Amoskeag Auction No. 106

They have posted their latest auction catalog online.  Plenty of things to look at.

Not to many 03 Springfield sporters that caught my eye.  But I did see a few nice Krags.

Lot 227 –  Unmarked Custom Krag Model 1898 Magazine Sporting Rifle – Love the drop of the stock.  Was only ever meant to shoot using open sights.  Great work from an unknown maker. From the Mark Benenson Collection.

Lot  237 – Unique Dale Goens Custom Krag Single Shot Bolt Action Rifle – A more recently built gun, but in a traditional style. Modern skill and craftsmanship make this rifle standout.

Lot 608 – Custom 1898 Krag Magazine Sporting Rifle – Another more recent build.  Nicely executed.  Would be nice to have a picture of the other side.

22 WMR Bolt Action Options

I keep being tempted by the idea of a 22 Magnum bolt action.  A while back I had the bright idea to get a suppressed 22 WMR.  Not sure the reason, but seemed like a neat idea.  Maybe catch a ground hog or two for fun.  So I purchase a CZ455 varmint in 22 WMR.  CZ rim fires had a good reputation for accuracy.  The heavy barrel provided a nice amount of additional weight and enough material at the muzzle to thread for a suppressor.  Well I have been unimpressed with this setup.  I have tried every type of ammo out there, which has not been easy in the great ammo drought.  With or without the suppressor, nothing great.    In the mean time, I had fitted a Boyds Tacticool Pro Varmint stock and even went so far as to pillar bed the action.  No noticeable improvement.

I had been debating what I should do with this project.  CZ455s are designed to allow an easy barrel swap.  So a new barrel?  Try another CZ factory barrel?   As I was thinking through my options I was reviewing a post at rim fire central where several people were noting accuracy problems in CZ455s.  So another factory barrel may not solve my problem.  Lilja makes great products, but I am not sure I want to spend that much more money on this project. Basically the barrel will cost as much as the gun!  So I have been looking about at other options.

Ruger American Rifle – Bought one of these in Long rifle.  Shoots about 4 inch groups at 50 yards.  Sent back to Ruger.  They test fired and says it meets their standards for accuracy.  So not even looking there.

Ruger 77/22 – Expensive option when bought new, few around used.  Nor sure this would satisfy my accuracy requirements.  They seem to have a mixed reputation.

Savage 93 FV-SR – Never been a big fan of their designs.  But they offer a great set of features for the price.  Heck I can buy the whole gun for let than a Lilja CZ barrel!  It comes with the barrel threaded, saving me some work.

Marlin XT-22 – They do not offer a heavy barrel in this model, so that makes it less attractive.  Not sure I want to go through the effort to thread the barrel for a suppressor on this type of gun.  Just limited return on investment.

Browning T-bolt – Again there are a few out there but price and performance are the stumbling block for me.

Sako Quad – Of course if money is not a factor, you might find a Sako quad new or used out there.  But that is a bit of over kill for my project budget and really for the idea I had.

When you look for a WMR it really cuts down the options.

Range Day 2015 Ep. 6

With the good result from the 6.5×06 and continuing good weather, I wanted to make another trip to the range on Sunday.  So I quickly loaded up some ammo.  I loaded the gun I had shot previously (I will call this one the heavy barrel) and another one also in 6.5×06 (the lightweight).  Hoping I could find a single load that would shoot in both guns.

• Started out at 100 yards with good result from from the lightweight 6.5×06.  Then problems with the ammo for the next group.  Excessive pressure.  So I stopped.
• Went to 200 yds with the heavy barrel and the loads that shot well the previous day.  First group, not good at all.  Second group – same problem as the light weight.  Excessive pressure.  Again, full stop.
• I did have along another gun that I was able to sight in – an AR-10 in 308 sporting a Lilja barrel.  Lilja products shoot!  Just enough rounds to break the gun in and then I was shooting on paper.  At 100 yards, with only a 4x scope, shot just over 1/2 inch (.503 to be exact).  So the trip was not all a waste.

