-
- Species
- Whitetails
- Rut Reporters
- Deer Camp
- Big Game
- Small Game
- Birds
- Special Methods
- Bow Hunting
- Conservation
- Heroes of Conservation
- Hero for a Day
- Outdoor Skills
- Total Outdoorsman Challenge
- Land for Sale
-
- Species
- Bass
- Trout
- More Freshwater
- Saltwater
- Catchbook
- Special Methods
- Fly Fishing
- Hook Shots
- Conservation
- Heroes of Conservation
- Hero for a Day
- Outdoor Skills
- Total Outdoorsman Challenge
- Land for Sale
-
- Health & Fitness
- F&S Adventurer
- Outdoor Skills
- Total Outdoorsman Challenge
-
- Rifles
- Shotguns
- 2nd Amendment
- SHOT Show
- Outdoor Skills
- Total Outdoorsman Challenge
AnswersASK YOUR QUESTION
Print
Email
Share
Answers
Browse By
Top Users
Q:
While sighting in our .300 Weatherby's this weekend,something happened that we couldn't explain.
As we started to leave, my buddy was hitting the Bullseye at 100 yards,3-inches high. At first, the point of impact was somewhat off,and he made the adjustments to where he wanted it. He was using the Weatherby cartridge in the 180 grain.
After several shots,he decided to use the Weatherby,220 grain, to see what the difference was. He shot 3-times, at 100 yards and the bullet completely missed the target,cardboard and all.
He moved up to 50-yards and shot the target,and was at least 12-inches or more, to the left of dead center,barely on paper.
It was hot, and we had been there all day,so he just said he was going to place the gun in the case and come back to it later.
Any explanations as to why the disparity in the 180 gr. compared to the 220 gr.?
Question by 2Poppa. Uploaded on August 18, 2009
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Today on Field & Stream
Loading...
Visit Our Sister Sites at Bonnier Corporation
| Enthusiast | Kiteboarding | QUAD | SKI | Skiing | Scuba Diving | Sport Diver | TransWorld Ride BMX | TransWorld Business | TransWorld Motocross | TransWorld SKATEboarding, | TransWorld SNOWboarding | TransWorld SURF | WakeBoarding | WaterSki | Warren Miller Entertainment | WindSurfing |
|---|---|
| Travel | Caribbean Travel & Life | Destination Weddings & Honeymoon | Islands | Meeting Traveler | Resorts & Great Hotels |
| Lifestyle & Shelter | Florida Travel & Life | Garden Design | Home Ft. Lauderdale | Home Miami |
| Luxury | SNOW | Spa |
| Marine | Boating Life | Cruising World | Fly Fishing in Salt Waters | Power Cruising | Marlin | Motor Boating | Sailing World | Salt Water Sportsman | Sport Fishing | Yachting | NewBoats.com | UsedBoats.com | YachtBroker.com |
| Outdoor | Field & Stream | Outdoor Life | SHOT Business |
| Parenting | Babytalk | Parenting |
| Science | Popular Science | Science Illustrated |
| Saveur | Saveur |
| Working Mother Media | Working Mother |
| Entertainment / Events | World Entertainment Services | World Sports & Marketing |
Fieldandstream.com is part of the Field & Stream Network, a division of Bonnier Corporation.
Copyright © 2012 Bonnier Corp. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Answers (9)
Hot barrel and a big difference in barrel harmonics due to bedding are the likely culprits. He should clean the bore, fire one fouling shot, then let it cool and start with a cold barrel (hard to do this time of year). I would fire 2 rounds with the 22o at 50 yards and see where they hit and group. Then I would fire 1 shot with the 180 gr load and see if it returns to the original point of impact, which should be about 1 inch high at 50 yards if the previous zero was 3 inches high at 100 yds.
If the 180 still shoots to zero, then there is either a barrel harmonics issue or the load is all wrong for the rifle. If the 220's will group, then it is likely a barrel harmonics problem with that load. Too bad. Resolving a problem like this is time consuming since the barrel must cool down between trials to minimize hot barrel effects while trouble shooting. Oh, if none of the shots will group, maybe something shot loose in the scope or mounts are loose. Are the 220's handloads?
wow 12" at 50 yards. WA Mtnhunter knows his stuff, i would take his advice.
It’s called barrel whip!
YEP! BARREL WHIP!
And/or the 220 grain bullet was tumbling!!
Another prime reason I like the 06's!!
WA Mtnhunter-
Thanks for the info!
The 220's were purchased at the same time, the 180's were bought, in the Weatherby cartridge.
We did check for loose scope or mounts,and they were still tight.
