Range report w/Lehighs (just facts...no argument)

[Old/New]

Got out Sunday and did some shooting. This report is on the 185gr .40 cal Lehigh. I previously reported using my 45cal Accura and the 200 gr Lehighs.

This is from my April report. Not terrible...but the following picture shows the Accura has much more potential.


Below is the Accura shooting 10mm 200gr XTPs.




After dicussions on this board regarding bullet length and rifle twist it was felt that Dave from Lehigh would design a shorter thus lighter .40 cal bullet to shoot out of the 1:28 twist rifle such as the Accura. Grouse45 indicated he could hook me up with a few of these newer bullets. Well he came through as promised and Dave sent me a full box of the 185gr bullets (thanks to both Grouse 45 and Lehigh Dave).


Now the 185 .40 cal Lehighs. 115 gr BH209. Harvester light blue e-z load sabots. CCI 209m primers. I used 1 dry patch to clean the bore that was previously coated with Montana X bore conditioner. So this is the first shot from a clean barrel.




4 more shots to complete a 5 shot group.


5 more shots into the same target. Everything the same. No swabbing.


3 more shots. The only difference is I swithed to the MMP tan sabot. I also used a different point of aim so this
group would not run into the ones above.


So far the Lehighs do not shoot as well as the XTPs but in all fairness I have not tried any other
powders or even volumes of BH209. They definately have potential as a hunting load and I just
may use them this fall when carrying the Accura. I will continue to experiment and will report back
of course.

[Grouse45]

Thanks for the report. That group 6 thru 10 was awesome until shot#8.That usually is a sabot to loose. Do you remember? Either way lot's of potential and much better then the 200'S for you.

[cayugad]

Where do you think on a range the POI would be out to... there is a lot of rise there. Also those groups are good. I found with BlackHorn that the groups got tighter in my Disc the more I shot. I wonder what the velocity of that round would be?

[sabotloader]

Old/New

Just a couple of observations and questions?

What bullet and load was the gun previously sighted in for?

I ask that because your 10m/200 xtp target looks right on... then when you look at the Lehigh's they are obviously high! But, I have to tell you that is exactly what I have found. So my question and has been, do they fly that much better and show less drop?

The second grouping of 185's - shots 6-10 show a lot of promise and maybe a little more fooling with the powder volume might really settle them in there.

I posted the wrong target and the wrong information so I made an edit... target gone info gone...

At the end of the day I did also shoot 3 185's with a 110 grains of BH and they were in a group under and inch. Want to work with them a bit more also...

[SWThomas]

Nice shooting!

sabotloader: I ask because I don't know. But, do you think the Lehighs could be shooting higher because they have a deeper hollow point?

[Old/New]

I just shot them without fooling with the scope. I would definately bring them down a few inches. Don't know the velocities...no chrono.

"I found with BlackHorn that the groups got tighter in my Disc the more I shot."

I'll take you up on that Dave...must shoot more!

[EndeavorShooter]

I am just wandering ( Not trying to start an agrument) why with the grouping you get with the XTP and them being half the price or better under that of the Lehigh's, and not to mention proven to wreck havoc on a whitetail. Why you would consider changing.
I know there is always bigger and better out there but I just can't see them killing an animal any better than an XTP to warrant paying twice as much.

I see people making the comparison of BH 209 and 777 all the time. but, at least BH has the agrument of being cleaner and not having to swab between shoots.

[Old/New]

ORIGINAL: Grouse45

Thanks for the report. That group 6 thru 10 was awesome until shot#8.That usually is a sabot to loose. Do you remember? Either way lot's of potential and much better then the 200'S for you.

Don't know what happened to #8. I think it was me but...no excuses! []

Overall Im satisfied. I think I can improve these. Tinker a bit.

[Old/New]

ORIGINAL: sabotloader

Old/New

Just a couple of observations and questions?

What bullet and load was the gun previously sighted in for?

I ask that because your 10m/200 xtp target looks right on... then when you look at the Lehigh's they are obviously high! But, I have to tell you that is exactly what I have found. So my question and has been, do they fly that much better and show less drop?

The second grouping of 185's - shots 6-10 show a lot of promise and maybe a little more fooling with the powder volume might really settle them in there.

I was out with the Knight elite 45 shooting for velocities the other day. Shot this target @ 60 yards with 200 grain Lehigh's. It look like I might be able to shoot them in a 1/30 twist if I figure out what load might be the best. When you look at the glob of shots with 110-130 grains of BH - it looks like one of those powder loads or maybe even all of them might work... I have not given up on the 200 yet...



At the end of the day I did also shoot 3 185's with a 110 grains of BH and they were in a group under and inch. Want to work with them a bit more also...

sabotloader,
It was sighted in for the 200gr XTPs. My only guess is they shoot very flat. I will find that out later, I guess.

You're confusing your bullets. Too many powder volume changes. Even a 777 thrown in there. They just give up and go into the target . Seems as long as you hit 90gr or better your good to go!

[sabotloader]

SW

I really do not think so, as the HP is much like the Barnes HP, only the walls are a little thicker. Then you would think dynamically the HP should drop the BC and reduce the flight trajectory. A couple of things that might be a difference is the length of the bullet and the shape... it, even with the HP, is an areodynamic shape. It looks like a center fire bullet it seems pretty smooth.

Here is a pic with it standing along side a .308, .277 rifle bullets along with a SW and a Parker.... this one has the tip installed but still it seems to have that rifle bullet shape..



It just seems to me the bullet gets up and stays up longer. Everytime I have shot it I have to drop the elevation of the scope.

The first time I shot them was from a White ML with a 1/24 twist, which is suppose to work very well with the length of the 200. I had to move the scope down also. Another thing that caught my attention. I sighted the White in about 2" high @ a 100... but yet when i shoot 200 I held right on the target and they dropped in just a bit low - maybe an inch...

I have sent some to Spaniel to shoot @ 200 along side his SW's just to check the flight pattern he might get. He shoots those ranges all the time so he will be able to make a very good assessment.