Ammo testing new RRA Service Rifle

[urbanrifleman]

Buy yourself 500 LC SS109 and shoot those. You can get them pretty cheap they call them FEDERAL SS109 these days. They will shoot 1 MOA in just about anything. Then reload them with Varget or R15. 55 Varmegeddons for short line and Sierra 77s for 300. Use CCI 450s.

That's it.

You should be able to get a dozen loads from that brass if you don't get greedy.

 

[Downhill]

Have played this game for 25 years. Since you plan on firing the reduced course of fire pick a load that will hold 1 moa (will help with the mental aspect). Get the book Service Rifle Basics written by the Army Marksmanship Unit. Read it, reread it and apply the principles wthin. I bet the book will help you more than finding a sub moa load. Across the Course is a tough game and recquires practice and discipline. Most of all have fun while you improve and keep records to study progress.

 

[NMcarbine]

You are going to end up with a bunch of partial boxes, each insufficient for a match. That and a bunch of mixed brass.

A lot of the boxes I only have one each of...so not enough for a match and each time I test a barrel, the partial boxes will get consumed Thanks for the thought.

 

[NMcarbine]

Buy yourself 500 LC SS109 and shoot those. You can get them pretty cheap they call them FEDERAL SS109 these days. They will shoot 1 MOA in just about anything. Then reload them with Varget or R15. 55 Varmegeddons for short line and Sierra 77s for 300. Use CCI 450s.

That's it.

You should be able to get a dozen loads from that brass if you don't get greedy.

You are suggesting I buy more steel penetrator tipped ammo that virtually no range allows?
Varget seems to be the powder of choice for heavier bullets,and H4895 for the lighter bullets. I did intend to load 77 SMK for distance after using up my IMI which I heard is also pretty good brass. I have a fair amount of Federal XM193 although not known for accuracy, might be good enough for 100yds and will give me the previous LC brass without getting thrown off the range for using Penetrators.

For short distance, seems the most research I have done points to the 55gr Hornady SP followed by their FMJ, Berger 55gr flat base and even 52gr SMK.

I saw a study on primers and the need to be sure they are thick enough not to get misfires. The two that were suggested with the CCI BR4 or Remington 7 1/2. A source I am referred to a lot is the 6mm site which says the 400s are nearly as good as th BR4, but if soft primers are to be avoided, stick with the BR4 or 7 1/2.

Thanks for the suggestions..

 

[urbanrifleman]

Ugh... The CCI 450 is the hard primer. Not the 400 they are soft, still work fine for short line loads.

Good luck man!!!

 

[spife7980]

Norma TAC-223 55gr

I dont buy expensive factory ammo ever but Ill buy a couple boxes of cheap stuff when I have a new shooter coming out that I dont want to waste my handloads on. 6.49 a box comes out to 33 cents per and it shoots surprisingly well.

 

[NMcarbine]

Ugh... The CCI 450 is the hard primer. Not the 400 they are soft, still work fine for short line loads.

Good luck man!!!

Sorry about mixing up hard primer and suggested primer info... I am only saying the BR4 and 7 1/2s are hard primer. On the chart I saw. That more or less is the same info on the 6mm site:

"For use in semi-automatics and AR15s, we advise that you stick to CCI and Remington primers. These brands have harder cups and are much less likely to pierce primers. Also, the AR15 has a free-floating firing pin that dents the primer on loading. This creates a risk of slam fires. So you want hard primer cups. The latest generation of Winchester primers, with brass-colored cups, should be avoided for AR15 use. The old silver Winchester primers worked fine, but the current WSRs are soft and can be pierced more easily than CCI or Rem primers. A poll of Highpower competitors (mostly shooting ARs) showed that Rem 7 1/2 primers are the most popular (33.23%), followed by CCIs (25.78%). The majority of CCI users favored the CCI BR4s, but both CCI 400s (small rifle standard) and CCI 450s (small rifle magnum) were also popular. Only 10.25% of Highpower shooters polled used Federal primers (either 205M or 205)"

I know there was a warning about the Federal primers with my loader.

 

[NMcarbine]

I dont buy expensive factory ammo ever but Ill buy a couple boxes of cheap stuff when I have a new shooter coming out that I dont want to waste my handloads on. 6.49 a box comes out to 33 cents per and it shoots surprisingly well.

Thanks for the kudos on the TAC-223 ammo. Ten boxes coming in today from Ables as my expected short range ammo while I figure things out.

 

[dixiecricket]

I shoot lc brass, 55gr fbhp varmint nightmare extremes from midsouth with aa2460 for short range practics. Use all that random ammo for offhand practice, shoot 77's across the course until you make master, then work up a seperate 80gr long line load.

More trigger pulling, less screwing with reloads. I made master with a RRA that shot 1.25 moa.

 

[dixiecricket]

Also, if you are in NM, start hitting Zia, Capitan, and Whittington for XTC. a lot more info from some of the best shooters in states.

 

[NMcarbine]

I shoot lc brass, 55gr fbhp varmint nightmare extremes from midsouth with aa2460 for short range practics. Use all that random ammo for offhand practice, shoot 77's across the course until you make master, then work up a seperate 80gr long line load.

More trigger pulling, less screwing with reloads. I made master with a RRA that shot 1.25 moa.

I don't have enough brass to start reloading. I still have only half a cleaning solution, no trimmer, my press isn't mounted, chamfer tool, not to mention no bullets, and my 1960s Red Dot might not quite be good enough Won't be reloading for awhile.

For shooting I don't have an "appropriate" glove yet, no shooting jacket, a weird tactical mat, shooting stool, no vanes, weathermeters, no weird things to connect to my glasses or caps that have odd wings on them.

I did just get my Freeland HD tripod and my spotting scope. Creedmore score book and holder came today. Have to mount my sling, install the NM trigger.

The list goes on an on...yes, probably most appropriate to shoot oddball ammo on standing as I won't hit the target anyway, especially all that low gr ammo that will likely detonate on the way to the target.

I bought some quantity of 69gr to shoot mid-range. Happens the league I am going to shoot with only shoots at 100yd so that is all going to be light stuff. The TAC is going to probably be my mainstay when I finish up all my LC, AE, PMC, Rem, S&B and even a box of Wolf Gold to try. At almost the same price, will be interesting to see how the TAC-223 stands up to the Wolf Gold...Heard some good things about the Wolf, just like their SK/Lapua .22LR I shoot.

Appreciate it!

 

[NMcarbine]

Also, if you are in NM, start hitting Zia, Capitan, and Whittington for XTC. a lot more info from some of the best shooters in states.

Capitan is the only one of the three that has Service Rifle class. Whittington only has something if someone does something there, like a regional or national competition, but they have no league or club to host regular matches. Zia doesn't have service rifle. They have high power with rests, bipods, superzoom scopes, etc. My 4X AR would be competing against them...It is also hard to get a membership there. Closest thing they have appropriate for me is some silhouette, but I am about punching paper right now. Zia which doesn't have a class, and the others requiring overnights, I will do more locally until I have a reason to justify overnight stays.

The other local club I am actually joining Saturday is Del Norte. Unlike Zia, Del Norte has 1000 UKD and TKD. Unless I find out otherwise, there is nothing beyond the range other than a ridge in the distance, so I think it is possible to shoot any distance you are capable of. But, other than VMR, they are CMP games rules for ARs so might can't compete and they too have some high power, but the guy who can tell me is out of the country. Hope to find out more at the 5-hour orientation. Then you have an additional qualification for their 600 yard range, and then another for their 1000yd range... Many regional and national events are held there. Their former pres used to have booths adjoining mine at gun shows. The City Range and Del Norte are 20 miles from me, but the City range is all paved, DN is gravel half the way. 30 min to City range, 40 minutes to club range. Zia is all the way across town. My current club, Sandia GC shoots at the City range, they don't have their own range.

Appreciate it sir!

 

[dixiecricket]

The gear can be intimidating to start with. I started with a welding glove and carharrt jacket. My bet, if you are pleasent to shoot with, actually show up to matches, and seem enthusiastic, the other shooters will hook you up with enough kit to get going. I started XTC for same reasons as you and recieved plenty of help along way.

 

[dixiecricket]

You willing to drive to socorro to shoot club matches? A guy at NMT puts them on.

 

[Beau]

The next thing you want to buy is a jacket. Even a used one to get you started.

 

[NMcarbine]

You willing to drive to socorro to shoot club matches? A guy at NMT puts them on.

I know i already ruffled some feathers because they told me rifle wasn't compliant although it was...Obviously they didn't like the new guy having to correct them and diplomacy isn't my forte.

There is a husband and wife team. Virginia is the guru around here for smallbore and she runs the .22LR F-class meet I attended up here in ABQ. I checked the Socorro GC site and it only mentioned air rifle and action pistol. Her husband Jim is more involved in the SGC club, but again, I don't think they are shooting centerfire rifles. They do have a CMP class, but not a match per their site. Virginia is at NMH, I don't know if Jim is.

Thanks..

 

[NMcarbine]

The next thing you want to buy is a jacket. Even a used one to get you started.

One guru said not to buy a high end hard back jacket until I progress a ways..he suggested getting a cheaper canvas jacket. In the cheaper jacket options it seems there are three.

Creedmoor basic cloth jacket, $90, and very spartan. Champion Shooters NRA coat for the same $90, but more features. Then there is Champion's Choice $85 dollar jacket which has more features, mainly a zippered sling sleeve.

I don't know what or who I will meet at the new club I will be joining Saturday, but the HP shooters I was with, there were only 6-7 of them and I doubt any have an extra jacket as no one mentioned anything, and then it would have to fit. For $85 plus shipping I think buying one my size is my next purchase.

Thanks...

 

[dixiecricket]

Yes, the mclemores are who run the club Im talking about. They have decades of experience, and are the "real deal". If you cannot learn to get along with people like them, you will have a tough time in XTC. They have put their own time and money into spreading the shooting gospel more than anyone I know.

 

[NMcarbine]

Yes, the mclemores are who run the club Im talking about. They have decades of experience, and are the "real deal". If you cannot learn to get along with people like them, you will have a tough time in XTC. They have put their own time and money into spreading the shooting gospel more than anyone I know.

Sorry if I gave you the wrong understanding. I have been in contact with Virginia since I moved here 5+ years ago. In fact, I observed her .22 F-Class league 3 weeks ago and spoke to her about getting my .22 set up to shoot in her league. I haven't met Jim, that I know of, but we have attended events together.

The issue came when I spent months planning, buying, and building the pieces to make my service rifle. I took it out to the HP league for the club I am in. First time there. After the event, I took out my rifle to get some comments. They all gasped and said, "you can't compete with that!". Do you know how that felt? I tried to explain that as far as I knew, it was a Service Rifle compatible setup other than the temp sling I had on it. When I explained that it was an allowed configuration since the 2016 rules change, I think some feathers got ruffled. This isn't a matter of getting along as I don't know if the situation could have been handled differently. I just disagreed with them and that can come off as contentious.

The person that I was getting the most help from wrote me after and said he would be happy to shoot with me so I guess things are OK. I can understand the newbie stirring up a fuss amongst the oldies.

 

[Beau]

If you want a friend, buy a dog.
Your rifle is SR legal. Go shoot.

You'll find out how petty people can be when you start winning.