Revised BC Assessment
For unknown reasons, the original BC test produced results that were not repeatable for this bullet. Upon releasing these bullets to the public, we started to hear that trajectories predicted with the advertised BC’s were not matching the observed drop. We took this feedback seriously, and performed several more careful BC tests. The results of each of these tests have produced a repeatable BC, but it’s lower than the original value by about 7%.

The revised BC’s for the 300 grain .338 Hybrid are:
G7 BC = 0.419
G1 BC = 0.818

The above BC’s have been measured in multiple tests in multiple barrels, and produce calculated trajectories that match the observations of some credible shooters.

We’re grateful for the feedback of the shooters who brought this matter to our attention and allowed us to correct the inaccurate information. Greater care will be taken with future tests in an effort to prevent this from happening again.

Limitations to the Bullet’s Structural Integrity
Another thing that happened when we released these bullets to the public is that they were fired in cartridges that are more energetic than the .338 Edge which I used for the initial evaluations. Upon exposure to the extreme pressures and accelerations produced by some of the larger cartridges, some negative results were observed; poor groups, and lower observed BC (even lower than the revised values above). Our current working theory is that the poor precision and reduced BC are a result of nose slump. Nose slump is when the bullet is accelerated so fast that the base of the nose can’t support its own weight, and bulges out to fill the barrel. This produces a bullet with a longer bearing surface and a shorter nose which explains the compromised BC. Since this deformation doesn’t occur exactly the same every time, poor precision also results.

The exact threshold of pressure/acceleration that will cause nose slump with this bullet is not known. There are a number of small to medium capacity cartridges that shoot these bullets very well, with extremely good precision and a repeatable BC. So far there have been no reported cases of nose slump with cartridges in the following class: .338 Winchester Mag, .338 Norma Mag, .338 RUM, and .338 Edge, etc.

The .338 Lapua Mag seems to be a borderline case which may or may not produce nose slump. Factors that affect pressure/acceleration will affect the likeliness of nose slump occurring. For example, ball powders are typically faster burning than stick powders, so they produce higher peak pressures, and are more likely to produce nose slump. Tighter bores can also cause elevated pressures and tip the scales toward nose slump.

Cartridges like the .338 Lapua Mag Improved and larger are virtually assured of producing nose slump when loaded to their potential pressures.

If you’re working up a load with these bullets and having difficulty finding a precise load, it’s likely that you’re exceeding the pressure threshold where nose slump happens. In small to medium cartridges, the hybrid ogive design makes it quite easy to find an accurate load. The bullet is quite insensitive to seating depth. If you’re working with a large capacity case and having poor results, you should consider reducing the powder charge until good groups are achieved.

When designing a bullet for use in hunting applications, the toughness of the bullet is always a trade-off. Terminally, you want a bullet that is capable of reliable expansion/fragmentation at low impact velocities. However, the bullet can’t be so thin-skinned that it doesn’t survive being launched at very high speeds. This being our first time working with a bullet this large, a construction was selected which we felt would strike the best balance between toughness and terminal performance. Simply put, we erred too much on the side of terminal performance. The result is a bullet that’s perfectly suited for small to medium capacity cases, but simply isn’t tough enough to survive being fired from the more energetic magnums.

The good news is that the situation has been identified and several solutions are already being worked on. We know the design needs to be ‘toughened up’ for successful use in larger cartridges, and we’re considering the best way to do this.

In Summary
The Berger .338 caliber 300 grain Hybrid bullet is still the highest BC bullet in its class. The performance gap just isn’t as big as originally thought.

In its current form, the bullet is perfectly suitable for many popular small to medium capacity cartridges. From my .338 Edge test rifle, I’ve shot multiple 10 shot groups at 1000 yards under 10” and the bullets performed with a very repeatable BC. For the time being, those with larger capacity cartridges will have to wait for the bullet to be toughened up in order to achieve good performance. We don’t have an anticipated timeline for this revision, but it is a top priority.

On a personal note, I want to express my gratitude for the shooters who’ve provided the critical feedback which helped us to understand the situation enough to take action. Having an open dialogue and exchange of information is the best way to ensure we’re doing everything we can to make the best bullets possible.

http://02b0516.netsolhost.com/blog1/?p=133

Savage Model 110

Patent-type drawings, dated 1892, demonstrate that Arthur W. Savage designed the first rotary-magazine, lever-action repeating rifle. Hammerless and with a solid breech, the rifle’s rotary magazine was similar to the Mannlicher design of 1887. It was actuated by a bar-lever also serving as a trigger guard. It was Savage’s intent that his design would serve as a military firearm. He was unsuccessful in doing so, but was granted a patent on 7 February 1893. The rifle was introduced as the Model 1895. After some changes were made, the Savage Arms Company introduced the Model 1899, which was to become the company’s mainstay for many decades. In 1958 the Savage Arms Corporation introduced the Model 110 bolt-action rifle. While not entirely novel and basically a Mauser type, the Model 110 has several internal features never used before in a turnbolt design. The Savage Model 110 action was designed by Nicholas Brewer. Brewer’s action is reliable, economical, easy to operate and easy to disassemble

It forms the basis for the Savage caliber .308 Win. Model 10FCP 308 WIN HS PREC sniper rifle sent to SHOTGUN NEWS for test and evaluation. In addition to their extensive line of sporting rifles, the Savage Arms, Inc. markets an extensive line of sniper rifles for law enforcement applications with stocks from H-S Precision, Choate or McMillan. They are economical, incredibly accurate and both rugged and reliable. These rifles have already been fielded successfully in operations with the Special Action Force, which is the main counter-terrorism unit of the PNP.

The PNP-SAF model has a barrel with a precisely machined taper and thread to accommodate an Ops-Inc. sound suppressor. The PNP-SAF rifle is equipped with a four-round, single-position-feed, staggered-column, detachable box magazine. This is a seldom encountered, but decidedly valuable feature on a tactical turnbolt, as it provides the operator with an instantly available potential for a greater supply of ammunition and also a selection during an operation of alternative specialty ammunition types.

Overall length of the Model 10FCP 308 WIN HS PREC sniper rifle sent to SGN is 45.5 inches (1155.7mm). The 22-inch (558.8mm) Savage heavy barrel has six grooves with a 1:10 right-hand twist. It is fully free floating. The weight, empty, is 9 pounds (4.08 kg). The exterior finish is a matte, shot-blast, black oxide.

The Savage PNP-SAF rifle sells for $1,330 without the bipod. Anyone wanting a rifle exactly like this with the barrel threaded for the Elite Iron sound suppressor and equipped with a thread protector can go through the Savage special-order department, as it is not a catalogued item. The H-S Precision Pro-Series stock is composed of woven Kevlar and fiberglass cloth, uni-directional carbon fiber, with an epoxy-based gel coat and laminating resin. It features reaction injection molded (machine mixed) polyurethane foam that has been fiberglass reinforced. The stock has a high comb that was designed to interface with optical sights equipped with the large objective lenses popular with law enforcement and military snipers without the need for a padded or extended cheekpiece, although for the PNP-SAF contract it was fitted with an excellent Karsten adjustable cheekpiece. An important characteristic of this stock is a proprietary CNC-machined aluminum bedding block chassis system, designed by H-S Precision, which results in an extremely stable and rugged bedding system. The stock is equipped with a rugged rubber recoil pad.

The model 110 receivers start as a large diameter bar of aircraft-quality steel alloy or stainless steel. Bars are cut and gun-drilled, as are the barrels, and then are turned to final diameter and concentricity. Next, five broaches are pulled to change the hole from round to a shape that matches the bolt head. After a few operations on heavy milling machines, the receivers pass through a line of CNC vertical machining centers to machine finish all the critical dimensions. The receivers are induction hardened in a computer-controlled machine that utilizes a robot to load the parts for hardening.

Induction hardening generates heat by holding the part inside a coil that generates a magnetic field with high frequency alternating current, which causes the field to reverse with every cycle. The molecules of steel are pushed and pulled in the field so fast that they rub against each other and the resulting friction generates heat. The entire hardening process takes less than a minute and the parts are dropped into an oil quench. The receivers are pulled from the quench by conveyor. After washing they are tempered in electric ovens to produce the final hardness.

