with Wayne Dayberry

Making hits at distance with your rimfire (or any cartridge) includes understanding and minimizing the effect of the variables. Just like when developing your load data for centerfire cartridges, you’ll need to start with the ammunition basics: muzzle velocity, bullet weight, and the bullet’s ballistic coefficient. Bullet weight is readily published by the manufacturers, and you can gather your muzzle velocity with a chronograph, however the bullet’s ballistic coefficient is not always readily available for rimfire ammunition. And even if it is, just like when doing load development for their big brother cartridges, truing your own muzzle velocity and ballistic coefficient over distance is a good idea. 

Starting with the end in mind, my D.O.P.E. (Data on Previous Engagement) for a 300yd 22lr rimfire shot is approximately 15mils, give or take depending upon the environmentals as well as ammunition brand and type.

So, making hits at 300 yards with your rimfire is going to be similar to the following (your mileage may and will vary):

• 6.5 Creedmoor with a 140 gr high BC bullet running at 2,700 fps yields about 1,310 Yards at 15mils and a 1.5mil holdoff for a 5mph wind.
• 308 Winchester with a 200 gr high BC bullet running at 2,400 fps yields about 1,100 Yards at 15mils and a 1.7mil holdoff for a 5mph wind.
• Rimfire 22lr with a 40 gr bullet at 1080 fps = 300 Yards at 15 mils and a 2mil holdoff for a 5mph wind.

We know the bullet weight, and if you shoot at least 10 rounds (or more) over a chronograph, you should be able to get a reliable muzzle velocity. Those two can become “fixed” in the long distance equation. Then, truing up the ballistic coefficient for your round is the exercise. We’ll explain more about this in an upcoming email!

The post Tech Tip-Rimfire Ballistic Profile – Part 2 appeared first on Creedmoor Sports InfoZone.

with Wayne Dayberry

There’s plenty of data on the inter webs to get you on target at distance with most popular long-range centerfire cartridges. But let’s say you want too apply those same principles and ring steel at distance with your rimfire rifle. This is one of a series of articles to help make that happen. We will dive deeper into the details over the next few days. Stay tuned!

Quick Start

• Download a ballistic solver application on your computer or phone
• Gather up some quality match ammunition and your chronograph
• Capture muzzle velocities
• Enter .1 as a Ballistic Coefficient if BC is uknown into your solver as your baseline, along with your bullet weight, muzzle velocity and any other data needed.
• Zero at your preferred distance. (We chose 35 yards)
• Shoot at 50yd, 100yd, 200yd, 300yd, truing your BC at each distance before going to the next.
• Write down actual elevation adjustments to make these shots
• Adjust the ballistic coefficient in your solver attempting to match your actual adjustments. Make small refinements.

Now you have a custom built ballistic profile for your weapon system and ammunition of choice. 

Remember this from Ken Oehler in his article “Extended Range Truing Why and How”…

“The bullet doesn’t lie, you must listen”

The post Tech Tip-Rimfire Ballistic Profile – Part 1 appeared first on Creedmoor Sports InfoZone.

I have personally done both neck sizing and full-length sizing over the past 35 years of shooting and found that some rifles seem to prefer neck sizing only while others seem (non-statistical valid data) to perform better with full length sizing. Key word is seem (again, not statistically valid), I’ve done both types of sizing in tight neck custom chambers and factory chambers. I was taught thinking that neck sizing was the best for accurate shooting and a majority of us used to do this in short range benchrest. Eventually most of us migrated to bumping the shoulder or using a traditional full-length die. I think the question really comes down to the type of situational shooting?

First the differences; with neck sizing dies (whether bushing or conventional) you are only resizing the case neck, and with most setups, not the complete length of the neck. When full length sizing with a properly setup die, you are pushing the shoulder back .002” to .003” ideally (some reloaders shoot for only .001”). Also, you are sizing the case neck and the body of the case.

Let’s chat about the advantages of each.

Neck Sizing Advantages

Neck sizing has two main arguments that some reloaders will make in favor of it.

