remington R25

[marcus]

Hello, My brother and I both are shooting remingtons R25 for coyote hunting and shooting 55 grain bullets that are very accurate at 100 yards. The problem is at 200 yards we can't get them to shoot tight groups. Wondering if anyone else is shooting a R25 and noticed the same problem? Wondering if the guns are known for that or if need to try different loads? Thanks

[lb]

What kind of scope are you using and does it have a parallax adjustment?

[marcus]

lb, I have a leupold VX-III for a scope.

[lb]

Then I don't have a solution? That's usually a fairly high quality scope. Groups should be linear, MOA at 100 should be almost the same at 200, allowing for conditions such as mirage and wind.

I would suggest checking mounts and rings and bedding, but if your groups are acceptable at 100, they should also be acceptable at 200.

You do know how to check for parallax, right? The numbers don't mean anything, in practice.

[trappincoyotes39]

what kind of groups at 200 are you getting?

[marcus]

At 100 yards I can put everyshot in a 1 inch circle. Yesterday I shot 4 times and 2 holes were touching and other two about quarter inch away. Then I shot 5 times at 200 and had about a 4-5 inch circle, not what I want for coyote hunting. Wondering if anyone else has the same problem with a R25? Thanks for the help.

[marcus]

lb, not sure what you mean when you ask about parallax?

[trappincoyotes39]

have you looked down the barrel with a light? checked rifling? Also is your trigger a crisp smooth one and around 3-4 lbs of pull?

what brand of ammo are you shooting and bullet?

parallax shouldn't mean 4-5" at 200 versus a 100 yrds. unless your using a high mag scope?

What power do you have on this rifle? 3x9 4x12 or higher?

[lb]

To check for parallax sandbag your rifle and make sure the crosshairs are dead center on the target.
Then, move your head slightly from side to side and up and down. If the crosshairs appear to move off target, even though the rifle and scope have not moved, you have parallax at that distance.
Some scopes don't have a parallax knob and are usually set to be parallax free at 150 yards.
But, if you have a focus adjustment knob or a ring located at the objective, you can turn it until the crosshairs do not appear to move when you move your eye at the ocular. The marks are usually from 25/50 yards to infinity but I have found that the numbers are not always correct. For instance, I have an expensive scope that I set at 250yards for a 100 yard focus.

Regardless if this is the problem, or not, you should be aware of this condition.

As far as 4-5" groups at 200 yards, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Are these a type of surplus military FMJ bullets with a canilure by any chance? There are some bullets with a short bearing surface and a long 8 caliber ogive that require a very fast twist to stabilize. Although, again, I don't know if this would account for 5" groups @200 yards. And, it's on two separate rifles? Something's going on that has not been mentioned. Normally, 55 grain bullets that group okay at 100 yards do not wobble like crazy and be inaccurate by 350% for no reason?

edit: do you have the means to check concentricity? You might look at the seating stem on your seating die to see if it has a nick or dent that might cause the bullets to be seated off center.

[marcus]

trappingcoyote39, The scope is 3.5x10 power, I'm hand loading all my bullets. I using 55grain Nosler combined technogly ballistic silvertip bullets and 37.6 grains of hodgdon benchmark powder. My brother is loading 58 grain hordany V-Max bullets with IMR4320 powder.

lb- I will definitely check the parallax

Thanks for the help, I'm going to play around until I figure it out. Just amazing how accurate the guns are at 100yards but not 200, never had a gun do that.

[marcus]

Went to range today and shot some different 55gr loads and same thing. Then I shot some of my 95gr deer hunting loads and it was amazing good they shot. So I'm going to play around with some heavier grain bullets to find what shoots best.

[trappincoyotes39]

I looked up your r 25 1-10 twist should handle 70-80 grains as well but in my .243 with 1-9.25 twist for sure the 95's are hard to beat for accuracy and great on coyotes to boot. I'm using h 4350 powder and Hornady brass great stuff! I can hold a 1" group at 200 really well. The savage is a shooter.

Weird your groups are that large with a 1-10 but very well could be.

[marcus]

trappingcoyotes39, Wondering if you know of a fur friendly bullet arond 75-80 grain bullet? thanks

[lb]

About time we discovered this is a 243, and you are using different powders but the same bullet.

However, this is backwards. The 1-10 twist should favor the lighter bullets since a heavier bullet requires a faster twist and higher RPM to stabilize longer heavier bullets.

I own a 243Ackley, a 243W and a 6mmRem. You are almost never going to find a 100% reliable fur friendly bullet for a 243. Perhaps the Nosler, which is one that I have never used, but if trappin says it's okay, good enough, BUT. Understand, his application is a lot different. What constitutes fur friendly for you may not be his, or mine. A 55 grain bullet in a 243 is almost always going to be destructive on coyotes. I have not used a 55 but I have used 56 and 60 and doubt they are much different.

Specifically, I can't think of a single 75-80 grain 6mm bullet that would be fur friendly. Maybe the Barnes would be worth a try? Basically, you are reinventing the wheel, a 243 is actually more like a deer rifle and for sure, not fur friendly. It can reliably kill coyotes, there is no doubt about that.

[trappincoyotes39]

Marcus try the 90 or 95 nosler bal yip the reason I rec these is they are constructed a bit tougher than the varmint offerings from 50-80 which will all have a thinner jacket construction. I have been happy with the performance of a 95 in the nosler as far as fur damage and stopping power on coyotes.

But yes your gun should shoot 70's and 55's better theoretically speaking but each gun is different.