260AI Custom build ** first try at 900yds now**
- Thread starter ceriksson
- Start date
- Location
- Victoria, BC (temporarily Toronto)
Well I finally got it put together.
I picked it up from the smith today and am heading to the range tomorrow morning to finally... FINALLY!!!! get some shots down range..
Thank god because I am heading out to sea for RIMPAC on Monday for just over 2 months and I don't know if I could make it with this thing sitting at home unfired.
I'll just be fireforming brass. I've got both Lapua .243 and Nosler 260rem cases to fireform. I just ordered another box of Nosler 260 brass though as it is far less of a process to form them. I just do cheap loads with cheaper bullets and lighter powder loads of more readily available powders.
For both I will be shooting 120gr Speer Spitzer soft points (just to get rid of) with 44gr of IMR 4350, CCI BR primers and the above cases. Not too picky of a round as I didn't go into my usual OCD reloading with the acculab scale and precision seater. Instead I just used the beam scale and regular 260 seater.
I have tall rings coming but right now I am settling with my leupold PRW medium rings but thankfully I still have (some) clearance.
So all things said and done:
Krieger 5R Heavy Varmint chambered in 260AI 1:8" twist
Stiller Tac 30 Action with Stiller Base
Sightron 8-32x56 scope
Have coming farrel high rings
Timney Trigger set to 1.5lb
(temporary) McMillan A5 fitted to the action and bedded - still waiting on JAE - apparently the fall
(temporary) harris bipod borrowed until I make my Accushot order for another atlas and monopod
I picked it up from the smith today and am heading to the range tomorrow morning to finally... FINALLY!!!! get some shots down range..
Thank god because I am heading out to sea for RIMPAC on Monday for just over 2 months and I don't know if I could make it with this thing sitting at home unfired.
I'll just be fireforming brass. I've got both Lapua .243 and Nosler 260rem cases to fireform. I just ordered another box of Nosler 260 brass though as it is far less of a process to form them. I just do cheap loads with cheaper bullets and lighter powder loads of more readily available powders.
For both I will be shooting 120gr Speer Spitzer soft points (just to get rid of) with 44gr of IMR 4350, CCI BR primers and the above cases. Not too picky of a round as I didn't go into my usual OCD reloading with the acculab scale and precision seater. Instead I just used the beam scale and regular 260 seater.
I have tall rings coming but right now I am settling with my leupold PRW medium rings but thankfully I still have (some) clearance.
So all things said and done:
Krieger 5R Heavy Varmint chambered in 260AI 1:8" twist
Stiller Tac 30 Action with Stiller Base
Sightron 8-32x56 scope
Have coming farrel high rings
Timney Trigger set to 1.5lb
(temporary) McMillan A5 fitted to the action and bedded - still waiting on JAE - apparently the fall
(temporary) harris bipod borrowed until I make my Accushot order for another atlas and monopod
looks promising (temporary 
juanvaldez
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sudbury, Ontario
beautiful rifle...I'd stop now, the macmillian looks good
- Location
- Victoria, BC (temporarily Toronto)
Lol, did you read the thread? Duracoat
On another note. Made it to the range! but no shots. Reloading issues with the 260 loads I put together had issues in my virgin chamber.. Just couldn't fit.
I took it to Dennis this evening as I thought I was doing everything right but he graciously showed me the way, and I'll be pulling the bullets and playing with the .260 full length die. on his forster press with the same die, he pulled a couple rounds and resized them and they fit no problem.. They mustn't have sized properly in the RCBS press I was using.
Hard to explain. my brain is still hurting, but it is a reloading issue not a chamber issue, that we proved.
Hopefully I'll get a chance to make it out on Sunday. It's my last chance until August.
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juanvaldez
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Sudbury, Ontario
Any chance you can share a break down of your costs for some us considering a similar build?
- Location
- Victoria, BC (temporarily Toronto)
Ha, yea I only have about a few mm clearance over the barrel. I'm just using the medium rings for now until I get my high rings in the mail.
They do work but it puts the scope a little too low for me on the cheek weld as I have the rest bottomed out.
They do work but it puts the scope a little too low for me on the cheek weld as I have the rest bottomed out.
- Location
- Victoria, BC (temporarily Toronto)
I haven't really tested the scope out too much yet as I haven't shot with it
But so far I like it, the 30mm tube and 56mm bell sure brings in a lot of light and it is very crisp too.
