baldie Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 You decide... The brief was to rebarrel an old RPA with a big fat barrel in .243 , specifically for 58 grain V-max. The customer likes blowing crows up at silly ranges on the yorkshire moors, where it is always windy. He also didn,t want a brake, and wanted to spot his shots. I took it up to Diggle today where it was blowing a fair bit and damned cold... The barrel is a 1 in 12" Border Archer , and as you can see, is another of them that obviously doesn't shoot..... First 4 rounds were some 70 grain smk,s I had lying around, i did,t they they would stabilise, but they did. Then shot a 5 round group with 58 grain V-max and Varget. Then another, and this tightened up a bit more. Wonder what it will shoot like with a developed load and anything less than a 20 mph wind... The stock is an old one of mine that was lying around and the customer took a fancy to. Its been rebedded to accommodate the RPA action, and also its old style floor plate which takes the sako magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWShooter Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Looks nice, lets hope he`s built like a pack horse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannywayoflife Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Very nice. Dave if it's a 243 shouldn't you subtract .243" from the edge to edge for the true centre to centre rather than .224? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldie Posted May 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 F eck. That makes the 2nd group .325" and the third .162" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannywayoflife Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Thought so!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1971silversurfer Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Very nice. Dave if it's a 243 shouldn't you subtract .243" from the edge to edge for the true centre to centre rather than .224? pmsl... only outside Yorkshire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldie Posted May 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 It's been a long week..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Thats a big old rifle there Dave, what do you think it will tip the scales at one a suitable scope is fitted? Why did he go .243/58gr when there seems to be better suited calibers for what he wants to do? Something like an 8 twist 22BR with 75gr Amax appears to have almost half the wind drift of his chosen caliber/twist while sharing the same bolt face and slightly less recoil. Of course I could be overlooking something. Cal - gr - fps- drop/drift @ 400/10mph - relative recoil .243 - 58gr - 3800 - 17.8/17.7 - 3.06 .22BR - 75gr - 3300 - 19.2/10.8 - 2.85 Im not knocking anyone, Im just confused at the choice of caliber and bullet weight for the chosen application when there seems to be a few other options that would offer better performance for less powder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offroad Gary Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 I think "blowing up" is the requirement which has driven bullet choice.. It will be quite "emphatic". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay666d Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Depending on your FAO it can be a bit of a pain to get a rifle for what you 'want' to do... So tweaking an existing rifle is the way to go... I did, and don't regret it! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldie Posted May 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 I think "blowing up" is the requirement which has driven bullet choice.. It will be quite "emphatic". Like a hand grenade inside a pillow case.... It was a .243 before, and it did the job. I have a sneaking suspicion he uses factory ammo too. A list of comparison figures is fine on paper. When you know a calibre and what the ammo will do , inside out...it makes no difference, apart from a few clicks on the drums. Not sure about the weight....it ain't light....but thats what the customer wanted. The recoil is less than a light .223, and spotting impacts will be a doddle. Its a purpose built bipod gun that will be shot off a land bonnet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Factory ammo, I hadn't considered that, I assumed most people who shoot small targets at long ranges would reload. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunner Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Very nice. Dave if it's a 243 shouldn't you subtract .243" from the edge to edge for the true centre to centre rather than .224? Hawk eye ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannywayoflife Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Hawk eye ! Attention to detail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trucraft Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 That barrel looks ridiculous. You can't argue with the way it shoots though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldie Posted May 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Exactly. Handsome is...as handsome does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsc1960 Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Chunky would be my name for it, Not for me but it shoots like you want it too, enough said RSC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbal Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 Which cartridge? Al's point is that the ballistic advantage of 22/75g v 243/58 g is clear. Dave is right with respect to elevation- distance can be measured very accurately with a laser,and the clicks dialled in accordingly-no advantage either way. But the real issue especially in field shooting is the vagaries of wind.It cannot be measured-it fluctuates at the muzzle typically,but chronically all the way to the target,and beyond the muzzle no Kestrel can be used...wind reading is then at a premium,and errors have to be taken seriously- a one mph accuracy would be pretty good,two mph probably more typical (remember terrain/bumps/etc have an effect too:so using Al's figures at 400y,the errors for I mph and 2mph misreads of a 10mph wind would be: 243 1.77 3.54 inches 22BR 1.08 2.16 Now with an presumed/probable moa precision of .2 for rifle,ie at least .8 inches at 400y,and a typically lean Yorkshire crow, It's clear both will struggle at 400y,but the 22 BR has a real edge. However,the use of factory ammo only takes the 22BR out of contention. (I think it very unlikely that a 22BR would not get FLO approval,while a 243 would,so that's not it). A further issue is -as noted by other posts-the terminal effect -"blow up". We have no data directly,but the two options may well differ especially at 400yards,probably favouring the lighter,more varmint designed, 243 bullet. So we are left with a known 243 offering spectacular blow up hits,rather than simpler kills,but rather fewer of them in windy conditions,with available factory ammo. Hmmm not surprising there might be different choices made! gbal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gun nut Posted May 14, 2015 Report Share Posted May 14, 2015 If you're not careful Dave you'll be getting good at this rifle building lark Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Dogge Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 Factory ammo, I hadn't considered that, I assumed most people who shoot small targets at long ranges would reload. When I started with .243 I shot a fair bit of Norma 58gn V-Max, (it was an economical way to buy Norma cases for a start) it was really excellent stuff, I am not convinced my best handloads are really any more accurate now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
varminter Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 A very nice rifle Dave!!! Those 58 V-max are nice and accurate and for pest control are very effective!!! I remember running them at 3500fps in the 6PPC - a fantastic load!!! I am sure the owner will have lots of enjoyment with it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soother223 Posted May 15, 2015 Report Share Posted May 15, 2015 I think sometimes if you've had some really good experiences with a certain calibre, maybe one you got before you really got into all the ballistics and figures on paper, you can build up a trusty relationship with it!.. you know what I mean that gun that just shoots with without all the bells and whistles. If we were all the same it would be boring. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visiter1 Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 whats the heavies heavy barrel you can get? in a 224 or 243? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visiter1 Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 whats the heaviest heavy barrel you can get? in a 224 or 243? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbal Posted May 16, 2015 Report Share Posted May 16, 2015 Before it bends the receiver tenon thread fixing;before it gives no more velocity (32"?);before it is just unwieldy?before it is likely to disqualify the rifle...........clearly diameter and length co-determine the weight,and co-vary-the classic short and fat V longer and thinner debate (for precision v velocity eg)..... gbal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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