Keyholing ?

Looks like voids in a target backer to me. I can’t think of a 150 grain bullet that wouldn’t stabilize in a standard .308 twist.

Use a clean piece of card stock or light cardboard between your target and the backer…. then I bet those holes are round. I cut cereal boxes and use the inside to stick my dots on. The natural color and heavier paper slows for less glare and nice clean holes.
 
I have to agree with CIW, things need to be drastically wrong for a bullet to keyhole. To me it looks like round holes with paper ripped. Last time I had a keyhole was shooting 303 Brit ammo in a 35-303 ad they were perfect bullet shaped holes.
 
Originally Posted By: COinWAShot three rounds of .243 through the .260 one afternoon… those keyholed pretty well!
I shot several rounds of 6x47 Lapuas through a 6.5x47 Lapua, and couldn't even hit the target at 200, moved to 100, no dice, and at 25 finally spotted impacts in the dirt low & right.
 
First one missed the 2’x2’ backer at 50 yards (initial sight in a/new optic). I remember thinking the shot sounded funny. Second one keyholed, and I thought “that sounded weird,and looks weird”.

Figured it out after the third shot.

Maybe Nosler was onto something with those different colored tips by caliber.
 
Originally Posted By: COinWAFirst one missed the 2’x2’ backer at 50 yards (initial sight in a/new optic). I remember thinking the shot sounded funny. Second one keyholed, and I thought “that sounded weird,and looks weird”.

Figured it out after the third shot.

Maybe Nosler was onto something with those different colored tips by caliber.

I snuck up on a coyote and missed a chip shot the day before, so I thought it would be prudent to check zero before I hunted again. Now I know why the coyote looked around wondering what WTH was that before high tailing it out of there.

I had 3 guns built identical, a 22, 6, and 6.5 x47 Lapua. I had the right ammo, just grabbed the wrong gun.....ooops....
 
The 303 in the 35-303 were about 8" for three, I was shooting open sight and no spotting scope late 1960s. I almost took it hunting until I realized the problem. I figured they'd kill deer up close going sideways too. Ended up trading it for a 30-40 Krag. I should have kept it as it was a beautiful Experience Custom Enfield I realize why it was so cheap.
 
Originally Posted By: vahunterThanks for the advice. Think I’ll try some cardboard between the target and backboard. Thanks again

i like to print my targets on cardstock.

you can get it for about $0.04-$0.06 per sheet on amazon. if you dont wanna run it thru your printer, grab a thumb drive - or email yourself a copy of the target file you wanna print and head to the local UPS store, fedex/kinkos, staples... etc and pay them to print them for you.

i do this for my load developement 3/sheet targets all the time.
this one is what i use
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I used to be a staples rewards member and used my card at work all the time for company printing, so i got the bonus $10 free coupons all the time back then... which i would promptly take to the print shop for $10 worth of free targets lol

hth
 
Probably not relevant but.
We were working with a 450 Bush we built. The first two test shot worked ok but the next 5 all keyholed. It turned out we had a baffle strike in the suppresser. We took it apart and filed the slight strike and all is well now.
 
Looks like just a weird tear in the paper to me. That happens sometimes when there is not adequate support behind the paper

I agree. The reason second target did not tear was either better backer support or possibly reinforcement of the target dot.
 
Shot three rounds of .243 through the .260 one afternoon… those keyholed pretty well!
On the last day before a service rifle match, I was checking out a .308 Garand which I had done some repairs on in hopes of correcting 7th round jamming problems. It had performed perfectly and I got my 200 yard zeros. Light was fading fast as I shot one last rapid fire string, just to be sure and the darn thing jammed. I pulled out my backup, a 30-06 Garand to quickly verify the offhand zero on the 200 yrd gong. Dropped some 06 ammo in my shooting jacket pocket and proceeded. Thought I had emptied that pocket completely before quickly switching rifles, but when my first shot was 2' below call, a quick search of the area for the fired case revealed a .308 case which looked like a straight wall case with a very slight roll crimp on it! 😳
 


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