Continue to work on the new Tikka Varmint 1-8 223. With over 200 rounds fired, it is noticeably tightening up groups. I shot multiple 1/2 inch groups at 100 with Berger 73 "pulls" in pulled brass with 24.5 TAC (and some 1 inch groups too). Took it to 300 and 500 yard ranges at my club to practice for my first PRS match next weekend. Confirmed zero on my custom 6.5CM.
It was good to get back to the range finally. Put a few rounds down range through my EDC (G26 Gen 3) with a couple new mags.
When things get back to closer to normal I have a couple newbies to take to the range. Put some rounds through my Ithaca M49 and Heritage Arms .22 (below). Great for the new shooter, it has no recoil.
Today was an interesting one. My intention was to shoot my G27. It’s been a while, and I do still carry it. It’s my occasional “lazy carry”, when I don’t want to AIWB. The CQC-S is comfortable, OWB, conceals pretty darn good for an OWB, and is real easy on an off with the loop / snaps.
So I picked two other guns at random I hadn’t shot or cleaned in a while. My backup (all stock) Elite II and a Caspian .45 build got selected.
It wasn’t until I was at the range I realized what diversity I had chosen. I had a 9mm, .40, and .45; a polymer, aluminum alloy, and steel; an SAO, a DA/SA, and a striker fired; and also black sights, fiber optics, and night sights.
That 27 is a good shooter, despite it being in the hated .40 caliber. It was the first gun I bought specifically for carry just before moving to a free state 17 years ago, and it’s the one that always remains somewhat in the rotation. Could have saved a boatload just sticking with that, but that’s no fun.
The can is an original AAC M4-2000 that I got back in 2008. Everything else is 2013 or older. I really haven't shot the gun enough to see any limitations that would require an upgrade. I guess I could get a brighter light. It is the original Surefire X300. The can is starting to sound loud. It has been mainly on my LWRC 10.5 piston uppered machine gun. I am certain that is has seen less than 25,000 automatic rounds. Not quite sure how you would retire a can though.
Sometimes you gotta go old school.
This is an old varmint build in 244AI AKA 6mm Remington Ackley Improved. A local guy had it built to shoot prairie dogs, shot 220 fireforming rounds through it, and put it in the safe before I picked it up for a bargain. If you ever read Varmint Hunter magazine 25 years ago, this was the hot ticket.
Remington short action, trued and blueprinted, with a walker style tuned trigger to 2 lbs.
Stainless match barrel with muzzle brake
HS Precision stock with a single shot follower
Leupold 6.5-20X scope, fine varmint dot reticle, with a Premier 14.5-35X booster
I haven't shot any groups with it yet but since I was going up to the range that goes out to 1000 yards today,
the thought was it might be fun to see what it could do. 45 grains of RL17 behind a 87 Vmax was good for hits at 200, 330, 420, 545, and 675 yards. At that point I stopped as my dope was getting further and further off with each hit as I had not chrono'd this load just yet, and it is shooting way flatter than expected.
-Seconds Count. Misses Don't-
Another day with the Tikka T3X Varmint 223 - I switched scopes so had to rezero. Shot the "new to me" Accurate Ordnance custom 6XC - just a laser - assembled the used barrel action into a KRG Bravo and added the Burris XTR II 5-25 MRAD from the Tikka 223. Zeroed then one 5 shot group all touching then off to the 500 range to go 3-3 on the steel. Put about 50 rounds of my 300BO reloads with the 30 Carbine 110s through my new AR Pistol.
Got to spend 5 glorious hours at the range yesterday testing new and newly repaired builds, trying out new to me stuff and generally plinking.
The 2 new AR pistol builds
The newly repaired (and finally functioning) PSA/RIA Franken-9
I shot the RPRR on an Elmer Keith Challenge target. It's supposed to be 6 shots offhand from a handgun at 10 yards. Let's just say I have a looong way to go to get there but it also makes a dandy 25 yard .22 rifle target.
I also shot it with the CMMG .22 conversion in my 18" .223 Wylde build but I didn't get a picture of the rifle and the target left a lot to be desired anyway. I liked it well enough I'm strongly considering a 20" .22 build now.
Ruger MKIV - I still need to adjust the rear sight for a 6 o'clock hold. As much as I like my red MKIV Lite, I think I like this better. I need to decide if I'm going to keep it or turn it into something else.