– The first argument is that the case, having been fireformed, now has a close semi-tight to tight fit in the chamber providing better alignment of the case neck/bullet to the chamber. I believe this argument because the fireformed case should align better in a close-fitting chamber. But, does it materially improve the accuracy, especially when the bullet usually has only .000” to .020” of bullet jump depending on the load tuning?

– The second argument is about case hardening and case life. Neck sizing works the brass less than full length sizing. By neck sizing, you keep from working the body of the case and in some situations may get an extra firing before needing to trim. But eventually you will have to full length size so you can extract the brass without beating on the bolt handle.

Full Length Sizing Advantages

Full Length sizing has one major advantage – easy extraction of the fired brass.

– If you are competing in a sport such as F-Class, service rifle and even benchrest, being able to cycle the brass quickly without disturbing your position or the gun allows you to shoot in the same wind condition. I used to neck size my 6 PPC brass for short range group benchrest shooting and significantly disturbed my rifle position on the rest after a hard bolt lift to extract the brass and then lost several seconds in re-acquiring my aiming point. In a position rifle such as service rifle you could actually disturb your NPA (natural point of aim) due to extraction difficulties.

Any of the precision rifle action-based sports, such as PRS and NRL, would also be negatively impacted by a stiff bolt cycle.

– Rapid fire competitions and hunting are also venues where full-length sizing is critical.

My Humble Opinion

My personal position is that I will full length size my fired brass every time I shoot. I setup my die to push the case shoulder back approximately .002”. I use a bushing style threaded die most of the time. On rifles where I have fully turned necks, I’ll use a specific bushing to obtain the desired bullet grip. On non-neck turned brass or brass where I have turned just enough to clean up thick spots, I’ll use a bushing that sizes all of my brass just enough so that the inside neck dimension is slightly smaller than the diameter of my expander ball. By doing it in this manner, when I pull the brass out of the die and over the expander ball, all of my brass will have approximately the same inside dimension (i.e. bullet grip/tension).

I full length size mainly for the reward of not having to wrestle with my bolt on the line whether in position, shooting F-Class off a bipod or rest or shooting short range benchrest. Any perceived gain in accuracy is just not worth the aggravation or the impact to not running your shots in a condition. If you full length size, you can concentrate more on reading the wind, focusing on position fundamentals and maintaining your natural point of aim.

If you chat with most highly competitive long-range shooters, most of them will feel the same way and these are folks that would go to great lengths for a little bit more accuracy. But they know the impact of losing a wind condition or the impact a distraction of a sticky bolt can make on their performance.

Best wishes and good shooting,

Bill Gravatt

The post Full Length versus Neck Sizing appeared first on Creedmoor Sports InfoZone.

In 2012, due to damages from Super Storm Sandy, I lost my reloading room and for a time was relying on close friends to help with reloading.  This all changed when Creedmoor Sports introduced a variety of high power match ammunition, with several different loads sent to me to try out.  ALL were very consistent….as good, or better, than anything I could load, and I settled on the Creedmoor Sports 75 Grain Hornady Ammunition for short range.  It was the most consistent in my gun, and with very little range time it delivered great performance.  I have attached a few images below that were all targets fired at 200 yard reduced matches with this ammunition.  On the two MR targets, the scores were  (a) 198-11x and (b) 199-7x, and all shots outside the 10 ring were shots that I called.  On the (c) 200 yard reduced International Target (from 300 meters), note that all but five fired shots are in the 10-ring, which is 2 ¼ inches in diameter.

Regarding the shots themselves, all fired shots were made in the prone position, during local matches, using a sling. The upper used is a rather non-distinct Bushmaster upper converted to a flat top, and all firing was done using the Konus XTC-30 Rifle Scope. If you measure the core group on the International Target, that is a sub-one minute group.  Can your ammo do that?

While I do have two loading presses lying dormant, and a plethora of supplies, waiting for a future planned reloading/gun room, the performance of this Creedmoor Sports 75 Grain Hornady Ammunition makes wanting to reload a fading memory.

Like I said….I’d rather be out shooting then spending time reloading!

