MarinePMI

Ummm...I enlisted into the Marines, two months after I turned 17 (graduated from high school early).  Age isn't the issue, it's training and upbringing that determine behavior under stress.

As to police shootings, if you want to be free, then it comes with responsibilities and consequences.  It's actually much more rare than Sky News and BBC would have you believe...

A 17 year old EMT, volunteers to stand with others who are protecting a gas station from rioters and looters.  He goes around asking people from each side of the conflict, if anyone needs medical attention.  Then, when trying to return to his group at the gas station, rioters refuse to let him pass, and begin to chase him, leading to the events described in this video. (warning: graphic)  Don't believe what your media may be saying about this, it was a justified response under our laws.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdMTghlrFiw&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3OXfUTFy-bVMYirHeFxivvoJHt_yqvc9e7sazh7ZLjweSvZnYfVH4qxu0&bpctr=1598543035

To add to the irony, hours before all this he is interviewed by a reporter, and clearly states he's not there to protect the gas station, only to render aid for those that may need it, and that he is carrying a rifle for personal protection in case things get out of hand.

This is why the 2nd Amendment matters in the US; the right to protect and defend yourself and your property.

And now the reports say the protests last night were much more peaceful.  You think?  Of course they were, because they knew regular, everyday folks are tired of this crap, and are not going to stand by while people who have been bused in, burn their town to the ground. Protests tend to remain peaceful if they know they'll likely get shot if they start looting and burning stuff.

At any rate, kudos to the 17 year old kid, for keeping his wits about him...

2 hours ago, KABOOM said:

Shot placement is paramount. having seen small rodent's live after a hit with 8x58fmj then another hit with 30calfmj lesson drilled into my head. Same size rodent with 223 VMAX had to be hit again with another VMAX launched from a 22-250 to stop the escape. You must hit the "shut off switch" or things run off.

With respect, your examples are flawed. Anything hit with an FMJ, is likely going to need another FMJ to put it down.   They just don't expand for crap.  Sometimes they're dead and just don't know it yet...

As for the VMax, the opposite happens with the same result; another round is needed.  Varmint bullets like the VMax are designed for violent expansion, causing "bullet splashing" where the round comes apart before it can penetrate enough to do the deed.  We see it all the time on coyotes and wolves here in the States

A properly expanding bullet AND a penetrating shot to the vitals or CNS, is what reliably puts an animal down.  One or the other is (largely) a false argument.

The RRS kit is top notch.  Their stuff is at the top of the heap, when it comes to fit, finish and quality.  I can't recommend them enough.

I think it always boils down to the same basic criteria (albeit a different vernacular); Size, Weight and Power.  With Mods I'd say efficiency would supplant "power" in that standard metric.

But, that being said, I'd also consider materials (durability) as well as maintenance (how easy is it to clean and maintain).

JMTCW...

8 hours ago, brown dog said:

Yeah, but that goes back to you can kill a moose with 22lr, but that doesn't make it the best choice ( unless you're a Newfie!). 

I think the self-preservation aspect of standing on the ground, face-to-face encounters with driven boar probably puts a different assessment of stopping power in mind too!

(I do wonder on the helo boar vids, how many of the brassed-up boar get up a wander-off wounded after the camera has rapidly moved on. )

. 

Yes, I agree to a large extent.

Here in the States, they are mostly baited (hog pipes), or shot as they move into pastures at night.

As to the helo boar vids, I'd imagine a few get up and walk away, but not many.  We have too many predators for them to last long, regardless.

Honestly, I think the difference is in perspective.  In UK/Europe they are a source of game/meat.  And as such, are afforded the status that comes with all game; respect and fair chase.  In many parts of the US however, they are a pest/vermin (and a destructive one at that), and so are treated the same as rodents, coyotes and foxes.  Something to be thinned out, as efficiently and effectively as possible.

7 hours ago, simgre said:

Yep, I imagine you have. It’s well documented that the AR platform is the preferred “boar” rifle in North America. But, the feral pig of the US is not a Eurasian Wild Boar. 
 

