just have to put this project on hold until mid April.

Thanks for everyone's input...to be continued...after the "break"

[A5BLASTER]

Copy. A Dirty Bore would have never been a solution I would have thought of trying...it just goes against everything I've been taught or read.

My range will allow chronos again. They just put the Alamo on lock down. House arrest essentially for everyone. I'll just have to put this project on hold until mid April.

Thanks for everyone's input...to be continued...after the "break"

I don't and won't clean a barrel until the groups start to open up.

Changing bullet types will cause group issues. Changing from a cup and core are from a hard copper too the soft copper of the maker will for sure effect groups.

But don't forget some barrels just don't like some bullets and powders.