Barrels start as lengths of solid bar 18 to 20 feet long of gun-barrel-quality special alloy steels (carbon and stainless alloys) fully heat-treated to finished specifications. All machining is performed on the barrels in its final heat-treated condition. This is important as heat-treating after machining could change critical dimensions and surface finish, resulting in a barrel that will never be capable of good accuracy.

Some other makers use the hammer forge method that starts with a large diameter short bar of steel in its softest condition and a through hole larger than the chamber, which is then hammered over a mandrel tightly pushing the steel along the length of the barrel nearly doubling the length of the original blank. The tricky part is relieving the stress and heat-treating without changing the inside shape, size and finish. Some target barrels made by this process leave the hammer marks on the exterior, as the maker wants to prevent changes to the bore that result from stress relieving by turning the outside diameter.

At Savage the bars are cut to lengths based on the finished barrel length desired on a lathe-type bar cutting machine, which provides an end with the smooth finish and perpendicularity required for gun-drilling. After gun-drilling, the blanks are reamed to final size and finish in multiple passes. The final size and finish must be held very close so that the button rifling process can create the rifled bore and grooves to the final dimensions. The rifling button is pulled through the bore and is rotated to match the twist on the grooves made in the button. The button forms the rifling by displacing material. No material is removed. Next, the outside of the barrel is created concentric around the hole. This requires that the hole be straight and this is where the “art” in making barrels gets applied. It takes a lot of skill and years of experience to get consistent results.

The first step in the rifle’s assembly is called “swinging.” At this stage Savage assembles a receiver, barrel and bolt assembly and sandwich the recoil lug between the receiver and locknut. The barrel is screwed against the bolt with a “Minimum”headspace gage in the chamber to fit the headspace at dead “Minimum” with the bolt closed. The locknut is tightened with a torque wrench to secure the barrel. Until this operation is completed it’s not known where the top of the barrel is going to be, which is why Savage strives to produce barrels with uniform concentricity.

Another important reason to have uniform concentricity is so the point of impact will not walk as the barrel heats up shot-to-shot. In this manner Savage can build rifle after rifle with minimum headspace. Other manufacturers assemble barrels and receivers and fit the bolt to the space that’s left so that it will close on a “go” gage and not close on the “no go” gage. Savage has assembled rifles with as little as .00125″ difference between the “go” and “no go” gages. The Savage Model 110 bolt head is pinned to the bolt body, permitting a slight motion that ensures both lugs have full bearing on the locking surfaces in the receiver when the rifle is headspaced. This gives long life and aids accuracy. On most turnbolt actions, the bolt only contacts the receiver on a small part of the locking surface. This is why gunsmiths lap bolts before accurizing or fitting custom barrels. There is thus no need to lap the bolt and receiver of a Savage action to get full bearing.

Savage bolt assemblies provide for precision adjustment of firing pin protrusion and preload adjustment on the mainspring. This is performed on every bolt assembly, as it is built to minimize the stack-up of tolerances so that every rifle is fitted with an optimum bolt for uniform function. The Model 110 design has always achieved high ratings for short lock time and was listed in the top 10th percentile of all rifles rated in an independent study. The top of the receiver ring and bridge are tapped for scope mount bases. For the PNP-SAF model Savage installed a one-piece MIL-STD-1913 steel rail.

The receiver ring is about 1.6 inches in length. The Model 110 bridge, about 1.5 inches in length, is longer than that of most centerfire turnbolt actions. This added length provides support to the bolt when it’s drawn rearward so there is very little wobble or play at the end of the bolt stroke. The Model 110 barrel has no reinforced shoulder however, about 1.5 inches of the barrel length is threaded and screwed into this is a contoured lock nut. The breechface of the barrel is counterbored for about .250″, and into this goes the head of the bolt. The bolt head is also recessed about .135″ deep for the cartridge head. The recoil lug, a .150″ thick steel stamping, is positioned over the barrel shank, between the receiver and barrel lock nut.

