Friday, May 28, 2010

Range Day

I got some trigger time today with two of my Handi Rifles. The .223 Ultra and the .30-30 Hunter. Nothing special to write home about, but I'm learning their peccadilloes and having fun. The .30-30 is proving problematic, but I've narrowed down the possible loads. The ladder test works, and I'm convinced that I'm on the way to finding a good load for the .30-30.

Second son came with me, to shoot his Savage 11 in 7mm Magnum and his Ruger 77 in .25-06. The Ruger is a hunting rifle, plain and simple, with a sporter barrel, a wooden stock, and a fixed power scope. We were easily able to hit a 200 yard gong with that rifle. He's confident now that any deer he sees he can hit.

We went out to the 300 yard berm and he put up a target to try to wring out his Savage. We long ago found a load or 4831 shooting a Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet that his rifle really likes. It easily shoots MOA when he does his part, but he's never shot it over 200 yards.



First and second shots nearly touching at 300 yards, 2 inches above the mark. Third through sixth shots opened up as the barrel heated. The first two inside half an inch, the last four inside 4 inches. The orange target is a 4" target dot. Any of those shouts would be inside the kill area on a deer. That's fine shooting.
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4 comments:

  1. J3:31 PM

    Re: 30-30: define "nothing special."

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  2. Pawpaw5:19 PM

    I can't get anything to shoot well in this rifle. Not factory, not handloads, not cast, not jacketed. Nothing groups in better than 4". The scope on the rifle is an ancient Tasco, and I've about convinced myself that the scope is not holding zero.

    So, I'm looking at scopes online. Trying to decide between a Weaver K4, or a Redfield 2X7, or a Weaver V3, or a Burris 2X7. Decisions, decisions.

    as for the .223, I'd get some wonderful small groups with the first two shots, touching at 100 yards, then the next two would open the group up to 4". This one seems to be a cold-barrel rifle.

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  3. Zdogk910:20 PM

    I'm a bit off topic here but with your 311041 it looked (in your photo) like you were using alox and no gc?
    I fondled one of the Redfields about a week ago when I had to go to town, did like the optics.

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  4. Pawpaw6:17 AM

    Zdogk9 - You must be taling about the post where I slugged the bore on the rifle. When I slugged that bore, I took the gas checks off. It's hard to hammer a bullet into the bore with the gas check on. I use gas checks on any cast bullet that I'm going to be pushing over 1500 fps.

    ReplyDelete

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