New service rifle match shooter

[DZelenka]

it is a really nice service rifle. an m1 garand. it has a place for a bayonet. i love shooting it. the rear sight i believe goes beyond 1k. those scenars really shoot. does not kick much because of the weight.

Ronin,

Tell me more about the rear sight.

Kevin,

Those were the days. Leg matches just have not been the same since. There are no pre match jitters (or as I have heard them described "knee high winds") to contend with. I have actually made the cut at every leg match I have fired since I went out. Made the President's 100 in 2009 and 2010 to boot (35th and 45th respectively). I just cannot get away from the service rifle. I have a space gun and a Tubb and have never shot either across the course. They just don't do it for me. I am hoping my eyes hold a bit longer so I can keep shooting a post. Some days it is good, some days not.

Dan

 

[roninflag]

the barrel is a krieger. and the rear sight is ; i believe issue. you sight in for 200 yards and set the rear sight then it has the yardages you dial up. very similar to a kenton knobb. i have not shot it for about a year now. first year i put like 2000 rounds through it.

 

[DZelenka]

the barrel is a krieger. and the rear sight is ; i believe issue. you sight in for 200 yards and set the rear sight then it has the yardages you dial up. very similar to a kenton knobb. i have not shot it for about a year now. first year i put like 2000 rounds through it.

Nice. I put one together with a heavy Krieger in .308. I like shooting the old wooden guns. They really take a lot of dedication to make them even remotely competitive these days, but they are fun.

 

[roninflag]

President's 100. unbelieveable. like a dream to me. at one point i mounted a 36X on the garand and shot some 100 yards groups. i had not shot a lot of iron sight and wanted to make sure. they ranged from .27 to 1.1 . one load shot .27 .29 and .33 .

 

[Kevin Thomas]

Dan,

Haven't made the President's Hundred since Obama took over, yet another thing I have against him. Clearly, there was something better about Bush, and that's where all mine came from.

Never made it during the Clinton years either, but I'm not at all sure that was a bad thing. I understand Monica Lewinsky wears a President's Hundred tab, but that it had absolutely nothing to do with shooting.

Still enjoy rattle battle, too, and we've run teams for the past 10-12 years at Perry. Done pretty well sometimes, crashed and burned on others. Either way, it's a great way to spend 150 seconds.

 

[BigSkyGP]

How is 338RUM doing on his quest?

 

[338RUM]

my quest as it was called is doing fine. I am very thankful about you guys giving my tips and pointers The gun came in and I loaded up some 77 gr SMK with 22.5 gr of Varget set to 2.260 OAL and shot my best group with any gun ever... a .345 and if I hadn't pulled a shot the group would have been smaller... so I have a load set up for the match now I am just waiting for the matches to start. I got in with the Fort Hill Rifle and Pistol Club and they are going to be helping me get started in the matches. For now I am just sitting here loading more ammo and getting ready to start shooting past 100 yards with this rifle. I have a range out to 600 yards so it is off to there as soon as I get a decent amount of ammo loaded up!

 

[DZelenka]

my quest as it was called is doing fine. I am very thankful about you guys giving my tips and pointers The gun came in and I loaded up some 77 gr SMK with 22.5 gr of Varget set to 2.260 OAL and shot my best group with any gun ever... a .345 and if I hadn't pulled a shot the group would have been smaller... so I have a load set up for the match now I am just waiting for the matches to start. I got in with the Fort Hill Rifle and Pistol Club and they are going to be helping me get started in the matches. For now I am just sitting here loading more ammo and getting ready to start shooting past 100 yards with this rifle. I have a range out to 600 yards so it is off to there as soon as I get a decent amount of ammo loaded up!

If you have a chronograph, you may want to check the velocity of those loads. The charge is a bit light. You will find that most guys shooting a Wylde chambered service rifle use 23.5 - 24.0 of Varget with the 77gr. Even if your groups open up to 1/2 MOA or so with the heavier load, you will be all right. By the way, most highpower shooters I know test using 10 shot groups.

You sound like you are well on your way. Having experienced competitors help you get started is the way to go. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask questions.