I would have liked to see range marks on the parrallax but that is just being nitpicky.
the turrets turn very smooth and they also have hashmarks on the inner tube so you can see how many full revolutions you have done.
I found the eye relief to be longer than my Leupold, which i'm still getting used to.
The reticle is very clear though I would have preferred for it to be narrower so not to obscure small targets at longer range, at least have it narrowed at the centre.
Its really a long range scope though as I can't focus or adjust the parralax at the 25yd mark when I was going to bore sight it. But I was surprised how close it was when I did match it up to the target.
But so far I like it, the 30mm tube and 56mm bell sure brings in a lot of light and it is very crisp too.
I would have liked to see range marks on the parrallax but that is just being nitpicky.
the turrets turn very smooth and they also have hashmarks on the inner tube so you can see how many full revolutions you have done.
I found the eye relief to be longer than my Leupold, which i'm still getting used to.
The reticle is very clear though I would have preferred for it to be narrower so not to obscure small targets at longer range, at least have it narrowed at the centre.
Its really a long range scope though as I can't focus or adjust the parralax at the 25yd mark when I was going to bore sight it. But I was surprised how close it was when I did match it up to the target.
- Location
- Victoria, BC (temporarily Toronto)
Ok.. I know its been forever, but I finally have had the chance to fire this thing.
I have been fireforming a group of both Nosler .260Rem brass and Lapua .243 cases.
They were loaded with a budget load with 44gr of IMR4350 and cheaper 120gr Sierra Soft points. They weren't prepped and little work went into consistency. My uncle just loaded them up for forming, not precision. Anyway. I'm still impressed with what I have so far with it.
I did all the shooting at 75yards as the 100-200yard range was occupied.
I also set up the Chronograph with it as well to see what I was getting with these light loads.
Now first, last week I went out and fired 10 shots, doing cleaning between every one or two shots. Today I did 5 round strings with a cleaning in between. I have fired 36 rounds through the rifle now so I think I'll call the barrel broken in.
Those first ten shots, the first three were simple sighting in at 25yds then a small group at 75, the groups were about 1", but I blame myself 100% for that as I had no butt rest.
Today was better.
Here are a few of the groups:
This one I wasn't too too impressed with but I still blame myself
as the day wore on I started to get better and so did the rifle:
This was a weird one, perhaps one of you can explain what I did to cause it.
The first shot went high, then the second low. Then my third went right back up next to the other, and my fourth strangly right back down next to the other.. the last was a flyer. I thought I was pretty good with the rifle support and was on target but who knows, I'm still relatively new.
This was the best group of the day, which is still a mystery.. Well a good one. There are 5 rounds somewhere in this group, no question. The first high, the second to the right, the third and fourth to the left and the fifth!? well I'm almost guaranteed that it went back with the 3rd/4th shot but getting small groups like that is always a head scratcher as there isn't another hole to find.. hmm.. I absolutely guarantee that it is in that group as my technique with the last shot was bang on. I didn't flinch or move so it has to be in there.
I've had one of these with my .308 where three shots turned into one hole and It's one of those things that makes you wonder because you can't see three holes in the target.
All of my shots through the chrony ranged from 2780 to 2846. The overall average was 2800.5fps a great sign for things to come while I build up loads. The chrony started to go haywire when the sun started to come through the trees onto it so I didn't count those readings.. All of a sudden I was getting 2900-3000fps.. I'll call gash on those ones.
Oh and for those wondering how the scope performed. It worked great! At 75 yards it was crisp and tracked very well. The reticle was still thin enough for me to clearly see the tiny dots I was aiming at. The eye relief works well for me too.
I have been fireforming a group of both Nosler .260Rem brass and Lapua .243 cases.
They were loaded with a budget load with 44gr of IMR4350 and cheaper 120gr Sierra Soft points. They weren't prepped and little work went into consistency. My uncle just loaded them up for forming, not precision. Anyway. I'm still impressed with what I have so far with it.
I did all the shooting at 75yards as the 100-200yard range was occupied.
I also set up the Chronograph with it as well to see what I was getting with these light loads.
Now first, last week I went out and fired 10 shots, doing cleaning between every one or two shots. Today I did 5 round strings with a cleaning in between. I have fired 36 rounds through the rifle now so I think I'll call the barrel broken in.
Those first ten shots, the first three were simple sighting in at 25yds then a small group at 75, the groups were about 1", but I blame myself 100% for that as I had no butt rest.
