Guns, Bows, Shooting Sports, and Hunting First batch of reloads in .223, (for pure accuracy)

[Flying_gage]

Full disclosure that these shots were taken at 50yds. Weather was insanely foggy yesterday so I had to take what I could get!

That being said, I am pretty tickled as I think I am on a good path and believe I can reasonably extrapolate that my 20" DPMS Panther will be a sub MOA gun. Here are the results:

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This is a group of 5.
69gr SMK's over 25.0gr of CFE223.
COL: 2.250

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Group of 8
52gr SMK's over 25.0 of H3031
COL: 2.250

Shooting the 3031 stuff was like shooting a black powder gun!

In the end, I am just happy that she is shooting as good as she is. Only modifications are a Jewel trigger and a homemade cheek rest. Glass is a freshly rebuilt 12x Leupold.

 

[Sticks]

Not bad. Not bad at all. Kind of an odd spacing between the two groups on the 52gr. You step off and step back in during that string?

By Black Powder Gun - you mean lots of smoke, or a slight delay from trigger pull to bang?

 

[Flying_gage]

Sticks it was just very smokey!!

Yeah what you see there is me sending a flyer and then trying to stitch it together.

 

[GHarman]

NICE 69 Grain/CFE223 load! That has real potential. Yes 3031 is a dirty powder! Always has been!
GregH

 

[Sticks]

I must be the only one on the planet that uses AA2230 @ either 23.6gr or 26.3gr (CRS after a year) under my 55gr FMJBT. But it is clean-ish. No smoke, but I do get unburnt powder granules that usually collect in the bolt lugs/chamber. Have not found any in the gas system yet.

 

[GCroyle]

Flyin Gage,

Looking good. .223 is a hoot to shoot.

Back in '98-'99 in Memphis I was shooting NRA Cross the Course 200-600yd multiple position and Highpower 600yd slow fire prone. .223, .308 and the venerable '06 ruled the days. I wasn't a great shot but they didn't take a collection and get me a bowling ball either and a gentle push out. I even have NRA classifications as Sharpshooter at High Power and Expert at High Power Long Range.

Shooting with NRA Master and High Master competitors was a trip.

This is a 100 yd target, load info not recorded, might even have been CMP stuff, gun was borrowed, prone (no rest just prone position), iron sights, match sling and most likely a shooting coat. Dont pick on the location of the rounds, it was for grouping only. Me and my buddy Don worked together and he loaned me his match .223 most likely fully weighted front and back.

The thing I get a kick out of is in the round black MOA target shooting competition, how accurate these rounds are when shot with skill, training and oh yeah, some luck! Lobbing a .223 at 600yds into a 3' black bulls-eye, getting the shot marked and scored in the slow fire course that is a challenge and very rewarding at the same time. My idea of 600yd hole in one's.

Had a real fun day one time shooting a Service Rifle Silhouette match we had TN State Militia shooting with us as a range time exercise. We were mostly paired.
My partner was not having a stellar day with his off the rack and we scored each other in some segments. I brought out an 03A3 and put on a little bit of a bolt gun clinic scoring nicely round after round. My CMP 03A3 kept pounding them asking for more.

Keep it going. And reloading is a real good way to spend some quality time in the shop.

Gary

 

[GHarman]

Gary,
Thats OUTSTANDING, fired from a sling!!!!!
GregH

 

[GCroyle]

Greg,

Thanks. Sorta doubtful if I could do it today out of practice and eyes have changed. MSSA is the range in Memphis and the time they would bring in an eye Dr and make you an shooting lens Rx in a real world position and target. Getting that front post crisp is critical, the rest your brain has to extrapolate. Also learned to blacken the post.

I place a lot of respect into classic position shooting and iron sights. Seems kinda like learning the basics, positions, hold and BRASS holds up pretty well. Even have an old GI M1 training video that shows how it was taught in basic. My neighbor is a real enthusiast shooter even competes in matches (don't know names but it's from various covers and such) but only likes to shoot bench, rested, massive scope kinda guy but can't do squat in classic positions or iron sights. Don't get me wrong, he makes some tight groups that way. Getting your dope on iron sights and making your spotters count when you go from 200 to 300 out to 600 yards in competition is a really satisfying event.

Gary

 

[GHarman]

Gary, I like it ALL!
Any day, wrapped around a rifle; sitting, standing, kneeling, prone, bench or tripod, bipod is a GOOD DAY, indeed!
My eyes have deteriorated, also! Some respite from cataracts, but now have different issues. You shoot the way your body works best!
GregH

 

[Mark31]

HA!! My hat's off to all you that can shoot. In comparison to you guys, I can't hit the back side of a barn FROM INSIDE THE BARN!

 

[GCroyle]

Greg,

Agreed. Some like crunchy some smooth, some 5'ers some TT, some Honda some Harley, most A/T's a few M/T's.

Lets see Flying Gage's next batch! I stunk it up offhand big time though.

 

[Sticks]

Conventional shooting positions...What are those?

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Those are from my first class doing the "S" Drill. 5 shots each position @ 50y in 15 seconds. My stance, and accuracy has improved much since then.

I wish I had pics of shooting that Vickers Barricade with my MK12. Shooting those bottom ports support side "scuba" prone (chin in the dirt, rifle 90* clockwise) at the 100y steel 2/3rd IPSC...fun. :--) Get shown how to use a rock the size of a bowling ball for cover.

 

[GHarman]

Sticks!
NICE!
Like I said, any time wrapped around your rifle is a GOOD time! You shoot like your body will let you! Thats a course I would like to shoot!
However, getting back on my feet from the various lying down positions is my greatest challenge!
Just remember that the basics are where everyone starts and fundamentals are interwoven in advanced fighting stances. Ya still gotta aim!
GregH

 

[GCroyle]

Sticks,

Looks challenging and fun all right, never did it. In fact only time I shot off of my left shoulder was to drop a Buck off behind me to my right. Never moved, switched shoulders, acquired sight picture and let the M1 do its job. Doubt I could have done it if I wasn't practiced in the sight picture for the M1.

Gary

 

[Sticks]

We spent about 45 minuets practicing transition from strong side to support side, starting by breaking it down into baby steps, moving up to about the speed it takes to acquire a different target. You learn real quick how and where to position your sling on your rifle. What you thought you liked and worked, will choke you. Also is a shortcut to an eye dominance problem fix READ ~ can't aim with your non dominant eye given that you are normal: same side for both hand and eye (mine was cured when I was a competition archery shooter).

Unconventional positions was covered marginally in my first two classes, with emphasis on hold over adjustment with different rifle cant - 90* counterclockwise will POI low right from POA (have to know your given holdover/under at range based on your zero to do the math), etc., then positions in my third class in depth. Just about everything except hanging upside down. Took things I learned from the first two classes and applied them to the third, like how to use your body or given support arm as a brace other than holding the hand guard for a rock solid shooting platform, how to find the dot/optic fast when holding the rifle in other than normal.

 

[Sticks]

Sticks!
NICE!
Like I said, any time wrapped around your rifle is a GOOD time! You shoot like your body will let you! Thats a course I would like to shoot!
However, getting back on my feet from the various lying down positions is my greatest challenge!
Just remember that the basics are where everyone starts and fundamentals are interwoven in advanced fighting stances. Ya still gotta aim!
GregH

Gravity will help you down, you do what you gotta do to get back up. I've got a L5/S1 disc that is smaller than OEM now, and I am reminded when I try to do what I used to be able to do. Brief flash of ouch, then modify my movement to allow. UP is always slower, and cautious. All this and remembering/applying those good ol' 4 rules of firearm safety while transitioning.

 

[Flying_gage]

Flyin Gage,

Looking good. .223 is a hoot to shoot.

Back in '98-'99 in Memphis I was shooting NRA Cross the Course 200-600yd multiple position and Highpower 600yd slow fire prone. .223, .308 and the venerable '06 ruled the days. I wasn't a great shot but they didn't take a collection and get me a bowling ball either and a gentle push out. I even have NRA classifications as Sharpshooter at High Power and Expert at High Power Long Range.

Shooting with NRA Master and High Master competitors was a trip.

This is a 100 yd target, load info not recorded, might even have been CMP stuff, gun was borrowed, prone (no rest just prone position), iron sights, match sling and most likely a shooting coat. Dont pick on the location of the rounds, it was for grouping only. Me and my buddy Don worked together and he loaned me his match .223 most likely fully weighted front and back.

The thing I get a kick out of is in the round black MOA target shooting competition, how accurate these rounds are when shot with skill, training and oh yeah, some luck! Lobbing a .223 at 600yds into a 3' black bulls-eye, getting the shot marked and scored in the slow fire course that is a challenge and very rewarding at the same time. My idea of 600yd hole in one's.

Had a real fun day one time shooting a Service Rifle Silhouette match we had TN State Militia shooting with us as a range time exercise. We were mostly paired.
My partner was not having a stellar day with his off the rack and we scored each other in some segments. I brought out an 03A3 and put on a little bit of a bolt gun clinic scoring nicely round after round. My CMP 03A3 kept pounding them asking for more.

Keep it going. And reloading is a real good way to spend some quality time in the shop.

Gary

That is impressive! I have very little hands on with iron sights in terms of getting absolute accuracy. However I will say that I do miss my ole .22 that fit me like a glove. I could shoot that thing lights out to about 80 yards. As has been said before it all comes down to practice. I guess at times we don't even know we are practicing when we are having fun ? I sure wish that I had become serious about this when I had 20/15 vision...

Speaking of iron sights, I used to live with a Marine who loved his Garands. On his shooting Garand on a "good day", he could keep the majority of his clip in the black on the iron's alone at 1000 yds... At the very least I have people I can look up too

 

[Flying_gage]

Greg,

Agreed. Some like crunchy some smooth, some 5'ers some TT, some Honda some Harley, most A/T's a few M/T's.

Lets see Flying Gage's next batch! I stunk it up offhand big time though.

Somewhere in my first post I should have posted something to the effect of: "Past performance is not predictive of future performance"! That way I could hedge my bets! I was just so damned tickled I had to share...

Now I am in a pickle as I put new rounds together, I am trying to keep everything the same without over thinking anything. As I mentioned, this was at 50 yards. It will be interesting to try and do it at 100. As long as I keep it sub MOA, I need to remember to be happy! Like I said this is a bone stock gun, minus the trigger.

I was pretty surprised that the 52's shot on par with the 69's. From my reading on 1:9 this wasn't a given by any means...

 

[GCroyle]

Flying Gage,

I'm not current on loads or advice. I do remember that in .223 69 gr was the ticket out to 600 yd for MOST of us.

But you hit something on the head, enjoying the craft. Be it center fire or rim fire. I'm looking forward to the day my Grandson gets the OK from mom and dad and I put his Great Grandfathers Stevens Springfield Model 84 C .22 bolt gun on his shoulder and he snaps his first on that 4th gen of family member. My Dad scratched his name in the but plate, still there. He and his brother got them as gifts from parents in the tough times in a coal mining town in SW PA with the 1 round = 1 rabbit thinking.

Reloading, I've done a little bit and records and a consistent technique are IMHO critical.

It was a real treat to be on the firing line when a Veteran GI pulled out his walnut stocked piece and put on a clinic, and whooped your but offhand, prone, sitting and then some.

Gary

 

[HHhuntitall]

That's a great start!! Certainly showing some potential!!

I'm not even going to go into my failed attempts at across the course shooting.... :-laf

I got a lot of respect for you sling-shooters.... I never could do it very well. And I don't like admitting it!!

I will say, the few tactical classes I've taken, I'm always complimented on how well I transition from strong to support.... Most never know I shoot optics left-handed... They've never had to compete with my Dad for shots on hogs!! :-laf If you want a shot, you'd better figure it out, 'cause he ain't waiting on you to get ready!!!