22-250 range day report

Hello Everyone,

It's been over three months since I have posted on here, work has been a little hectic with more work load added due to some restructuring within the company and my children's extracurricular activities take up some of my extra time as well but for good reason.

I have had two RSO days at the range this year with my third and final one sometime in January. I always enjoy my days RSOing at the range, mostly due to people bringing out there new fancy guns and I get to see how they do without buying them! I also like seeing the different varieties of firearms brought out by the many people who visit the range, anything from AK-47s to high end Sako target rifles.

The first range day I had the night before I decided to bring out the Remington 700 in 22-250, so I loaded up some 55 grain Hornady V-max's that night, to try out for the upcoming 3rd annual sage rat shoot in Central Oregon. After the range closed for the general public, I pulled out the 22-250 to see how she was doing since I haven't shot her for quite a few years. For my starting load with the V-max's my groups at a hundred yards averaged less than one inch, which I was happy with for just starting load development with these bullets.

I have been pretty lax on reloading during these past couple of months due to the below freezing temps and my reloading room in the garage, which is always close to the temps outside. I was using CCI BR primers, and AA 2015 behind the 55 grain Hornady V-max. I am going to adjust my powder charge a little hoping to tighten the group up a little, also change seating depth a little bit to get me off the lands the proper amount. Hopefully with this combo the groups will tighten up and will be deadly against the sage rats farther out in the fields.

I have not tried any other brands of tipped ammo for varmints yet, my family and I have been using Hornady V-max's for a long time against varmints and I don't plan on changing anytime soon. With that note I have great interest in the Hornady's new ELD match tipped bullets, I have read quite a bit about them in the publications I subscribe to. I think the tips on these will revolutionize the tipped bullet market. Many times have I thought about what the tips do during flight, and now Hornady has proved they are degrading during high speed flight. I have noticed that some V-max's that I had the tip got damaged during storage or in the field still fly very accurate for being deformed.

I was very happy with the results of pulling the 22-250 out of the cobwebs and shooting it. I am very impressed with the bullet drop within 400 yards, I forgot how great the 22-250 was for varmint shooting, I have been neglecting the 22-250 for a few years by only shooting the 223's. It sure is a great all around shooter and you will be hearing more about it in the near future.

The Remington 700 I purchased probably around 2006 from a local store, the main reason for buying was the varmint taper barrel and the HS-Precision black with grey spiderweb stock. Which I will probably never change cause it's awesome. I have tuned the trigger a little to bring down the trigger pull. Next item I may change will be a picatinny rail and 6-24x scope instead of the 4-12x currently on it.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, hopefully I can push some more out sooner.
Rex

Mentioned product websites

• V-max Bullets www.hornady.com
• Model 700 Rifle www.remington.com
• Primers www.cci-ammunition.com 
• Powder www.accuratepowder.com
• Rifle Stocks www.hsprecision.com 

300/500 Yard range report

Hello everyone,

    Hope all is well with everyone on this labor day weekend. In today's blog post I will be talking about my trip to the range for some 300 and 500 yard shooting practice, my local range has a 300/500 yard open any rifle match which I have shown some interest in, but haven't pushed myself or the rifle that far before.

    The rifle used in the blog is the savage .223 that was shown in the earlier blog post when I tuned up the stock a little. I am shooting hand loaded 69Gr Sierra HPBT Matchkings at a 5v Target with a 12 inch black center.

 







    I was at a 100 zero on my scope before shooting at 300 yard first, wind was light at about 5-8 mph blowing right to left 90 Degrees to the flight of bullets and Mirage was slight but visible.  On the 300 yard line I adjusted the scope a few clicks to compensate for wind and bullet drop. First shot was low, after two more sighters I was in the black and put 10 more in the 5 ring and the 5V ring, at this point I am pretty happy with the outcome on the 300 yard line.

