The 2 rifle build

[Don A Parsons]

That's awesome Rev Jim,,, it sounds like you have your plan figured out... I hope that I get mine sorted out after 5 years of messing around... Hopefully I see this come together in the next 2 weeks...

I found out today that the new to me 30/06 BDL barrel is pooched... I figured this since the 200gr ELD-X's needed seating extra long to sit 20 thou off the lands,,, I """might""" have a spare 30 cal in my cabinet... Deffinatly a 308 Winchester for that unit... If not,,, I'll get my builder to spin me up a new one...

My F Class rig came factory with a 308 heavy varmint Barrel that I still have,,, I'll find out shortly if it will fit my other Remmy LR...

Nothing like owning 2 long action 308's so I can seat the 180's or 185 Juggernauts out to the lands...

The bouns of the long actions is I get to use the bottom feeds instead of single hand feeding,,, that's old news when hunting... Ha...

The F Class rig remains as is for now ,,, my other SPS is going to a new home...

After I wear down the F Class rig,,, I'll sell the action/ P&G bolt & stock separately... Of course I'll keep the target trigger and Sightron optic as back-ups...

Lots of planning on this at the range today... Fingers crossed fore sure.

 

[Don A Parsons]

I realize that the 308 and 30/06 are pretty evenly matched for ballistics,,, of course the 06 can be loaded hotter,,, that's the only reason I'm not choosing it as my shooter...

Its to crisp and hard to handle when it's souped up,,, I realized this a few weeks ago... A charged up Ought-6,,, it's is to much for me now days,,, I like the idea of the power thing,,, but its simply a waist of space knowing that I'll never use it... Ha...

If I need a hot load,,, I can get a jug of RL to remind me of what un-wanted recoil is like... The 308 has a bit less recoil to it that I like,,, something I can play with all day at the range,,, just enough to continue hunting,,, and general plinking with the younger kids using the pet loads... LOL..

This reminds me when I was in my 20 ish'es,,, a fellow thought I was crazy buying a 300 Weatherby when he was shooting a old school 308... Later on we became good friends over the years,,, He's now in his 80's +++,,, I'm starting to think that I'm now in his age bracket when he mentioned this,,, all most 30 ish years ago I'm thinking...

My friend kept plugging away wish his 308's over the years,,, he shot in 7 world TR Full Bore Matches all around the world footing his own bill with no sponsors... He was able to place in the 200 out of 1700 in Australia,,, then he ended up with his name on the Queen's Plate 2 X's over the years... Good shooter for sure,,, very disciplined in how he approached things... Its humbling listening to him tell stories of the old days,,, hunting,,, shooting competions,,, and all the other shooting sports... He took up F Class towards the end,,, but he liked hunting critters & predator control much more... He doesn't get out much now,,, age has caught up to him,,, visiting,,, relaxing is his thing now days...

The Old Guard is changing hands I guess,,, he knows this too,,, He's accomplished more in the shooting sports then I'll ever grasp in my life time...
Good on him for finding what worked,,, kinda like what I'm doing as well...

Just enough to get by I'd say,,, good times happen to those that live this life style,,, its not easy at times,,, but keeping the noise to the grind stone will add to the adventures I'm hopping... If not,,, at least I can't say I didn't try... Ha

 

[Don A Parsons]

Test 3 is now in,,, the results are the same,,, I'll change things up if test 4 next doesn't show better results...

This factory barrel will get a good work over with Wipe Out / Accelerator,,, a proven replacement optic to make sure!!! and another action to stock alinement... I've been tighting the action screws with the weight of the barrel to make sure the tine up against the stock lug slot... A bit of different torque settings in the 55 to 65 in/lbs to see if that helps...

I replaced the trigger to a trigger tech,,, its better then the factory unit that adjusts from 1 to 5 lb,,, its pretty smooth with no creep... I can feel the difference between it and the Jewel triggers that I normally use...

Any builds from here on will be the Jewels since there twice the quality... My preference that is . Ha

My rifle builder is now on notice """if""" the groups don't improve,,, a big negative on spare barrel for it,,, so a quick call to B Jury who can spin me up a medium Sporter barrel,,, just a fraction thicker then the stock Remmy BDL factory barrel that's on it...

Good thing I had my 308 Creedmoor with me this weekend,,, a bit more ranging for it to make sure my ammo and the MOA reticle are still in the same mileage bars out to 600 meters for now... Then it gets replaced by my Remmy LR so I can dust the barrel off of it for a winter project...

Burning up barrels and launching lead is what its all about you know... LOL

 

[Don A Parsons]

Good news and less not suprized news. Ha. The 30/06 BDL barrel has a pooched crown. I figured that this was issue.

