A life well lived from everything I have read.
A life well lived from everything I have read.
Yesterday, we wasted a bunch of ammo... Well, that's not totally true; got a rough zero on two new rifles, and got some rounds through a new suppressor. But it was windy... 15-20 windy, and randomly swirling around and changing direction. Did OK shooting steel, but no groups to be had.
First up is a CZ 457 in .17HRM, which we bought for shooting our pig match when it's windy. Ironic... LOL
I mounted up the Arken EPL 6-24 that came off my T1K, and got a rough 100yd zero. Showing some good potential, and the velocity is ridiculous compared to the SV .22 ammo we usually shoot!
Next up, I made some changes to my wife's .223... I wasn't happy with the performance of the post-bankruptcy Remington 700SPS. We had ~200 rounds through it, and the best group it ever shot was just over 1 MOA. I shot everything from cheap to match ammo, 55g to 77g. Nothing would group. So it went down the road, and I replaced it with a Bergara Ridge. Being a 700 'clone', I was easily able to swap the stock and optics over.
The improvement over the 700 was immediately apparent... the Bergara comes with a decent bolt handle, and the bolt action is much smoother than the Remington. Another pet peeve is the bolt release in front of the trigger on the Remington, which I never liked. The Bergara has it on the receiver where it's much easier to use. We'll see how it ultimately shoots, but my other Bergara is a laser, so I have faith.
Also picked up a Dead Air Nomad 30, which will primarily be for this rifle. I've had a Nomad L (the longer version) for several years and it's superb! Very quiet, though I probably wouldn't want to lug it around on a hunting rifle. New suppressor took 14 days from eFile to approval. Gotta love that the ATF is getting their E36 M3 together on NFA approvals.
The Nomad 30 is very quiet on the .223. Right on the edge of hearing safe standing behind it.
Lots more testing to be done with these two...
Is the ATF also fast with SBR approval? I have head they are.
I have a build in mind that I would like to do with my LMT Mars-H that would need to be a SBR. I have the barrel that has a HUGE brake on it to keep it legal. I would like to remove the brake and put something "normal" on it. The brake at the moment is a huge 4 chamber monster that clears the rifle range benches around me when I shoot it. I literally have ot warn people and only shoot when all the benches are clear. The up side is it is a almost zero recoil and I am shooting 308. ;-)
In reply to dean1484 :
Wait times vary slightly by application type, but all are much shorter than they were even a year ago. Here's a doc that summarizes wait times for approvals during the last (running) 30 days: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RsR8JOt8fcKIAbuv6ParmYTfSsUHwk3mEhVt0encK6g/edit?gid=381216475#gid=381216475
Those times are based on submissions provided by Reddit users, but it's pretty accurate from what I've been seeing reported elsewhere.
Converting your rifle to an SBR would be a Form 1. Are SBRs OK in MA?
I HATE brakes... LOL We try to stick them at the end of the range.
The only thing that's kind of a PITA with SBRs is that you need to file paper with the ATF to take it out of state, so if you travel with the gun it's a hassle. Suppressors don't require this.
In reply to Rodan :
Just like braille on the drive up ATM.
Finally got a day at the range without wind, so we sorted the zeros on the .17HMR CZ and Bergara .223. Next up is ammo testing...
The .17HMR is starting to show some promise with a couple groups just under MOA. Just reached 100 rounds through the rifle today, and I don't really have big expectations until a gun reaches 300-500 rounds. It seems to like the heavier bullets better, shooting Hornady 20g best so far. It really needs a stock... the factory stock doesn't have a high enough comb, resulting in inconsistent cheek welds.
So far, the .223 doesn't like PMC 55g, or Black Hills 55g SP, but shot .75 MOA with PMC 77g match. I have 8-9 other ammo types/bullet weights to try. Once I find a bullet weight trend, I can start loading some test rounds. I've never loaded .223 before, so it will be a learning process. And with only ~80 rounds through the rifle, still breaking in.
My 6.5 Swede is really starting to look good. I'll take 1.1 MOA with open sights all day long. My handloads, with a Hornady 140g ELD match bullet over 41.4g of H4350. Interestingly, that's the exact same bullet/charge I use in my 6.5 CM. In the Swede I'm getting 2670fps, with an SD of 6.3. If I can find another 2" of elevation, it'll be a contender for our match. I have a front sight that's .5mm shorter to try next. Kentucky windage is just not consistent enough for matches...
Not sure if this is right or not- apologies in advance if I'm being rude but-
A friend of mine has been having a bit of a sale. I already took a Barrett and a Glock 43 off him, and now he's informed me his shelf queen 5.7 is up. I don't want it (because I already gave him too much money) and it doesn't have a place in my inventory to be functional. Maybe one of you do.
I'll be happy to act as intermediary to get the ball rolling. Firearm is located in Orlando FL.
Might want to sent Tom an email about that kind of post. I have been careful not to post for sale stuff or links to stuff unless it is a retailer like Cabelas or something. Not that I mind at all but for reasons GRM may not be to keen on it.
Watching Port Protection for the first time, I know it's been around for awhile but I rarely sit down and watch reality shows so I'm a bit behind here, but I was surprised by the guns they carry in the woods especially for bear defence.
