SmallCaliberCentral

As I had told Skipper, my target was fired just a couple days after receiving it. I guide archery elk hunters, and I had to have my target completed before clients arrived on August 30th. So the preceding Thursday after work I took the target out to shoot. I work four ten hour days at my regular job, and travel one hour each way, so I had a good day in already.
This rifle is a “working” rifle, as we do pdog work for ranchers on the eastern plains. Because of the high volume of rounds we load for these rifles, not a lot of extra care goes into the loads. We also own and compete with some BR’s and PPC’S, and those do get the extra mile attention!

Here are a few of the particulars:
Rifle is a Model 12 VLP that has been rebarreled with an 11 twist Pac Nor stainless Super Match. It is a three groove, and is also micro-fluted. The chamber was reamed with a PTG match reamer with .030 lead. The work was done by Kevin Weaver of Weaver Rifles here in Colorado.

The trigger is an Accu-trigger set at 1-1/2lbs. Scope used was a VXII 6-18X40 AOT with the 1/8 target dot reticule. This may have hurt me just a bit as it was late evening when I did this. The tiebreaker shot was a complete guess because I could not pick out the eye in the late evening shadows.

The ammo consists of a 39 grain Sierra pushed by 24.6 grains of 10X. Bullets were seated to .030 off the lands. The brass is Hornady and nothing special done to it except clean up flash holes when new. We also anneal our brass every fourth firing or so, but these rounds had not been done yet. Powder is dispensed with a Harrell Premium Culver thrower. Primer used is a BR4. Primer pockets are cleaned/uniformed with a Forster uniformer mounted to the bench with their DBT base. Seating die is a Redding Competition model.
I fired the groups in the Pike National forest which borders my home. I used a portable folding bench. The front rest was a Harris bipod and the rear a rabbit ear Protektor bag. When competing I shoot free recoil, however when using a bipod I found I do better with a firmer hold and slightly pressing into the bipod. Except for the little remaining light, conditions were good, especially for here in Colorado at 9000’ above sea level. Winds were light at 5-10 mph at their full value from my left. No wind flags were used.
Also since the rifle is used exclusively on pdogs, it is sighted dead on at 100 yards. We all use come-up charts on the prairie, adding clicks from our 100 yard zeros. So my aim point was the center of the target. This is something else I don’t do when competing, as you will blow away your aim point.

When shot from a good solid bench and a Sinclair front rest, this rifle will average in the mid .3’s, so in writing this I see some areas I might improve next time around! The .2’s Hawkeye is shooting is quite remarkable, and if he ever gets out this way, I’d like to see him work a dog town. Be warned though, it gets mighty breezy. The only other thing I might attribute my success to, is the amount of rounds I shoot a month. Last year was over 10,000 rounds either at Skippy or in competition. It’s like anything else, the more you do it, the more comfortable you get. Oh, and coffee doesn’t bother me at all.

Feel free to ask about anything here, or about some of the match shooting we do.

Regards,
Mike

Good stuff!

I have many questions for a guy who shoots as often and as accurately as you do, but I'll start with one if you're willing to divulge any more. When using a 6-18x scope, do you turn it up to 18x at 100 yards? I've struggled to understand using any less than maximum available when shooting from a benchrest. Most seem to say they don't like the crosshairs jumping with their heartbeat. From my limited experience, I've done better when zoomed in as much as possible. My theory is your heartbeat is still making the rifle jump when at lower zoom, you just can't see it. If I can see it, I can try to hold as steady as possible, or adjust my setup until the bounce is minimized. Is there some different way to use the scope that might allow me to shoot more like you? (Besides camping out at the range.)

I must be doing something wrong. I have a 12-42X56 Nightforce that I crank up to 42 power at the bench regardless of the yardage and I don't see my heartbeat. Of course, I shoot free recoil. Even when I grab a hard hold on the rifle I've never seen my heartbeat. I guess my 54 year old eyes aren't up to the task. Or maybe someone else is seeing things. I will admit that almost anything will make the crosshairs move, but my heartbeat???

Maybe it's just after getting back from a hurried 200 yard fast walk to check out a target that isn't as great as I thought it might be. Maybe I can't wait to do better on the next group. Maybe I need to just stop and settle down?

LOL, yeah it helps to be not out of breath. I say this because at 52, I'm about the youngest shooter at our bi-monthly matches. Several shooters are in their late 70's, and two are in their 80's and carry oxygen bottles. Most can still whoop me too. Two of the fellows have been competing against each other since 1956.

Anyway, about the scope question. Yes, I almost always have it cranked to 18X. However the evening I shot this target I was down around 12X because of the low light condition. About the only other time I turn the power down is when mirage gets extremely bad over east.

By the way, I'm shooting Leupold 36X benchrest scopes on my match rifles. They have been bumped by Wally Siebert to 45X along with some work by Cecil Tucker. I the same as Skipper, like magnification, even at 100 yards.

Mike

Seeing your heartbeat in a high power scope is quite a common occurrence. Like Skipper I use a 12x42 on my 204 with free recoil. I keep mine around 35X until I shoot out to 300 yds. Much depends on the overall stability and shape of the bench.
Most of my shooting is done off a small picnic table. Not the most stable, strong bench one could ask for.
If I allow my upper body to come in contact with the table top or stock I'll see my heartbeat in the scope. Usually equals about .4 moa at 200 yds.
If my buddy is sitting on the opposite side I need to be cognisant of his breathing or fidgeting, Good training excercise anyway.

I'm sure it does'nt help my target trail is an ankle breaking path with projecting tree roots from overuse.

Glad ScooterTrash went first...

We had just completed a move across the state and 95% of my shooting gear is still packed, awaiting the completion of my "gun room" in the basement. After I re-located my targets that had arrived a couple if days before the move, I had to locate a range in the area that had a 100yd range and settled on the Bush Wildlife area. Their shooting range is extremely structured, but having seen some of the antics that go on at the local unsupervised ranges, it was preferable.

Originally I had planned to shoot my own reloads for both classes, but could only find 50 rounds of my one year old reloads and two boxes of factory in the mess in the garage, grabbed my rifles and headed for the range. The factory Hornady were saved for the Savage BA due to time constraints.

The previous week, the weather had been perfect shooting weather and it had just started to storm the morning I got to shoot. Bush has a "Lightning" alarm and they shut down the range whenever it is present.. .... Anyway....

The "Black Rifle" I used was a custom built .204 AR that was made by Randall Rausch of AR15Barrels.com several years ago and the chamber is cut for a .030 freebore with the 40gr Hornady V-Max bullets..Since I've switched to the Sierra SBKs, I'm actually using a jump of about .035". It is equipped with an EOP upper, a Douglas XX stainless match freefloat bull barrel and a CMMG lower with a RRA match trigger. As well as the standard AR stock.

My optics were an AO Hakko Blue Ring 6-25x scope set at 25x. It's nothing fancy by most standards, but it works.

My ammunition consisted of my own loads using new Winchester brass, with 26.3gr of W-748 powder and CCI magnum primers. My OAL for the cartridges is 2.238". I use a Forster Bonanza press with Forster Benchrest dies. There is nothing 'special' that I do in the reloading process as the dies give me perfect rounds as far as I can tell.

My rest was a Caldwell sand bag with another shotbag filled with silica sand on top of it to give me the additional height I needed and my rear support was my wrist as I shoot with my weak hand holding my strong arm bicep and adjust the rear pressure by flexing a muscle in the weak side wrist.

My hold on the rifle is pretty much 'free recoil' when I'm shooting for a group and while not the best, it's not a situation where it is desirable that I see the shot connect.

One of these days, I'll break down and buy me a really good rest and set of bags...

My set up for the Factory/Factory class was the same equipment, except I used a stock Savage 116 with a sporter barrel and composite stock, the same Hakko scope, and sandbag set up, with Hornady 40gr factory ammo. Due to the Lightning alarm going off frequently, we were advised that the range may be closed early and my barrel started heating due to the rapid firing that I was doing, trying to get the target finished before they closed the range. My groups (?) really suffered due to it..

I don't know if I am suppost to post or not, about the second place factory factory. If so my rifle consist of a cz varminter that I bedded the action and sanded the barrel channel to truely free float the barrel. It is topped with a 5x15 elite 3200 bushnell scope. I do think these are great glass for the $. The 32 grain factory hornadys are this girls favorite pill and she spits them out better then I can shoot. oh by the way this girls name is mist d fier. my bench is a three legged portable bench i made out of plywood and steel pipe for legs I sit on a five gallon bucket, not the steadiest but its what i have. as for my rest i use a cadwell front rest and a sand bag for the rear. I do think if I had not shot the grand kids rossi with a 12 lb trigger before shooting the 204 with its set trigger at roughly 2 lbs i would have tightened things up a bit this shoot is great fun and thanks go out to everyone involved, Skipper my hats off to you buddy. Has anyone else noticed that the cz took first and second in the factory factory class
Sportingly
Cracker
A.K.A. wise cracker

I decided to try my hand at some video clips of my reloading routine. I’ve never tried this before so go easy on me. This is how I reload my brass. Please, bear in mind that I was really pretty preoccupied with running the camera and my reloading technique was suffering. I replayed one clip of me cleaning up my necks and I didn’t even realize the case wasn’t chucked up correctly and was wobbling. Then I completely forgot to clamp my case trimmer down to the bench. I might try something like this again one day, but I DOUBT IT. Maybe, if someone else did the video work so I could just concentrate on the processes, it would make this experience much easier.

This brass has been fired many times in my custom Panda. This is simply the routine I use to reload already fully prepped brass. I might, depending on the response here, try to record my procedure for prepping brass right out of the box prior to ever being fired. That’s pretty labor intensive. Much more so than what you will see here. Enjoy, or at least have a good laugh.


Watch from left to right them down to next pair.

Wow skipper! These are great! I have reloaded all my life and I learned a lot by watching your videos. What an excellent idea. Much more entertaining than reading! Thanks!

Good stuff Skipper.

I'm curious why you put the cases in the tumbler after depriming instead of before though? No worries of media in primer flash holes that way. If it is to remove lube after sizing, I find it easier and faster just to wipe with a cleaning rag.

Mike

scootertrash

I can't think of a single good reason for decapping before tumbling. I suppose I thought the media would clean the primer pocket but, I usually finish off with the uniformer so I really don't see a reason. The primer pocket uniformer really does clean all the soot out real nice. I might have to try it your way next time. Some habits are hard to break.

PS
No, I didn't size the case, only the necks. The whole reason I cut off that die was so that I wouldn't ruin that custom fit of fire formed brass. If I sized the body I would ruin the case.

204Shooter

I'm glad you liked the clips. I had fun putting them together but I really bit off more than I could chew. You couldn't really see things as clearly as I would have liked and running the video camera while reloading is like drinking and driving.

Nice job Skipper ....Sooooooooo... When are you releasing the Bloopers.

Those were the bloopers.