On the drive home I realized my mistake.  I try to double check all loads and powders before I load a batch of ammo.  But I think I confused my powders numbers – Vihtavuori  150 instead of 160.  Luckily a few ruined cases was the only result.  So more reloading and waiting for more nice weather.

Range Day 2015 Ep. 5

Another day of perfect conditions for shooting.  Best part was almost no wind.  Temperatures started to warm as the day progress, but mirage was not an issue shooting at just 100 yards.

In an earlier post, I have developed seating depth gauges for 2 calibers that have been giving me problems.  So I decided to use the new case gauge along with a bullet comparator to check and reset the seating depth on my 6.5×06 loads.   It showed the bullet had been engraving the rifling.  So I reset the seating die to provide .005in of jump before the rifling. I also went back to basics with powder and used loads based on the Sierra accuracy and hunting load.

Off to the range.

• Good news right away from the 6.5×06.  Of the 4 loads tested, all were an improvement over previous results.  Two were under half an inch.  So the new case gauge was well worth the effort.  I look forward to retesting all these loads.
• More test with the Ruger American in 223 and the new Sierra 69gr tipped matchking.  Repeated a previous load and a new one a step hotter.  The heavier load showed no improvement.  But both shot well under 1 inch a 100 yards.  As I had extra rounds for both loads, I kept shooting beyond the normal 3 shots to see what would happen as the light barrel warmed.  Nothing remarkable happened.  The groups did not open or shift.  Both loads remained under 1 inch – one 6 shot, the other 5 shots.  I still have issues feeding from the magazine.  But other than that, I think the rifle is an excellent value.
• Decided to throw in another 223 while I had new loads ready – a CZ527 Varmint model.  This is a 1 in 9 twist so it should handle the 69gr loads with no problems.  Every load I shot performed worse in this gun than the Ruger. Which, if I need to remind anyone, cost about half the price of the CZ.  I have yet to find any load which shoots great in this gun.  Some times you do not get what you pay for.
• I went down a completely new road with the 7.62×40 Wilson this week.  Rather than working in between previous loads, hoping to find the right powder charge, I changed bullets.  I looked around at what I had on the shelf and found I had some Sierra 155gr Palma bullets.  While Wilson does not provide load data for this weight bullets, there are several companies proving load data for the 150/155 gr bullet in a 300 Blackout.  So I used the max load in the Blackout as my starting load.  Loaded just a few rounds to check for functioning and pressure.  Initial results are promising, so I will begin working up the powder charges over the next few trips to the range.
• Wasted a bunch more powder and bullets through the 6.5 Creedmoor.  Not seeing any signs that this gun will shoot consistently.

Hornady O.A.L. Gauges

I was in need of a case gauge for a few calibers which Hornady does not supply.  So I went looking for information about the specs on the cases the Hornady system uses.  At the time I did not find very much information.  However, I did find that Hornady does offer a service to make cases for any caliber – you supply 3 fired cases and $15.  If I were only doing one caliber, that is a good option.  But I had several I wanted to make,  so I got out the micrometer and pitch gauge.  The cases are tapped – 5/16-36 tpi.   Not something I had in my tap selection, so I went and ordered one.

Before I had time to make any cases, I also ran across this article on Accurate Shooter.  It confirmed my measurements for the tap and gave a few helpful tips.

So I have now made cases for 3 different calibers – 6.5×47 Lapua, 6.5×06, and 6.5 Creedmoor (you can buy the last one).  Here are a few observations.

• It took more than one case to work out the bugs.  So be prepared to sacrifice a few cases
• I have a lathe, which makes drilling a tapping the case a fairly straight forward process.  The Accurate Shooter article says you can do it with a drill press.  I’m sure you can, but it will not be fun!  The lathe chuck makes holding and centering the case very easy.
• Sizing the cases is a must on a gas gun.  On a custom match chamber, it may not be necessary.  I was able to size the case even after the case was drilled and tapped.  So you can wait if you want.  Sizing will clean up any distortion that may happen while in the lathe.
• A reamer is necessary to open the case neck for the bullet to move freely, especially if you size the case.  I have a tapered reamer and slowly open the neck of the case until a bullet passes through without effort.

Build – 6XC

Have been talking about doing this for some time.  Over the winter I began noticing a lot of the tactical type builds moving away from the various 6.5 mm cartridges to 6mm.  So I began exploring the various options – 243 Win, 6mm Creedmoor, 6×47, 6XC, etc.  My main interests is in playing with a new cartridge and developing long range, accurate loads.  Three things I focused on:

• Brass – I get tired of having to make or form brass.  So I would like to be able to buy high quality brass in the caliber I choose.  Plus I like it when the head stamp is really what I am loading!
• Bullets – Long range high performance bullets are what I want, not something for varmint hunting.   Sierra and Berger produce bullets that fit the bill in the 107 to 115 grain range.
• Barrel life – Obviously this is related to the choice of bullets.  Shooting heavier bullets, especially in the 243 Win, can cause barrels to deteriorate quickly.  So I would like to find a compromise between velocity and barrel life.

You may reach a different conclusion than I did, but I have chosen to build a 6XC.  This is not going to be a high end tactical build with all the latest and craziest options.  I have done those in the past and they are fun.  I have decided to try and keep this simple, with a reasonable cost, but still a high degree of accuracy.

Action is the standard Remington 700 Short action.  No upgrades or changes here.  Again, simple is the name of the game

Barrel – Krieger is never a bad choice.  I have decided to keep the weight down on this rifle so I went with a light palma contour to finish at 26″.  Twist in 1 in 7.5″ to ensure stability shooting the heavy bullets.

So I will be packing up the barrel and action and sending them off.  Now to be patient and wait for their return….

In the mean time, I need to think about a stock.  Same criteria as above – simple and reasonably priced.  Maybe by the time the gunsmith work is completed Magpul will have their stock available?

Christmas in May?

In the past, I was quite the collector of vintage ammo boxes – 22s, shot shell and rifle.  I really enjoyed the graphic on the boxes more than anything.  As with any collector, interests change and the collection was largely sold off years ago.  I did keep my collection of 30-06 and 308 match ammunition which I will share in future posts.

So I still watch for rare and unusual boxes.  It doesn’t get much rarer than this – the “Christmas” shot shell box.  Not one but two are being offered for sale at this auction.  If I remember the story, these were made for the factory salesmen to help promote their product line and were given as Christmas presents to their top retailers.  Hence their nick name.

I was once offered a rough, to be generous, UMC box.  But I have not seen boxes in this condition for sale in a long time.

Morphy Auction Lot 256 – UMC “Christmas Box”: 12 Ga. Sealed

Morphy Auction Lot 257 – Winchester “Christmas Box” 10 Ga.

Range Day 2015 Ep.4

Weather provided for an excellent day for testing.  As noted earlier, my local range only goes to 200 yards.  But there was almost no wind when I arrived at the range.  So the initial testing was focused at 200 yards.  As the day progressed, winds did pick up.  But the temperatures stayed in the mid to upper 70’s.  Again a mixed bag of results