I could knock off 2 inches or re-barrel,,, I picked the re-barrel idea,,, and since I'm not getting any younger I decide to go with a 6.5 A-Square,,, liter boolitz and just enough Punch-Junk at close range for the thick skins.

Funny thing is that my rifle builder has 1 for him self as his go to hunting rifle,,, he said there deadly as long as I plant the lead where its needed...the TSX deffinatly drop critters...another good chunk of lead is the ELD-X's since they work up close and out at range...

The real plus is that I can tap it kool on the charge and still get velocities like the other 6.5's...

He said they are easy to load for,,, there very forgiving no matter what charge I throw at it,,, of course I won't know this till it sees the shooting range...

My other black art friend will spin me a barrel with a 1:8 so I can shoot the 160's,,, but I'm pretty sure I'll hold up in the 140/47gr category.

As I mentioned in my above post,,, the contour will be """Close""" to the factory Remmy sporter barrel in 24",,, but we've decided to leave it a bit thicker,,, A 1980 Long Action BDL came in a 8 3/4 lbs,,, I'm thinking this build will come in at 10 + lbs before glass... This will help for recoil I hope... Ha... Lucky thing I have the Aussie sling for humping the hills...

Just the regular big game hunting thing and target shooting. Good times no matter what cartrage it is,,, we're having a reloader number II course this weekend,,, I'm already up to speed on this stuff,,, but there's nothing wrong with seeing what new ideas came up since the last time I took it...

We're into the frugal match dies these days,,, about a 1/3 of the costs of the professional type dies,,, yet we get good neck tension and next to nill for run out...

More to follow...

PS: The bolt handle kick up is a known on this year of Remington,,, so my friend will sort that out on the build...

He has Black Magic art skills to,,, Old German tooling skills from loooooong ago. Ha.

 

[Don A Parsons]

Oh Yha,,, down to 3 rifles as of today,,, a few more months and number 3 unit is on its way out the door when my custom unit gets home...

If things keep going the same way,,, I'll be down to 1 rifle... Ha... """Not."""

The 2 gun thing will continue I'm sure...

The specs for the new barrel is delt with,,, and now it's the waiting game... 2 weeks for him to spin me a 24" finish...

Stainless steel so I can get some mileage out of it I hope,,, my stainless F Class barrel is still holding in there...

 

[Don A Parsons]

Its Bean counter time up here in the North,,, this is my pride and joy when it comes to consistanty...

https://photos.app.goo.gl/5exJyfGshEJHX7HR7

My Remmy SPS 308 has left the building,,, so my 3rd back-up to this is my FTR Rig,,, yes I know that the 308 Winchester is a small case and the boolitz have to buck the winds like crazy,,, nothing major if I do my part at reading the flags and watch for the wind poppers at mid range...

Heat wave water lines are my friend. Ha...

I'll run this for a few years, then change it into something else when the time comes...

My 3 shooting friends have triplets to this. A extra loooooong Stock,,, 32" finish barrels,,, and the softest crisp triggers known to humans,,, 4oz pull was so so,,, we reset to 6oz to get the feeling back...

My rifle Smith competed in the national level for a few years before he designed this set-up,,, he calls them the belly bench rest rifles...

Once there planted,,, they act just like land cannons. LOL...

They are boring to shoot at 4 to 600 meters,,, but they really shine when it comes to reaching out there past that...

Its some what challanging to stay on the 5" V ring at 900,,, of course this works good with no wind or in a vacuum zone,,, only problem is that we've never found those conditions along the Rocky Mountain Range on the Eastern Slopes...

Sometime the flags are cross drifting in opposite directions... This is good since we can shoot the middle...

Yuppers,,, bring on the good times,,, a few matches this year,,, then off to the clay bank shooting challange...

Small cartridges,,, large rifles and heavy boolitz,,, what's not to like about our shooting sports...

I'll make sure I land my first 3 shots in the dirt before the target,,, it seems to be a ritual to get the season started. Ha

 

[Don A Parsons]

When we think life can't get any better,,, then reality shows uup !!!

I jumped into target shooting about 38 ish years ago,,, F Class in the last 5,,, and here I find my self in the Mid North of a place they call the Palusters Triangle in Western Alberta along the Eastern Boarder,,, more North of here in the rolly hills or better known as Noise Hill Country...

Purhaps one could say it's the rolly hills of Wyoming with huge massive valleys,,, partly like the Virginia Appalachian mountain range less the thick trees or South Carolina Blue Ridge Mounts... Again,,, its not the territory of trees,,, but it has its sporadic bush patches,,, long valleys and endless miles of Rollies...

