offshore44
08-20-2011, 08:50 PM
Well, it was warm in the town today and the women folks were having a garage sale. I headed for the hills literally and figuratively.
Packed up old Heidi-benz the beater with the M24-47 Mauser, the big bore CZ and the Winchester 52C and headed for the hills. (Oh, and had the Colt 1911 along as well, but that always goes with.)
Got one of my favorite spots all to myself. Hot, a little breezy (15 - 20mph breezy quartering from the target area) Almost no humidity. Range is 95 yards.
Pulled out the M24-47 and loaded up five rounds of 190 grn paper patched from a stripper clip. Now I know that this rifle is a shooter already, from shooting gas checked cast in it previously. Slung up in the standing position using a hasty sling and proceeded to fire off five rounds, rapid fire. FIVE shots inside the ten ring of a 100 yard small bore target right out of the box! Whoo-Hoo! Did a little jig and loaded up five more. FIVE more inside the ten ring. Got giddy / happy with that! Burned through my last ten rounds of paper patched with about the same results, though the groups did open up because a bumble bee was trying to help me shoot after that. Wasn't trying to sting me, just looking for salt I guess. He'd land on me and walk around and it tickled...made it kinda hard to concentrate.
The load I was using: Winchester 8mm cases, once fired and full length sized. CCI LR primers. 42.0 grns of Varget. Bullet seated about 2 - 3 thousandths from being crammed into the lands. 2.982" COL. Boolit sized to 0.3125" in my home-made sizer die. Wrapped with two layers of licked printer paper, and the tiniest smear of stick glue on the bottom edge of the last wrap where it folds over onto the base. The gob of glue is about the size of the end of a tooth pick. Run into a 0.324" sizing die to smash the base fold down flat and tidy. Tumble lubed in Liquid Alox. The boolits end up right at 0.3235" diameter after patching and lubing and weigh in right at 193 grns. The base of the bullet is right at the base of the neck. No crimp, just set the seating die to iron the case flare out. The alloy is wheel weights and 2% tin. You betcha' I'm going to load more of those up, and play with the powder weight some and no case sizing. [smilie=w:
I dug out the .458 Win Mag and loaded up five 405 grn paper patched boolits after the 8mm experience. Three boolit holes in a triangle and two called flyers. If I could have put one of the flyers in the middle of the triangle, all four holes would have been touching. (The bumble bee was trying to help there, but no joy.) Did that for 50 rounds of paper patched .458. Nice tight groups of three or four and a flyer or two to spoil the thrill. This was standing and sitting slung up with a hasty sling. I'm still working on technique with the big bore, it's non-trivial to shoot 50 - 100 rounds out of that thing in a session. It's way easier to shoot standing than off a bench or prone though. I just have to work on the basics with it now, and get myself dialed in.
On the non-paper patched side: The 190 grn GC out of the Mauser was doing 1 - 1 1/2" groups like it always does. Stock military sights, too. The rifle is almost boringly accurate. I just wish the action was as smooth as the VZ24 that I had, but this thing shoots and the VZ didn't. Oh well.
The 230 grn cast out of the 1911 powered by Blue Dot was doing what it always does. Nice tight groups, and dirty cases. I can live with dirty cases. :-D
I was even messing about at 95 yards with the 1911, putting about five out of seven into the target backer at 95 yards. (16" x 20") Fun stuff, and I don't shoot it at those ranges very often. The long barreled .44 Super Blackhawk (with cast, of course!), yes...but not the Colt. It was fun if not useful.
The 52C didn't get to come out and play... That shoots lead as well, .22LR, and is the most amazingly accurate rifle I have ever held. The cream of 1950's .22 target rifle technology.
Thanks for all the help guys! It payed off today! [smilie=s:
Packed up old Heidi-benz the beater with the M24-47 Mauser, the big bore CZ and the Winchester 52C and headed for the hills. (Oh, and had the Colt 1911 along as well, but that always goes with.)
Got one of my favorite spots all to myself. Hot, a little breezy (15 - 20mph breezy quartering from the target area) Almost no humidity. Range is 95 yards.
Pulled out the M24-47 and loaded up five rounds of 190 grn paper patched from a stripper clip. Now I know that this rifle is a shooter already, from shooting gas checked cast in it previously. Slung up in the standing position using a hasty sling and proceeded to fire off five rounds, rapid fire. FIVE shots inside the ten ring of a 100 yard small bore target right out of the box! Whoo-Hoo! Did a little jig and loaded up five more. FIVE more inside the ten ring. Got giddy / happy with that! Burned through my last ten rounds of paper patched with about the same results, though the groups did open up because a bumble bee was trying to help me shoot after that. Wasn't trying to sting me, just looking for salt I guess. He'd land on me and walk around and it tickled...made it kinda hard to concentrate.
The load I was using: Winchester 8mm cases, once fired and full length sized. CCI LR primers. 42.0 grns of Varget. Bullet seated about 2 - 3 thousandths from being crammed into the lands. 2.982" COL. Boolit sized to 0.3125" in my home-made sizer die. Wrapped with two layers of licked printer paper, and the tiniest smear of stick glue on the bottom edge of the last wrap where it folds over onto the base. The gob of glue is about the size of the end of a tooth pick. Run into a 0.324" sizing die to smash the base fold down flat and tidy. Tumble lubed in Liquid Alox. The boolits end up right at 0.3235" diameter after patching and lubing and weigh in right at 193 grns. The base of the bullet is right at the base of the neck. No crimp, just set the seating die to iron the case flare out. The alloy is wheel weights and 2% tin. You betcha' I'm going to load more of those up, and play with the powder weight some and no case sizing. [smilie=w:
I dug out the .458 Win Mag and loaded up five 405 grn paper patched boolits after the 8mm experience. Three boolit holes in a triangle and two called flyers. If I could have put one of the flyers in the middle of the triangle, all four holes would have been touching. (The bumble bee was trying to help there, but no joy.) Did that for 50 rounds of paper patched .458. Nice tight groups of three or four and a flyer or two to spoil the thrill. This was standing and sitting slung up with a hasty sling. I'm still working on technique with the big bore, it's non-trivial to shoot 50 - 100 rounds out of that thing in a session. It's way easier to shoot standing than off a bench or prone though. I just have to work on the basics with it now, and get myself dialed in.
On the non-paper patched side: The 190 grn GC out of the Mauser was doing 1 - 1 1/2" groups like it always does. Stock military sights, too. The rifle is almost boringly accurate. I just wish the action was as smooth as the VZ24 that I had, but this thing shoots and the VZ didn't. Oh well.
The 230 grn cast out of the 1911 powered by Blue Dot was doing what it always does. Nice tight groups, and dirty cases. I can live with dirty cases. :-D
I was even messing about at 95 yards with the 1911, putting about five out of seven into the target backer at 95 yards. (16" x 20") Fun stuff, and I don't shoot it at those ranges very often. The long barreled .44 Super Blackhawk (with cast, of course!), yes...but not the Colt. It was fun if not useful.
The 52C didn't get to come out and play... That shoots lead as well, .22LR, and is the most amazingly accurate rifle I have ever held. The cream of 1950's .22 target rifle technology.
Thanks for all the help guys! It payed off today! [smilie=s: