quote:

Originally posted by benny6:
I dropped my rifle into a JAE-100 G3 chassis now and have been in the process of doing some load development. I went out to do some chrono testing and loaded up some 155 grain Berger Hybrids in some LC cases with Remington 9-1/2 primers and began ladder testing with IMR-3031

I tested all the loads first with my 22" barreled M14 to see if the velocities came close to matching the published velocities and they peaked out at 2787 FPS 12' from the muzzle with max recommended load of 42.5 grains of IMR-3031. The best group was 42.0 grains at 2750 FPS.

I began testing the SOCOM but the wind picked up and began to blow my chronograph out of alignment. I wasn't able to finish the last load as the screens were so far out of alignment that I couldn't physically shoot through them. For the ones I could shoot through, I couldn't shoot at the target as the alignment was too far out and I had to just park them in the berm. It was the end of the day anyway and I didn't have time to just reset the screens and try again.

I was very frustrated and ordered a labradar as soon as I got home.

The 41.5 grain load out of the SOCOM measured 2606 FPS. I still have a full grain to work with. I only got 2 shots off on the 42.0 grain load and they were right around 2605, but that's not enough data to tell me anything, so I'll have to do those over. I plugged in 2605 into JBM ballistics and it just becomes subsonic right at 1,000 yards. I'll be curious to see what happens when I get out to the range with the Labradar and the 4.20 grain load and the 42.5 grain load to see what kind of velocity gains I pick up.

On average, the SOCOM barrel was 130 FPS slower than the 22" barrel, so at max load I might be able to get 2650 FPS.

I'm still waiting on Delta-P to make another batch of their gas locks as I believe they are a great accuracy improvement.

Tony.