Guest richness Posted November 20, 2011 Report Share Posted November 20, 2011 Well today was another kind day, weather-wise. I was on my own at the big moorland shoot and when I arrived the sun was shining hard and strong and there was only a 2mph wind, even at 1400ft. I planned on 1) testing 30gr Bergers in 17 against my existing 25gr Vmax load on rabbits (expansion) and ballistically. 2) testing 130gr Accubonds vs my existing 120gr BT load, both on rabbits (expansion) and ballistically. 3) trying out new longer-range scope on the 17 Fireball (old 1" Elite 4200 6-24) 4) continue testing the Atlas Accu-shot monopod The weather was just about as good as I've ever seen it here and I immediately thought I'd go to the long spot. There's a hell of good FOV there and whilst it gets the very worst of the wind on bad days, on good days it offers shots from 300y to 1250y. Plus there's a slope at 600-735y that catches the sun and the rabbits stand out lovely The Accubonds are exactly as accurate as the BTs but have a higher BC. However, I only got them to 2900 vs the BT's 3050 so the calculator predicted they would be almost identical in the wind. And so it appeared on the 730y testing stone we use. Totally inseparable. Then after I've hit the big testing stone no less than 10 times, a rabbit pops out not 3ft above it! The 130gr Accubond sorted him out nice and clean so my first 700+ was bagged. Then several more shots presented themselves on the same hillside, at similar ranges, allowing me to add some useful clicks to my drop chart, whilst bagging no less than 6 700y+ shots during the perfect conditions. Then I ran out of the 130gr Accubond test batch and switched back to my 120gr BTs. After a while, the wind switched round totally and held at a steady 17mph full-value. Rabbits popped up at 600, 616, 620, 630 etc and I missed a few first shots getting drop sorted out (my drop charts are far from filled in as yet and the calculator wasn't quite dialled either) but then made some sweet repeat hits at the warren at 616y, amongst others By the end of 50 BTs, i've got a good set of drop clicks listed, dialled the calculator to match well and double-checked that the load has good accuracy and repeatablility, including shots when more than 6moa wind was needed. I tested the 30gr Bergers on 3 rabbits at 345 and they seem to work fine and need no more correction than the slipperier vmax. Puzzling, if the various figures are correct, but not worth worrying about. (30gr bergers doing 3600 and 25vmax doing 3730) There might be a little in it on closer examination but it certainly isn't significant at my ranges for this rifle of about 350y max. The lightweight 6-24 brings that rifle to life over the previous 3-9. So all in all a very pleasing day with 8 600y+ and 6 700y+ rabbits, including some quick-fire repeats and some fairly high wind shots, plus a lot of holes in my drop charts filled in. As for the monopods review, well I like the accu-shot very much - the full review will be a separate piece but not until I receive the other samples through - hopefully all this coming week. So now it's back to the reloading bench! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richness Posted November 28, 2011 Report Share Posted November 28, 2011 Well i was own again today but lord was it windy ! I was keen to try out my new B-square bubble level and the new HS stock on my fireball The stock on the fireball was a revelation. I had bedded it and it was ready to go. It just felt so much fuller and the LOP was a bit longer; as soon as I tried a difficult shot of any type in the field, the support it offers was just night and day compared to the SPS plastic version. I could see some difference today between the 17 vmax and Bergers when i tried them at 300y in a gale - it's not very much but it is there. The vmax are indeed a shade slipperier in the wind The anti-cant bubble was interesting. Having carefully set everything up, i was convinced that what was a confirmed vertical ret was actually off to the right at the top a bit. Only to find as the light/angle/slope/something changed during the day that it now appeared to cant left...Bottom line: your eyes lie to you about what is vertical and that means you're not holding the ret vertical and that means you apply windage when dialing vertical. The bubble tells no lies and is therefore a step forward So hunkered down against a crazy 18/25/33mph wind, I spend a few shot getting to grips with 7 and 8 moa wind at 500y, including a near miss at 530 on a totally black rabbit. But after a few shots I made a nice first shot at 595 with a massive 9.5moa on. Then after a long and cold wait another came out at a slightly lesser angle to the wind, again at 595 and I got him too with 7moa on. Enough to keep me happy so I packed up content with a couple of long hits in very difficult winds and pleased with the anti-cant bubble. The rear Accu-shot monopod I just can't imagine life without now but full review waiting until the CTK one arrives later this week, courtesy of the nice people at midwyuk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si-Snipe Posted December 2, 2011 Report Share Posted December 2, 2011 Rich and I were out on Saturday. The wind was bloody howling and was absolutely freezing. Despite the elements being against us we had a really good day. There were hardly any rabbits out so we ended up shooting at stones at various ranges. I always find it satisfying and so does Rich that you can shoot at stones or targets at 500 to 600 yards in a 30 mph full value wind and still maintain a reasonable level of consistency. The wind was that strong that at 400 yards we were using almost 8 minutes of angle for windage! :-o Rich finished off with a lovely 490 yard rabbit which was a lovely way to end of session. Si Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richness Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 Rich and I were out on Saturday. The wind was bloody howling and was absolutely freezing. Despite the elements being against us we had a really good day. There were hardly any rabbits out so we ended up shooting at stones at various ranges. I always find it satisfying and so does Rich that you can shoot at stones or targets at 500 to 600 yards in a 30 mph full value wind and still maintain a reasonable level of consistency. The wind was that strong that at 400 yards we were using almost 8 minutes of angle for windage! :-o Rich finished off with a lovely 490 yard rabbit which was a lovely way to end of session. Si Yes it was very tricky. Normally when it is really windy it is fairly steady but not that day! And we were shooting at very variable angles into the wind; I particularly remember shooting at about 10:45 to the wind but still needing several moa on! It really was pretty hairy wind but nonetheless we worked out our figures and methodically built up toward that one rabbit right at the end. I wish there could have been more but I think in that weather they were the sensible ones keeping tucked up below ground mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si-Snipe Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 Yes it was very tricky. Normally when it is really windy it is fairly steady but not that day! And we were shooting at very variable angles into the wind; I particularly remember shooting at about 10:45 to the wind but still needing several moa on! It really was pretty hairy wind but nonetheless we worked out our figures and methodically built up toward that one rabbit right at the end. I wish there could have been more but I think in that weather they were the sensible ones keeping tucked up below ground mate The biggest shock was when we were on with exact elavation shooting with the wind from 9 o'clock then we shot with the wind from 11pm and it was lifting the bullets 3" higher at the same range!! My god it was windy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richness Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 The biggest shock was when we were on with exact elavation shooting with the wind from 9 o'clock then we shot with the wind from 11pm and it was lifting the bullets 3" higher at the same range!! My god it was windy. Na, there's just load of vertical in your shabby amax load bro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris-NZ Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 No doubt about it- it's one helluva accurate cartridge. Here's the one and only group I shot yesterday morning prior to a varmint session: Despite forgetting the damn bipod, I managed five hits out of six in significant wind at 289-314yds on "pest birds" Chris-NZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richness Posted December 3, 2011 Report Share Posted December 3, 2011 Excellent! yes indeed Are you shooting a true-flite as you are based in NZ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris-NZ Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 I will be once this barrel wears out. It's a ~15yr old 1-in-9 Shilen which my gunsmith had lying about for ages so we used that. It does have a NZ action though- Barnard S Chris-NZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si-Snipe Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 I will be once this barrel wears out. It's a ~15yr old 1-in-9 Shilen which my gunsmith had lying about for ages so we used that. It does have a NZ action though- Barnard S Chris-NZ I have the Barnard SM and really like it. They are a nice bit of engineering. That barrel certainly seems accurate Chris. Were you using the Scenars on the pests? I have now switched to 123g Amax which shoot accurately in my Tru-flite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris-NZ Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 .. Were you using the Scenars on the pests?.. Yep, couldn't be bothered using a dedicated varmint bullet Si. One thing I quickly found is that the Scenars seem quite hard, ie don't expand much at all. No visual reward in the way of nice puff of feathers. I have had a batch of 108 SMKs sitting about since I sold the .260 so might give them a go on fur/feathers. I also have some 120 TTSXs which would be a great deer bullet but I'd need to find a spot where I don't have to cart the thing very far. Chris-NZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si-Snipe Posted December 4, 2011 Report Share Posted December 4, 2011 Chris have you tried the Amax bullets? They give more than a puff of feathers! :-) I've shot a couple of hundred rabbits with then now. Started with 140's but found 123's more accurate. If they shoot in your barrel there is no better high BC bullet available for long range varmints IMO. Si Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richness Posted December 10, 2011 Report Share Posted December 10, 2011 Well an interesting day today: the storm had passed and the temp dropped but I was dismayed to feel a strong icy cold wind when we arrived. Visibility, however, was excellent as the snow on the ground makes the rabbits really stand out. Si and I were immediately onto some rabbits at 675 and i misjudged the wind and elevation on my first shot, quickly held off and got him second shot. Si had a go too and we quickly agreed that we were shooting quite high. This was unexpected but as the day progressed we found that on this particular bank, the POI was definitely high, and fairly unexplained at that. ALSO, the wind was quite strong but variable, the worst type. We were having to feel the difference between 10/12/15 all the time, and allow for the vertical too. We'd go from 11high and 7 right, all of a sudden to needing 10high and 6 right...eg. It was challenging. And i think we did pretty well at it; as the day went on we were dropping quite a few past 600 and some lovely ones in the 400s too. Maxi was on the other bank with the 20 and made some very clean calls around 410y which is good rifle work with a 20 in a 15mph crosswind. Si was consistent as ever and kept me on my toes, and I kept nagging him to go quickly. We always push each other to do better. I'm certainly glad that our recent load development work is finished and we now have consistent loads again. Today would definitely have made fools of us if we weren't sure of our kit. Yet as it stands, we learnt methodically through the day and applied that pretty well to make some good strings of correct calls and that got us good kills and pleasing consistency in very hard conditions. And we had a right giggle, as always Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si-Snipe Posted December 10, 2011 Report Share Posted December 10, 2011 It was a great day. Weather was clear, breezy and very cold. Thank god for the vehicles providing shelter! We made a few satisfying shots beyond 600 yds. I found it impossible to deduce why all of my shots up the valley regardless of range 400-675yds required 0.75MOA more than the shots across the wind (90' approx). The shots with full value wind were usual drop. Rich also found this when shooting up the valley. Very strange! Once we calculated this the rabbits started rolling. It was a good day out and positive shooting from all 3 of us. Rich I agree it is very nice to know our loads are now sweet and we can now concentrate on shooting rabbits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 6.5 X 55 Posted December 11, 2011 Report Share Posted December 11, 2011 Sounds like a great day again chaps. Could really get into this long range shooting...Got some new land out in the Welsh mountains with soem great places for this type of work. Will haev a good look around for where the runs are and see what we can do this winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richness Posted December 11, 2011 Report Share Posted December 11, 2011 Sounds like a great day again chaps. Could really get into this long range shooting...Got some new land out in the Welsh mountains with soem great places for this type of work. Will haev a good look around for where the runs are and see what we can do this winter. Excellent mate It seems your 204 is looking good with those Noslers and your 6.5x55 will definitely have the legs to get you out there. Perhaps a switch from 85gr Vmax to something a bit slipperier in the wind and you'll be rocking and rolling Keep us up to date! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 6.5 X 55 Posted December 11, 2011 Report Share Posted December 11, 2011 Excellent mate It seems your 204 is looking good with those Noslers and your 6.5x55 will definitely have the legs to get you out there. Perhaps a switch from 85gr Vmax to something a bit slipperier in the wind and you'll be rocking and rolling Keep us up to date! What bullet would you suggest for the 6.5? Got a few different bullets I can try. The 129g SST's shoot really well in mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richness Posted December 11, 2011 Report Share Posted December 11, 2011 129 sst will be a great choice. I'd basically try the highest bc bullet that will expand reliably and provide sub0.5moa accuracy and not be too pressure/temp sensitive. My list would be 140 amax (BC figures are undertstated by hornady - it's actually over .6) 123 Amax (slippery and explosive as hell) 130 Accubonds (great quality and excellent consistency) 120 Nosler BT (likewise) All are slippery and explode on impact (or at least the front part does, killing the rabbit cleanly) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 6.5 X 55 Posted December 12, 2011 Report Share Posted December 12, 2011 Good stuff. Ive actually got half a box of Nosler BT's 120g that I can have a play with at the range on Saturday.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richness Posted December 12, 2011 Report Share Posted December 12, 2011 Mine are happiest 10thou out. Brilliant on rabbits- have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richness Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Great fun today. Si and I met up and the sun was shining, miraculously. He'd already slotted a few rabbits in a row with his 17rem at 240y with 4moa wind on and was in fine form. We moved on to our base camp and set up. At this point, visibility was excellent and there were a good few rabbits out past 600y. The wind was unsteady but not too strong, switching from 13 to 18mph almost imperceptibly. We struggled to dial it out correctly but Si had a better feel for it, missing 3or 4 at 615 and 750 by the slightest shade. I had the luck however and got the first at 640 and also followed si's unbelievably close miss at 704 with a hit The weather at this point was more rainy and challenging and the wind was creeping past the 20mph stage After a while of no rabbits, we decided to put some CDs out as targets to see if we could show good consistency on video The CDs made great targets as they are easy to stick in the ground, cheap, fragile and show up lovely on camera! It all went perfectly. We got a feel for the wind for a shot or two, which was now 22-26mph, and then hit them very consistently ( see the video link Si-snipe has just posted in the Varminting section here) with upwards of 8 moa wind on. The wind added a bit of vertical with the gusts so it was tricky but all good fun I was testing out my new Vortex anti-cant bubble on my IOR 9-36 and really liked the small, bright bubble. We had a great time and again felt the 6.5x47s were up to the challenge Testing all sorts of different shooting mats soon so look out for that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richness Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Sunday on the hill Not a lot of sport but always a pleasure to be out. We did note how swapping from a lightweight mod (Spartan) to a heavy steel one (PES LMC) totally transformed the recoil characteristics of the rifles. It slowed the recoil from a sharp quick stab to a slower and steady nudge. I didn't realise it would make such a difference; I previously thought it was only noise levels that really differed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyH Posted February 7, 2012 Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 Great picture, Rich, thanks. At this time of year it can be very frustrating, since time available to go shooting tends not to coincide with decent conditions: the scene you show looks wonderful, don't mind the cold so long as it's not raining and the sun is shining. Memo to self - must sort kit, check weather forecast, plan a session very soon... Regards, Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richness Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Great picture, Rich, thanks. At this time of year it can be very frustrating, since time available to go shooting tends not to coincide with decent conditions: the scene you show looks wonderful, don't mind the cold so long as it's not raining and the sun is shining. Memo to self - must sort kit, check weather forecast, plan a session very soon... Regards, Tony Absolutely Tony - I have missed two consecutive glorious weekends due to visitors coming to stay with us (having a lovely baby boy does make you popular! ) and as nice as it's been having family to stay, I've watched the low wind and bright weather thinking "one of the best winter opportunities is passing me by.... " and then when I have had chance...the worst gales ever :/ Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest richness Posted February 25, 2012 Report Share Posted February 25, 2012 Well we all made it to the hill today, me only half recovered from the Flu of Doom. You really can't tell when a good day is going to pop up.... There were way more rabbits today and it keep all three of us busy enough to stop us thinking about the cold. There were even enough sub 500y to keep the 2 20cals in business. The wind was high but steady and the direction didn't change a bit all day. We found that we were almost always shooting at 10:00 to 11:30 to the wind, which was either 16mph or 22mph. Unfortunately the wind being straight at us brought rain onto our lenses and it was a day of constant rifle and spotting scope cleaning. Out friend John (Maxi) shot beautifully with his 204Ruger today, topped with his new Sightron S3 6-24 tactical (a scope range all of us are mad keen on) by sticking to his MO: feel out the wind, get your calculator straight, use your previous shots to improve your latest one. This worked well today for us all, especially as the wind angle didn't move, so we had a lot of good data as the day went on. He made some magic shots out to 500y, including some great first shot calls that had me impressed. I had a play with my trusty RPA 204 and we also tested some new powders over the chrony in various calibres and came up with some exciting new directions to test, courtesy of Si's new Quickload fixation! The 6.5s were cool as usual and I pleased myself early on by smacking a tricky 375y rabbits first shot (on camera) Si and I hit a couple of pleasing 450-475yarders at a very difficult wind angle to read (it's so difficult to feel out the difference between a 10:45 wind and an 11:30 wind and at 22mph it's a big big difference) We also got mighty close on some very difficult 800-930y yard rabbits, making good first shot calls, often only misjudging by a click. Today, we were not able to quickly correct and follow up as usual though, primarily because we often only had time for the first shot after we'd uncovered our scopes before they'd get soaked and we wouldn't be able to clearly stay on target to follow up! Nonetheless, it was pleasing in light of our meagre recent outings to get mighty close to a first shot 809y myself, and Si at the end of the day missed a first shot 923 by a hair... Bring on the Spring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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