A home of long distance shooting for the hunter class man or Gal up to 1450 yards,,, ok,,, close enough to think of it as the mile...

Mid timer dude like my self is now looking at calling this place home,,, when the ever changing winds pop up,,, it will deffinatly hands you your @zz with what we think we know about WIND...

Yuppers,,, Old school me got schooled on the 14-hundred with 50 shots launched a zero hits on the 24" gong,,, Ha... I could land my shots all around it,,, but the ever changing drifts of 5 to 14 mpr wind poppers shut this idea down...

Dam,,, the learning game is on my friends,,, iron gongs as far as you can see at this club,,, small group of old to new timers and me now becoming the Yo-Hanns-Schmidt of what it takes to get onto these distance runners...

I mentioned this on another thread here a while ago,,, and these words mean it all out here...

"""Begining shooters talk about Guns,,, Novice talk about Cartridges and Boolitz,,, and the rest of us talk about Wind...""""

Yes,,, rifles,,, cartridges,,, ammo and boolitz all play a factor in what it takes to reach out there,,, one of the key elements that many of us old to mid tool folks know is that none of this matters if you can't land the rockets where they need to be... Ha...

Just past my mids as try this once again,,, but with better odds of landing more inners then outters... Ha...

At least Yo-Hanns-Schmitd,,, """I""" hold the First Place Last Looser Award of yesterday's shoot,,, hopefully I do the same thing today as it will win me the most inconsistent shooter this club of folks have ever seen... LOL...

If anything comes of this outing for me,,, it will be learning what to change next time when I return,,, things can only improve from here on in if I hit the gong at the 14 mark even if it's 1 out of the 100 shots fired. Ha...

Reporting from the Windy Valley as we watch our shooting caps blow away in the breeze to never be seen again,,, did you know that 14 & 1/4 MOA at 900 meters are fast wind poppers... Ha...

Lucky me since my optic allows for 50 on either side of the glass,,, getting schooled is a good thing...

 

[Eagle eyes 17]

It looks like it's time to finally put the 1 Gun idea to rest,,, so the plan going forward for me is to utilize what I own and turn 2 of my rifles into twins,,, sort of that is.

I'm not sure how other folks go about this,,, but scale-ing back the gun safe is now underway. The nice thing is that the 2 cartridges I have on the go are 30/06 and 308,,, looks like the 308 is going to be the Weiner. LOL.

Probably because I have 1200+ cases,,, an endless supply of 30 caliber boolitz,,, 3 cabinets of primers in large rifle and small for the Lapua Palma Brass.

My hunting days are slowing down as general plinking along with competitive F Class and free hand full bore take up my time,,, that's not including the predator control along with in the wilds back-packing,,, hiking,,, OHV summer and winter with snow tracks along with endless days of camping.

Yuppers,,, life with 2 units,,, one for match,,, the other for general hunting using the same cartrage.

The trick now is getting both units into semi similar stocks less the barrel Contours and length.

Kind of like a work in progress.

One of my favorite (on my limited fun money budget), things to do, is to get a basic rifle to build off of,. I have a Savage 270 and I'm going to be getting a Remington 243 Varmint Rifle to build.
I plan on dropping the 270 in a Boyd's At-One stock and dropping the 243 in a Magpul Hunter stock. then Scopes and Trigger's and I will be on my way to
having two great Rifles to play with.

 

[Don A Parsons]

Thanks Austin, and yes,,, my end goal is to really end up with 1 hunting rifle and a target unit for the off season,,, just the mid size cartridges to keep it simple...

Any-who,,, I'm into a head scratcher tonight to find out whats going on from the 5 day shoot in the East Country along the rolly hills.

So the rifle is my F Class rig in 308 Winny 10 1/4 twist at 32"...

Hornady ELD-X 178gr with MV @ 2700 using 44gr of Varget Small Primer Palma Lapua brass.
Zero at 100 meters/ yards with 76 MOA to the 1450 yards...

Here's the puzzle,,, at a 1000 meters/ close to in yards,,, the boolitz are at 1200 ft-per seconds this is where the boolitz are going threw the transition faze from sonic to sub-sonic...

The strange thing is that I was onto a 12" metal gong at 1450 yards or 1325 meters = 943 ft-per seconds to impact...

Strange thing is that I got onto it at shot 7,,, followed by 3 more misses out of 10,,, then tagged it 3 out of 10 on the next set...

Obviously the boolitz are still facing forward or they wouldn't of be able to tag the little 12" if the trajectories were going side ways as I though...

