Day At The Range

[raven]

Hey All, Just thought I'd share the results with after sighting in/zeroing my bolt rifle.

These were fired from 100 yrds using Winchester Supreme Competion .308 168gr Nosler HPBT Match ammo. Not that impressive, but it made me a Happy Little Camper :D .

Here you go ...





Take Good Care and Be Safe Always.

God Bless :)


-raven-

[Water Bug]

Looks impressive to me, but I'm sure snipers are perfectionists and they won't be happy until each round goes through the same hole at 100 yards. :)

I bet you were a Happy Little Camper... and on a Friday at that! It would appear that your weekend is off to a good start.

Thanks for sharing these!

[ozspyder]

Very nice Gil ! Is that 2 groups ? ie: 1 group and then adjustment then another group of 3 on the red ?

I'm hoping to get my longarms license sometime this year or next to compete with and to accompany my handguns.

Looking forward to seeing more pics of yours when you 'pimp' it up :p

[tonydahose]

nice shooting Tex :D glad you are having fun, enjoy and learn much so you can teach the rest of the guys back home a few pointers.

[JNewell]

Gil, good work - but :D - that rifle should be capable of making one ragged hole at 100 yards with the right ammo. Looks like you haven't tried the Fed GCM 168gr? If not, as you know, that is worth a try. Going back to the range to shoot some more is tough luck, but I'm sure you're up to the job! :D

[raven]

Thanks Guys , The first pic is a 5 round shot group. I fired the first 2 rounds that hit low, but it was shooter error and I wasn't concentrating on my breathing. Once I relaxed a bit, I fired the other 3 three that were almost spot on.

The second picture with the casing taped was actually a "Cold Bore" shot. Once I let the barrel cool down (Cold Bore), I got behind the rifle concentrated on sight picture, breathing, trigger pull, and squeezed off the round. There you have it ... spot. The other rounds I fired at random, because the wind was starting to pick up and I was losing daylight.

Hey JNewell, I used the ammo our department issued/had on hand for our former sniper (left the department). I had some Fed GM which was an older box of ammo a friend had given me, but the LTR didn't like it much. I plan on getting some Fed GCM and going to the range again soon ... darn :p . I'll post the results. I know this rifle definitely shoots a lot more accurately than I'm capable of. I need to get in sync with it that's for sure. May do a bit more tweaking to it as well ...trigger job and bedding the stock.

Take Good Care and Be Safe Always.

God Bless All :)


-raven-

[JNewell]

Interesting about the disappointing results with the GCM - was it the 168 gr load?

[raven]

Interesting about the disappointing results with the GCM - was it the 168 gr load?

Yeah, it was the 168gr load. It was an older box ...come to think of it, they may have been hand loads he put back in the box. I'll try a new box of factory loads to see how they do. I thought it was rather odd especially after hearing all the good news about the ammo. I'll keep ya posted . Take Good Care and Be Safe Always.

God Bless :)


-raven-

[Jimd]

Gil, you're on target, just need to tighten the groups up a bit. Still, that's a very good start!

A few things:
1. Make absolutely, positively, 110% certain that your department issues you any ammo that you would use on duty (it will save you legal red tape if you ever have to shoot someone). Going into court with "handloads" will make a lawyer salivate. "So, Officer XXXXXX, you must really like killing. So much so that you even loaded your own bullets!!"

2. When you're going for honest-to-God accuracy, make certain that you're using rounds from the same Lot Number. Most agencies buy ammo by the case, which is from one lot number, which means it was all made from the same batch, using the same powder (they sometimes change powder types from lot to lot in factories, which can cause differences in impact from lot to lot). You have to rezero the rifle for every time you change ammo lots. Granted, the change is usually not that much, but if it's duty ammo, you can't afford to be "close enough".

3. Try to clean the bolt gun about every 20 rounds or so. The more rounds you fire through it, the more you'll see the groups begin to open up as the bore begins to become fouled with copper and powder residue.

I clean with Shooter's Choice liquid. Sweet's 7.62 is also a good one (it's in paste form). There are others that work, as well. The important thing is to clean it often if possible.

Also: a true Cold Bore shot is fired not only from a cold bore, but also a clean bore. Sometimes, after having cleaned a rifle barrel, it will change the bullet impact slightly because not only is the barrel cool, but there is a residue, however slight, from the cleaning solvent that was used. It can affect the impact of the bullet. So a cold bore shot is one fired from a cool, freshly-cleaned barrel.

Are you using a sandbag underneath your buttstock to steady the rifle? It's great for prone. Then again, learning to fire from every conceivable field position is a must.

Also, be certain to hold the rifle exactly the same every time you fire. Make sure the to use the same grip pressure, the same pressure back into your shoulder, etc. It's all about consistency, and the more consistent you can make each shot, the more consistent your accuracy will be.

For instance, I decided to try holding my rifle looser when prone using the bipod once while on the sniper range. It turns out that the rifle jumped when fired, and it moved on the bipod - my point of impact shifted a good six inches at 100 yards because of it! Lesson learned, mental note to self: don't do that again! :D Keep a tight hold.

It sounds unbelievable, but if you move the rifle, or allow recoil to move it while the bullet is travelling down the barrel, it can actually throw the shot off. This is referred to as "Internal Ballistics", Internal referring to "inside the rifle's barrel or action".

"External Ballistics" refers to the bullet when it is outside the rifle on it's way to the target. Wind, humidity, air density, temp. and such affect it here.

Finally, "Terminal Ballistics" refers to the bullet's actions when it enters the target and finds its way to vital organs, or hopefully, into the medulla oblongata.

Whew! Enough for now, sorry I went into blabbermouth mode!

[raven]

Hey Big Jimd, Keep it coming Brother ...I like this type of talk :cool: . I try to absorb as much as possible my friend.

The cold bore shot was just as you described ...clean bore and cool. BTW, found out about the loose grip, bipod and hop of the muzzle :rolleyes: . Also Note to self ..."Self, Don't Do That Again" :p !!! Take Good Care and Be Safe Always.

God Bless :)


-raven-

[Jimd]

Hey Big Jimd, Keep it coming Brother ...I like this type of talk :cool: . I try to absorb as much as possible my friend.

The cold bore shot was just as you described ...clean bore and cool. BTW, found out about the loose grip, bipod and hop of the muzzle :rolleyes: . Also Note to self ..."Self, Don't Do That Again" :p !!! Take Good Care and Be Safe Always.

God Bless :)


-raven-

That's how ya do it, brother; experience, experimentation and the like. Someone can tell us about it all day long, but nothing beats getting out there and gettin' r done. :D

[asfaltpiloot]

Whoa, nice cold bore shot!
I'm betting you're having a lot of fun shooting it.
Are you just using a bipod or also a bench-rest-bag / sandbag?

Have a good weekend.