Just picked up this rifle to see how it handles and shoots.
Forest color on stock with Tungsten Cerakote on the metal.
The main reason I wanted to try it was the stock. I really like vertical grips.
I weighed the bare rifle as it came, I was hoping it would be around 8 lbs.
Then I attached an NXS 5.5-22x50 scope with NF low rings and a NF ring top bubble level.
My next task was to find where a 215 hybrid touched the lands. Since I don't have a Modified case for my comparator I seated and pulled a bullet several times to loosen up the neck on a piece of brass then seated a bullet really long and closed the bolt on it to push it into the brass. I came up with a average BTO of 2.825.
After that I loaded a few rounds to 2.800 BTO from 82-84.5 grains of Retumbo with 215 primers and headed to the range.
82 grains averaged 2986 with an ES of 20 fps
82.5 grains averaged 2998 with an ES of 14 fps
83 grains averaged 3025 with an ES of 28 fps
83.5 grains averaged 3034 with an ES of 7 fps
83 shot the best at about .65 but I had slight ejector marks on all case heads. The primers still had nice round edges and no cratering but I feel either the load is a little warm or my bullet is into the rifling a little more than I thought and is creating some pressure.
I had also loaded up one round each from 81-85 grains in .5 increments for a 400 yard ladder test but there were too many people shooting to check every shot and my blue sharpie was out of ink so I just shot a couple at 200 yards.
81 and 81.5 had the same vertical with about 1 inch in windage, 82 was about 1 inch above 81.5 then 82.5 went about 2.5 inches abovw 82. I didn't shoot anymore since I saw pressure at 83 grains in my group testing.
I also shot 4 rounds of Nosler factory ammo loaded with 180 accubonds which printed a .78 inch group at 100 yards at 3037 fps average (the box says 3200 out of a 26" barrel, this barrel is 25").
I loaded a few rounds at 81, 81.2 and 81.4 to shoot for groups later this week and I also seated them .030 deeper just to be sure they are off the lands.
My initial impressions are the rifle balances and recoils very nicely off a bipod.
Loaded rounds feed perfectly from the magazine and ejection is sufficient but I would prefer a slightly stronger spring in the ejector to really throw spent brass.
The trigger tech trigger was a little too heavy out of the box so I adjusted it down as far as it would go and is now where I like them around 1.5 pounds with an excellent break.
After returning home I removed the brake and cleaned the barrel, there was evidence of copper fouling but it removed very easily and quickly with some Bore Tech.
More to come
Forest color on stock with Tungsten Cerakote on the metal.
The main reason I wanted to try it was the stock. I really like vertical grips.
I weighed the bare rifle as it came, I was hoping it would be around 8 lbs.
Then I attached an NXS 5.5-22x50 scope with NF low rings and a NF ring top bubble level.
My next task was to find where a 215 hybrid touched the lands. Since I don't have a Modified case for my comparator I seated and pulled a bullet several times to loosen up the neck on a piece of brass then seated a bullet really long and closed the bolt on it to push it into the brass. I came up with a average BTO of 2.825.
After that I loaded a few rounds to 2.800 BTO from 82-84.5 grains of Retumbo with 215 primers and headed to the range.
82 grains averaged 2986 with an ES of 20 fps
82.5 grains averaged 2998 with an ES of 14 fps
83 grains averaged 3025 with an ES of 28 fps
83.5 grains averaged 3034 with an ES of 7 fps
83 shot the best at about .65 but I had slight ejector marks on all case heads. The primers still had nice round edges and no cratering but I feel either the load is a little warm or my bullet is into the rifling a little more than I thought and is creating some pressure.
I had also loaded up one round each from 81-85 grains in .5 increments for a 400 yard ladder test but there were too many people shooting to check every shot and my blue sharpie was out of ink so I just shot a couple at 200 yards.
81 and 81.5 had the same vertical with about 1 inch in windage, 82 was about 1 inch above 81.5 then 82.5 went about 2.5 inches abovw 82. I didn't shoot anymore since I saw pressure at 83 grains in my group testing.
I also shot 4 rounds of Nosler factory ammo loaded with 180 accubonds which printed a .78 inch group at 100 yards at 3037 fps average (the box says 3200 out of a 26" barrel, this barrel is 25").
I loaded a few rounds at 81, 81.2 and 81.4 to shoot for groups later this week and I also seated them .030 deeper just to be sure they are off the lands.
My initial impressions are the rifle balances and recoils very nicely off a bipod.
Loaded rounds feed perfectly from the magazine and ejection is sufficient but I would prefer a slightly stronger spring in the ejector to really throw spent brass.
The trigger tech trigger was a little too heavy out of the box so I adjusted it down as far as it would go and is now where I like them around 1.5 pounds with an excellent break.
After returning home I removed the brake and cleaned the barrel, there was evidence of copper fouling but it removed very easily and quickly with some Bore Tech.
More to come
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