This occurred to me when I tagged the 24" gong 7 out of 10 on set 3,,, so my coach said that the boolitz might be going wonky in the transition faze,,, yet they have time to smoooooth out at this distance a """bit""" before all 4@!! Breaks loose...

Head scratcher for sure... Another thing that I'm thinking is that I had a 11 mpr tail wind pushing those little boolitz along,,, don't get me right or wrong,,, but I know for a fact that 180gr boolit out of a 308 struggle at the 880 yard mark... A 1000 yards is pushing the limit,,, yet I'm reaching out there waaaaay past its limits...

Be dammed if I can figure it out,,, the reason I went with a 10 1/4 twist was that the 175/185 boolitz are with in the yellow of optimum twist calculations at 900 meters,,, the scale of 1.52 or just above the 1.5 at the tail end of the 900 metres...

The SG is 1.37 @ 1450 yards,,, that's way bellow the 1.50,,, if you think your scratching your head,,, let me tell you I've been trying to think this threw for 2 nights now...

Something not adding up since it tough for a 308 to pull this off,,, my 30/06 Sherman loaded hot would struggle with this... Not saying I haven't pushed it's limits past that distance either...

My former 300's were the units that took me those distance years ago,,, this is part of the mix that I wanted to find out with the mid size cartridges...

How come both of these mid bores are able to reach out further then what I thought was possible...

I know one thing,,, a paper target will be standing up next time...

Holes in the paper will dedicate front end impacts, big massive tears will show signs of cross threaded and side ways...

It will be a few days before I get back to the hills,,, finding out what is not working has always been my goal,,, that way it lessons the chances of entering the Olympics. Ha...

Reporting from the North that's on Fire,,, darn dry in our parts this year,,, hard to believe that only a few months ago it was -36 to -40... LOL Global freezing and warming at both ends of the scale...

 

[Don A Parsons]

Saterday landed me a 50 out of 50 misses on the 1 footer gong ,,, I could dance the boolitz all around the 1450 yarder... Ha... On par as we had up-changing winds with a average of 7 mpr's,,, highs in the 14 with lows in the 2's,,, that's not counting the tail winds pushing on the lead...

Sunday's was calculating day as I took in 1 hour to dope the numbers on paper,,, must of got it right since #7 was the first hit,,, 3 more spent casings after that to rap up that set... A 1 & 10...
More time watching the others as they struggled to get a 0 & 10,,, dam 12" is tough going at that distance...

Set 2 was much better for me as the side winds tappered off,,, I landed my first to the left,,, then I quickly adjusted to the miss and captured 2 more hits back to back as fast as I could,,, then it was all drafters till shot 8,,, Ha...

At least I scored a 3/10,,, Ye Ha...

To rap up set 3 we jumped onto the 1450 gong at the same distance,,,, once the dust settled I ended up in 3rd over all out of 7 shooters,,, a7/10...

The group was keeping track of the number numbers,,, but that doesn't mean nothing to me since I only count hits,,, near misses are zeros in my books...

Funny how we normally dial left for right hand side winds,,, this is the rare occasion that I had to reverse the situation with East to West drifts... LOL...

A bit challanging for my CDO you know...

Any-who,,, a few more outings for the F rig before my custom unit is ready,,, the chrome Molly pipe is in the lath as the rifling gets cut... This pipe might be a bit heavy for hunting,,, but I won't pack it further then 150 to 200 kms this fall,,, all rolly hills and mountain valleys,,, the easy stuff that is...

My mountain bike / back pack will be doing most of the work... Camp spots are all ready rigged up,,, all we need to do is get there...

Oh Yha

 

[Don A Parsons]

My F Class rig is one step closer to the PRS unit as of today,,, 26" Palma contour stainless steel tappered...

Its alot like a Remmy M-40 A2 Knock-Off in a Laminated Cheery Wood stock with Birds eye Maple along the sides,,,

Extra wide fore-end for sand bags,,, and a Amshutz bottom rail to attach my Remple F Class bypod,,, or throw on the Harrison BR poles...

A bit to clean up along the edged,,, and a cone shaped barrel crown...

At least the unit will be easier to hunt with,,, I'll shoot the barrel off of it over the next few years,,, then turn it into a 7mm/08 or one of the Three to choose from 6.5's...


https://photos.app.goo.gl/Yxm4GnsFmABBoabQA

The next barrel will be a medium heavy contour 3 like my other build that's underway... Now what to do with my Remmy LR... I have a sneaking suspicion that it's soon to find a new home... This puts me one step closer to the 2 gun plan...

A few years to get this far fore sure...