New Toys/Accessories on the range.

Zee

A couple years ago, I got a stainless TC Encore barrel in .280 Remington on clearance for a stupid low price. Didn’t do anything with it and later had it cut down to 16.5”. 

Tried it as a SP barrel and as a rifle barrel. The recoil/muzzle rise was just no fun to shoot. 

Finally decided to have it threaded for a Surefire Brake/Suppressor and......oh.....wow......why did I wait so long?!?  She is a whole ‘nother beast now!!
Don’t have a lot of scope options left on my shelf. So, for testing purposes, I threw a cheap 3-9x kit scope on her with Leupold QD rings I had laying around. Kind of a last option assembly. 

At the range, the recoil is night and day from what it was!!!

What was once a violent muzzle rise is now just a short bump!
The cheap scope showed its typical issues of needing a settling shot after any adjustments. And the reticle, even at 9x, is corse enough as to cover a 1” paster at 100 yards. Making accurate and precise shooting somewhat difficult. But even still!!!

She put out acceptable .6” groups with 150gr NBT Handloads!!

Not sure what I’ll do with her scope wise down the road. But, right now she isn’t too bad of a compact truck gun. 

Zee

After putting a new Leupold VX-3i 6.5-20x50 LRP scope on my Remington 700 Tactical in .260 Rem, installing the new Shilen 3oz trigger and setting it all in an HSP stock, I finally got around to zeroing the rifle. 

While I fought with the Encore and cheap scope to make sure I was actually ON the paster.......with 20x and a 3oz trigger........I was working to make sure the tiny center dot was in the exact location of the paster that I wanted when the sear broke!!

Very little room for error. So little so as I know the top left round was off when when the gun went off. Inhale, exhale, respiratory pause, and I saw the reticle dot drift ever so slightly to the left of center as the 3oz trigger broke. I knew it. I called it. Damn. Would have been a nice group. 

Regardless, she is now zeroed and ready to go. 

Ernie Bishop

You are good to go!

GunNut

Yeah, that’ll do!

bullsi1911

Yeah... that looks like a nice day at the range.

And you have me looking at suppressing my Encore again.  

Zee

😎

Bigslug

OK. . .I'm liking that TC!

I hooked my Dad up with a VX5 2-10X for the Californicated pseudo-AR I built him for current deer rig.  Wanted big main-tube brightness, low magnification field of view for close and fast shots, and enough of a top end to reach if he needs to.

This seems like the same sort of rifle.  A 2.5-8 wouldn't suck either. . .

jbp-ohio

Quick question slightly off topic. Does your 'work' have any problems getting ammo in this shortage?

Zee

Bigslug said:

OK. . .I'm liking that TC!

I hooked my Dad up with a VX5 2-10X for the Californicated pseudo-AR I built him for current deer rig.  Wanted big main-tube brightness, low magnification field of view for close and fast shots, and enough of a top end to reach if he needs to.

This seems like the same sort of rifle.  A 2.5-8 wouldn't suck either. . .

I’m probably not gonna sink a lot of money into a scope for this gun. A VX-Freedom is about as classy as I’ll get. Unless I upgrade another gun and this one gets a hand-me-down. 

Linefinder

Those both look like a lot of fun! Ain't it great when you run across a rig/load combo so well mated that you know the top-left from the .260 is a "called flyer"?

Mike

Zee

Linefinder said:

Those both look like a lot of fun! Ain't it great when you run across a rig/load combo so well mated that you know the top-left from the .260 is a "called flyer"?

Mike

I’m just glad I’m to the level of shooting where I can tell when I screw up. 

Trouble is.........I’ve been at that level a loooooooong time. Waiting for the point where I don’t. 😁

Linefinder

Zee said:

Linefinder said:

Those both look like a lot of fun! Ain't it great when you run across a rig/load combo so well mated that you know the top-left from the .260 is a "called flyer"?

Mike

I’m just glad I’m to the level of shooting where I can tell when I screw up. 

Trouble is.........I’ve been at that level a loooooooong time. Waiting for the point where I don’t. 😁

Never gonna happen, dude. The screw ups may be fewer and farther between.....and that in itself is a lofty/worthy goal.

Mike

Zee

Dream crusher!!  😁

Linefinder

Sorry bout that. But I learned in one-shot BR comps, there's no such thing as the "perfect shot".  One day, I won 19 out of 23 matches. As close to perfect as some of my shots looked to the naked eye, once examined under computer optical comparator...not so much. Pretty damn good....but none exactly perfect. Good enough to win against some other good guns....but none exactly perfect.

Two weeks later I was back, determined to correct my previous errors and lost 17 out of 19 matches....Why?...I have no idea. That was dream crushing. LOL!

Mike

GunNut

Linefinder said:

Sorry bout that. But I learned in one-shot BR comps, there's no such thing as the "perfect shot".  One day, I won 19 out of 23 matches. As close to perfect as some of my shots looked to the naked eye, once examined under computer optical comparator...not so much. Pretty damn good....but none exactly perfect. Good enough to win against some other good guns....but none exactly perfect.

Two weeks later I was back, determined to correct my previous errors and lost 17 out of 19 matches....Why?...I have no idea. That was dream crushing. LOL!

Mike

I tell the folks I train that shooting is a super low energy endeavor.  The second you put too much energy or too much “brain” into it you’ll screw up...

Linefinder

I'm not gonna disagree with that in the slightest.

Mike

zorba

GunNut said:

I tell the folks I train that shooting is a super low energy endeavor.  The second you put too much energy or too much “brain” into it you’ll screw up...

This makes sense - and its actually a lot like dancing.

Linefinder

I did notice shooting BR comps that I usually did best when I was somewhat ambivalent about it. We shot matches every 2 weeks, and after a while it can get tiresome/boring. On the days I didn't really care how I placed (not often because we shot for money) I'd usually come home with a wad of cash. On the days I intended to sweep the field...I'd usually come home with a deep hole in my wallet.

Mike

Linefinder

My above post is in keeping with Zee's mantra of "Keep it fun". Most of my time shooting comps was shortly after I'd started a new job at entry level wages. At a mediocre match I could win a full days wages. On a good day....a weeks worth. Not an insignificant amount of money at the time. Money certainly wasn't the driving factor, but it always weighed heavily. And the never-ending quest for "perfection"  became a burden. Toss in Scooters passing, and it just wasn't fun anymore. So I quit.

I still have that superb rifle and plan to play with it again....but, it's going to be a retirement amusement.

Keep it fun.

Mike