The bolt and firing pin assembly look complicated, but were designed for ease of series production and assembly. Many of these components are investment castings. The bolt body is tube-shaped with the cocking-cam notch recess milled into it. The separate bolt head, with solid opposed locking lugs, attaches to the front end of the bolt body. The C-type spring-clip extractor is attached over the rim of the bolt head recess on the front end of the bolt head. Lips on the interior ends of the extractor engage grooves cut into each side of the bolt head, and thus prevent the extractor from being pulled off the bolt head during the extraction process. The ejector is a spring-loaded plunger built into the breechface.

The Model 110 is well known for its unique front baffle, which aids in the control of escaping gas (from a ruptured primer or case) by blocking off the bolt raceway when the action is closed. Any gas escaping due to an ammunition failure that enters the bolt head is vented through a hole on the bottom of the bolt head that lines up with one of two gas port holes in the receiver when the bolt is in the locked position. The tear of the bolt assembly is sealed with an assembly bolt and the tear of the bolt raceways are blocked by a rear baffle. The bolt handle is made as a separate component, its base surrounding the rear end of the bolt body. Two projections at the rear end of the bolt body, interfacing with two matching grooves inside the bolt collar, prevent the bolt handle from turning on the bolt.

A solid screw with a knurled head-called the bolt assembly screw-threads into the rear end of the bolt, retaining the bolt handle and sealing the bolt. Three ball-bearing plungers under the head of this bolt assembly screw, and notches at the tear of the bolt handle base, keep this screw from loosening once it has been tightened down. All of the law enforcement versions, such as the PNP-SAF model, feature larger, oversize bolt knobs. The two locking lugs, engaging behind shoulders inside the receiver ring, secure the round inside the chamber. The root of the bolt handle, interfacing with a deep recess in the tang, serves as the third, or safety, locking lug.

The one-piece firing pin is exceptionally lightweight. The threaded front and rear ends of the striker body are milled flat for the entire length of the threads. The firing pin stop nut is threaded over the front end; in assembling the firing pin in the bolt body at the factory, the stop nut is rotated until the firing pin tip protrudes .060″ when it’s resting on the rear of the bolt head. The rear end of this nut is notched, and a toothed washer-held in place by the mainspring-keeps the firing pin from turning and maintains a constant adjustment. One of the most interesting features of the Savage Model 110 rifles, in all their many formats, is the AccuTrigger. The Savage AccuTrigger gives the operator the option to set trigger pull weights to his preference without the requirement of a gunsmith.

Even when adjusted to its lowest setting, the AccuTrigger is completely safe and cannot accidentally discharge during normal use by jarring or dropping. A newly designed teardrop safety is an additional feature on centerfire rifles with the AccuTrigger. It provides better acquisition of the safety button with smoother and quieter operation. The AccuTrigger is designed with an integrated AccuRelease that must be completely depressed or the rifle cannot fire. When pulling the trigger, the AccuRelease is intentionally depressed, which unblocks the sear and allows the rifle to discharge.

Adjustment of the AccuTrigger is quite simple. Remove the stock and rotate the return spring with the tool supplied. It cannot be adjusted below the minimum setting. Trigger pull weights on law enforcement models can be adjusted from 1 1/2 to 6 pounds. The rifle sent to us for test and evaluation was adjusted at the factory with a pull weight of exactly 1 1/2 pounds.

This trigger safety is more than a little reminiscent of those found on the Glock and Springfield Armory XD pistols, which, in turn were taken from the Sauer Model 1930 caliber .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning) pistol, often designated as the Behorden Modell (Authorities Model). In my opinion, sniper weapon systems, whether designed for law enforcement or military applications, should be equipped with a bipod, especially so when chambered for the heavier 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge and when deploying with heavy scopes of high magnification.

Savage Arms keep coming out with better and more accurate rifles and are quickly becoming the standard that all company’s will have to strive to achieve.

The test rifle was designed to show case many of the options available and was made up of the following components

Benchmark stainless, 3-groove, 1:11 twist , 24″, fluted barrel, M40A1 contour with muzzle brake (5/8″x24tpi) thread protector included, chambered with 308 win. match spec reamer.

Lawton 7000 stainless action with chomolly bolt and Lawton 20 MOA scope base.

The pillar and recoil lug areas are bedded with titanium devcon, and skim bedded with marine tex.

