RobinC

Pete The wife and I shoot 300 mt with 6mmBR Keppelers, and we've had 5 Lothar Walther barrels between us, I still have one, (she now has a Bartlein). I rate them highly, but we found they do go off a cliff when the barrel goes, generally between 2500 and 3000, although the cracking has started on yours, I'd say you have a good one there that's hanging on! Ours are also I in 8's, mine is a special that LW made especialy for the German 300 mt team, only 600 mm long, and I use a six inch tube for sight base. I'm on my 3rd, but as we shoot 60 shot matches and two in a week end we probably shoot more than you F class guys. Have fun and long may your LW go on! Robin

Sights For 300 mt we have our preferences, but we've used a variety of sights, most good small bore sights are fine, they don't move under recoil and have fine adjustment over an adequate range. A good rear sight that is ideal for 300 mt is the Gehmann Compact 590, its reliable, well made, and quite well priced (around £150 or less), my wife used one for ages shooting top level scores before she got hooked on the Precise sights (at £450!) Front sights the same, any small bore one will do. We use the MEC cube for its light gathering abilities (old eyes!) On rifles I've built, I use Keppeler front site mounts, (order direct from Keppeler) a clamp type they come generally to fit 25 mm dia barrel, and I have my profiles at 25 mm at the muzzle to take those, they are clamp type and don't move under recoil, if your muzzle is less than 25 mm you can make spacer sleeves. Have Fun Robin

Well, now at last, I have tested my .223 300mt project properly, and I used the new, only just available in the UK GGG .223 Rem match 77gr ammo, which uses the Sierra Match King HPBT bullet. The initial shoots were in awful wind conditions, but at last a sensible condition week end at Bisley, although the 300 mt range on Century range ten is never easy as the wind swirls in that corner. The conclusions? I'm afraid there are several caveats, and its not conclusive, but the thing is a tack driver! Even at 300 mts when its pointed at the middle, that's were it goes!! The ammo, is superb, we do reload 6mmBR and the objective of this project was to shoot factory .223 ammo to, a) save the hassle of reloading, and b) to provide a cheaper option than factory 6 mmBR, the GGG 77gr does both, and at £85 ish a hundred is around what we can load 6mm for, and frankly seeing the results, I can't see why any one would bother to reload, they are unlikely to get better results, and its not worth the hassle (see point a)!). So what's the caveat? After several shoots at Bisley in heavy wind, we eventually had a light wind week end (light for Bisley!), but it was still fish tailing and changing in strength, so the first real test of the accuracy, and the .223 was still very tricky to keep in the ten ring, not to mention the X ring. The 300 mt ten is 100 mm across (the X, 50 mm), and on the slightest wind change, and on a light wind fishtail (from left to right) with the 6 mmBR it usually held the edges of the ten, or a close nine, with no sight adjustment, but the same change put the .223 either a bad nine or an eight! When the shooter had the wind right, and pointed it at the middle, that's where it went! I had one five shot string, when I achieved that, and it was all X's, and inside a 25 mm group, but miss the slight wind change, and you are in the 8 ring! And its a 60 shot match, not a five shot group! Over a week end I shot two 60 shot matches with it, and my wife (who is a top level shooter) also tried it, we both got similar results, and both came to the same conclusion. It is superb to shoot, the low recoil is nicer than the 6 mm, it is fantastically accurate, the GGG 77 gr ammo is excellent, and well up to the job, BUT it relies on the shooter being a superb wind judge, or having dead flat calm conditions, to get competitive scores, or even get with in 10 points of a 6 mm score in the same conditions. Maybe, if I reloaded, and went up to the max on bullet weight, 80gr or 82gr on my barrel twist, and stoked up the rounds a lot faster, it may shoot the wind better, but that defeats the object of the project, to shoot cheaper factory, and to save the hassle of reloading, and we load 6 mm now for the same cost and it shoots as accurate and a lot better in wind. Another plus point for the .223, it certainly bucked up my concentration on wind judgement! So I think its going to get reserved for those rare flat calm days, or some local training at 100 mts! I'd be interested to hear how Michal is getting on with his in Poland? Have fun Robin

