Mikes great PA adventure

[mikeinct]

I spent last week down in SW PA. two days at the mcdonald sportsman range..Great place to shoot out to 600 yds. The 500 line fooled me until I figured out it is 500 meters not yds.All the drop data said I should be good but I was still striking LOW..I got to test drive all kinds of loads for the 3 rifles I like to use on GH's..My 6MMBR, the new Tac 20 & the Savage switch barrel I'm working on...I'm learning to use the vernier scales in my scopes & keeping a note book on the drop values for each gun & load..All that practice on paper & steel targts came in handy at the end of the week...for two days of hunting...The fur was really flying...& the star of the trip was my Savage rifle with an Elcheapo Adams & Bennett 243 win varmint taper muzzle braked barrel...That 90 dollar wonder was the only gun I could consistanly hit with at 500 meters & beyond..The winds were just fearsome...Thurs night I got rained on twice but I did not quit after making [for me] an unbelievable 650 plus yd shot..That Took me 3 shots but that Big Ground hog never heard it coming..After that I was really committed to using the 243 for anything over 500 yds..Up to that distance 350 to 500yds the Tac 20 built on an SS Sako Varmint was really neat...I was very confident in its ability to kill cleanly..The last shot I took with it was friday morning at 463 yds..Still windy but the drift was predictable & repeatable less than 5 inches of hold off that morning...That rig sports an 8 X 32 nightforce with that funny NP-R2 reticle judging hold is pretty easy...I wish the numbers were easier to read on the vernier scale in that scope..I made one really bad dial up mistake by not reading correctly...That 3 & 4 line are pretty close..NOT !! Kept hitting low..Ughhh...The learning curve is as steep as the trajectories at those distances..That said out to 400 yds I'm very confident in those rifles....The Tungston DiSulfide impact plated bullets for the Tac 20 were the 39 gr Sierra & the 40 Gr V-max...I cant say enough good things about using SO2 in that gun..I only cleaned it once before using 80 cartridges..The gun kept shooting well all day...More about Tungston DiSulfide later...The 6MMBR was used for the 200 to about 350yd shots until I ran out of Tac20 & 243 cartridges...Then I dialed the scope up for 600 yds But Ran out of time before running out of bullets or Gh's asking to be shot at..I came home with two tac 20 & 8 6mmbr rounds...Don't ask how many I Hit out of all those shots...most took 3 shots or 4 at beyond 600 yds to score a hit..at 500yds it was even money mostly 2 shots per hit...anything 400 to 500 was in big trouble The two days I spent up on that hillside shooting over to the other hill was well spent time & cartridges...I can't wait to go back there..The people who own that farm are so nice..Next spring I'm going to try to do a whole week of hunting down there..The farmers nephew is growing soy beans & I've hunted a couple of his fields..No lie those are some well fed GH's..I only took a few pics hopefully I can post them later, mike in ct

 

[mikeinct]

I bumped this up PICS POSTED TODAY...mike

 

[jb77]

Mike I received the new Midway catalog last night and I saw where they had the 6mm Adams and Bennet barrels on sale.

Would like to know your impression of them and if you would buy another.

Anybody else out there have any experience with these barrels?
Do they make the barrels or do they buy or import from another maker?

 

[mikeinct]

This 243 win Varmint taper for a savage is my Second A & B barrel..The first was a 35 Whelan also a heavy taper Mag taper ..It shoots to 5/8 inch if you can hold it...the 243 win. was just such a bargain at 90 dollars I had to try it out...My first & second are both fine hunting grade barrels for the savage rifle..I did do a ladder test with the handloads to find something the barrel liked...With the whelan I used 3/10's of a grain increments to find the sweet spot...after a proper barrel break in procedure...That takes maybe 15 to 20 shots..Clean shoot clean Blah blah blah...The 243 I fussed with a bit more using 2 bullets & two powders going up in 2/10's of a grain increments..As for the seating depth I made a dummy cartridge with the bullet just entering the case..I closed it in the chamber & let the rifling seat the bullet...Then I use that to set the seating die just a 1/4 turn deeper than that lenght..Works good for me...If you want to try something new say that 6 mm rem on a savage action I say go for it..If they are on sale..I'm pleased with both I have & they are made in USA.. I might pick one up just to try another in 6MM I've been wanting to do that cartridge with the ackley improved version..I bet fred out at SSS could rechamber it & thread it for my muzzle brake...One other thing..I could have fire lapped those barrels but they shot just fine with only normal fouling...I keep them pretty clean never more than 40 shots between cleanings..Good luck...mike in ct ...& thanks for the bargain alert...

 

[chino1969]

mikeinct,
Great shots and nice looking fields. PA certainly has alot of places to pop hogs.
Chino69

 

[mbianchini]

mikeinct

Where where you hunting at in SW PA.

 

[M700]

Mike, that looks like a heck of a lot of fun! I've been having trouble finding many rockchucks out here this year...

 

[7C15]

Mike I live about a mile from McDonald. We shoot alot there. My older son likes to shoot his stock K98 off hand iron sights at that 600yd gong he hits the bigger one with success. Who did you visit with there. We went out hunting for chucks last week not far from the club and got some 1200 plus shooting.

 

[Triggernosis]

Mike,
Do you have any close-up pix of that rifle/barrel that you could share?

 

[mikeinct]

Sorry about the delay in response...I thought I posted this a week ago...I'll be back at Mcdonald next spring...GH hunting is over for me this year...Maybe we can get together there...It would be fun meeting all of you...mike in ct