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