The recent thread about shooting bullets in the order cast got me thinking. Some may assume that shooting in the order cast, sorting them by weight, or ensuring they have nice square bases with sharp clean edges solves all their accuracy woes. Only problem is, that ain’t so. There is no single thing that is the “silver bullet” to achieving fine accuracy with cast bullets. Fine accuracy is not dependent on only one thing, it’s EVERYTHING. The list is long but involves things such as: Quality of your rifle condition of bore trigger sights stocks tension of the screws holding on the stocks bullets & alloy primers cartridge cases powder bench rest (or offhand) technique time devoted to practice to name just a few. It’s a self laid trap to think that “if I could just find the right primer, this rifle would put ‘em all into one hole”. Let’s say you have a rifle (Schuetzen) that, with decent range conditions shoots 200 yard groups of 2”. Now let’s say you think your rifle should be producing 1” groups at that distance because you’ve done it on occasion. Good on ya. You are probably right. What would it take, you’re thinking, to make groups like that on a regular basis? Here’s my take on it. However much effort you have been putting into casting, loading & shooting, it will take about twice as much effort to consistently cut 1/2” off your group size. To consistently shoot into 1”, you need to double your efforts again. The guys that always seem to beat the pants of their competition earn it. They are not only good shots, they practice but also put in the effort to consistently get the most out of their loads, bullets, range gear and rifles. For instance, if you have determined that a different bullet would get better accuracy, you buy it. Most of us shoot this cast bullet game because we enjoy it. I know I do. But to be someone who can pound out 250s several times a year takes a lot of effort. If you doubt my words, contact John Louis here on this forum. He and several others in that gang in California are REALLY serious bench rest shooters. Why are they so good? Ask them, perhaps they will tell you how much effort it takes. All this is my opinion but based on a lot of years in the Schuetzen game. Most of this stuff becomes self evident over time but I thought I would throw it out here anyway. Each of us do not have to re-invent the wheel on our own to get our rifles to shoot accurately. That’s why books are written and why this forum remains active.
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