Seems pretty quiet.

Yea, I need to get on it.

Last fall I determined the old redfield scope on the 308 Winchester model 88 finally kicked the bucket after 30+ years. I really need to get on this and replace it soon.

Do you have any suggestions for a new scope that runs about $200?

Tough to beat a 2nd hand Leupold.

I'd take one of them,over most anything else that was new.

There's a pawn shop near by that has them, but it kind of makes me nervous buying a used scope.

Pawn Shops are typically a great place to get bent on glass,though now and again a guy might fare OK.

Leupold doesn't care who/when bought the glass and is only concerned with their goods. I purposely search for well used specimens,send them to Leupold for a clean & inspect and then rest assured that integrity is intact. It's always a gratis service.

Typically have an elevation turret installed in conjunction,but that is food for an issue seperate.

Zeroed in my .223 with Eotech red dot yesterday at 100 yards and pretty much sucked. I don't know how you cat's shoot [censored] at 600 yards...

When I'm not building my house I shoot 2,000-4,000 rounds a year. Some pistol, mostly rifle. 95% of that is reloaded.

To keep in shape I've been shooting my Webley pellet guns whenever I take a break. I could step across the property line and shoot in the county, but hefting an 8lb 1,000 fps .22 cal pellet gun and shooting offhand at shotgun shells 35-40 yards away doesn't disturb the neighbors. Lately I've been going through 50-100 pellets a week.

Shooting is a perishable skill that needs to be practiced.

Installed the Timney trigger on the Vanguard last week, what a difference!

The Leuppy w/turrets is coming soon.

Did my annual squirrel shoot with the boys last month, that was a bloodbath.





Been launching arrows every night for the last month or so in preparation for the archery opener of the local blacktail season on Saturday.



Scouting has turned up a few nice prospects as of late.

Junior is sittin pretty for the fall season, so far he has two blacktail tags a bear tag, and Wyoming deer & antelope tags.

We have tags for 10 big game animals between the two of us.

It's gonna be a very busy fall.

Pics to follow........

right on Sal.....

i'm wanting to change the trigger on my vanguard as well.

Not nearly enough-

I bought a Mark V in .270 Win last year and a Marlin 336 in .380 Marlin Express this year. While breaking in the barrels and sighting in the scope I've gotten real good with both at the range. Now I take them to the range and put three rounds thru them with about a 1" group and go home. Not even worth the expense.

What I need to do now is shoot them in the field at different ranges and from different positions. Planning on a trip east with the goal of shooting several boxes doing just that.

Wish I could shoot more but I spend too much time fishing!

Bret,
It's well worth the hundred bucks and very simple to change out.

http://www.timneytriggers.com/sunshop/

Last month I was given a Vanguard in .257 WBY Mag as a gift.
With time & a couple more spends, I hope to make it my primary deer/antelope slayer.
I'm not giving up the bow, just refining the arsenal.
Best wishes for the fall,
Sal

I need to get out and try some new muzzleloader projectiles now that they allow any type of projectile in washington.

I spent the winter months shooting NRA silohuet matches. Does anyone else shoot silohuets on this board?

Dots are fast,but a series of concessions for distant mayhem.

Some months I shoot a lot other months I fish a lot. It depends on what there is to do to fill the free time. Right now fishing is the focus but usually during the winter/spring I shoot 2000 rounds or so per month. Mostly pistol 'cause my rifles and I are on the same page but running 50rds +/- each thru my M1A, .325 Montana or Rem KS .375 ouch & ouch is always a fun time. My son and I run thousands thru the .22's at this time of the year.

Tomorrow is fishing.....shooting in a couple weeks.

Thanks for the link and likewise Sal.

I shoot about 30lbs of powder through centerfire rifles a year and couldn't guess as to how much rimfire.

My 375H&H Ackley Improved in the AWR Fibergrain handle,was my MBR for a spell...a 378Wby prior to it,but the 338Ultra is my huckleberry now. Have a deep affinity for my KS MR 25-06 Ackley Improved,but know the Montana 7WSM to be the greatest killing rifle ever offered over the counter. I don't shoot 308 Ball like I used to,mainly due to it being harder to score,though there's no cobwebs in my HK-91's bore.