The feral pig will a average 150 to 200 lbs, rarely getting up to 400. In western and Central Europe, they average 200 to 290lbs. 400 to 475 not uncommon. Eastern Europe average  300 to 400lbs, sometimes getting up to 550 and Asia can see their boar hit Brown Bear sizes!

a .223 semi is suitable for dealing with large numbers of small pigs in a sounder that have gone culled quickly before making cover. .223 is not suitable in the UK. The minimum for U.K. is .270 cal with a 150gn bullet and some countries of mainland Europe require a .30 cal 180gn bullet minimum. 

I hear what you are saying, and agree there are better options  for pig/boar.  But saying a 400lb boar has to be shot with a certain sized caliber because it is law is...flawwed.  I lived in the UK, and can say fairly confidently that a most of the game there is (legally mandated to be) over gunned.  Shot placement and a good bullet is, and has always, been key.  Not some subjectively approved ft/lbs of energy chart...but I digress and am not trying to start an argument; merely a perspective.

And yes, the feral pigs/boars are increasing in size here as they spread further north...

5 hours ago, simgre said:

I don't shoot deer, I shoot boar. European boar are big, strong, nasty angry bastards, deserving of their genre as "dangerous game". I use .30-06 for some of the more open ground and .45-70 for close wooded areas. Simply put, you can shoot deer with your boar rifle, but you won't necessarily be able to shoot boar with your deer rifle...

I have to chuckle.  I've shot boar with .223 (light AP rounds), an put them down easily...

Here in the US, most hunters go up 1-2 shot sizes (2 for steel, and at least 1 for heavy shot or similar).  So ducks get #2's, and pheasant, dove and quail get #6's.  Rabbits get #4's.

Last time I hunted water fowl, I used Blackcloud and it was extremely effective (a mix of heavy shot and steel pellets).  It's been a few years, so it may have changed some...

YMMV...

If you can source it there, the NammoTech 5.56 brass is an easy way to get Lapua quality brass, on the cheap.  Made in the same factory, same drilled flash hole and same consistency.   Here in the US, 1000 pieces can be had for $169 or so, which is a damned sight cheaper than blue boxed Lapua.  The distributor here orders it by the shipping container load, and has no issues selling it all in short order (nudge to my UK brethren in the trade).

Just an FYI...

21 hours ago, AnthonyR said:

I have some on the way but it is not here yet but from what the guy on the previous page says it's not going to work with a standard T3 action.

I have also got some Atlasworx bottom metal and an MDT mag which works fine after a little adjustment of the release lever but sticks out more than I was originally hoping for.

To be clear, I don't think it is the action that is different,  it is the stock.  Can you get a CTR stock?  Or have your stock inlet for the slightly larger, deeper bottom metal?

If you were in the states, I'd just send you a stock, as I have two hanging on the wall in the garage/workshop.

FYI: The 5rd AI mags are perfect for hunting, as they sit near flush to most mag wells/bottom metal.

On 6/17/2020 at 11:54 PM, AnthonyR said:

Great, thanks for the replies.

The Bifrost stock I have is for a CTR and standard T3 bottom metal won't fit apparently.

I can't find the CTR bottom metal for sale anywhere, there are some options available using AICS mags but that is not really what I am after, I didn't know about the potential trigger issue either.

I have also been reading that quite a few TAC A1 with chrome moly barrels have been having corrosion issues, I spoke to my smith yesterday and he is having one in to rebarrel, it's in 6.5 and has only done 600 odd rounds and is totally buggered.

So as far as i can see there are only 2 real options left, can a standard T3 Stainless Varmint, which are easily available, be modified to use CTR mags and stock assuming you can get the CTR bottom metal that is or I have to wait for the proper CTR. I have quite a lot of work coming up for this rifle in the Autumn and was hoping to have it up and running before then.

Did you ever source some CTR bottom metal?

Might consider a 6x47Lapua.  A lotta guys think it's the perfect marriage of caliber and case for the 6mm.