See you at Camp Perry.

Dan

 

[BigSkyGP]

Does it matter which brass, SB dies, etc in the wylde chamber? What about 90gr Bergers for the 600yd line?

 

[Kevin Thomas]

BigSkyGP,

You can use SB dies and it won't be a problem. Most Service rifle chambers do fine with a standard FL sizing die, though, especially with Reddings which tend to run to minimum specs. The key here is FL sizing; NEVER, EVER, and I mean NEVER neck size with a Service Rifle. It's an open invitation to all sorts of problems you DON'T want to deal with. I'd suggest saving yourself the trouble with the 90s, too. Not in a Service Rifle, anyway. They tend to be very unpredictable with the 20" barrelws, working in some, adamantly not working in others. AMU gave them up for exactly that reason. They'd build 50 rifles, 25 would shoot them acceptably well, the other 25 wouldn't. You've got enough other stuff to worry about on the line with dealing with tempermental loads or bullets. The 80s will do you just fine at 600, and can work at 1,000 with the right prep. The 90s have a much better track record with Match Rifles, since there's usually another 6" or so, and that makes a world of difference.

 

[Kevin Thomas]

338RUM,

Dittos on what Dan said. I mentioned earlier that the vast majority (95% or better) of Service Rifle shooters are using one of two powders; RL-15 or Varget, about equally divided between the two. For those using Varget, somewhere between 23.5 and 24.0 grains is about as close to a "standard" load as you'll come. No need to reinvent the wheel here, and if the rifle won't shoot this load, there's a problem with the gun.

 

[DZelenka]

Does it matter which brass, SB dies, etc in the wylde chamber? What about 90gr Bergers for the 600yd line?

For brass, once fired Lake City is great, especially for 200 and 300. I used it for years at all yard lines but have recently switched to Lapua at 600 because the price was right and it helped me keep my brass segregated. As Kevin said, SB dies are not necessary. I am currently using Forster for sizing and both Forster and Redding micrometer seating dies (one in my Dillon for short line and the other in a Rockchucker for 600. Save yourself the trouble and stay away from the 90s. I shot 90 JLKs for several years (at least 4, maybe 5). To do so, you need a 1:6.5" barrel, a Holliger chamber (Wylde with a longer throat), and moly bullets. I used lots of N540, but I understand N550 is pretty good too. I was able to break 2700 with the bullets out of a service rifle. It held the wind great (.580 BC), but there were unexplained off call shots in nearly every match. When I changed back to Sierra 80s and RL15 for 600, I started getting leg points and went Distinguished in short order. I now shoot 82 gr Bergers over 24.1 gr RL15 for 600. This load in my rifle holds excellent elevation (when my eyes cooperate).

 

[BigSkyGP]

Thanks guys. For giving me your direction.

I've obtained a small mountain of LC brass in the last few years, I hope to put it to regular use.

Do primers make a lot of difference, for this sort of shooting? Do you mess with the FL die, adjust properly, or set it down on the shell holder for wylde chambers?

 

[DZelenka]

Thanks guys. For giving me your direction.

I've obtained a small mountain of LC brass in the last few years, I hope to put it to regular use.

Do primers make a lot of difference, for this sort of shooting? Do you mess with the FL die, adjust properly, or set it down on the shell holder for wylde chambers?

I have an RCBS Precision Mic and measure several cases fired in my rifle and adjust the sizing die to push the shoulder back about .003" Caution: different brands of brass may need different adjustments because the alloys have different amounts of "spring" to them.

Primers: I use primers with a hard cup like CCIs and 7 1/2 Remingtons or Wolf SR Mag or Wolf .223 primers. With most powders you don't need mag primers (the exception has been ball and N540). Wolf SR mag primers differ from their standard sr primer only in cup hardness so I put them in the non-mag category.

The only primer that I will not use is the gold colored Winchester WSRs. There have been way too many reports of pierced primers with moderate loads.

Don't forget that you have to take the crimp out of the primer pocket on the LC brass. The best pocket swager is the Dillon.