I'm assuming the hot barrel was the culprit in this case. We should be going back out next weekend,if not before,to shoot again.
I agree that in all probability a hot light weight bbl. caused the problem. Good luck 2Poppa.
@2Poppa
If it is a hot 26 inch barrel, the harmonics (aka whip) may be so different that it won't reliably handle the larger bullet. My .308 scatters 180 grain factory loads like the wind and cuts cloverleafs with 150 grain Speer soft point spitzers. Go figure!
That's a whole lot of difference with 40 grains of bullet weight, however.
That's a big difference in bullet weight. The 220's are probably round nosed and the 180 spitzers too. Throw in a hot soda straw barrel and that is what you get. That long bullet might need a faster twist in the rifling. If it doesn't outright tumble it could still be inaccurate.
Hey 2Poppa,
If you want something to hurl 225 grain projectiles, get a .35 Whelen or .358 Norma Mag! To me, when you go with 200+ grain bullets, you toss out the ballistic advantage of the fast Weatherby cartridge. You end up with standard velocity and a rainbow trajectory!
I would still be interested to know how your sight in turns out.
Don't panic! The weight difference of these bullets is substantial and they may well zero at points as much as a foot apart at 100 yards. There is a big difference in velocity and barrel torque. On my .300 Dakota that is similar in behavior to the .300 Wby, my 180's shoot nearly a foot higher than my 210s. Of course there is a chance that the twist in your barrel is not stabilizing the 220s but if they are grouping fine, just adjust to the scope for the different bullets. (If you shoot a 1:12, the 220s won't stabilize). If each groups well, you are just fine. Just don't switch between the two in the field without adjusting your scope.
Post an Answer
Hot barrel and a big difference in barrel harmonics due to bedding are the likely culprits. He should clean the bore, fire one fouling shot, then let it cool and start with a cold barrel (hard to do this time of year). I would fire 2 rounds with the 22o at 50 yards and see where they hit and group. Then I would fire 1 shot with the 180 gr load and see if it returns to the original point of impact, which should be about 1 inch high at 50 yards if the previous zero was 3 inches high at 100 yds.
If the 180 still shoots to zero, then there is either a barrel harmonics issue or the load is all wrong for the rifle. If the 220's will group, then it is likely a barrel harmonics problem with that load. Too bad. Resolving a problem like this is time consuming since the barrel must cool down between trials to minimize hot barrel effects while trouble shooting. Oh, if none of the shots will group, maybe something shot loose in the scope or mounts are loose. Are the 220's handloads?
It’s called barrel whip!
YEP! BARREL WHIP!
And/or the 220 grain bullet was tumbling!!
Another prime reason I like the 06's!!
wow 12" at 50 yards. WA Mtnhunter knows his stuff, i would take his advice.
WA Mtnhunter-
Thanks for the info!
The 220's were purchased at the same time, the 180's were bought, in the Weatherby cartridge.
We did check for loose scope or mounts,and they were still tight.
I'm assuming the hot barrel was the culprit in this case. We should be going back out next weekend,if not before,to shoot again.
I agree that in all probability a hot light weight bbl. caused the problem. Good luck 2Poppa.
@2Poppa
If it is a hot 26 inch barrel, the harmonics (aka whip) may be so different that it won't reliably handle the larger bullet. My .308 scatters 180 grain factory loads like the wind and cuts cloverleafs with 150 grain Speer soft point spitzers. Go figure!
That's a whole lot of difference with 40 grains of bullet weight, however.
That's a big difference in bullet weight. The 220's are probably round nosed and the 180 spitzers too. Throw in a hot soda straw barrel and that is what you get. That long bullet might need a faster twist in the rifling. If it doesn't outright tumble it could still be inaccurate.
Hey 2Poppa,
If you want something to hurl 225 grain projectiles, get a .35 Whelen or .358 Norma Mag! To me, when you go with 200+ grain bullets, you toss out the ballistic advantage of the fast Weatherby cartridge. You end up with standard velocity and a rainbow trajectory!
I would still be interested to know how your sight in turns out.
Don't panic! The weight difference of these bullets is substantial and they may well zero at points as much as a foot apart at 100 yards. There is a big difference in velocity and barrel torque. On my .300 Dakota that is similar in behavior to the .300 Wby, my 180's shoot nearly a foot higher than my 210s. Of course there is a chance that the twist in your barrel is not stabilizing the 220s but if they are grouping fine, just adjust to the scope for the different bullets. (If you shoot a 1:12, the 220s won't stabilize). If each groups well, you are just fine. Just don't switch between the two in the field without adjusting your scope.
Post an Answer