RANGE REPORT: Long Guns

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

Got out with the .308 rig this morning...




It was 65 degrees and pouring rain, but turned out to be a pretty good day...




Set up at 300yd and managed to put up some decent groups with 168gr Federal Gold Medal Match, most averaging in the .5"-.75" range. This one was the best of the day...




Had the Mosin M38 out as well...



Was just smackin some steel at 100yd with this one. First time out with it and in true Mosin form the windage was WAY off at 100yd. Stretched it out to 300yd for a few shots and couldn't hit the damn plate, but the windage was a LOT closer to point of aim at that distance. Need to drift the front sight a bit and it should be a pretty accurate rifle if I can do my part with the iron sights. It's a helluva fun shooter.

Also got to meet up with Mudbug out there this morning. He had is .17WSM Savage B-Mag and WOW what a sweet little rifle! He's a great guy and I am very fortunate to have been able to meet him in person. We had our 590A1's out and were sending some slugs out to the 100yd steel. What a great time!

Mudbug if you're reading this, it was a pleasure to meet you Sir!

 

[dieselmudder]

Finally did some ammo comparisons. I'll let the pics do the talking

 

[dieselmudder]

More pics

 

[dieselmudder]

Sorry the order is jumbled. Tried to load them in order start to finish. Just a note, the Privi is what I zeroed with back around March/April. Opinions?

 

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

Not surprised that the Fed. Gold Medal Match and the Nosler CC Match were grouping pretty tight for you. Looks like the Norma 50 Patroner was the most consistent of the bunch...

 

[dieselmudder]

Which surprised me. Its not really a match grade ammo. Its considerably shorter than the federal. Actually with the calipers the federal was longest of the bunch. My best guess is the length is the sweet spot for my gun. Which is a Savage model 10 with a heavy barrel and accutrigger. Unmodified.

 

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

It's all about matching the bullet to the barrel.

You could line up a half dozen Savage M10's and get different results with the same ammo. It's all about consistency, and it's good that you found a round that hits the sweet spot for your barrel. Looks like you've got a winning combo that'll be a real tack driver...

 

[dieselmudder]

I dunno bout all that. And I'm not striving for that either. I would be happy hitting something coyote sized out to about 600, and be thrilled to make about any shot at 800. I know the rifle is capable. Just have to work on the shooter.

 

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

Understood.

I'm lookin forward to updates as you continue to get her dialed in...

 

[TheJackal]

I took my 10/22 build in-progress out for some range time the other day.

Decided to group it with various types of ammunition at 50 yards.

I gotta say, for nothing by my own trigger work and the factory barrel, she really slings 'em in there with good ammo.

None of this will matter once I swap the barrel, but it's all good fun.

 

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

Nice shoot'n!

 

[TheJackal]

I took the gun out with the new barrel this morning.

After I finished the break-in process and got zeroed, I grouped the gun with all the different ammo I had available.

Here's the two best groups of the day, both of them were 5 shots at 50 yards.

This one with CCI Standard.

This one was shot with Winchester Super X

I'm quite pleased with it, and I know that I can do better as a shooter.

This is also before having the bolt trued, and using off-the-shelf ammo, no match-grade stuff!

 

[aksavanaman]

Dude, those Green Mountain Barrels are sweet... thats what was on my 10/22 before I switched to the aluminum TacSol barrel. And they're a great value as well! Nice shooting!

 

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

Nicely done!

 

[aksavanaman]

Kids took long naps yesterday...so Papa got some range time in! Here are a few groups I put on paper with the Marlin XT22 RZ. Really liking this little bolt action (other than some extraction issues that I should be able to work out... largely ammo related, but I'd like it to perform with various ammo)

It was a nice day out, mid 40's and sunny...no wind. All groups were shot at 75 yards, with standard velocity (1070fps) CCI 40grn lead round nose. Had three pretty darn respectable groups, and that Nikon Rimfire is a sweet scope for $150!







And then I have NO idea what happened... fouling... hot barrel??? It wasn't my shooting, I promise!



^Any ideas...lol?

Pretty good day none the less, and I had fun...which is all that matters!

 

[LAZY EYED SNIPER]

How much time elapsed between groups?

Barrel thermodynamics will definitely have a significant effect on point of impact. Combine that with a build-up of fouling and you would certainly have difficulty maintaining consistent groups...

 

[aksavanaman]

These were all shot within in a string... best group being the first one at .75". I figured it was a hot barrel, just wanted to be reassured. And you know, from what I remember, I was shooting at my little spinner plates for 2 or 3 mags worth before I came back to the targets to shoot those last groups ... duh... I think I've got my answer. Just crazy how much it affects POI!

I'm never going back to cheap glass BTW... life is sooo much easier with a good quality scope! I may have to do a little review on this, I'm impressed!

Funny thing...there was a couple guy shooting an MP 15/22 next to me and couldn't figure out why he had such a big shift of impact at 25 yards.... I think it was something like 18".... the kept trying to adjust for it, so I eventually went over and told'm to shoot a group and see if it holds a pattern (which it did...) then I took a look at the scope... NCstar (<there's your problem buddy!), he ended up stripping his windage adjustment. There are so many other scopes I could've suggested with the $80 he spent on it!

 

[TheJackal]

That's not as silly as the father and his two kids I met, all of them brand-new to shooting - who coincidentally also had a scoped M&P 15-22.

When I saw their rifle I was surprised at how TALL their scope rings were, completely impossible for them to get a cheek weld with it.

I didn't say anything, because to each their own.

A few rounds later, I overheard the kids complaining about not being able to zero the scope and that it kept going in and out of focus - and the father was bewildered as to what could be wrong. I offered them any assistance I could, as I would hope anyone in the gun community would do to welcome and educate new shooters.

I looked the rifle over and found out why they were having trouble, and why the scope was in such stupendously tall rings . .

They had the scope mounted rotated 90 degrees in the rings - their focal plane adjustment knob was where elevation should be, and the elevation turret was acting as windage.

The kicker was where the windage turret was - between the rifle's upper receiver and scope body - the high rings were to make it tall enough to clear! LOL

We all had a good laugh, I had my bit driver kit handy, we re-mounted the scope correctly and got the gun back on target.

I left a few minutes later, but it's a good feeling knowing I made a positive difference on how their first trip to the range panned out.

 

[oli700]

So I had to move the red dot a while back to fit the 3x magnifier. When I moved it it became off a little so yesterday I sighted in at 50 yards , my favorite because it is pretty much on at 200 as well following the arc of the bullet……everything in-between is only slightly off on the trajectory. Anyway first time I sighted in and shot a couple mags with the PA 3x magnifier.
I am satisfied considering the dot on my sight covers much of the paper at 200……still though all head shots
50, 100 and 200 yards with no hold over, aiming for the bull between 25 and 200 yards is cool

 

[aksavanaman]

Looks like you got'm! Good shooting

Are you using a PA red dot a well?