RIA 1911A1ATacorsomesuchubercoolname - I usually keep my AA .22 kit on this but I picked up a set of Practitioners from @vcdgrips and I wanted to try them with the mighty .45ACP. Me likey. A LOT!
No pics but the 5" M&P Pro came out to play and a half mag in the Holosun 407c went blank then came back with the dot-circle reticle. Which is odd because it's not the dot-circle model. It's happened before so I think I need to send it back. I bought it through Brownells so I should be able to exchange it.
Finally got to try the new to me 4.25" M&P w/RMR. I really like it as well but it was the end of the day and I was running out of time so I forgot the pics of it as well.
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy / Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
(No new picture, but the gun hasn't changed any.)Originally Posted by That Guy
Has it really been since February when I last fired this thing?! I did manage to take the revolver out later during February than my last post about it, but still. We're somewhere in April now, right?That's a long time to keep a new gun sitting in the safe. Well, not exactly sitting there, since I did end up destroying a brand new set of A-Zoom snap caps with it during teleconferences at work, but no live fire as I kept waiting for more .357 ammo I was promised to arrive "soon". Of course world events have had some effect on my ability to visit the range as well. And there are pistol and rifle skills that one needs to keep from atrophying too much. (Let's not bring up my poor, neglected shotguns that I feel guilty enough about already...)
Following my purchase of a firearm in a new caliber, we've naturally experienced a drought of affordable ammunition in that caliber even though .357 has always been widely available before. It even seemed like someone changed my name for me as every time I walked into the local hardware store I was greeted with a cheerful "Hi, We-don't-have-any-three-fifty-seven! What can we get for you today?" which, seriously, I know I have a bad memory with people's names myself but that's not even close to my name.
I wanted to get more of the Fiocchi ammo since the muzzle velocity claimed by the manufacturer is significantly higher than other ammunition available, but no luck.Eventually I did get some Magtech ammo shipped to me and headed to the range to try it out. Yeah, so FYI: Fiocchi seems to be full of it. This stuff has noticeably more oomph to it than the Fiocchi! Both ammunition is 158gr SJSP, so I was surprised to feel such a significant difference. I wish I could do a side-by-side comparison with them, to reduce the effect of environmental factors (I do believe the weather might have been a tad different in February than it was today).
Further update on the POI/POA shift with hotter ammo: the problem is the loose nut behind the gun. Well, that or the stocks aren't interfacing with my hands well.
I do have to do something to the stocks on this gun. The ones I have on it now are Pachmayr Presentation Compac Professionals which are rather small but fit my hand well, lack any finger grips which is a good thing as they are always wrong for my hands, enable me to get a great trigger reach, and... They both bite my hand as well as roll the gun in my hand under the recoil of .357 Magnum ammunition. This makes rapid firing difficult and any sort of firing a bit uncomfortable. (No such problems with .38 ammo, of course, but damnit, I bought a Magnum revolver, I want to be able to shoot Magnum loads with it!) The stocks I believe I should have are Pachmayr Presentation Compacs, without the Professional part. Exact same thing, except the Professionals have an exposed backstrap and the non-Professionals a closed one. Naturally, that product has long since been discontinued so I can't just order new ones from Lyman Products. Bugger. And the selection of non-finger grooved, recoil taming stocks made for this firearm today seems to be nil. Double bugger.
*Sigh* Anyone want to trade a set of Compac Professional stocks to Compac stocks?
The Shadow 2 was feeling like an extension of my arm today.
El Pres: 4.54s, 52 points, 100%.
4 Aces: 2.37s, -1C. 2.24s, -2C
And some 0.14s splits too.
Last edited by Clusterfrack; 05-21-2020 at 10:18 PM.
“There is no growth in the comfort zone.”--Jocko Willink
"You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
I got the opportunity to get back out to the range today and I gave the Elmer Keith Target Challenge a real go. This was the best I was able to manage with my 4 5/8 .45 ACP NMBH
I shot targets with the .45, 3 different .22s plus my 4.25" and 5" 9mm M&Ps with red dots. I burned somewhere around 300 rounds shooting these and probably half of that was .22.
The RIA/AA almost got me there but I haven't processed the target pic yet.
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits - Mark Twain
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy / Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Reply With Quote