I'd recommend the 260 for PRS.  The recoil is manageable for the less stable positions, to see your bullet splash, and the bullets are cheaper than .30 caliber.

IDK about the UK PRS, but in the US, you can easily expend well over a 1000 rounds a year, so lower cost in bullets, powder, etc adds up.  I'd also be opting for 130-140 gr bullets as a decent compromise between BC and weight/velocity to be in the sweet spot for typical PRS engagement ranges (400-600yds), with the legs to reach out to those longer engagement stages (800-1200 yds) when needed.

There's a reason 6.5mm and 6mm cartridges dominate PRS....

The footprint is exactly the same.  That being said, the mag latch is part of the stock/ chassis.

The CTR in 223 isn't available (yet) in the US, so am unsure if the CTR mag in 223 has the same location as the 308 CTR Mag.  I would think they would be the same, purely from a manufacturing perspective.

Is the bifrost stock intended for CTR mags, or AICS mags?  To me that would be where I'd start first.

BTW; I have two CTR's currently in my possession as well as a 223 Varmint.  When using AICS pattern mags (all my chassis on all my Tikkas are set up for AICS mags), the stocks/chassis are completely interchangeable.

Don't forget the "L" sized drill bit.

Interesting.  A 55gr Nosler BT is supersonic for me out to 700.  And that's with a much crappier BC than .272...

You could do far worse than a Vortex Gen 2 PST...

IME, the TMK's have a very soft jacket, and when seating, you can easily crush/deform the ogive if there is too much neck tension.  So, you need either a better fitting seating plug, or you need to set a lighter neck tension, via an expansion mandrel/die.  

Dealing with the same thing in my CM, but haven't ordered the mandrels yet.  Had the same issue as well in my 224 Valkyrie, and the expansion mandrel did the trick quite well.

My thoughts on barrel coolers?

Waste. Of. Time.

On 5/25/2020 at 2:57 PM, GT3_richy said:

XPs have 640x480 pixel sensors, XQs have 384x288s. XPs have lower base mag.

 

Just an FYI, the Thermions and Trails are being discontinued, and being replaced by the Thermion 2 and Trail 2 this year.

Looks like the rifle version.  As an aside, the clicks on these are adjustable.  They can be set to 6 clicks per major number, or 4 (can't remember the second option for sure). They are delivered usually with 6 clicks per number

You're just using a 223 body die on formed 20 Practical brass?  That may be your problem right there.  FL resize the brass in your bushing die and see if that fixes the problem (ensure you're bumping the shoulder back). 

A body die only sizes the body and shoulder, which means a 223 body die will not bump back all of the shoulder on a 20 Practical case.  You need to FL size in you bushing die.

This another reason why I dislike wildcat cases that try to bypass proper dies, to save on expense.  It leaves too many variables available for the novice reloader to inadvertently mess up.

Another reason why the 20 Tactical is a better answer IMHO.

At any rate, try to FL resize in your. 223 bushing die with you 20 caliber bushing in place.  If that fixes the issue, then you'll know why; the shoulder near the neck wasn't getting bumped back.

BTW, the same thing can happen with certain actions and their scope mounts (like Savage rifles) where the forward screw is too long (one of the four screws is shorter for this reason), and can protrude enough into the lug recess to prevent the bolt from turning/closing the breech.

As you tighten the screw (the forward one), you said your bolt began to bind.  This happens when the screw is too long and ends up protruding in the lug recess of the receiver (typically where the forward action screw is drilled and tapped).  If you wish to tighten the receiver into the stock/chassis at a certain recommended value, but the bolt is binding, then the screw is ever so slightly, too long.  You'll need to shorten it slightly so it doesn't protrude when the action is tightened down into the stock/chassis.

The rear screw can do the same to the bolt body in some actions (where the action screw is not in the tang, but further forward, in the bolt raceway).

It's a fairly common occurrence when folks start swapping things around, and tolerances begin to stack.