    While in the pits after pulling targets for my friend who was just shooting on the 500 yard line with his 308, we began a conversation on the Strelok ballistics app, which I had deleted off my phone a month or two ago. With it being my turn on the 500 yard line I downloaded it on my phone while driving to the 500 yard line to shoot. At the line I input all the factors, 300 yard zero, scope, weather and cartridge. Calculated shooting solution was 60.1 vert. clicks, and 24.7 hor. clicks. First shot was in the black high and left. After another sighter shot and scope adjustment I was consistently hitting the 5 and the 5V ring. With the outcome at the 500 yard line I am a happy camper, very ecstatic about hitting a target consistently at 500 yards.

    Now the Strelock App, I was very impressed with the calculations it provided me from the 300 to 500 yard line. Very simple to use, more input factors you put the better your shooting solution will be. You will need to know your weather, elevation, scope and cartridge info(Grains/BC/FPS). Once you input that you just click Calculate! and it gives you MOA adjustment and clicks, and hold over position for your cross hairs as well.

Thanks for taking some time to read my blog, please feel free to comment on a blog post if you want or if you would like some additional information on a certain post.







   Also found this beauty on the backstop behind the pits, 50 cal, it weighs 780 grains and is brass, from what I have read online it is a custom target round CNC machined out of solid brass stock.

Just a post/link to keep this blog going.

Hello everyone,

Been a busy few months at work, had some extra time this evening figured I would try to get a post in. Not a full post or review just a link to the accurateshooter.com website to the guns of the week page.

The link below will be to a bench rest gun that I like that is on the accurateshooter.com "Guns of the Week"

http://www.accurateshooter.com/guns-of-week/gunweek058/

The link below will be to the accurateshooter.com "Guns of the Week" page.

 http://www.accurateshooter.com/category/guns-of-week/


That is all,
Rex
Thanks for checking the blog out!!

Aguila .22 Rimfire SuperExtra Ammo Review With Range Report

Hello Everyone,

Hope all is well in your world and you had or are having a good weekend. This review will be on the Aguila .22 RimFire SuperExtra 40 Grain Solid Point Sub Sonic. I will be using this ammo this year for my Mini-Palma matches, due to the availability of it at my local store, I don't use enough to justify buying match ammo in bulk from online retailers. The way I think about it is if I can find a good quality standard or sub sonic velocity round that my rifle will shoot good I will go with that, last year my local store had a good inventory of CCI Standard Velocity so I used those with good results, this year the shelves have been pretty full of this type and brand of ammo so I am going with it.

Basic Specifications

• Bullet Weight 40 Grains
• Muzzle Velocity 1025 Feet Per Second
• 100 Yard Velocity 911 Feet Per Second
• Muzzle Energy 93 Lb Ft
• 100 Yard Energy 74 Lb Ft
• Made With Eley Prime Technology 

Range Report And Review

Conditions at the range weren't excellent but I worked with what I was given. I got to the range around 5 PM tonight as the sun was setting behind the hills, pretty cool around 47 Degrees with a variable wind from 1 to 5 MPH, coming from the South or Southwest either directly behind me or left to right across the range.

I shot a Total of 15 rounds due to the amount of sunlight I had left, my barrel wasn't even warmed up either. My rifle is a Ruger 77/22 with a 18x Bushnell scope. All shots at 100 yards.

I zeroed it with 5 rounds on a extra target then proceeded to put 5 rounds on each of the reduced 800 yard and 1000 yard targets. If you haven't read any other post on my blog the targets for the mini palmas are reduced 800, 900, 1000 yard targets to a size to shot at 100 yards with 22 rimfire smallbore rifles.

• Simulated 800 Yard Bullseye for 100 yard Rimfire. 5 Shots, 3 X's and 2 10's
• Simulated 1000 Yard Bullseye for 100 Yard Rimfire 5 Shots, 2 X's, 2 10's and a 9

Overall I am impressed by the accuracy of this ammo for the price and availability of it. It wasn't a warm day, my rifle barrel was still cold after 15 round and I was in low light. At 100 yards I am hitting the X's and 10 rings, it may not be a 5 shot group covered with a dime, but a 22 rimfire subsonic at 100 yards it will do just fine for my matches. X rings are about 1" and under on these targets between the 1000, 900 and 800 targets.