So far I've seen a Mini 14, a Colt Trooper, a Marlin 336, a bolt gun that I think she said was a 243 ( which she carried for whatever reason bolt open the whole time)and a 10/22. I get that they aren't in interior Alaska or in a an area with lots of big bear but I'm surprised by a 243 or a 30/30, or a 223 rifle being your go to there. Even though in this day and age 30/30 is considered not powerful enough for whitetail, it's at least black bear capable but the others .....not so much
In reply to Antihero :
It might be as simple as that's all they had at hand? I think I would opt for one of the .45-70 lever 'guide guns' for bear country.
Many years ago I worked in a gun shop and sold a stainless .357 S&W to a guy that was going backpacking for several weeks in Alaska. Couldn't talk him into a .44 mag, he wasn't interested in guns, just wanted something for bear protection. In fact, he came back a couple months later and sold the gun back to the shop. The interesting thing was that he said he lost the gun at some point, and over a week later was coming back down the trail and found the gun lying in the middle of the path! Talk about desolate country...
In reply to Rodan :
I get the impression that these are actual choices rather than what they had around. The lady with the Trooper got it gifted to her but otherwise it seems like they chose these options. Id go 45-70 too, or maybe a 308 scout rifle. At the very least a heavy 45colt or 44 mag revolver
Antihero said:in this day and age 30/30 is considered not powerful enough for whitetail...
Is this actually a general opinion these days? That's wild.
In reply to AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) :
Probably only on the internet and in magazines (as such still exist). I'm guessing LOTs of whitetails still fall to 30-30 every year.
Sweet action shot from my last USPSA match:
AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:Antihero said:in this day and age 30/30 is considered not powerful enough for whitetail...
Is this actually a general opinion these days? That's wild.
Oh yeah, some time in the last 20 or so years whitetail deer have become armored, it's kinda scary really.
Recently I was told that hunting whitetail with a 30-30 is " inhumane, almost criminal" and " if you must 50 feet maximum" .
It's crazy, the 30-30 has probably killed more deer than any 5 calibers combined and IMHO is pretty much perfect for anything under 200yards.
You should have heard the gnashing of teeth when I mentioned possible handgun hunting with a 357 in my super dense forest, 50 feet is a pretty long shot here and I can hit a penny sized target with 3 shots with that particular gun at 50 feet so it seems pretty optimal but no.....7mm magnum is the thing apparently " What if you need to take a 700 yard shot???!?!??!?!?".
Spoiler alert: I'm not shooting any game animal at 700 yards, ever
Rodan said:In reply to AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) :
Probably only on the internet and in magazines (as such still exist). I'm guessing LOTs of whitetails still fall to 30-30 every year.
I agree, apparently everyone is sniping deer at a half mile though and the deer just fall over and die in awe of such shooting prowess.
And they are as armored as a WW2 tank, hopefully they don't rebel on us once they realize their power, the Great Deer Uprising will not be pretty for us poor human folk
Lol. That's pretty much what I figured. I mean, my current hunting rifle is a 7mmRemMag, but I recognize that it's overpowered, especially for the hunting spot I got into now which is ~100yards max. Probably going to switch to 308 or 300blk here before this year's hunting season if I can.
Just got a 30/30 Winchester 94 because the classics are awesome. Might take it out, but I want to keep it nice and be able to hand that one down to my son.
In reply to AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) :
The 30/30 is a great round in an easily packable package. For 100 yards it's perfect.
30/30 has about 1900ish ft/lbs of energy which is a bit more than double a 44 mag nearing triple with the neutered 44 mag loads available. It's plenty powerful
Tom Horn liked the .30-30, toward the end of his career (and life).
slantvaliant (Forum Supporter) said:Tom Horn liked the .30-30, toward the end of his career (and life).
It's actually really a great round for what it is, doesn't recoil a bunch, until recently it was in a cheapish platform, and you can get a box of ammo near anywhere.
I think it's the best rifle lever gun round made, and the 45/70 is a close second.
Damn I gotta go fire my 336 now .....
If .223 Rem in an AR can take deer, 30-30 in a lever gun will more than take a deer within 200 yards... LOL Love my 30-30 Marlin 30AS... never hunted with it but it's dead on from 50 - 150 yards with skinner peep sight setup and light/quick to maneuver. Looking forward to getting more reloading experience, then developing a nice load for these:
Noticeably higher BC than standard 30-30 bullets (on par with the Hornady FTX tipped bullets) and designed to take deer.
In reply to Vracer111 :
I've wanted to screw with super heavy bullets in the 30-30 but I never have time for reloading anymore.
And I agree on the deer front, I really don't understand why everyone needs to be so over gunned. Even if you kill it, you want to eat the meat not blow a hole in it and splatter most of it on the country side.
But to be fair, I also heard a guy at a gun shop describing his hunting tactic like this :
" Yeah you gotta shoot them in the ass and break the pelvis first that way they can't run. Then you can just put the barrel in their ear and get a clean shot"
So apparently I'm behind the times on hunting tactics
In reply to Antihero :
Jesus, that's horrifying. I hope nobody actually hunts like that: That's just cruel. I'm a hunter but I hate the idea of making an animal suffer.
brandonsmash said:In reply to Antihero :
Jesus, that's horrifying. I hope nobody actually hunts like that: That's just cruel. I'm a hunter but I hate the idea of making an animal suffer.
I agree and I hope he was just being a jackass for whatever stupid reason.
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