McMillan A5 stock with saddle cheek piece

Jewel trigger adjustable from 3 oz. to 1 lbs. (I found it to be very nicely tuned when testing)

Badger M5 DBM with 5 round mag. (added after my testing)

Guarantee: ½ MOA at 500yds (3 shots) with hand loads.

The rifle came in around 12.5 pounds without scope and bipod.

The tentative price the rifle would be $3,829 (with the above options) which is very competitive with rifles built with similar components. Many I looked at where just over $4000 with similar options.  Benchmark’s rifles would also include a guarantee of ½ MOA guarantee (for 3 shots) at 500yds with hand loads (no bench rest match prepping required, just quality components in consistent proportions). It’s not uncommon to have 100yd accuracy guarantee with factory ammo, I think this is a good thing, but most who buy rifles like this aren’t shooting factory ammo anyway. Law enforcement and military are another animal altogether, but the Jewel trigger leads me to believe this rifle is directed more toward the competition (long range tactical and F-class alike) market anyway.

When I first took the rifle I was immediately struck by how solid and quality the Lawton action felt. It compared very favorably to a Phoenix action that I currently own. After looking it over, working the action, and dry firing a few times I had a very good feeling about this rifle. I took it home an mounted my loaner scope, a Bushnell 4200 6-24×50 Tactical (I mounted my Nightforce  for pictures). It’s not as nice as my other scopes but it has worked flawlessly since I got it. I wouldn’t be able to blame any “accuracy issues” on the scope. I normally avoid public shooting ranges like the plague but I didn’t have time to get out to one of my own “shooting spots” for barrel break in. I’m not personally sold on the “proper barrel break in procedure” but since I can’t afford to purchase this rife myself. I judiciously, fired and cleaned, fired and cleaned until there was very little fouling. I was provided some surplus ammo (mixed head stamps) for this process. I did shoot some groups for accuracy and separated head stamps as best I could. Some of the groups weren’t incredibly impressive (no doubt there was some human error, but it’s safe to say I could hold tighter than the surplus ammo would shoot). One head stamp though, “FN 70″ shot very well with a best 3 shot group of .271″. Nearly ¼ MOA with this ammo is pretty darn good in my opinion. Another shooter provided me with 3 rounds of 168gr GMM free of charge if I could squeeze them into less than ½ inch outside to outside. The rifle liked this ammo just fine, as the group was .091″ center to center. I took the rifle home for a thorough cleaning and found it cleaned up very easily, something I expected since it’s not my first Benchmark barrel.

The very next weekend I had planned to go with some buddies on a long range shooting trip. I knew this would be my best opportunity to test the rifle at 500yds. Benchmark didn’t give me any demands about my testing, so I selfishly based everything on my goals for an F-TR rifle mentioned previously. I didn’t have as much 308 Lapua brass as I had remembered, and realized it wouldn’t be possible to test many different loads. I tried to bribe some buddies to test my loads at 300yds during the week, so I’d know which to bring for 500yd testing, but I guess I’m not particularly persuasive. I had 3 different loads (45gr, 45.5gr and 46gr of powder) all with the following components:

Lapua unfired brass

CCI BR-2 primers

Hodgdon Varget powder

Sierra 155gr HPBT “palma” bullets

OAL: 2.825″ (average)

I did no bullet separation by o-give, weight, etc. Cases were not trimmed, or measured for capacity, powder charges are as close as I could get them with my RCBS beam scale. It wasn’t exactly fair to expect much since I had done absolutely zero load development. I had used these same components with very favorable results in 308’s I’d owned previously. More importantly though These are the components I’d plan to use in an F-TR rifle (I’d also look into the 155.5gr Berger BT).