Thanks for taking the time to read my blog keep checking in for new posts.
Rex

Building/Revamping A Stock On A Budget

Hello Everyone,

In this post I take a flimsy stock off of a Savage Model 12FV Pre-Accutrigger and make it a little sturdier, a little heavier and a better color. I will go step by step on the process of what I did from start to finish with pictures.

Here is the basic materials list for the build.

1. Two 1oz tubes of epoxy From my local Harbor Freight $7
2. One Can of Rust-oleum Textured Paint, Sand Stone Color $6
3. Couple pounds of sand from my local sand dune $0
4. Project Foam remnants $0
5. Piece of 180 grit Sand Paper $0 

Most of the items I had laying around already, so the total cost for my stock was around $13.

Rifle Before Modification

Nothing special just a Savage Arms Model 12FV chambered in .223. The only thing I don't like is how flimsy the stock is at the point where the bi-pod attaches. It is all hollowed out with just a skeleton supporting the sides.

Stripping It Down

• Photo to the left is the stock stripped down

• Photo above is the skeleton support around the forend

Making The Forend Stronger With Epoxy

•  Photo to the right is the two tubes of epoxy mixed and applied into the forend skeleton.
• Filled up to the bottom of the barrel channel, allows a full floated barrel still.
• I dammed off the area around the nut for the front swivel so the epoxy will not interfere with nut.
• Made sure I kept the epoxy out of the area for the action and recoil lug.

Adding Some Weight

 

 

• Top Left, Hollowed out stock, was filled with foam.
• Top Center, Foam Template for plugging end to keep sand in.
• Top Right, Stock filled with sand.
• Bottom Center, Filled with sand, plugged and glued.

Prepping For Paint

I sanded down all the rough spots, cleaned up the epoxy residue and masking taped the holes.

 Painting

Put about four light coats on, then did some touch up around the trigger an action area.

And The Final Product

 Reassembled the rifle, checked the barrel with a dollar bill to make sure it was still free floated an nothing protruding hitting the barrel and made sure the action was not binding in anyway an torqued properly.

That is all for now, I might update with some more information later on if it has improved the accuracy of the rifle.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, hope this helps you if you need to budget build or revamp a stock.

Rex

Part Three Of Three. Rifle Purchasing

Good Day Everyone,

Well this is the last of the three part series on firearm purchasing. Today will be on Rifle Purchase(CenterFire, No Rimfire) as the main title states. Lets get to the subject.

Rifle purchase, like all the other posts it is all on what your needs and wants, from a AR platform to a Target rifle and everything in between, I will expand on these in the next few paragraphs. Also is the availability of ammo for the type of firearm you want/need.

Rifle types, AR platform, Bolt action, Pump/Lever and Semi-Auto and Black Powder to name a few. Shooting Types include, Target/Competition(I will include Paper, steel, 3gun etc. in this,) Plinking, Hunting, Tactical and just a All around gun (Maybe for a pickup or farm and ranch use.)

AR Style Platform

Is a great all around firearm, used in all types of shooting from Long Range Target, Plinking, Hunting, Tactical or even a all around gun.

The good thing about the AR platform in can be built and Accessorized to any type of shooting you prefer. Also now days the caliber choices are not limited to the .223/5.56 or the .308/7.62, you have choices in 6.5mm, .300 AAC and many more to suit your needs.

Bolt Action Rifle

Is your basic most common firearm found. Used in most every shooting type found, Hunting, Target/Competition, Plinking, All around and Tactical(as in sniper.)

The bolt action Rifle comes in many different calibers and options, From .17 to .50 caliber. Options include barrel size/length, stock type, magazine or clip fed, caliber types can range from over the counter caliber to custom made "Wildcat" calibers. Can be accessorized and gunsmithed to your needs.

Semi Auto Rifle(Not AR) Pump Action And Lever Actions

I am grouping these together due to limited amount of calibers, accessories an options on these style of rifles and my limited knowledge on this group.

