What did you do at the range today?

[Chris in TN]

.223 at ~200 and ~360 yards off sticks, with my daughter, on a very windy afternoon right before dark:

 

[FOS373]

Snowy day in NW Colorado

Breaking and sighting in Tikka 6.5 PRC in Peak 44 Bastian stock. Ecco Five by Suppressor. Hornady 143 ELDX

3 shots in center. Then adjustment. 3 shots on bottom. Then 9 shots on right

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

Got annoyed and pissed off that my newly re-barreled Mauser in 7x57 isn't shooting particularly well. Earlier tests were about the same as this, and close inspection of the old bedding, I saw some cracks, so I just got through re-bedding it front and rear last week. I fully encased the recoil lug area, and then bedded where the rear tang sits on the bottom side only, ensured that no metal-to-metal contact between bottom metal and action was happening, barrel is free floated, etc. So, I was hoping for something happier today, but no joy.

This was N555 + 162 ELD-X in Norma brass; the same combo that hammered 15 rounds into a 0.84 MOA on my last outing with my Tikka 7x57, so I was expecting it to at least be not totally awful here. If I overlaid this group with the other group of 5 I shot in the same gun/same load today, it's closer to 2.25 MOA.

Obviously a number of things left to try, but I've honestly never had a gun that had already been reasonably bedded shoot like this, that I later got smartened up to shooting great, so I'm honestly pretty bummed at this point.


View attachment 1055517

Well, today was/is MUCH better. I reckon bedding the rifle actually does matter!!!!

Post-bedding, here's a 13 round group (I had 15 rounds loaded up, but 1st round was about a 8 inches higher than previous POI, and 3 inches left, so I dialed the scope to get it back on target, except I fudged up left/right, so one more dial, and it was close enough to bull to shoot the last 13 as a group (technically 2 groups that I then overlaid).

I'm still hoping to work this thing into 30 rounds under an inch, but 13 rounds in to 1.24 MOA ain't nothing to sneeze at for an old Mauser action in a $50 synthetic stock, especially when you consider it's my dumb ass doing both the reloading and the shooting.

Edit to add: this was 150 ELD-X's over Varget, not 162 ELD-X's over N555. This same load in my Tikka 7x57 shoots about 1.4 MOA, so if anything, this one did better - I'll revisit the 162 ELD-X load for next range trip and see what I get.

 

[Chris in TN]

Snowy day in NW Colorado

Breaking and sighting in Tikka 6.5 PRC in Peak 44 Bastian stock. Ecco Five by Suppressor. Hornady 143 ELDX

3 shots in center. Then adjustment. 3 shots on bottom. Then 9 shots on right

View attachment 1058419



View attachment 1058420

How do you like the Ecco can? I have considered getting one of his Titanium 5x5 cans.

 

[FOS373]

How do you like the Ecco can? I have considered getting one of his Titanium 5x5 cans.

It works - I was shooting the normal 5x5. It's obviously a shorter can, but still brings the sound down and helps with recoil. I screwed up once and had taken my ear pro off then took a shot. I'm in a covered shooting deck, with two protected sides and it was more than bearable.

Didn't even know he made a Ti version; maybe making another purchase.

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

Well, today was/is MUCH better. I reckon bedding the rifle actually does matter!!!!

Post-bedding, here's a 13 round group (I had 15 rounds loaded up, but 1st round was about a 8 inches higher than previous POI, and 3 inches left, so I dialed the scope to get it back on target, except I fudged up left/right, so one more dial, and it was close enough to bull to shoot the last 13 as a group (technically 2 groups that I then overlaid).

I'm still hoping to work this thing into 30 rounds under an inch, but 13 rounds in to 1.24 MOA ain't nothing to sneeze at for an old Mauser action in a $50 synthetic stock, especially when you consider it's my dumb ass doing both the reloading and the shooting.

Edit to add: this was 150 ELD-X's over Varget, not 162 ELD-X's over N555. This same load in my Tikka 7x57 shoots about 1.4 MOA, so if anything, this one did better - I'll revisit the 162 ELD-X load for next range trip and see what I get.


View attachment 1058444

View attachment 1058445

Ohhhh, yeah, dawg!!!! Now we're getting somewhere.

5 rounds at the backyard range of my semi-shaky bench. Shooting off this setup, my groups usual run around 1/4 ish MOA bigger than what I can do off of an actually stable bench at a Real Range(tm), but pretty close to what I can do prone with a backpack rest and a jacket under the butt or similar extra-stable field positions.

This is IMR 4831, CCI LR primers, 175 ELD-X, in Norma brass, clocking just shy of 2600 FPS. That load there at my elevation, is clocking north of 2,000 FPS out 500 yards, which is my "farthest I can ever imagine I'd actually huck lead at yee olde critter", and more than enough jam to flatten anything that walks the woods in North Idaho. Also super-good chance that N555 will keep the same or almost as good accuracy and ramp that up into the mid to high 2600-something FPS range in my 25 inch barrel.

I know, I know, I need a bigger sample size, but this definitely looks like the right track.

 

[Austin Kaufman]

Went out this morning to check zero and verify dope out to 1148 yards for a few matches this weekend.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PKR]

Is that a Zenith K suppressor? How do you like it?

It is, I only shot about 6 rounds that day with it. I will say with the “brake” end cap on it’s not super quiet but that’s not its intended purpose. Build wise it’s very well done.
I’m thinking to try a SRS brake on it to see what it does.

 

[PKR]

Did a quick session to check out some ladders I did worked up for the new 6.5 PRC Tikka.

What I gathered, the 140 Aeromatch I can go ahead and add some more powder. 2886 fps with 57 grains of h1000. Groups were good. around .6-.75.

The 147 ELDM did awesome. 57 grain of H1000 did great and way bettwr than the 56 grain charge. 2846 FPS


The TGK did awesome as well but were the inverse of the eldm, whereas they preferred the lower charge weights.



This is a small sample size and less than 40 rounds on the barrel. My goal is to work up a slightly better 140 Aeromatch load and maybe take it to my next NRL match to fire form my brass, speed up the barrel and then really dial in some hunting loads with with the 145/147’s.

Over all though I’m super happy with this rifle and the way it’s shooting l