A few weeks back when I was in the zero range running in, a long boring day, we ended up chatting to an NRA guy who was just off to an inquiry over what he described as a fairly big blow up which he had witnessed involving a hand load, he had no idea over whether it was a suspect action, or the load over pressured. The problem is its no good if we are responsible, when there are one or two idiots with the attitude of "as fast " as they can get, who will cause problems for all of us. And I certainly have chatted with people who it has crossed my mind that I'd rather not shoot near them! The only incident we have had was whilst using reloaded ammo from a "well known" commercial certified reloader/manufacturer, that folded the firing pin into an S shape ( I may have exaggerated , but it was a pretty big scary bang that damaged the firing pin and the bolt), fortunately in an action built like the brick outhouse, but I still returned it to the manufacturer to check it over, and its why we will now only use factory, or reload ourselves, we need to be aware there are people out there who are a danger to us all. Have Fun Robin

Hi Michal Nice looking stock, a bit Walther anatomic. Any testing yet? I've now done my first tests on my 300mt .223 project, sadly the only date we've had so far this year at Bisley (our only UK 300mt range) was on 16th/17th March when the conditions were not ideal for a light calibre, shooting on a very tight target, in fact they were horrendous, with gales all week end, and the range on safety shut down warning, so a bit of a trial! BUT, I was impressed, as a .223 virgin, I was impressed with the low recoil, and surprised by how it behaved in the at times crazy winds, in fact I also shot with my 6 mmBR as did my wife, and it was very similar scores, and wind responses. I did shoot a full 60 shot match on the Sunday when the conditions were just very difficult, as against crazy, and with reasonable results, not a lot below what I'd expect with my full 300 mt set up in those conditions.. That was also with not ideal ammo, in that I used the GGG 69 gr match, as the GGG 77gr match is not yet available in the UK. Although my wife and I shoot 300mt seriously with 6mmBR Keppeler 300 mt rifles, like you, this project is to see if it can be shot to a standard with a cheaper, but still top class rifle, a Barnard/Bartlein, and using factory ammo, as the GGG 77gr is priced near enough what it costs to reload with high spec materials, and save the hassle of reloading as an option for newcomers to the discipline. I'd like it to shoot to a good standard with the GGG 77gr, so will try that as soon as it arrives, but if its not available or does not perform, then I'll reload, and it would be with 80 gr Siera's, but a wait now as the ammo is not here, and we don't have a date now until the end of April. I'm glad to contribute to this 300 mt post, and if any UK shooters would like to try the discipline they are welcome to contact me and I will be happy to advise. And just so they know the types of gun we use, attached are pics of our 300 mt 6mmBR Keppelers, and the Barnard .223 project rifle, the lurid shades of purple rifle is my wife's! Have fun Robin

Hi Michal I'm testing for the first time my Dolphin Barnard/Bartlein .223 this week end at Bisley, at the 300mt club week end, I want to use only factory in it, the 77gr GGG that you recommended and I want to use, has not reached our shores yet, but I'll test this week end with the GGG 69 gr, and I also have some PPU 75 gr to try, could all be in vain though for serious testing as gales force winds are here now, and forecast to come in this week end with a vengeance! Have Fun Robin

Another reason to like German is, he is an ISSF 300 mt shooter, so is truly royalty, we are but a small group of perfectionists, most of us bordering on the edges of sanity in our quest for perfection! The first GB 300 mt date is this week end at Bisley, you should have noticed even if you did not know, as of course the wind is currently building to gale force ready for us! And of course the NRA has waited until the start of the season to tear part of range 10 mantlet down, so we will be limited to 6 firing points, but any one who would like to see what its all about would be welcome to visit, and its an indoor firing point , so we can with an air of superiority watch the shooters on Century range drudge past dripping water in the inevitable rain! Have Fun Robin