• Wrapped up testing of the 300 Win Mag prone rifle.  Shot 2 groups at 200 yards that were both impressive.  These 2 loads have preformed well on several occasions.  So I will load a few roads and just enjoy shooting this rifle.  Hopefully can do some longer range testing with this rifle later in the year.
• Other testing at 200 yards was not as successful.  Wind was not to blame.  Neither the 6mm/250 or the 260 AR platform rifles are performing consistently.  Last week the 6mm/250 shot 3 excellent groups at 100 yds.  Not one of those carried through to 200 yards.  I am using fire formed cases and am wondering if that may be causing a few issues.  At this point I may wait until I can get the cases annealed before doing any further testing.   Inconsistent neck tensions maybe causing part of my problems.  Over the winter, I changed the upper receiver on the 260 AR to a supposed better quality piece which matches the lower.  Since then, it has not shown the same performance.  So I may look at the barrel nut/tension on the new upper.  I should know better than to change something that is working!
• More rounds through the 7.62×40 Wilson.  No break through.  I keep working on a Nosler 125 gr/A1680 combination.  I am right around 1″ at 100 yards.  No bad, but I would like to find a little more accuracy.  Plus, every trip to the range gives me a chance to fire form more cases.
• Had time to load a few round using the new Sierra 69 gr TMK.  Shot these through a Ruger American Rifle just to see how they perform is a factory rifle (with 1 in 8 inch twist).  This rifle had actually done quite well  in the past with the Sierra 77gr MKHP.  So I knew I could expect groups well under 1 inch.  A base line load of Varget proved that these bullets will perform in the Ruger (one group about .800).  I will see what a hotter load will do.  But with the short magazine, not sure how much more powder I can fit in that case!

Sierra 69 gr Tipped Matchking Bullet

Finally broke down and purchased a box of these.  I have plenty of the old Sierra 69 gr bullets so I hope these do not work to well!  The increase in BC in this new design is impressive.  Real world testing  has show the data provided by Sierra to be actually a little on the conservative side.  So there are many upsides to getting these bullets to work in rifles that are unable to handle the heavier bullets.

One things I should have guessed, but still surprised me, was how much longer the new bullets are.  I know Sierra and the other companies provide a lot of information on their web sites about their products.  But a critical piece that no one seems to include is bullet length.  When comparing bullets from various manufactures, it is a nice piece of data to have .  Twist rate calculators need this piece of data to work.  So can companies start including this, especially with their new designs?

Range Day 2015 Ep.3

Had another day of good weather and headed to the range.  Took most of the guns I have been working on and a few I set in the corner at the end of last year.  I was second guessing some of last year’s results after I noticed my issue with the powder scale. So every load this week was measured on an electronic scale.  Here is a quick run down

• Had several powder charges for the 6mm/250 based on previous load development.  All shot well, under 1 in at 100 yds, except the maximum load.  So I will reload all of them an test at two hundred.  Also did fire form a few more cases after the accuracy test.  There may not be much more testing on this gun.  I am really pleased with the results.  But the load is hot and I don’t want to wear out the throat in testing loads.
• Still no exciting results from the 7.62×40 Wilson.  Expected much more from the cartridge and the quality of the barrel.  I only have a single load, using A1680, that is under 1 inch at 100 yds.  If I start backing the loads down to find accuracy, I might as well use a 300 Blackout (no need to modify magazine & can easily shoo subsonic) or the 6.8 SPC as much energy and great accuracy (see below)
• Had 3 bullets with various loads to test though the 6.8 SPC 16 inch gun.  I first shot the 110gr Hornady without good results.  To relieve my stress, I shot a group with my baseline Sierra 115 MKHP load.  The results speak – this load will be hard to beat.  Next I shot the 120gr Hornady and this provided much better results.  The Nolser 85 Gr E-tip was the worst of the lost.  Looking back, the best groups were shot when I loaded the rounds to the maximum length for the PRI magazine.  This is slightly longer than the recommended length in the reloading manuals.  So I will retry both Hornady bullets, seated at the maximum magazine length.
• Retested the loads for both the 260 win (AR-10 platform) and 300 Win bolt gun at 200 yds.  Was hoping some of the grouping issues had been due to the inaccuracy of the powder scales.  But no luck.
• One of the calibers I revisited was the 6.5 Creedmoor (DPMS factory barrel).  Last year saw a series of inconsistent groups.  By using the electronic scales for weighing all the powder charges, I was hoping to eliminate the occasional flyer. New year, same results.  The barrel is a 1 – 8.5 inch twist and I am shooting 142 Sierra MKHP.  I run the numbers and it should stabilize.  But I think I am too close to the edge.  Next trip to the range I will try some 123 gr bullets and see what happens.  Of course I could be expecting a little to much out of a regular factory barrel.