Ira Ruderman

The post Creedmoor Sports 75 Grain Hornady Ammunition – A Review appeared first on Creedmoor Sports InfoZone.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

From 1920 until the mid-1950s, full metal jacket (FMJ) bullets remained the epitome for high power competition. Handloading was not common, so competitors relied on government arsenals for match-grade, .30-06 Spr. ammunition for use in the National Matches and other shooting events. Arsenal match ammunition was considered state-of-the-art and was perpetually in short supply. Ammunition lots performing particularly well were carefully hoarded, traded and fired judiciously. Naturally, government arsenals made what they knew best and had tooling for—FMJ bullets.

By the mid-1950s, improved match rifles were better than arsenal ammunition. This dilemma spurred improvements in ammunition and led many competitors into handloading. Sierra Bullets began offering match-grade, hollow-point boattail rifle bullets which offered significantly improved accuracy over FMJ bullets. As records tumbled, hollow-point boattail bullets increasingly ruled high power competition.

The complete article can be read at NRA Shooting Sports USA.

For a complete line of match rifle bullets and match ammunition please visit Creedmoor Sports!

The post Why Are Hollow-Point Rifle Bullets More Accurate? appeared first on Creedmoor Sports InfoZone.

The post Hornady OAL Gauge to Measure Bullet Seating Depth appeared first on Creedmoor Sports InfoZone.

Well, In a word, annealing rifle brass is exposing the neck and part of the shoulder of the bottleneck case to enough heat for a period of time to relieve the internal tension (stress) imposed by firing and resizing brass – and just enough before bad changes in the internal makeup (grain structure and strength) occur. And being the discerning shooter that you are, always looking for that competitive edge, you’ve probably started doing research on annealing brass and have found that there are two accessible methods to do so: Propane flame and Induction. Either way, you’ll need to how long to expose the brass to the flame or induction heat, and you found out that you need to do so in a uniform and consistent manner. Not enough heat input and nothing happens – too much heat, and you have caused irreversible damage to the brass. Toss it in the scrap bucket.   Now that’s a definite source of anxiety when your Lapua brass is about a buck a round! In order to find the right temperature and time, and to avoid under or overheating, you need access to a metallurgy lab or you will need to use Tempilaq. That is so you will achieve a consistent stress – relief temperature. Well, use of Tempilaq requires patience, and if you are using a propane-based machine, you’ll need a double-dose of patience because the flame intensity changes as time goes by and the torch heats up.

By now, you are wondering if annealing is for you – but you don’t have to be or know a metallurgist. That’s because a New Zealand company called Annealing Made Perfect, or AMP, has done the tedious work of determining how much time and heat is needed to achieve the proper amount of stress relief. And AMP has done that work by measuring microhardness and correlating those measurements to heat input.

Now, enter the AMP machine. The company behind this machine has, for a tremendous variety of calibers and caseheads, determined the amount of heat input needed to achieve the proper stress-relief anneal. And if you can’t find your brass on the long, long list, send them samples and they will get back to you with a machine setting.

So, how do you use this machine? Simply thread in the proper pilot which properly positions the brass in the induction field, select the specified program number, and hit the start button after you insert the brass in the machine; after the seconds-long cycle, you pull the case out and insert your next case. It’s that simple. To change calibers, look up the caliber, and in some cases, the year-specific case head ID, select the program on the machine, and start annealing.

As far as the process of using the AMP machine, you have to handle each and every piece of brass. And so if you have the temperament (you do because you’re a shooter) and time, that’s not a problem, but if you are, say, a service rifle shooter and anneal cases after each firing it could be very time-consuming – a case feeder would be a welcome addition and it’s my understanding that one is on the way.

The machine itself is very solidly-built. The display is bright, setting the machine up is very fast, and the machine is very quiet. Overall, this machine is a pleasure to use. I annealed over 100 223 Rem cases in 30 minutes and look Ma, no Tempilaq, exposed high voltages, or hot flames. Personally, I have gone from the propane age to an induction unit with exposed conductors and induction coil, and have to say that this unit also feels very safe-to-use. So, needless to say, I am all in with the AMP machine.

