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No ... Maybe ... YES!

CaptainMal

Silver $$ Contributor
Been shooting those BOSS tuner brakes on three rifles for a couple decades. They work for me and I have three great hunting rifles because of them. Never messed with something like that for target until recently.

Bought a RAS tuner/brake for my Dasher a few months ago. At the same time I had major issues with carbon fouling and serious pressure problems. Isso, C-4 and a bore scope seems to have corrected the problem but I also picked up a PTG Savage bolt head. Off went the dished factory bolt head, on went the PTG and OOPS ... .007" less headspace.

Eric Bostrom (Bostrom Gunsmithing) turned the barrel out and set the headspace for the new bolt head. He told me I would have to re-sight the Nightforce as the barrel was in another position. At the range today I also found out the tuner I had put on was all out of calibration from the place where it was, along with the index mark I had scribed into the barrel. Earlier I just stuck it on, moved it one time and it worked. This time was going to be a real tuning problem.

Now you pros should have stopped reading this long ago. For any of you, like me, who think this tuner stuff is all hokum, read and look on.



I found the new "tight" position for the brake and moved out two main notches. Starting there I took two shots and looked at 100 yards. After each two I would move the tuner out a tiny 1/2 notch. Marked the "two-out" line with a double dot, then a triple dot, then 4 dots in a row. Later I will make them with an electric scribe and line the top of the barrel so I can duplicate the setting.

Groups were all under .5" but that's awful for this Dasher. AS I moved the tuner to the three dot + mark it still showed nothing special, next move said "maybe to me". That was right on the 4 dot line. I shot a third shot into .132 in strong crosswinds. Next 4.5 mark put two into a hole. I did a third and saw that hole get larger. Next line would be a five dot line and it was a "maybe" group in the .3's.

Moved the tuner back to the line before and stuck two more into that same hole for a 5 shot group of .095. That tuner worked like I was told it would.

Next step is to go to 600 and 1,000 yards and see more. This was a start and just a start. Just impressed that this RAS Tuner thing I got from Bostrom gunsmithing. Seems to work. I'll be darned.
 
Great shooting Larry.

No one ever said that tuners do not work. They do!

Those Dashers rule, no matter what. Also had several 0.07 - 0.08 groups when testing tuners myself.

If everything stays the same with your reloading, temp and other conditions, you should continue to see the barrel shoot to these standards. I have let my cleaning routine slack off and am paying the price.

Not sure what I have in the safe to shoot this Saturday. Yes, it would be the 1015 yard 8" diameter steel targets.

Should see you there. Steve
 
Larry, I thought you've had one of those tuners for a while? You didn't have one when I shot with you? Those groups look really good, report back after you shoot some groups at the next 1k match.
 
Terry...

I did not shoot at Manatee today. It's Monday and they are not open.

I shot at Guncraft in Ruskin. Had the whole range to myself. That was wonderful for what I wanted to do. Often shoot there on Mondays when the 100 yard range is open. Best place I know to set up the chronograph and be left alone to do what I want on my schedule. The rest of the week it's just open for the short, handgun stuff.
 
Chris,

I just had a regular brake on it. Last Fall I won the tuner brake at a shoot. Eric recently put it on about the time I had all that trouble with high pressure and carbon fouling. It took a whole lot of time for me to figure out what the issues were. Ordered a new Krieger for it that will be in next March. Meantime I think it's figured out.

Hope to test/shoot this Saturday at the 1,018 yard shoot. Doubt I can test before that.

Oh - Manatee now has a "perfect" 600 yard range. They took out the hill across from the 565 area. The flat part of it goes back to the hill now which is about 612 yards. Grass seed should be planted by now or soon and with rain, it's going to be nice. Think they also filled in part of the "swamp" back to the 1,000 with what came from the hill.

It should be real nice into the future.
 
You caught me shutting down.

The brake I had was the same brake as this tuner brake I'm using now. Both are RAS. Both seem to do the same amount of "braking". That is ... I literally can watch the bullet hit the target with almost no jump. There is a bit of straight-back movement to slide maybe an inch or so on the bag/rest. That's when I "free recoil" the shot. Touch my shoulder to the butt and it's so close to nothing I don't notice a thing.

Now remember, it's a 17 lb rifle in Dasher.

I have the same brake ( not tuner brake) on my 6.5 Ackley Improved. That's built with a Rem. action, Krieger 26" and overall is about 11 lbs with 4.5 - 30 on it. It is NOT easy to watch the hits with that rifle, although I did watch a deer I took at 490 yds. get hit. Had a rather tight position for that shot. Off the bench it does move and at that weight and recoil it's not target quality reduction.

The BOSS brakes I have on my 7MM Mg, 270 Win and 338 Win Mag work well but again, not target quality reduction. Just R E A L N I C E.

Oh - Mr Majestic...If you mean the "tuner" part of the brake, it's a simple twist marked/weight over the brake. It turns out independent of the brake and alters the weight distance and therefore the vibration pattern. Just find a load with good ES then turn it out a tiny mark. Check with two shots at each position, find the node and you are done.

Today I used 23 shots to find the "sweet spot" and confirm it.
 
Larry, I tested 3 different powders with my dasher Varget at 3030 FPS H4350 at 3090 and another at 3170 All 3 took a different tuner setting but all 3 I got same results as you. I was shooting 105 Hybrids. I never changed any thing but the powder and the tune. The proof will be Saturday at the Gongs. OL says the pressure will be 63,000 and my primers show it was close.
I was shocked with 3170fps. Both Ed and mine shot .100 or less with the new powder. Yes tuners work. The other Larry
 
Hi Larry,

Hope to see you Saturday. Keep some Varget on hand. Since I may be back in the game I'm probably gonna use some.

This powder absence is a big bummer for me.

Now get there Saturday and prepare to beat the heck out of the rest of us as it should be.
 
Great Shooting Larry . I found something that will help our sport when fire forming.
Ed and I were playing with different powders and es and sd. Ed had 50 rounds to fire form.
Their was 5 new shooters I had never seen before . You know me I ask if they would like to shoot
a bench type gun. One of the 5 had never shot before. I could tell by talking she wanted to learn.
After some coaching from Ed and I she took her first shot. She did everything she was ask to do.
40 round later and several 3/4'' and better 5 shot groups. using the tuner. Her last was under 1/2''
Guess who I will share my gun with Saturday. Her name is Kristina . Larry
 
You mean Kristen?

Don't think you can have her but you CAN have a tuner.

I have seen many others use them and shoot impressively. Think there's some kind of explanation on how they work on that bostromgunsmithing.com site. If I remember right it was something another guy wrote for the old Precision Shooter but not sure and a bit too lazy to look.

Do know my old BOSS tuner/brakes all worked great. Conned 4 friends to find rifles with them on and buy them. All were super happy. This RAS thing just seemed like a refined version of the same.
 
CaptainMal said:
You mean Kristen?
Don't need anymore females! LOL Wife(34 yrs this 09), Daughter and Granddaughter! I don't even buy female Dogs! LOL
Yes, read much about it on his site which by the way doesn't link very well. I have a Brux 6.5X47L as the first candidate! Thanks again. ;)
 

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