Groups and Pictures

Found my camera, so I'll throw up some pictures of the groups I've been getting with my custom Rem 700 30-06. This is definitely a sub-.25 MOA capable rifle, and the reason the groups are larger than that is 5% ammo, 95% shooter, and 0% rifle.

These are some of my better groups, all but the lower right is Black Hills 168gr Match. The bottom right one is my best group from my first go at handloading. Bottom left is .233 MOA, my best, with the exception of the 5 shot group explained a little further down.

(Click on any of the pictures to make them scary big)


Another 3-shot group with my reloads, this time using Federal brass. .695"-.308"= .387 MOA



5-shot group, nothing special. However, shot 1 was high center. shot 2 was left, and the next 3 punched a ragged .1 MOA hole. My best 3-shot string so far, I just wish I hadn't screwed up the first 2.



Another 5-shot group (.889"-.308'=.581 MOA)



And lastly my rifle. Her name is Eve. She's not as pretty as the lady who usually shares my bed, but she's pretty enough for me.



Rem 700 long-action, Brux straight taper heavy barrel, Bell and Carlson stock w/ aluminum bedding block (and skim bedded), custom ground recoil lug, Mueller Tactical 4-16x40 Illum Mil-dot scope, Leupold Mk4 rings on snipercentral.com 15 MOA bases, Tac-ops cheekpiece, harris bipod.

Action work (and other work) done by Billy Dale

(Excuse the crappy pictures...I need to get better lighting.)

Rolling my own..

...30-06 rounds. My shipment of reloading equipment arrived in the mail a few days ago, and I've jumped right in to reloading precision rounds for my custom Rem 700 30-06.

Finding primers was somewhat of an adventure, as nobody consistently can keep large rifle primers in stock in the area, and what is available is not the best. I settled on some CCI and Winchester LR primers, as well as a box of CCI Magnum's because they supposedly work better in cold weather.

My rifle has averaged under .5 MOA at 100 yds with Black Hills and Federal Gold Medal Match factory loads, but I thought I could do better, and there is no way I'm going to keep shelling out 30 bucks for a box of 20 Black Hills or over 40 for a box of Fed GMM (Although the Black Hills shoots better anyway).

I realize I'm going to have to do alot of load development to improve on the Black Hills loads because it consistently shoots sub-.25 MOA, and my best 3-shot string was .083 MOA.

My first attempt was mediocre with the averages in the .75 MOA range, but I'll be playing with bullet seating depth to try to improve upon it. I realized that my rifle has a very tight chamber, and most factory loads have the bullet seated .020" or more too far out.

I've brewed up a few dozen more rounds and am ready for round two the next time I can scoot on out to the range. The great part about reloading is I don't feel as much guilt when buying equipment and components because I think about the savings in the long run.

This post (and any others by madgunsmith) over at the Sniper Central forums is an excellent resource for someone who wants to get into reloading, acquire quality equipment that lasts, and wants to do it on a budget.

Pictures to follow if I can ever find my camera.

UPDATE: Pictures!

Nice timing

I've recently blogged about the disarmament policy at Virginia Commonwealth university.

Well the timing couldn't be better, because the man in charge of enforcing that policy, VCU Chief of Police William Fuller, was just arrested for soliciting sex from a 14-year old girl.

Read the story here

Even better, when a student applies in writing to the president of the university for permission to carry as per Virginia Code 8VAC90-10-50, they receive a letter of denial from this man's office.

What Calibers do you keep stocked?

This post over at Snowflakes in Hell inspired me to make a list of my own.

I consider my stockpile to be dangerously low at the moment, but I'm not willing to pay the premium being charged for ammunition these days, especially since I'm just beginning to get into reloading.

In random order.

1. 7.62x39mm - My go-to SHTF round. Roughly 1000 rds, not nearly enough. About 500 rds ready to go in 30 and 40 round magazines, with one 100 rd drum.

2. .45 - My carry pistol, about 700 rounds mix of ball and defensive HP, 10 magazines full

3. 9mm - I just use this for target shooting, so only about 100-150 rounds at a time

4. .22 - Usually a brick or two, I'm in the market for a .22 pistol or a .22 slide for my 1911, so I'll being stocking a bit more in the future.

5. .38 Special - 100 rounds or so for target practice with my wheelgun.

6. .357 - About 50 rounds for when I OC my wheelgun.

7. 30-06 - Primary hunting and precision shooting ammo. 400 rounds, mostly Korean surplus M2 Ball, about 100 rounds of Federal and Black Hills 168gr match. My Garand is on the way from CMP with another ~200 rds in stripper clips, and I've also recently acquired a reloading setup for 30-06.

8. .380 ACP - Ammo for my BUG, about 100 rds assorted.

9. .17 HMR - 150 or so rounds for varmint and paper punching.

10. 12 gauge - not really sure, but somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 rounds, assortment of all types, from tactical slug to target load.

11. Can't forget the blackpowder. My only limit is primers, as I can manufacture the powder, ball, etc. myself.

Used to have a .40 XD but swapped it for a .380 BUG a while ago. If I every buy a dedicated competition gun it will be a .40.

I should start stocking up on .223 awaiting my AR upper, but the prices are thru the roof.

I'm seriously considering getting a Mosin-Nagant, SVT-40, or Dragunov copy so I can shoot the extremely cheap but powerful (and corrosive) 7.62x54R.

Nonetheless, I consider myself a below average firearm collector, but my meager ammunition stockpile is enough to give the anti's a coronary, and I would most certainly be affected by some of the anti-"stockpile" legislation that has been proposed.

Stimulus package cost = $10,000 per family!

This is outrageous.