Pics of some of the nice rifles that showed up to play in Petawawa

[bellofello]

I want to thank Hungry , chalkriver n daughter , buzzballer , all the guys in the butts ( jaime etc) as well as our anonymous guest for making this possible. Props to all participants.

I was the newbie with the redneck bubbaed enfield (130$ rifle) with wiggly wirestock n cheap BSA scope holding with a nail shooting commercial ammo. In spite of that with your instructions, I managed to make hits at all ranges including to 600.
First time shooting past 200, first time using that scope n target turets . Made plenty of mistakes ( especially with the turrets ) but I must have learned some cause thanks to you all n my awesome spotter , i managed to get hits.


Am now considering buying a real rifle.

Thanks to all partipants for being gentlemen and introducing me to what is possible by your fine example.

Your enfield actually looked pretty cool I thought!

Glad you took some good info away from the weekend. What rifle are you thinking about starting with?

 

[Buzzballer]

Good on you Steff for making it out with that rifle. You did really well with it given the fact it was being held together with a nail! It truly shows that any one can get in on this fun! All you need is a willingness to learn and possibly a tactical tarp.

 

[chalkriver]

It was nice meeting you and I actually liked the look of your rifle Steff ..
Glad to hear we have won over another new shooter , as others have said you don't have to spend a lot of money to enjoy the sport and there is lots of help out there for you .
Hungry always has a great clinic and hope to see you at our M-14 clinic in Oct ...

I had a great weekend and would like a longer precision clinic as 2 days isn't enough .... Hungry we have to think big !!

 

[Rhutch]

Well I found the one weakness in my gear, and it's now fixed. Thanks Hungry you suck for letting me try your Kowa, is was perfectly happy in my ignorance.

So here she is the Kowa TSN-883 with the 20-60x wide angle eyepiece.

 

[steff]

I m thinking of a savage 10/110 or Remington 7/700 if I go for a bolt gun . If I go semi I d do a Norc m-14 / m305 and accurize it at a next clinic. Actually my wife is thinking of doing the next precision clinic too. We could actually share the rifle since we d alternate spotting n shooting. Currently she shoots a lithgow no 1 mk 3 .

 

[chalkriver]

Nice Scope Rhutch ! And I agree ... Hungry is partially to blame for some of my purchases as well !

 

[Kevin M.]

A big problem I found with my rifle (Remington 700) was that the factory brake, which has 360 degree porting, kicked up a tremendous amount of dirt and dust and sent it towards the shooter at high speed, which got quite bothersome after 50 rounds.

I'm looking into getting an RWS brake for my rifle, has anybody had any experience with RWS brakes here?

Random internet picture of the brake...

 

[EC]

Is that a AI AE with viper skins in the first pic?

Nice sticks guys btw!

That appears to be an AI/AE MK III. I have an AI/AE MKII, not with the Viper Skins as I like the thumbhole stock. I just broke 4000 rds on my barrel and it still shoots as good as when I got it. AI rifles are hard to beat. It was worth every penny I paid for it.

 

[TacticalTeacher]

Rhutch: That's a fantastic scope... it's also more $$ than my Kowa TSN 82SV. See what you've been missing?

* What else didja learn about spotting scopes?
* Did you see the swirl of the bullet passing through the air/water vapor molecules?
* did you short focus (focus on the mounds halfway to the target) and pick up the swirl of the booollit downrange?
* How was your spotter/shooter communication?
* did you learn to breathe properly through the snap shoot match? Push out each breath smoothly and deliberately?
* did you follow up your smooth, steady trigger squeeze by keeping the reticle(s) on the target face?
* what did you learn about abberation in glass or quality glass?
* what did you learn about price points in relation to spotting scopes? Can we cut corners anywhere?
* Is all glass perfect for YOUR eyesight?

Steff: Get into the game with a rifle in .223 cal for you and your wife. Ensure your barrel has either 9" twist or 8" twist which is better for shooting the longer booolits like the Hornady 68 grain or Sierra MK 69 grain or the other Sierra MK77 grain boolits. These slugs are better for longer ranges since they buck the wind better.
You cannot go wrong with the Rem m700 SPS Tac in .223 since it comes with a 9" twist 20" barrel. Now buy a short gun case that opens up like a butterfly and you can use it for a shooting mat as well. No need to thief yer wife's pilates mat! ha ha ha ha

Folks:

Good glass is good glass. Don't short cut on good glass. Buy the best you can afford at the time and maybe quit smoking, quit drinking, quit fornica... okay, I am stopping at that one. Life's too short to stop fornicating...

Chalkriver: now that you bought some good Kowa 66mm glass, ya see what you've been missing? People need to see where they are gonna spend the money; Not on the gun, on the scope and also on the spotting scope and finally on the ammunition. Too many people keep dumping the money into the rifle!

Cheers and keep helping the newbies around here!

