284 Winchester at 300 yards

[Nomad47]

I decided to use my AR500 steel to shoot a four shot group at 300 yards last evening. Here's the steel. 8" diameter 3/8" AR500.

I could get hooked real easily on shooting groups on steel. First is the visual when the steel swings, then comes the 'clang'. And the impact 'splash' is easily visible thru my scope (on 30x IIRC).
The group was shot from my portable bench and the horizontal spread was either me or the bench. The bench is good for holding vertical but with one rear leg some side to side motion is hard to avoid. I think the crosshairs were a little left of center and a little right of center when the trigger broke on two of the shots. Vertical was just under .5".
Savage Target action, 28" Criterion 9 twist barrel, Stocky's laminate thumbhole stock, Sightron 10-50x60 scope, Winchester brass not neck turned but annealed, 215M primers, 180 Hybrids at 2835 MV.

 

[jbpmidas]

I guess you're happy with your .284! Is this your first experience with Criterion? I'm wanting to build a .284 and want to use a prefit Criterion or Brux.

 

[Nomad47]

It was my first Criterion purchase. I have since replaced a Savage 12BVSS 22-250 factory barrel with a Criterion 6XC barrel. Both are 28" bull barrels and now have Harrell's brakes on them.

Criterion has two reamers for the 284. I chose the reamer throated for the long heavy bullets.

 

[TheSnake]

Very nice Bill. I like your target stand also.

 

[stinnett1981]

I agree on shooting objects that physically do things on contact. I built a wooden target stand. The top half is for stapling paper targets and the bottom half has 3 4inch by 4inch by 1inch thick metal plates that hang from chains. They are way more fun to shoot than paper. Lots of fun shooting with a .22lr with iron sights at 100 yards. Fun to shoot with a .223 at 500 yards too.

 

[Nomad47]

Robert, its 1/2" pipe and there is 1/2" rebar inside the horizontal pipes that allow the steel to swing freely. Comes apart for easy transport, too.

 

[jsimonh]

Nice shooting Bill! Glad to see the 284 and Hybrids are still working so well for you.

 

[TheSnake]

Bill, are you traveling at this time or are you at a home base? When traveling, how do you find enough land to be able to shoot 300? Traveling form state to state, do you have to read up on the different state laws on you rights to shoot where?

 

[jbpmidas]

It was my first Criterion purchase. I have since replaced a Savage 12BVSS 22-250 factory barrel with a Criterion 6XC barrel. Both are 28" bull barrels and now have Harrell's brakes on them.

Criterion has two reamers for the 284. I chose the reamer throated for the long heavy bullets.

Did you buy them from Northland? Did they have them in stock or did you have to wait?

 

[Nomad47]

Bill, are you traveling at this time or are you at a home base? When traveling, how do you find enough land to be able to shoot 300? Traveling form state to state, do you have to read up on the different state laws on you rights to shoot where?

Robert, we're parked for 5 months in Ohio (we lived here 22 years ago). I'm shooting groundhogs (57 so far). The farmers I hunt on allow me to set up the steel and I can stretch to 1250 yards. The longest I have shot the 8" steel has been 740 yards - a pasture to a hay field across a valley. I will also compete once a month at Rayner's Range south of Zanesville. The competition has steel in various sizes from 235 to 1000 yards.
We will spend the month of October traveling to AZ where there is lots of BLM land to shoot on. Along the way, we will visit friends (with guns).
We always spend a month in NC visiting family and I have a new found friend whose dad has land/farm where we can stretch out to around 600 yards.
We don't really have a home base. Our legal state of residence for tax and licensing purposes is South Dakota. We've been in the state once with the motorhome.

 

[Nomad47]

It was my first Criterion purchase. I have since replaced a Savage 12BVSS 22-250 factory barrel with a Criterion 6XC barrel. Both are 28" bull barrels and now have Harrell's brakes on them.

Criterion has two reamers for the 284. I chose the reamer throated for the long heavy bullets.

Did you buy them from Northland? Did they have them in stock or did you have to wait?

Yes, I bought both from Jim Briggs. He had 6XC barrels on order so my wait time was shortened. Jsimonh on this forum already had a 284 on order when I ordered the 284 and mine got chambered at the same time as his so my wait time for it also got shortened.

 

[yukonal]

Good shootin'!

And I love the target stand. Gives me an idea.

 

[Nomad47]

Thanks, Al. I bought 1/2" black iron pipe to save a couple bucks. Now I have to paint it. I should have bought galvanized. A piece of 1/2" galvanized pipe is U-bolted to the steel. And a 24" piece of 1/2" rebar is inside the horizontal pipes. I can spread the legs out more than in the photo and if I used a 48" rebar, I could really spread the legs out.

Very portable AND I can break it down for transport in my motorhome while traveling.

 

[Forum Boss]

Congrats on the tight vertical -- that's got to be satisfying. I like your Gong set-up.

This is the first time I've seen a vertical and horizontal line placed on the steel. (Is that tape or black paint?) Great idea! (Slaps forehead -- why didn't I think about that years ago!)

 

[yukonal]

Thanks, Al. I bought 1/2" black iron pipe to save a couple bucks. Now I have to paint it. I should have bought galvanized. A piece of 1/2" galvanized pipe is U-bolted to the steel. And a 24" piece of 1/2" rebar is inside the horizontal pipes. I can spread the legs out more than in the photo and if I used a 48" rebar, I could really spread the legs out.

Very portable AND I can break it down for transport in my motorhome while traveling.

Bill-I had a post on another LR forum a couple years ago, and got a bunch of great ideas from some folks on gong targets. I saved the post. But, I think I can get rid of it. Yours is the cat's meow. And I'll use your idea on the galvanized. Thanks again for posting.

 

[lurcher]

Thanks for the pic I'm off to buy some scrap pipe and fittings.... Got any pictures of your bench? I'm assuming it's portable also? I am trying to make a sturdy portable bench also and am looking for ideas.

 

[Nomad47]

Thanks for all the kind words, Guys.
Boss, I mask off the areas not to be marked, then use a wide magic marker to make the lines. I have some narrow red electrical tape that I use to cover the black lines when I re-paint.
My current setup is "version 3" and it works well for my mobile lifestyle - being able to disassemble when we move the motorhome.
Here is "version 1" which is mild steel and all dented up. A friend is currently filling all the dents by welding.

Lurcher, here is my portable bench, "version 4". Version 5 is in the works. It will not have the step up in the rear which was good when I used a front rest but I now use the short bipod. The new one will be flat and about an inch longer. One 2x4x3/4 piece of plywood will do the wood part except for the wedges.

 

[Nomad47]

Lurcher, here are the plans and material list for the portable bench. Legs unscrew for transport.

And here is what we live in and why everything has to be portable. BTW, my shooting bench is also my reloading bench. There are two holes in the front of the bench for securing a press with bolts and wing nuts.

 

[lurcher]

Thanks for posting your plans Bill, very much appreciated