Good day at 600 yards...

[green 788]

I got an NXS (Nightforce) scope to round out my LE2B Savage. Just sold a bunch of useless stuff on ebay and figured I'd pick up a Leupold Mk4... turns out my useless stuff wasn't as useless to others as it was to me, and I ended up with enough for a 3.5-15 x 50 NXS with NP-R2 reticle. Decent scope...

Anyway, I mounted that on my LE2B and took the Weaver Grand Slam which had been on that rifle and put it on my "green 788," now a Douglas 8 twist .243 win.

I did OCW testing early last year with Nosler 180 grain Ballistic Tips and Varget. Using the regular CCI 200 primers, I found that 44.1 to 44.2 grains was optimal with Win cases. At 315 yards, that load did this:

...seeming to strongly cross that notion that an OCW load developed at 100 yards can't perform at longer ranges. That same load did MOA at 1000 yards the first and only time I tried it. I have no image of that group, but I did test it again today (really just to get the new scope aligned at my normal 600 yard zero). It acquitted itself nicely as I believed it would. I pulled one shot of the five, so I put one more into the group to be sure I had a good representation of the load's capability. Even with the shot that was pulled the group measured around .6 MOA...

I was quite pleased with the performance of the stock rifle (okay, it's glass bedded--but that's it).

Then it was time to get the Remington 788 on paper with its (new to it) Weaver Grand Slam.

I had wanted to try the 107 grain Sierra Matchking in this rifle. I've had unsatisfactory results on game (even groundhogs!) with the Hornady 105 AMAX (even though others say that bullet works fine on game). So I wanted to try the Matchkings.

I had determined that 48.5 grains of Hodgdon Retumbo was optimal with the 105 AMAX, and that a CCI 250 mag primer definitely tightened the ES (judged not by chronograph, but by vertical spread at 1060 yards).

I swagged 48.1 grains of Retumbo should be about right with the 107 SMK's. Again I used the CCI 250 primer, and today the cases were Winchester virgin brass.

I only loaded 7 shots, and it took me five to get on the paper at 600 yards with the newly installed scope.

Here are the three shots which hit the paper, shots 5, 6, and 7.

True, it's only three shots. But I knew the load would perform. Based on what the 105 AMAX did from this rifle, I expected the SMK to do even better.

Now I've just got to see if this bullet can actually make a groundhog DRT (dead right there) at ranges beyond 500 yards--something that the AMAX seemed to have trouble doing in my experience.

Dan

 

[bailey1474]

First, **** fine shooting!!

[ QUOTE ]
Now I've just got to see if this bullet can actually make a groundhog DRT (dead right there) at ranges beyond 500 yards--something that the AMAX seemed to have trouble doing in my experience.


[/ QUOTE ]

I've had great results w/the Amax @ ranges beyond 500 yds on pds. Of course they are a little easier to anchor than a gh. Hope the Sierra works for you, but I'm afraid it will just punch little holes about .243" in diameter!!

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

That is some good shooting with factory rifles. See, factory rifles are accurate with good loads. That 3 shot group at 600 yards is awesome. With accuracy like that, you should be wacking them.

 

[green 788]

Bill, you may be right about the 107's. I'll have to see. I just know that with the 105 AMAX I hit a groundhog twice at 540 yards, and he went off into the grass dragging his guts. Another at 438 yards, hit through the gut near his hips, dragged himself to the hole. And one at 755 yards went airborne when the shot hit him, but he too made it back to the hole. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Thanks for the kind words Rem 25-06... In fairness, the .243 Remington 788 has an 8 twist Douglas barrel. I glass bedded it and worked the trigger, and that's about it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Dan

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

I just cant wait to get my 300 RUM fitted with a new barrel. I am set on lilja or Krieger. I have shot some good groups with its factory barrel, but its about shot out I believe after 1000 rounds. I'm hoping I can keep .5 moa or better at the longer ranges with the custom barrel. My factory rifles only have the triggers worked on, and glass bedded as well and my 25-06 shoots like a custom. I'm not joking.

 

[bailey1474]

[ QUOTE ]
Bill, you may be right about the 107's. I'll have to see. I just know that with the 105 AMAX I hit a groundhog twice at 540 yards, and he went off into the grass dragging his guts. Another at 438 yards, hit through the gut near his hips, dragged himself to the hole. And one at 755 yards went airborne when the shot hit him, but he too made it back to the hole.

[/ QUOTE ]

The guts thing is probably the problem. I can't speak from experience but I would imagine w/an animal that size one would have to hit them in the boiler room w/any bullet to anchor them.

 

[green 788]

True enough on the gut shots... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

But with a 22-250 at 300 yards (Nosler 55 grain BT), a hit anywhere does 'em in.

I'm hoping that the hollow cavity at the tip of the 107 Matchking will batter into shrapnel on contact and allow the bullet to tumble.

If none of that works, I can always resort to the .308... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Dan