The weekend couldn’t have come fast enough. It was very cold in my buddy’s shooting area (in the 20’s), I was glad he brought a trailer for us to sleep in even though it wasn’t heated. The next morning we drove out and set up our targets. A 14″x12″ steel plate, prairie dog silhouette and clay pigeons at 975yds. Those targets seemed to be calling the Benchmark 308 tucked safely away in the case but I simply didn’t have enough ammo and needed results on paper. Later we moved to a spot where we set up clay pigeons at 500 and 650yds. Of course I also put paper targets up at 500yds for testing purposes. By this time it had warmed up a bit, probably into the low-mid 30’s but, I’m pretty sure the ground was still frozen! There was a little wind, mostly into our face (zero value). I started out with the 45gr load, shooting a couple fowlers, and getting dialed close enough to keep the groups on paper. I repeated the process with the 45.5gr and 46gr loads (minus fowlers obviously) . The rifle clearly liked the 45gr load best with a 3 shot group (of 3 total) of 1.644″ center to center. This is just .336″ over the ¼ MOA mark and .319″ under the 3/8 MOA mark. The group strung horizontally with vertical dispersion of just .494″ which is 0.16″ under 1/8 MOA of vertical dispersion for 3 shots. The 46gr load wasn’t too shabby either at under ½ MOA. The testing was all done from the prone position using a bipod, and rear sand sock. I can only hold so tight, but if I had the opportunity to shoot more than one group with the 45gr load I’m fairly confident it could get even better for 3 shots. Most impressive to myself is the fact that there was no load development done with this rifle. Perhaps I lucked out and the 45gr of Varget is optimal, but I’d bet one could tune the seating depth to further enhance accuracy even thought the SMK’s don’t‘ seem to be very jump/jam sensitive.

I gave the rifle back the same day I tested it at 500yds. It did hurt a little, handing the rifle over along with the 500yd target, but I think I hid it very well. I’d found and shot an ideal F-TR class competition rifle. With the vertical dispersion it displayed, I feel confident in assuming this rifle is true ¼ MOA capable at 500yds. All the more so, as the testing was from a bi-pod, in less than user friendly conditions. It is very likely I’ll be talking to Benchmark about building another 308 in the near future.

Lucas Beitner

The key to shooting long range with accuracy is knowing and compensating for ballistics. Ballistics programs allow you to input your specific load information (most importantly bullet ballistic coefficient and muzzle velocity) and atmospheric conditions and then, provide you with a predicted flight path. Any experienced long range marksman will know that these predictions are often very close at closer ranges (usually out to about 500yds) and usually not so close at longer ranges. Ballistic coefficients are speed dependant because they are based off a given profile, the G1 profile being the most common. If your bullet were a perfect match to the G1 profile your BC would remain the same despite the velocity. The variance with speed is so great because the G1 profile is nothing close to the profile of long range low-drag, boat-tail, bullets most popular today. The problem is well known and the better ballistic programs have compensated for this issue to some degree.

I have been using the Nightforce Exbal program for some time and I’m very happy with it. It has allowed me to make a few cold-bore shots at extreme distances that I wouldn’t otherwise be capable. I can get information on how changing atmospheric conditions will effect my dope (data on previous engagement). I have this program loaded into a palm pilot that I can use in the field (although I’m never without a written drop chart for obvious reasons). Other features include trajectory validation, point blank range analysis, target engagement, factory load data, bullet BC data, reticle analysis, scope adjustment options, target distance estimation, etc. It’s safe to say I’ve got my money’s worth from the Exbal program. With such a comprehensive program you might wonder how Exbal compensates for inaccuracies of BC’s changing  with speed. They have included a multi-BC option where one can enter 5 different BC’s at 4 specific velocities (last velocity value must be at zero). This allows you to tailor your BC to match your confirmed drops in the field. Sierra Bullets provides multiple BC’s and using these will allow you to get very good data from the program right from the start. Unfortunately most bullet manufacturers don’t give multiple speed dependant BC’s. Obviously bullet BC’s don’t change suddenly at a specific velocity, so multiple BC’s isn’t a perfect fix, simply a compromise. Even so, I’ve found it possible to get an essentially perfect drop chart using the multiple BC option. When using bullets without published speed dependant BC’s you’ll be spending some time playing with the program to get your drop chart just right. It usually takes more than one long range shooting session to get everything just right.