I remain a Boltgun Slut and Precision still interests me. Would rather Shoot/Hunt than Fish,though I do slum a fish pole now and again.

Yesterday.

The fishing poles look out of place in that pic.

The empty chamber belongs there.

I've been known to do a little shooting in my day, ha dogfish...........couple hundred here, a couple there, hundy or so bears...............

I took a friend out to demo some of my handguns...helping him throught the buying process.
I have been too busy to go out myself.
Forgot how chewing through the bullseye was fun.
Shot 45acp (1911 and revolver) 357 throught the 686(Thanks again, Parker!) and 44mag (629).
Then switched to 22 rifle. I could not shoot a group larger than a dime for 10 shot group at 50 yds...over and over....CZ 452 shooting Wolf Match Target.
My Shotgun shooting SUCKS!...need to work on that.

Any noteworthy tags?

Don't spend enough time out plinking....... Usually when I'm pulling the triggers it's to the tune of some exploding or dying!

Keith

i could sit around for hours plinking away with a .22. unfortunately, 22LR has been nearly impossible to find for the last 3 or 4 months now, so i've just been practicing for bird season.

Bought 2,000 rounds of .22 LR at Cabelas the other day. Should last the year.

just got back from Mt. Last week. I got on to a killer piece of property that is loaded, and I mean loaded, with rock chucks. Smoked up 400rds of .223 in the AR. Longest shot was between 600-700yds. I dont posess the skill or the equipment Stick does but I was making some long shots after a sighter. The place I shooting was scattered rock cliffs across a canyon that went on for 3-4 miles. It was the most fun I've had with my clothes on in quite some time. There were so many of them, I know we didnt even put a dent in the population. On top of it, this area never gets shot. And I get it all to my self. mine mine mine!!!! Cant wait to go back.

you must have the delivery timing dead on, i go in there no less than twice a week and only once in the past 2 months have i found any .22LR(and it was expensive hyper velocity crap that my rifles don't like anyway).

I've been on some Sage Rat Shoots that were better than 2000rds apiece forays.

About as fun as things get.

I've shot over 2K rds in a day,through a Marlin 39...though my strongside mitt showed some wear.

Tough to beat a 10/22 at fun.

Nice collection of 10/22's. Would any of them happen to be a 17mach2?

The Mach 2 is fickle in compare and it is as of yet impossible,to trump the 22LR at it's own game.

Though in fairness,jacketed rimfire fodder has really pushed the relative design envelope and Steve Hornady rates a free drink. He has sooooo rung the bell and upon numerous levls.

Kudos,steve.

My .17 HMR is a nice tack driver that can hit the bottom of a pop can with boring regularity at 175 yards. Haven't found a $300 .22lr that does that good, yet.

Shooting? Rifles-I try to kill 20-30 ground hogs in the summer with my .270WSM. Now my 5 year old is shooting them with his .22 and I just watch. Pretty cool.

Too many fish to catch in the off time anymore, but I had 2 decades where I shot (6) kegs of Red Dot (48#'s) a year at those silly clay birds.

Hummer ammo is superb on the average,which bears much in the way of downrange fruit.

Steve turned Hornady around.(understatement)

I'm no LR afficianado but I believe the Eotech is a little more suited for closer range use on larger targets than for long range precision. What kind of 100 yd groups are you getting with that setup? I have had really good success with this one.



I found a bag of reloads I loaded up a couple years ago. 60gr. v-max's, they were grouping very consistent 1/2" @ 100yds. I also have a stash of BH 52gr hp that shoot very well. The BH 55gr FMJ wont shoot for sh!t which is ok with me as I have no use for FMJ's. I would like to upgrade the scope to something more usefull. I also want to add a Rem, or CZ bolt gun to the safe.

Stick: you mentioned buying used Leupy's, sending them back and having a turret installed. Bout how much is that?

Prices change all the time at Leupie,but 100 clams will get you there,if not close. Go M1 turret on the ele,forget the rest.

I'm a BH fan and their new stuff(not Re-man) wearing good bullets,performs rather nicely. The 50 V-Max is my favorite Utility projectile in an AR,despite twist rates often stabilizing higher BC offerings,the inherent mag constraints slam those doors shut.

The 60's always shoot nice,but I prefer the 50's terminal affects.

BH bluebox is my go-to, as well has HSM reman.
Both offer 77gr MatchKings and are literally one-hole rounds, every group, out of my 1/8 twist AR.
60gr Vmax's buck the wind a little better and are incredibly consistent out of same AR.
52gr MatchKings are cheaper and do about the same inside of 200yds.

My beef with the SMK in general and the 69 grainers + in .224" especially,is the sheer lack of terminal performance upon Critters. They routinely shoot nicely,but that is only half of the equation. Easy to match their precision and bolster terminal affects as well. Win/win.

AR mag constraints are a bitter pill to swallow,when it's easy to gun a 2.500" or better COAL in a boltgun and really make the upper echelon BC's sing.

I dote fairly heavily on the 75gr A-Max and it's .435 BC,via modest length barreled 223AI's and am especially fond of a 21" 1-8" 3-groove tube,which yields 3150fps with same.

A sinister combo to 1000yds +.

I agree, COAL restrictions in the AR sh!tty at best. My very reason for looking into having a bolt gun done up on a Rem 700 action. I am leaning toward the 700 action just because of its popularity and availability. Are there some other actions in the same price range I should be considering? CZ for example.You also speak very highly of the 1-8 3-groove barrel. can you tell me the advantage of a 3-groove barrel over a conventional barrel. Will 1-8 twist shoot the lighter(50gr) bullets? Can I shoot un-fireformed 223's in an AI chamber with any accuracy? I know, I am asking a lot of questions but I want this build to go right if I follow through with it. Bout 10 years ago I bought a donor 700 short action at the gun show, had my smith do up a 1-8 twist Shilen barrel in 22-243. Barrel was medium weight(.750 at the muzzle) and finished out at 28". I should have had my smith cut me a set of dies when he built it but I was running out of funds and was going to do it later. I never did get to shoot it because I couldnt find dies and really wasnt too sure about the actual chambering(22-243, 22-243middlestead, or some other variation) It sat around for a couple years and I lost interest in it, sold it and bought downriggers.

This go around I am thinking Rem 700 223 action, 21" medium weight barrel chambered in 223AI(likely with a 1-8 twist), H-S stock. I may even go with this 3-groove you mention. What barrel manufacturer would you recommend? Thanks a lot for the input. I like being able to go to the fishing forum to get my gun advice.

I shoot a little of everything,action wise and the 700 is where you want to be. It will get you the most,for the least and seldom does so many stars readily align.

There are many misconceptions in regards to twist rate. The faster/tighter the twist,the longer the bullet it can stabilize. Many wish to infer weight instead of length,but that is a misnomer.

A faster twist rate will shoot longer bullets of greater BC values and that can pay handsome dividends downrange,both in flight characteristics and in terminal affects. In .224",the 1-8" PacNor 3-groove is my favorite,as it will readily stabilize all pursuits of interest to me...which means up to and including the .435BC 75gr A-Max. It also has zero qualm bugholing 40's and the like. Win/win. That 75 rates building a rifle around,solely by itself,as it is truly amazing.

My 3-groove love is based on it's mannerisms,in that they are not the least fickle and wear exceedingly well. Dan Lilja's 3's are skookum too,but PN is my landslide favorite.

In regards to fireforming loads in the 223AI,Precision is based upon the quality of fodder you feed it. Under the assumption of proper sizing and COAL settings,FF loads will blow your mind. So it isn't like you have to shoot holes in the sky,to get to the good stuff. I typically FF 50gr V-Max in all my tubes,as I dig their Goo Factor and Precision has to be seen to be believed.

Flipside is,you can safely/happily rattle Factory ammo through same,but you'll always take a Precision hit when tossing COAL control away to the Factory(s). My marked preference is to load my FF fodder,so as to retain that control.

If you are musing a modest length rifle in HS-esque Varmint-ish guise,then the 1-9" LTR is your Huckleberry. Punch it out and run it...mine does rather well in such configuration.

Were I to take you to the range so you could shoot all of mine,you'd leave with a 21" light contoured 3-groover digesting those wonderous 75's. If Ti ergo's horn you up,then a Faux Ti dupe is a cheap blueprint,because the stocks are $150 a pop or so. A McMillan is triple that,but less peer.

My next will be a PacNor S/S Supermatch 1-8" 3-groover at 21" in a Mountain Rifle contour,riding in a Ti takeoff handle,wearing Talley LW's and a 6x42.

Oftentimes,a little is a lot.

Rifle deer season in the AM.
Mebbe I can redeem my poor archery season.
Mebbe I'll be packing out another toad for the boy.
Yeah, prolly the latter....

Another head shot from the bathroom window? That garden produces well for you

Bullshooter,

Was cleaning my 'bucket account and found this pic of the 11 Second Rifle.



On a good day it'll do 1" at the 500yd line with 50's.

That barrel resembles a truck axle. Do you lug that outfit around in the woods much? I know you told me 16-18lbs, but my 7stw hunting outfit is between 9 and 10lbs, ready to rock and roll and I think it is a beast to lug around. Sweet rifle none-the-less. What breed of scope is she wearing? My guess is older redfield or older weaver with turrets installed, though I know you are a Leupold "slut". Am I close?

Cool shot..BS

Bullshooter The Eotech is not magnified so shooting more than 150 yards is not going to produce great results. I shot it again on Friday and was shooting 4-5" inch groups at 100 yards, with one shot about 1/8" high from being a bulls eye. Still learning the ropes...I can't believe how NICE of group the " shooters" are. Everyone is very friendly and are willing to help the new guys out!!

18lbs as she sets. I've lugged it a fair piece,in the interest of Science.(grin)

Still a whole lot lighter than a chainsaw and I've packed them to Hell and back,more times than I could begin to count.

One of my STW's was a 1St Generation Sendero,the other a 27" #4 contoured Schneider in a Classic on a 700. The Schneider really was stupid accurate and I had a penchant for 120's at Warp Nine.

Glass pictured is a steel tubed Weaver T-16x and all "T's" track like a dirty bastard. Had that glass on a 7-08 Sillywet Rifle back in The Day(lightweight glass,to make weight) and rolled it to The Chub.

She remains a solid platform from which to get minds right,especially in regards to turrets,because it's easy to see impact/trace through the glass. That feedback is invaluable in the firsthand.

track like a dirty bastard.
lol

You are fighting a coupla things,on your Colt. Firstly,is the handguard tube. If it isn't a free-floating design,you are going to have woe induced.

Secondly is the glass. No flies on the Eo' for speed and the like,but Precision is tough to muster via that route.

Beings you've the Picatinny rail inherent,your best move is to swap to/fro,as per the relative situation. Not that it will entail 1000 dis-reassemblies in an afternoon,but that you've an option from which to extract that which is possible from within the system.

Modest glass will reliably cover numerous avenues,less serious concession. I'd have no qualm slamming a Leupie straight 6x (6x42mm)
aboard,with the ele turret and engaging things out to Never-Never Land. With 60MOA elevation available on tap,you'll have zero issue stretching her legs as per crosshair intersection.

You'd be 300 clams deep,to blow your own mind.

The Weaver T-series erector system travels as known quantities,via input dialed into their turret(s). Meaning the corrections you dope,are actually imparted and this is no small thing.

I'll gladly take a hit in optical "brilliance" or other concessions regarding the view,but I gotta have finite control in regards to bullet placement interacting the crosshair proper,which makes me a pig of a Leupold Slut.

I'm anti-Weaver as a whole,though their T-series do perform.

For conversation,Leupold M8 straight 16x 1" 40mm on my 6mm Ackley Improved and it's McMillan HTG. Shilen #5 at 25",twisted 1-10".



And for more conversation,the Leupold MK4 M1 16x on my USMC return M40A1 handled 22-250AI,wearing a #6 and fluted Hart 1-9" at 24" in Badger 20MOA rail and Badger standards.



The MK4 M1 16x being especially configured for LR pursuits of the 50BMG-ish realm at inception,by seriously shaving windage travel,in order to pad elevation travel.

Good trade,IMHO.