Hey Everyone,
I know this isn't exactly a "precision" rifle, but for now it's MY precision rifle, and will be used mostly for range target shooting, and varminting come fall/winter.
Also, I think some of the content and questions I will have are more suited to this forum.
So here we go.
Got out to my range today for my first time shooting this new rifle. This is my first 223, and I must say I LOVE shooting this cartridge! There is virtually no shooting fatigue with this, and still has enough OOMPH to keep it exciting, this might be old news to all of you, but its new to me and I love it.
Anyways, first bit of feedback on the rifle, the package weaver scope was supposed to be bore sighted enough to hit paper at 100 yards, it wasn't. Had to pull it back to 25 yards and search for it to get it hitting zero at 25yards.
After that I moved back to the 100 yard targets (longest my range has), and got it zero'd to where I like it ~ 2" high at 100 yards.
Then I did some ammo testing...
I will admit, all I have purchased to begin with was el-cheapo 223 ammo, to get a feel for what the gun likes best as far as bullet weight etc.
So here is what I had:
Winchester White Box 45gr JHP
American Eagle FMJ 55gr (Tactical Black box)
American Eagle FMJBT 55gr (Red Box)
American Eagle FMJBT 62gr
which leads to a question, are the 55gr AE's the same (red box vs black?)
Okay so accuracy wise, none of these were great, I would say they were average to below average. But there is a disclaimer, I am not a great shooter, I would claim my skill level to be below average. And I was only shooting with a bipod and no rear rest other than my arm, so I could get a feel for real life shooting expectations, and I didn't do exact group measurements.
The 55gr FMJ's seemed somewhat decent with the odd flyer, probably getting 1.75-2" groups in 5 shot groups.
The 45gr JHP SUCKED, honestly probably 4-5" groups because there was probably 2 flyers in every 5 shot group. I also found that these shot probably 4-5" right compared to my zero which was done with the 55gr ammo. Is this because of the 1-9 twist of my barrel? Is the twist too aggressive for these light bullets causing them to take a rightward trajectory? Does that even make sense? Oh and one other comment on these, after one shot the empty catridge ejected and I picked it up and some unburnt powder came out, wtf is up with that?
This leads to the AE 62gr FMJBT, which shot best. I still probably got 1 flyer in 8ish shots, but it wasn't as extreme, and I was still probably getting 1.25-1.5" groups in 5 shots. I'm certain, properly rested, taking more time to let the barrel cool, and with a better shooter it could be around 1" groups with this ammo.
So this gave me a good idea what my cheap plinking round will be, but this leads me to more questions.
What is out there for heavier factory ammo? Is there heavier loads out there that won't break the bank?
If not, I guess I'll have to look into reloading, but I haven't really put much time into investigating what I need. If I go this route can I get by with the cheap Lee 50th anniversary kit? And what about that Classic Lee loader kit, is that basically just to do load testing at the range?
As for other feedback on the rifle. The accutrigger is excellent, so smooth and crisp, I felt it really helped my shooting because I could anticipate the break of the trigger really well.
The Weaver scope it came with seems decent, much better than Savage's previous package Bushnell scope. However I did notice a sort of mirage effect almost, which I've never gotten with any other scope. I'm not sure if it was the angle of the sunlight coming in, or just my eyes today, so I'm not sure if it was from the scope, either way it wasn't very distracting. For the most part the glass was clear and bright, and I quite like the Ballistic-X reticle. The rings and bases seem solid and did not notice any movement or displacement.
The bolt action on the gun worked flawlessly, and smooth, no jams, no FTE/FTF's, locks up nice and tight, and operates easily. The safety switch is firm and has a good feel and location.
Last thing I want to comment on is the magazine. While it functioned flawlessly, loaded easily, and inserted just fine, there is something I really don't like about it. The removable box magazine that came with my 111 30-06 uses a better metal spring assisted clip system, but this one I believe is the same as the axis and uses a stupid plastic tab, that will surely wear out eventually. I guess I will have to remedy this when I look into upgrading the stock.
All in all this was a good first trip with the rifle. I really enjoyed shooting it, and this was a good first experience with the 223 cartridge. Now that I know what to expect I look forward to working on my marksmanship and working toward some braggable groups.