The only things that could be improved might be the addition of an optional foot pedal to initiate each cycle, and a way to grip the heavy smooth casing when moving it – like carry handles on the sides or one on top – it is a heavy machine and that would make it easier to handle and place in storage, say, under your workbench.

Overall, get this machine if you are serious about achieving the more-than-anecdotal accuracy improvements from annealing – you won’t find anything else out there with greater ease-and simplicity of-operation, repeatability, and technical development behind the machine.  This machine gets a solid 10 for technical excellence, solidity, ease-of-use, and the research AMP performed to conceive the basis for this machine by considering every issue associated with case annealing and making annealing practical. Only one other suggestion I would have and that’s to change the name of the machine to AMPP, which would stand for Annealing Made Perfectly Possible.

Michael Glasman

Knoxville, TN USA

The post A Review of the Annealing Made Perfect Case Annealer appeared first on Creedmoor Sports InfoZone.

Annealing Machines – Burning the Checkbook…

Part of the journey towards being “Best in Class” as a club is providing technical information so you can make informed decisions on what you need to do to succeed. Last month we covered temperature measurement. In this last installment, we will cover annealing machines.

Now that you know how to measure temperature, how do you apply heat to the brass and what attributes does a good annealing machine need to have?

It should be:

• We are dealing with open flame or high voltages and high temperatures
• The machine should accurately, reliably and readily control annealing temperature and time
• For convenience, a brass feeder would be preferable, but not essential

The most popular and accessible heat source is the propane torch when used in conjunction with a machine that introduces the brass to the source of heat precisely and in a repeatable manner. Most machines use a turntable, or segmented wheel and a speed-controlled motor. The only problems with propane are dealing with an open flame, and as the torch heads heat, they seem to provide a hotter flame. This may be due to thermal expansion within the torch heads which allows more gas through the needle valve as time goes by.

Three gas-fired machines that are very popular are made by Ken Light, Benchsource, and Doug Giraud. The author has used all with good results. Others are on the market and appear to be well-made and reasonably priced. Also note that the Giraud machine has a hopper-style casefeeder that handles dozens of cases at-a-time. All units have provision for motor speed control.

The more advanced (and preferred) method is to use induction heating. (no open flame, and very precise, reliable, and repeatable) The Giraud machine can be adapted to operate with a power unit made by Fluxeon ( http://fluxeon.com/ ). Another induction machine on the market is the Annealing Made Perfect unit (https://www.ampannealing.com/index/ ). I have not yet not had the opportunity to try the Annealing Made Perfect annealing machine, and hopes to make a trip down to Creedmoor Sports soon to check it out.

The author has the Giraud/Fluxeon unit and except some initial issues with the power unit, which were resolved, is satisfied with its performance; however, nothing is pre-set. The user has to figure out how much time the power unit is on using Tempilaq to attain 750 degrees F. – there are no published pre-set times/speed settings for .223, .308 30-’06, etc. The AMP machine, though, is already pre-set by the manufacturer, which may be very appealing to some potential buyers.

Finally – when should you anneal and how often? The author anneals his brass used for 600 yards every time its fired. Short line brass is every second firing.

And brass should be annealed BEFORE resizing. This is because there may be some springback or relaxation and dimensional changes when internal stresses are relaxed due to annealing. When you re- size, the brass is put back to its original size and consistent neck tension is established once more.

I hope you have enjoyed these articles – should you have any questions at all please don’t hesitate to contact me at orsatime@gmail.com

See ‘ya on the range! Mike Glasman

Note that this article shared by Mike Glasman was previously posted in the Oak Ridge Sportsman’s Association Rifle & Pistol Newsletter.

The post Annealing Basics – Part 3 (of 3) appeared first on Creedmoor Sports InfoZone.

Temperature Measurement, Equipment, and…When You Know It’s Time to Throw the BS Flag

Part of the journey towards being “Best in Class” as a club is providing technical information you so can make informed decisions on what you need to do to succeed. Last month we covered what happens and changes when brass cases are fired and re-sized, and we covered needed concepts to help you understand why brass has limited life with respect to performance and longevity.

