Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 28

Thread: Help! I've lost 500fps!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    Posts
    821

    Help! I've lost 500fps!

    This might be obvious to the more experienced reloaded however I've somehow lost 500fps from .22-250 home load

    When I started developing my load I got to 33.2 grains of varget using a 50 grain hornady ballistic tip head which chronographed at 3550fps which checks out about right

    However when I started doing my ranging I noticed it was shooting an inch higher than it should at its peak, I checked everything again and when I've chronographed the new batch they are running at 3050fps so I obviously though I'd messed up the powder weight somehow however I've pulled the heads on several and they are all correct?

    I've not changed anything so where else could I have went wrong??

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Watford
    Posts
    8,379
    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Fudd View Post
    This might be obvious to the more experienced reloaded however I've somehow lost 500fps from .22-250 home load

    When I started developing my load I got to 33.2 grains of varget using a 50 grain hornady ballistic tip head which chronographed at 3550fps which checks out about right

    However when I started doing my ranging I noticed it was shooting an inch higher than it should at its peak, I checked everything again and when I've chronographed the new batch they are running at 3050fps so I obviously though I'd messed up the powder weight somehow however I've pulled the heads on several and they are all correct?

    I've not changed anything so where else could I have went wrong??
    Check the chronograph?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    Bristol
    Posts
    6,259
    Wrong weight bullet. Sometimes, stuff happens.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Gone West Young Man
    Posts
    20,266
    You chopped 10" off the barrel

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Amlwch, Anglesey
    Posts
    30,416
    Have you looked down the back of the sofa?

    I'm always losing stuff down there.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Darwen
    Posts
    388
    From your original load:

    Are you using the same manufacturer brass?
    Are you seating heads to same depth?
    Are you using the same primers?
    Are you using the same manufacturer heads?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    Posts
    821
    Quote Originally Posted by Punchsteve View Post
    Have you looked down the back of the sofa?

    I'm always losing stuff down there.
    LOL first place I looked!!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    Posts
    821
    Quote Originally Posted by Dougie View Post
    From your original load:

    Are you using the same manufacturer brass?
    Are you seating heads to same depth?
    Are you using the same primers?
    Are you using the same manufacturer heads?
    Hi mate I've literally not changed anything!? I'm using the same fire formed brass which has been loaded once or twice at most, I'm neck sizing the brass the same as the first time round and did think it could be that as a couple of the heads I pulled off seem to come out more easily than the others but don't think that could equate to 500fps as any loss of built up pressure in the cartridge would be made up in the barrel??

    Everything else is exactly the same, same powder, same brass, same head, same primer, checked the chronograph against another known speed load and came up with the right velocities?!

    The hornady book states a velocity of 3500 fps for 33.7 grains so how can i be so far out, the barrel could probably do with a clean as I've put about 200-300 rounds through it since the first batch

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Longfield. Kent
    Posts
    529
    Have you checked for throat erosion? I had rifles lose velocity as the throat wears, although no where near 500fps!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    Posts
    821
    it's a brand new rifle with stainless barrel so I'd be surprised if there was any throat erosion, it's only had the first batch and the new ones through it so far so not even had 500 rounds through it yet?

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Derby
    Posts
    1,047
    Clean the tube for starters. Are you using a different batch of anything? Are the bullets definitely 50 grain, not 55?

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    Posts
    821
    Yeah will hopefully be able to get the barrel cleaned tonight, I originally bought two boxes of 250 50gr heads which I'm still using however will double check the actual weight of them later in case they have been mixed up, will hopefully get out later with a clean barrel and chrono again

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Salisbury Wiltshire
    Posts
    254
    Mr F,

    If I've understood your comments correctly, then I think it's a chrony issue.

    You say your bullets are striking 1" higher, yet have lost 500 fps?? Something doesn't sound right.

  14. #14
    Randy Bohannon's Avatar
    Randy Bohannon is offline “Junes1 is a whining bellend”
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    London
    Posts
    28,522
    Quote Originally Posted by 220AI View Post
    Mr F,

    If I've understood your comments correctly, then I think it's a chrony issue.

    You say your bullets are striking 1" higher, yet have lost 500 fps?? Something doesn't sound right.
    1" higher would make sense with a lower velocity load if he was measuring the maximum ordinate.

    In other words if he zeroed at 200 yards he would then expect something like 1" high at 100 yards. If he found that it was in fact 2" high at 100 yards on shooting the lower velocity is indicated.

    weird one, losing 500fps seems almost impossible without maybe having used a much slower powder in the second set of loads.

    Soot on the cases?
    "An infinite number of monkeys banging away at type writers for an infinite period of time will eventually reproduce Hamlet" Thanks to discussion forums we now know this to be untrue.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jul 2000
    Location
    Stoke
    Posts
    10,020
    Quote Originally Posted by The Lord Flashheart View Post
    1" higher would make sense with a lower velocity load if he was measuring the maximum ordinate.

    In other words if he zeroed at 200 yards he would then expect something like 1" high at 100 yards. If he found that it was in fact 2" high at 100 yards on shooting the lower velocity is indicated.

    weird one, losing 500fps seems almost impossible without maybe having used a much slower powder in the second set of loads.

    Soot on the cases?
    There's also the simple fact that lower velocity rounds exit later in the recoil cycle. Certainly in pistol shooting, high strikes are generally a sign of reduced velocity.
    ...history... is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind. (Edward Gibbon: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •