SmallCaliberCentral

We finally got a break in the weather, so took my Cooper M21 Varmint in 223 Rem out to stretch her legs and test two new (to the rifle) powders using the Nosler 40gr BT (WS2 coated). Benchmark and N133 were the powders tested.

Here's "Rosa" as she's affectionately known after her day yesterday prepping for Skippy next month:



It appears the rifle likes both powders at full throttle (Nosler book max), so now I've got two great powder choices that give great Minute of Squirrel accuracy at warp speed for a 223. I was amazed at how clean N133 was; the rifle cleaned easier than I've ever experienced with any CF rifle. Here's the N133 target. I only wish I could hold it together for the 5th shot. I'd never make a BR shooter, no doubt about that.



Benchmark turned an impressive performance. Good thing it's usually more available than N133 in these parts:



Typical three or four-shot groups using Benchmark ran like this. I was fearful (justified) to shoot more for five-shot groups...



Now if spring would just hurry up a bit........

Excellent shooting....including the 5th shot!!

Nice shooting and thats a nice looking cooper

Your running those 40gr Noslers at about the same FPS as your .204 with 39gr aren't ya? That probably makes compensating for trajectory differences not too bad when switching from the .223 to .204 huh. Though I understand that the BC on the .204 is better and makes a difference.

Stupid Question for ya. You usually sight in your varmint rigs dead-on at 100 yards right? So are you switching it up and putting it high at 100 yards?

Seeing those groups in the .2's makes it hard to justify going through all the work to find a Remmy 700 action, stock, etc., to build a custom rig when I could buy a Cooper for about the same ball park price! The Cooper gets ya a single shot action too.

Are you still shooting the factory trigger? Or switch it out for a Jewell?

Schrutester wrote:Your running those 40gr Noslers at about the same FPS as your .204 with 39gr aren't ya? That probably makes compensating for trajectory differences not too bad when switching from the .223 to .204 huh. Though I understand that the BC on the .204 is better and makes a difference.

Yep, pretty much, but I still shoot high with any of my 204's after shooting a 223 for any length of time (if I don't pay attention to come-up's), even with smokin' loads like the ones shown on the targets. The 204 just plain shoots flatter out in the field, especially with the 39's and 40's past 350.

Schrutester wrote:Stupid Question for ya. You usually sight in your varmint rigs dead-on at 100 yards right? So are you switching it up and putting it high at 100 yards?

I have all my scopes set at "zero" at 100 yards, then I use my elevation turret for the appropirate "come-up's" for whatever range the target appears. Makes it easy when everything is the same on all rifles. When shooting paper, I just need to remember to raise the POI so as to obliterate the aiming point....duhh

Schrutester wrote:Seeing those groups in the .2's makes it hard to justify going through all the work to find a Remmy 700 action, stock, etc., to build a custom rig when I could buy a Cooper for about the same ball park price! The Cooper gets ya a single shot action too.

Can't argue with that. One huge thing the M700 has going for it, is that gunsmithing, aftermarket parts and bolt-on's is like the car world of the small block Chevy. It's truly the small block Chevy of the rifle world, but the alure of the Cooper's solid bottom single shot receiver and supurb craftsmanship would tip the scales for me. And right now if I were in the market......well, I think you know right well what I'd do.

Schrutester wrote:Are you still shooting the factory trigger? Or switch it out for a Jewell?

I only wish Jewell made triggers for the Cooper. To the best of my knowledge, only Jard makes an aftermarket trigger for the Cooper rifle, and one is on my "buy soon" list.

Rick,

Could you show us some more interesting groups please? Those groups with all holes touching start to all look the same. I wanna see some of the WORST groups you ever get now. Maybe you don't have any bad ones...

BabaOriley wrote:Rick,

Could you show us some more interesting groups please? Those groups with all holes touching start to all look the same. I wanna see some of the WORST groups you ever get now. Maybe you don't have any bad ones...

Oh, believe me, there ARE some bogus ones to be sure. My starting loads with each powder using the 40gr BT WS2 coated, resulted in velocities barely breaking 3K fps (some actually below), and groups in the .65 range. I think it's a combination of WS2, the 14" slow twist, and starting loads. As soon as I booted her up to near or at book max, she drilled the Minute of Squirrel Eyeball groups you see. Pressure signs were so low, that there's room for more speed, but I'll keep it at book max and be happy with 3,860+ fps any day out of a 223.

During our annual Rat Rodeo last year, I had purchased the rifle the month before, scoped it, and with no time to work up a pet load, I just used my "standard 223 rat load" (H335/40gr BT) and shot the field target here while adjusting the scope:



I can't screw up a perfectly good thread with those bogus groups, so just think 'small', and think about Skippy poking his head out of his hole in his mound at 400 yards in about another month. Sort of just makes a guy smile, don't it?

I wish Jewell made a trigger for Savage/Stevens. Believe the Rem700's should be referred to as the Ford Flathead of the rifle world.....and Savage/Stevens as the small block Chevrolet!

Fine looking rifle Rick, and apparently shooting well.

Coopers are fine rifles and it looks like you are cooking up some deadly recipes for skippy scramble!

Skippy Scramble....I sort of like that. Do you mean "scramble" like this, peeking out of your hole, minding your own rodent business (low center, left of track)?



Then your day turns inside out.....sort of a "scramble":



Rat Rodeo, Skippy Scramble, Rat Shoot, it's all sounding good! Only a few more weeks of winter until we get some sunshine that'll make the little critters come up. Seems every winter is longer than the last one when you really want to get out with your rifle(s).

you got that right Rick! At least you're out West where u have pd's all around! In PA all I have are a couple of groundhogs on the farm here and there. I can't wait til I can get out there and do some real shootin!

Got to tell ya Rick, that is a mighty pretty shootin' outfit. Wowee! Sittin' here with my son-in-law (Broncs and Whisky) and he came up with a good question. How do ya' s'pose that barrel stays tight on there without a nut to hold it tight? Well, I had to explain the difference between boy barrels and girl barrels( no wonder there's no grand children yet) and that brought up another question. Why do ya s'pose RIO don't have rifles with boy barrels on 'em?
I don't know what to tell the lad so I just had to point out that some men are more in touch with their femine side and therefore they like girl barrels better. Well that's all for now, but I'm sure I'll have to answer for this later.

Boy barrels and girl barrels, wish I had thought of that first I guess we have to be tolerant of those girly type barrel owners out there. And they will probably call us "Savages"

Hotshot wrote:Got to tell ya Rick, that is a mighty pretty shootin' outfit. Wowee! Sittin' here with my son-in-law (Broncs and Whisky) and he came up with a good question. How do ya' s'pose that barrel stays tight on there without a nut to hold it tight? Well, I had to explain the difference between boy barrels and girl barrels( no wonder there's no grand children yet) and that brought up another question. Why do ya s'pose RIO don't have rifles with boy barrels on 'em?
I don't know what to tell the lad so I just had to point out that some men are more in touch with their femine side and therefore they like girl barrels better. Well that's all for now, but I'm sure I'll have to answer for this later.

Lemme see if I have this one right. You're giving Rick a hard time for having a collection of pretty lady barrels? I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I'll take a group of beautiful ladies every day of the week and twice on Sunday. For those who choose otherwise, there's nothing wrong with that either.