Thanks to Sean (host of longrangeshooter.com) I recently had the opportunity to test the Lex Talus Delta IV ballistic program. Completely satisfied and very familiar with Exbal, I was honestly expecting just another ballistic program. It doesn’t take long to notice a difference when inputting basic data. When using standard G1 BC’s you will get drop charts much closer to actual numbers than with other ballistic programs. This is due to the type of compensation Delta IV uses for BC variation with velocity. They label it “DK” which is a way of calibrating BC degradation and they also claim it can be used to compensate for shooter to shooter variances in launch dynamics. I must say that the default DK settings gives me very close drop info compared with my confirmed data. I’ve found that adjusting the DK (and BC if  advertised BC is off)  is easier to get “perfect” drops compared with the adjustment of multiple BC’s and the velocities at which those BC’s “change”. Delta IV includes all of the options of the Exbal program mentioned above. One option of Delta missing with Exbal is the powder temperature (ammo temp). You can adjust how sensitive your powder is to temperature. I gravitate to using powders that are not particularly sensitive to temperature. I have a reasonably wide range of temperatures where my drop charts will allow hits on reasonably small targets, but there’s no getting around changes in MV due to temperature. In one competition a couple years ago, the temperature rose to over 100 degrees and I quickly discovered I was missing high. My “temperature insensitive” loads had lulled me into a false sense of security. If only I had been using Delta IV back then! Having this option will allow you to get very accurate drops even when out of your normal temperature range.

To compare these programs I did a few tests. I have some confirmed drops for a couple different rifles. I decided to input “standard” BC info (only data that’s readily available), no multiple BC’s except for Sierra bullets. I only used the default DK for Delta IV. Either program can be adjusted to match your tested drops. Obviously, I made all the elevation, atmospheric/scope height data the same. I think  these examples  give a good basic idea of the program capabilities. Before I get into all the specifics let me just say that there are numerous reasons this test isn’t a perfect comparison including: operator error (in using the programs and/or shooting the rifles) imperfections in my confirmed drops, difference in actual MV and measured MV, error in atmospheric condition and elevation data, group dispersion, scope calibration error (I check mine but when you dial over 50 MOA a small error will show up in drop chart data), bullet manufacturer BC inaccuracy, etc.

Test 1) 7wsm 168gr JLK @ 2910fps Advertised BC .690

500yds Actual drop 8.25 MOA                                     1000yds Actual drop 24.50 MOA

500yds Exbal projected drop 8.00 MOA       1000yds Exbal projected drop 23.25

500yds Delta projected drop 8.25 MOA           1000yds Delta projected drop 24.25

This test was not exactly fair to either program since the advertised BC of this JLK bullet is too high in my opinion. Delta was still very close!

Test 2) 243 win 108gr Berger BT @ 2912… Advertised BC .511

500yds Actual Drop 8.50 MOA                   1000yds Actual Drop 27.75

500yds Exbal projected drop 8.50      1000yds Exbal projected drop 27.00

500yds Delta projected drop 8.50       1000yds Delta projected drop 28.25

Test 3) 308 win 175gr SMK @ 2729… Advertised BC’s .505 (2800fps+) .496 (1800-2800fps) .485 (1800fps-)

500yds Actual Drop 10.25 MOA                                     1000yds Actual Drop 32.75

500yds Exbal projected drop 10.00 MOA       1000yds Exbal projected drop 32.00 MOA

500yds Delta projected drop 10.75                           1000yds Delta projected drop 34.00 M0A

This test illustrates how the Exbal program works with multiple BC’s.

Test 4) 338 Lapua Mag 245gr Bore Tech V3 @ 2895… Advertised BC .869

500yds Actual Drop 7.25 MOA                 1000yds Actual Drop 22.00

500yds Exbal projected drop 7.25    1000yds Exbal projected drop 21.50

500yds Delta projected drop 7.25       1000yds  Delta projected drop 21.75

1850yds Actual Drop 58.00

1850yds Exbal projected drop 59.00

1850yds Delta IV projected drop 57.75

This one is truly amazing. Delta was within ¼ MOA at over a mile! I wouldn’t have imagined this was possible. Now the info after using Delta IV’s DK calculating option which gives me a new DK of .4992 new drop info was

500yds 7.25 MOA

1000yds 22.00 MOA

1850yds 58.00 MOA

A quick and simple step (DK calculation) gives me an essentially perfect drop chart not just at 500yds (most on-line ballistic calculators could do that) but spot on at 1000yds and 1850yds! To say that I’m impressed with Delta IV would be an understatement.

Lucas Beitner

My first impression was how big it is and that the writing is big enough that you can clearly see it through your scope. To many times somebody may have a good target but make that MOA (minuet of angle) block lines or wording to small that it cant be seen clearly from the FFP (field firing position)
The target is very easy to use and setup but like most things that relate to long range shooting you only get as much as you put into it. If you are hastily in the setup proses or try to cut corners there would be no point in the effort you are going through. The main details to properly setup the target would include leveling the target to insure the accurate data from the elevation adjustments. A good 100 yards between you and the target.
You can use ether a laser range finder or a long steel tape measure or something similar. I would recommend using a tape measure because of the tolerances that accompany a laser range finder. Lastly a good solid shooting position to remove human error.

The first thing that I did was to check my scope click value and that my scope is true to my bore. This is simply done by by aiming at the bottom of one of the “Straight Tracking Channels”. Once you have your cross hairs sable on the center of the circle with the rifle held in place simply fire a 3 shot group into the circle. Note: If some sort of strapping system is used to secure the rifle make sure that it is not secured over the barrel as this will change your zero and accuracy. After you fire your group all that is needed is to dial you scope 15 MOA and shoot for the same spot as before. But now your bullets will hit 15 inch’s higher than your first 3 shot group. If you see your bullet impacts move outside of the “Straight Tracking Channels” than you know that your scope is not level with the bore of your gun. To fix this simply rotate your scope in the opposite direction. Once you fire your second 3 shot group it will hit on one of seven lines indicating the actual click value of your scope.

As you can see there are clear marks that tell you what your scope click value really is vs what you were told by the manufacturer. This target is setup for 1/4 MOA scopes and I am not sure if they are available in 1/8, 1/2 or full Min. And as luck would have it my scope dialed directly to .25 so that is a good thing even though I have done this in the past with a different scope I found this to be much faster and more accurate. Now you might be thinking, so what if my scope is off a bit and if you only shoot inside the first few 100 yards it would not make much difference. But here is some food for thought if your scope is .26 per click vs .25 and you were shooting at a target at 1,000 yards you would be almost a full minute off at the target which is the difference between a hit and a miss. So you can imagine if you are shooting beyond a 1,000 yards it starts to multiply very quickly. So if you are looking for cold bore hits doing this is a absolute necessity. Now that you have done that here comes the real test, scope repeatably. After you have shot your second three shot group dial your scope back to your zero and shoot again. Did they hit in the same spot? We all hope that they do but very few scopes are capable of doing that. In Dan Weavers words “Many weak or stressed erector springs will allow the system to settle in after a few shots but this certainly is not optimum”. A scope that cant come back to your zero after repeatably being changed to shoot at distant targets is absolutely useless. If you dialed for a shot at 1,000 yards and returned to your zero and then dialed for the 1,000 yard target again. Your impact would be different from the bullets you just fired if your scope could not be zeroed correctly. Very Important.

Now after I was done with that I decided to check the accuracy of the Mil dots in my scope. Very simple proses to do and all you need is a stable shooting position and to make sure that the target is level. As you can see from the target on the right is you can check your mil dots using one or two mils. I decided to use the one mil option and turned my power setting to 12.5. Now on my scope I have two option for mil dot ranging, 12.5 or 25 power. At 12.5 each mil dot and hash mark is one full mil and on 25 power each mil dot is one full mil and the hash marks are a half mil, very convenient. Now with my scope on 12.5 power and looking at the target. The mils in my scope lined up perfectly but when I turned to 25 power and checked again it did not line up. Now this is nothing wrong with the target it is just that the target pointed out a flaw in my scope. On 25 power each mil in my scope actually equals more like 3.3 instead of 3.6. Which tells me that my scope is probably not a true 25 power sense it lined up perfectly on 12.5. No big deal really as long as I know what it really is and with out this target I probably never would have thought about it twice. The best part is that the targets are very reasonably priced at only 3 dollars each. When I first saw this target I thought it would be in the price range of about 10 bucks so I was happy to see that is was so affordable. You can find these target at bossaccuracy.com which also offers much more than just targets. I think that these targets would be a absolute for the long range shooter or hunter that is looking to get the most from his rifle and scope and I plan on using this target on a regular basses.