Barney

 

[Rhutch]

Yes, I was looking at the TSN 82SV, but my guy gave me an offer on the TSN 883 that was too good to pass up. The draw backs of the less expensive optics was a loss of brightness and and field of vision. On my less expensive scope at 60x the image was dark and confined to just little more than the target. With this scope the image is bright and clear, with the new 20-60 wide angle zoom I get a much greater field of view. The eye relief and focus on the Kowa are much better.

With my old scope I did see the bullet path a few times but not consistently, with you scope it was much more consistent.

I did show some restraint my optics guy did have the new Swaroski ATX in stock, but I could only afford to give one nut not both.

Is your scope cover a Creedmore?

That's good advice about the .223, people are really pushing the performance of that round. The other benefit is you can concentrate on the shot and not worry about managing recoil, which there is very little (almost none). It's the same reason we like starting the juniors in air rifle and small bore, they learn the skills without the distraction.

 

[vviking]

I want to thank Hungry , chalkriver n daughter , buzzballer , all the guys in the butts ( jaime etc) as well as our anonymous guest for making this possible. Props to all participants.

I was the newbie with the redneck bubbaed enfield (130$ rifle) with wiggly wirestock n cheap BSA scope holding with a nail shooting commercial ammo. In spite of that with your instructions, I managed to make hits at all ranges including to 600.
First time shooting past 200, first time using that scope n target turets . Made plenty of mistakes ( especially with the turrets ) but I must have learned some cause thanks to you all n my awesome spotter , i managed to get hits.


Am now considering buying a real rifle.

Thanks to all partipants for being gentlemen and introducing me to what is possible by your fine example.

steff.
I thought your No4Mk1 to be a very interesting rifle. Was not surprised to witness some very competent shooting on your part. LE's rock.
Y'see, my folding stock No4 (27" OAL folded) has been a constant companion in the canoe pack for 35 + years now . Shot her a lot in all that time. Have even needed it once or twice.

Can you imagine how well you could'a done with a Nightforce up top?.

Rock on mate.

 

[Lt John McClane]

things that I have learned from the weekend...

Kit/Ruck

-tips on making pack lighter and more manageable (airsoft pellets instead of sand in rear bag) saves weight and energy
-oh shtz kit definite must, proven on the weekend. (for yourself and others)
-have every tool you need to maintain your rifle, which I did (for others as well)
-keep a stock of more than one pencil (lost mine), those drafting pencils seem quite handy.....
-buy a spotting scope, I borrowed a friends which I didn't even use. It was nice to view through all the scopes there and chat with the guys on how much they were to get a better idea of what is in my price point. (seeing the bullet path to the target at the 600 was the coolest thing ever and I haven't shut up about it since)
-using my soft case as a shooting mat was a great idea from hungry, don't think he like my blow up pillow though

Rifle
-I was worried about accuracy on my rifle (16.5 inch barrel) it was nice to see that it can perform well with help guidance/instruction
-I will buy new optic when budget allows, even though I am very happy with the current one that I own. It is very nice to know that you do not need a scope worth a lot of money to be able to perform well at the clinic and did very well for the box test (but theres always room for improvement)
-was going to buy a monopod but decided to save the money for better optics (rear bag worked wonderful for me)
-buy a reloading kit, my buddy loads for me and I shoot him cash for it. Its time to do it on my own.
-5 and 10 round AI mags are a pain to load under pressure, but when inserted into your buddies rifle (which was tight), magically fit better into mine now so not a problem there. hee hee hee


Brain

-breath, god dammit breath
-pay attention to target (cross overing)
-brass count (got caught on 300 agony snap)
-spotting (keep on talking, wind direction, bullet location, converse with shooter, don't stop talking)
-keep updating your log book, whole pencil thing ####ed me and a pain when at home back tracking what settings used at 600 and 500 positions
-learn from others, it was great talking to all those people at the clinic, listen and learn and try to give solid input yourself
-BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING



favorites on the weekend, shooting at 600 (never shot past 100 before), obviously the spotting scope (KOWA) of my dreams, 300 agony snap was a blast, and of course hanging out with a bunch of guys that have the same passion as I do and like to make things go boom..

 

[swissinn]

A big problem I found with my rifle (Remington 700 MLR in .338 Lapua) was that the factory brake, which has 360 degree porting, kicked up a tremendous amount of dirt and dust and sent it towards the shooter at high speed, which got quite bothersome after 50 rounds.

I'm looking into getting an RWS brake for my rifle, has anybody had any experience with RWS brakes here?




Random internet picture of the brake...

http://a.imageshack.us/img833/603




















4/img2261.jpg

ya kev I have the same issues with the brake on my 300LM. Downward facing ports are rediculous. I think any brake with side facing ports will be good. Avoid rear facing ports like on a barret. The howitzer looking ones are best.

 

[TacticalTeacher]

With my old scope I did see the bullet path a few times but not consistently, with you scope it was much more consistent.