I know this isn't exactly a "precision" rifle, but for now it's MY precision rifle, and will be used mostly for range target shooting, and varminting come fall/winter.
Also, I think some of the content and questions I will have are more suited to this forum.
So here we go.
Got out to my range today for my first time shooting this new rifle. This is my first 223, and I must say I LOVE shooting this cartridge! There is virtually no shooting fatigue with this, and still has enough OOMPH to keep it exciting, this might be old news to all of you, but its new to me and I love it.
Anyways, first bit of feedback on the rifle, the package weaver scope was supposed to be bore sighted enough to hit paper at 100 yards, it wasn't. Had to pull it back to 25 yards and search for it to get it hitting zero at 25yards.
After that I moved back to the 100 yard targets (longest my range has), and got it zero'd to where I like it ~ 2" high at 100 yards.
Then I did some ammo testing...
I will admit, all I have purchased to begin with was el-cheapo 223 ammo, to get a feel for what the gun likes best as far as bullet weight etc.
So here is what I had:
Winchester White Box 45gr JHP
American Eagle FMJ 55gr (Tactical Black box)
American Eagle FMJBT 55gr (Red Box)
American Eagle FMJBT 62gr
which leads to a question, are the 55gr AE's the same (red box vs black?)
Okay so accuracy wise, none of these were great, I would say they were average to below average. But there is a disclaimer, I am not a great shooter, I would claim my skill level to be below average. And I was only shooting with a bipod and no rear rest other than my arm, so I could get a feel for real life shooting expectations, and I didn't do exact group measurements.
The 55gr FMJ's seemed somewhat decent with the odd flyer, probably getting 1.75-2" groups in 5 shot groups.
The 45gr JHP SUCKED, honestly probably 4-5" groups because there was probably 2 flyers in every 5 shot group. I also found that these shot probably 4-5" right compared to my zero which was done with the 55gr ammo. Is this because of the 1-9 twist of my barrel? Is the twist too aggressive for these light bullets causing them to take a rightward trajectory? Does that even make sense? Oh and one other comment on these, after one shot the empty catridge ejected and I picked it up and some unburnt powder came out, wtf is up with that?
This leads to the AE 62gr FMJBT, which shot best. I still probably got 1 flyer in 8ish shots, but it wasn't as extreme, and I was still probably getting 1.25-1.5" groups in 5 shots. I'm certain, properly rested, taking more time to let the barrel cool, and with a better shooter it could be around 1" groups with this ammo.
So this gave me a good idea what my cheap plinking round will be, but this leads me to more questions.
What is out there for heavier factory ammo? Is there heavier loads out there that won't break the bank?
If not, I guess I'll have to look into reloading, but I haven't really put much time into investigating what I need. If I go this route can I get by with the cheap Lee 50th anniversary kit? And what about that Classic Lee loader kit, is that basically just to do load testing at the range?
As for other feedback on the rifle. The accutrigger is excellent, so smooth and crisp, I felt it really helped my shooting because I could anticipate the break of the trigger really well.
The Weaver scope it came with seems decent, much better than Savage's previous package Bushnell scope. However I did notice a sort of mirage effect almost, which I've never gotten with any other scope. I'm not sure if it was the angle of the sunlight coming in, or just my eyes today, so I'm not sure if it was from the scope, either way it wasn't very distracting. For the most part the glass was clear and bright, and I quite like the Ballistic-X reticle. The rings and bases seem solid and did not notice any movement or displacement.
The bolt action on the gun worked flawlessly, and smooth, no jams, no FTE/FTF's, locks up nice and tight, and operates easily. The safety switch is firm and has a good feel and location.
Last thing I want to comment on is the magazine. While it functioned flawlessly, loaded easily, and inserted just fine, there is something I really don't like about it. The removable box magazine that came with my 111 30-06 uses a better metal spring assisted clip system, but this one I believe is the same as the axis and uses a stupid plastic tab, that will surely wear out eventually. I guess I will have to remedy this when I look into upgrading the stock.
All in all this was a good first trip with the rifle. I really enjoyed shooting it, and this was a good first experience with the 223 cartridge. Now that I know what to expect I look forward to working on my marksmanship and working toward some braggable groups.