In this installment annealing basics will be discussed.

To review – annealing rifle brass at 750 degrees for a second or two in the area of the neck where the bullet is seated slightly lowers the strength of the brass and improves ductility. This provides more consistent neck tension from case-to-case, improves accuracy, and improves case life with respect to neck splitting. Annealing should not be performed below the shoulder of the case because this weakens the case where it needs to be strongest.

Before starting with how to anneal, let’s dispel some myths heard in the pits and on forums…

• “I anneal till the color changes from shiny till it turns slightly red in a darkened room.” You exceeded 900 degrees F and have ruined that brass because it’s now way past being able to maintain neck tension. Grain growth has occurred in the material and it’s not possible to recover from that condition.
• “I put heat on the brass till the color changes from shiny to ” NOPE. The color change is due to oxidation or a reaction that occurs with contaminants on the surface of the hot brass and room air. This is not a reliable indication of annealing temperature.
• “I use an infrared gun to measure ” Well, unless you have a very sophisticated infrared measurement instrument that can isolate a small target such as a brass case, this is not a reliable way to measure temperature. Not to mention, you need to know the emissivity of hot, oxidized brass for accurate infrared temperature measurement, and you will need to do a lot of work to qualify your measurement methods. And you can’t use it with propane-fired machines

The common theme here is none of the above methods provide an accurate, reliable, repeatable means of measuring temperature. The key to successful annealing is accurate, consistent heating.

Now that you know what not to do for temperature measurement, let’s discuss acceptable methods. As indicated last month, it’s vital that you achieve the proper annealing temperature, otherwise, annealing transformation will not occur, or you will over-anneal and irretrievably ruin the brass.

The best way to measure temperature for our purposes is with a product called Tempilaq. This is a paint containing a substance that melts at a given temperature and is available at Brownells, or on Amazon, etc. For us, we need to anneal at 750 degrees F and Tempilaq Part Number 24423 is what should be used. ( See http://www.tempil.com/temperature-indicators/temperature-indicating-liquids/tempilaq- indicating-liquids/ ) This is an affordable, accurate, simple, reliable, and time-tested method of temperature indication for this kind of application. The author has relied on these products in his professional life in attainment and verification of pre-and post-weld heat treatment for nuclear welding and related heat treatment, and these products have always performed in a certifiable manner.

Part 3 of this series will discuss annealing machines. As always, if you have questions, contact Mike Glasman at orsatime@gmail.com

See ‘ya on the range! Mike Glasman

Note that this article shared by Mike Glasman was previously posted in the Oak Ridge Sportsman’s Association Rifle & Pistol Newsletter.

The post Annealing Basics – Part 2 (of 3) appeared first on Creedmoor Sports InfoZone.

Shooting Sports USA reports on the 6.5 Creedmoor Cartridge:

High power rifle competitors, take notice: Creedmoor Ammunition has recently added the cartridge that bears the company’s name, 6.5 Creedmoor, to their lineup. The company has been producing .223/5.56, .308, and .30-06 cartridges, as well as many different pistol calibers since last year.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is a superbly accurate cartridge. Originally designed for competitive shooting, it is an excellent hunting cartridge as well. The relatively short case and long OACL maximizes usable powder capacity with heavier projectile weights.

General Manager of Creedmoor Sports Dennis DeMille remarked about the new offering, “After months of preparation and testing we are proud to present our very first run of the cartridge that bears our name—6.5 Creedmoor. This is a picture [right] of a group I fired through my T2K at 600 yards. I can tell you I have never fired a more accurate round than what’s in this box.”

MSRP per box $28.20 with Nosler bullets, $27.95 with Hornady.

For over 35 years, Creedmoor Sports has been serving the high power competitive shooting community. Over that time, the company has dedicated themselves to manufacturing only quality products. Creedmoor’s goal is to give competitive shooters the confidence needed to win at every level.

The post Creedmoor Ammunition Adds 6.5 Creedmoor Cartridge to Lineup appeared first on Creedmoor Sports InfoZone.