I did show some restraint my optics guy did have the new Swaroski ATX in stock, but I could only afford to give one nut not both.

Is your scope cover a Creedmore?

Yes, the 45* angle eyepiece is a must. Lots easier and kinder on your spine/back muscles.

I have a Creedmoor Sports (San Diego, CA) cover on my Kowa TSN82SV just for the cool factor!

* Didja learn that good optics don't tire you out, especially during the 10 minutes of the 300 Yard Agony Snap match?
* Always carry extra pencils and pens in your sniper notebook!
* Didja realize why I have BOTH black and Silver Sharpie markers in my sniper notebook sleeve?
* Did yer optics survive the rain? Would it survive the rain should it pour on our sniper match?
* Would yer fancy rig survive the rain or would it cause you to pack up and run away? Think: Service Conditions (NSCC at DCRA.ca)
* Did your stock have the right length of pull needed to consistently return to a solid cheek weld?
* Did your rear bunny bag or bean bag have the right density?

All this is good learning! Especially after the clinic. The learning don't end. Remember, yer dealing with a teacher here. I am gonna pound the learning into ya even after ya paid me the killer sky-high price of $70 for the TWO day clinic. Not much gasoline needed to get to Petawawa, versus driving to Longview, AB for me.

So what else didja learn from the weekend? Come on! Lots of learning going on, even after the weekend! Ya just gotta sit nice and quiet and review all the action in yer brain. Y'all be surprised how smart yer gonna remember after you leave Petawawa!


Cheers and keep helping the newbies...

Barney

 

[Rhutch]

Is there any chance of getting an electronic template of the note book pages? Note taking is definitely something I need to work on too, paperwork is always my nemesis, big black nemesis, parthenogenesis no one move a muscle till the dead come home (80's reference).

 

[vviking]

things that I have learned from the weekend...


-buy a reloading kit, my buddy loads for me and I shoot him cash for it. Its time to do it on my own.

Yes.!.
But, don't go blowing away the huge wads of cash that I have over the last 40 years ... trying to make ordinary ho-hum kit produce true match grade ammo. Then, repeatedly, tossing out those lo-crap tools and buying a little better mid-crap stuff ... toss 'em, ... half-ass-crap ... toss again ... now toss out the $1000's in components/testing/time totally wasted. Barrels burn't to crisp. Futility.
Garden variety tools, they will only produce garden variety ammo, no matter how hard you may try to tweak or cajole 'em into producing the kind of precise cart's. that you really want to be loading. It's all about low/no bullet runout and absolute consistency in all spec's.
Each handloader, he will eventually evolve his own methods to get to his personal nirvana.

This is what works for me ... a notoriously parsimonious 'ol <low budget> seeker of accuracy. Don't be having me any surplus money to burn. Nope.

After all this time at the game, it's gone full circle, and become so simple, of late.

Start out with good brass, Lapua if possible. A decent Single stage press. A good balance beam scale(10/10's, they rock). Lee trimmer with drill/driver spud shellholder. Common chamfer/deburr tool, with another shallow angle reamer to (gently)smooth up inside the necks. A good qual. priming tool with "feel". BR primers, they are worth the premium $'s. Anneal your brass every few firings for consistent neck tension.(I like 2 thou..)
A powder measure, set to 1/2 grain short. A powder trickler to run in that last little bit to charge weight.

Now, the important part ..... Dies.
A Redding body die. Bump the cases back a thou. or two whenever the bolt gets a wee bit too tight on closing. Or, if using brass not previously fireformed to your chamber.

Lee Collet neck die. Set up 'over center' on the ram handle. Center stem is turned/polished to 3 thou. under bullet dia.. Run it through a second time with a quarter turn between ram strokes.

"M" die. Sized to open the necks to 2 thou. under bullet dia..

Redding or Forster Comp. seating die. These dies work. Forget buying those runout testing dial guages with the above set up ... you won't need 'em ... Zero to max 2 thou.TIR runouts, every time, all the time.

A good barrel will let you know when it likes it's diet!.

Sorry Barney/Gents for the serious thread drift here ... I just Love my handloading.

 

[Kevin M.]

I will attest to the effectiveness of the kit listed above. Bought it once on vvikings recommendations and input, and started out strong with solid reloads.

 

[steff]

s vviking, Enfields rock. As per Hungry's list of priorities , my next optics will be much better. I m not sure about nightforce or sightron but I ve heard really good things about Mueller scopes, can anyone corraborate if they re worth anything or should I buck up and buy a damn nightforce ?

 

[wallyj]

All I can say is damn the internal 4 round remmington mags, damn those infernal devices. Go accuracy international detachable mags!!!

Awesome time everyone, and yes, the 30 year old bronco made it home by midnight the 500km trip!

 

[chrisward3]

Look up sightron or vortex. Make sure to match turrets with the reticle also. I was getting mind-f***** listening to people converting mil dot reticles with moa turrets. Lol