Gonna be limited on calibers and manufactures for the pump and Semi Autos, lever actions are more readily available with more option on calibers and styles. I believe the Pumps and Semi are limited to your basic Hunting calibers.

All three styles are great all around firearms for a pickup, riding on a ranch or farm, hunting. The lever actions are also used in the cowboy action competitions.

Black Powder

I am limited on knowledge with this style of firearm, do have a general knowledge of the options. Main calibers are .45, .50 and maybe .65(I believe)

Options include the old style muzzle loader/flintlock and the new style breech style hunting rifles. Also used in Long Range Black Powder competitions out to 1000 yards! I do see some black powder used in the cowboy action competitions.

I don't have to much on this subject due to my limited knowledge and me not researching it due to me not being interested in the subject.

Post Overview

I hope this gives you some help on making your rifle purchase, but it all comes down to what you need or want. From home protection, to targets an plinking  and hunting. Calibers are a big thing now due to the prices and amount of ammo on the shelves now. You will find more of the military and tactical calibers nowadays on the shelves, most older military rounds are easy to find as well.

Thanks For Reading,
Rex

Review Of Sierra 22 Cal. 69Gr HPBT Match Bullets. 01/02/2016

Hello Everyone,

Post Overview

Recently I have been interested in stretching my target shooting out a little farther than the 100 yard line either in the prone or bench position. I have been contemplating on buying a new rifle for the purpose or just re-purposing another. I'm wanting to do the NRA 300/600 yard prone matches at my local range, so I figured I would go with a bolt action 22 caliber centerfire with a heavy bullet. I had three option to go with, one had to slow of a twist to stabilize a heavy bullet(22-250), one is to sentimental to me to do any modifications(222) and low and be hold my hidden jewel, my Savage Arms Model 12 FV(I believe) pre-accutrigger, I figured it had a slow twist rate for the lighter varmint bullets, just for the heck of it I checked the twist rate multiple times each time it came out 1in 9" SCORE!! I can shoot heavier bullets. So I am going to build off of that for now and develop some loads for it.

Review Information

This review will be continued in the future as my information comes in. As I am writing this I have a few loads worked up and I will be trying them out tomorrow and reporting the information back on here of what I find. I working on load development for the above mentioned rifle, I wanted a heavy bullet out of my 223 that would work with my twist rate and reach above the 2800 FPS speed without having a max powder charge creeping up on the max CUP pressures. So I am starting my loads with the Sierra 22 Cal 69 Grain Hollow Point Boat Tail(HPBT) Match, P/N 1380, Recommended twist rate 1 in 7-10".

Ok, to the bullets, Right out of the box I really like the size of the load information stickers they give you, always a plus when you can actually right on them. There are 100 bullets in the box, no more no less. I have randomly been weighing them to see how much they differ, so far it hasn't been over .001 grains on my scale. No defects of any kind and they are all shiny and bright.

So for the loads, I am starting first with the Hodgdon Benchmark Powder, as per there reloading data I went for a mid range charge at 22.5 grains, which should put me around 2850 FPS. Second will be IMR 4895, with a charge of 24 grains, which should be over 2868 FPS. Third and final will be the Accurate Powders 2015, with a charge of 21 grains, this is going to be about 2600 FPS, just to see how my results differ from the higher FPS.

All load data was found at these websites: IMR/Hodgdon and Accurate Powders

All Loads mentioned above are for information only not to be used unless researched for your firearms, please use all information available when hand loading ammunition, Manufactures Manual and websites, If you are unsure about your firearm contact the manufactures.

That will complete everything I have as of 01/02/2016
Thanks for Reading, Rex.

Range Report 01/03/2016

Hello all, here is how the loads look on paper. Weather conditions at the range are: 21F Degrees, Light Snow, less than 5 MPH head wind, did I mention cold.

Smallest groups are the Accurate 2015, Followed by the Hodgdon Benchmark and lastly the IMR 4895. All are very close, I want to see what the difference is when the temperature warms up. Below are the images of all the targets shot today.

Hodgdon Benchmark
















IMR 4895