Today was better.
Here are a few of the groups:
This one I wasn't too too impressed with but I still blame myself
as the day wore on I started to get better and so did the rifle:
This was a weird one, perhaps one of you can explain what I did to cause it.
The first shot went high, then the second low. Then my third went right back up next to the other, and my fourth strangly right back down next to the other.. the last was a flyer. I thought I was pretty good with the rifle support and was on target but who knows, I'm still relatively new.
This was the best group of the day, which is still a mystery.. Well a good one. There are 5 rounds somewhere in this group, no question. The first high, the second to the right, the third and fourth to the left and the fifth!? well I'm almost guaranteed that it went back with the 3rd/4th shot but getting small groups like that is always a head scratcher as there isn't another hole to find.. hmm.. I absolutely guarantee that it is in that group as my technique with the last shot was bang on. I didn't flinch or move so it has to be in there.
I've had one of these with my .308 where three shots turned into one hole and It's one of those things that makes you wonder because you can't see three holes in the target.
All of my shots through the chrony ranged from 2780 to 2846. The overall average was 2800.5fps a great sign for things to come while I build up loads. The chrony started to go haywire when the sun started to come through the trees onto it so I didn't count those readings.. All of a sudden I was getting 2900-3000fps.. I'll call gash on those ones.
Oh and for those wondering how the scope performed. It worked great! At 75 yards it was crisp and tracked very well. The reticle was still thin enough for me to clearly see the tiny dots I was aiming at. The eye relief works well for me too.
- Location
- Victoria, BC (temporarily Toronto)
Ok managed to get back to the range today with some actual loaded fireformed rounds.
Load was 46gr of H4831SC, CCI BR primers, 140gr Berger VLDs seated way out (OAL is longer because of the bullet shape. Cases were a split of Nosler custom 260 and Lapua 243.
Was a pretty dreary day as it started to sleet/snow on us. -1 with no wind so it was ok, but I think the wetness screwed with the chronograph sensors a bit so I don't completely trust the readings.
This was a pretty light load as I plan to build up in half grain increments with the same powder.
I have to say.. this gun shoots! after some sighters this thing grouped too easy.
I didn't fire too many rounds though. 11 total. 8 with the Lapua brass and 3 with the Nosler. I'm saving the rest for the 500 yards place up the road (weather permitting) sometime soon.
Lapua ones came out at an average of about 2800fps and the Nosler a bit slower at around 2770. HOWEVER... I shot the Noslers cased loads later and I noticed the chrony sensors had gotten more water on them by then so I don't completely trust the readings like I said.
Thanks to Ian (obtunded) for the barrel, swissswiss for the action, Jerry (mysticplayer) for the scope, rings and trigger, 50calshooter for the stock, Vern from the sillhouette shop in Duncan for fitting and bedding the stock, Rick for the dies, and most importantly Dennis (guntech) for the awesome smithwork of putting it all together! oh and all of you for paying your taxes so I can have a job! lol
Truly a CGN build!
Load was 46gr of H4831SC, CCI BR primers, 140gr Berger VLDs seated way out (OAL is longer because of the bullet shape. Cases were a split of Nosler custom 260 and Lapua 243.
Was a pretty dreary day as it started to sleet/snow on us. -1 with no wind so it was ok, but I think the wetness screwed with the chronograph sensors a bit so I don't completely trust the readings.
This was a pretty light load as I plan to build up in half grain increments with the same powder.
I have to say.. this gun shoots! after some sighters this thing grouped too easy.
I didn't fire too many rounds though. 11 total. 8 with the Lapua brass and 3 with the Nosler. I'm saving the rest for the 500 yards place up the road (weather permitting) sometime soon.
Lapua ones came out at an average of about 2800fps and the Nosler a bit slower at around 2770. HOWEVER... I shot the Noslers cased loads later and I noticed the chrony sensors had gotten more water on them by then so I don't completely trust the readings like I said.
Thanks to Ian (obtunded) for the barrel, swissswiss for the action, Jerry (mysticplayer) for the scope, rings and trigger, 50calshooter for the stock, Vern from the sillhouette shop in Duncan for fitting and bedding the stock, Rick for the dies, and most importantly Dennis (guntech) for the awesome smithwork of putting it all together! oh and all of you for paying your taxes so I can have a job! lol
Truly a CGN build!
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- Location
- Prince Albert, Sk
