Savage Model 12 Long Range Precision Target Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor Intro.

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Ed Hale

By the end of May, in less than 60 days, New Hampshire Rifleman will have a spanking new Model 12 LRP Rifle to test. It is a rifle that hopefully can shoot groups so tight that there is only 1 ragged hole in the target at 100 yards and tight groups at 600 yards. It will be great fun if we can achieve that. We shall see…

Here are the Model 12 Long Range Precision stat’s:

savage m 12 stats

This rifle is a bit heavy to carry all day in the woods but from a blind or stand or from shooting sticks, bi-pod or mono-pod this rifle can hunt too, though it is at its best in Competition. I prefer a lighter rifle for hunting but this rifle can do the job at really long distances if a laser rangefinder and perfect practice are employed. In the meantime, I have to get ready with the Cartridge, a labor of love. See the next article in this series.

Good Shooting!

First Light: NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge

Posted on April 1, 2016 by Ed Hale

by Jon Draper – Monday, January 11, 2016

First Light: NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge

Casey’s gaze was steady. Her form exemplary. Raising and drawing her bow, the world around her faded to black. The coyote took off, reaching full stride in mere seconds. Tracking the predator for a fraction of a moment, Casey’s trigger finger reacted on instinct and her arrow sailed and hit home. A perfect shot behind the shoulder. Under normal circumstances, Casey’s next action would be admiring a trophy and a shot few hunters ever get a chance to take, let alone make. Today, however, 15-year-old Casey would simply move on, pleased with the addition of 10 points to her score, and the coyote-on-a-string target would be reset for the next hunter.

The girl I just described, though fictitious, is as real as they come, and the feat she displayed occurs all across the country at various NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) events.

“If they could just get off the computer and stop playing those darned video games!”

“In my day, kids played outside and actually learned something.”

Despite the particulars of the criticism, we’ve all heard it at some point in our lives. The message: Today’s youth aren’t spending as much time outdoors as we did. Is there some truth to it? For sure. Is technology to blame? In part, perhaps. Have we gone past the point of no return? Are the youth of tomorrow doomed to couch-potato status? Mobile device zombies with pop culture consumeristic dribble forced into their minds? Whoa, let’s not get carried away. While the fear of raising a generation of “indoor” children who may not chose to have hunting as a part of their lives is certainly justified, there is a segment of kids today that still see the woods as their playground and can probably teach you a thing or two about wildlife. Because for the more than 6,000 kids 18 and under participating in NRA’s YHEC program across the country, hunting is life.

Since 1985, the NRA YHEC program has been providing an exciting and practical environment for kids to develop and improve their hunting, marksmanship and safety skills. Deemed a “graduate” hunter education course, YHEC, through its simulated hunting scenarios, live-fire exercises and educational and responsibility events builds upon skills learned in basic hunter education courses and encourages safer, lifelong hunting habits. NRA’s YHEC program is developing the next generation of hunters. These are hunters who will buy licenses, practice ethical hunting and eventually pass along their knowledge of the outdoors to the next generation. And they are impressive.

While it’s true there are increasing challenges that stand in the way of youth participation in the hunting sports, technology, and in turn a lack of desire, are not solely responsible for this decline. Urbanization plays a bigger role. Places to hunt are becoming more difficult to find, and the hunting culture itself is beginning to fade. Historically, hunting was a tradition passed on to youngsters by older, experienced hunters, be they family members, mentors or friends. Unfortunately, in the technology-filled, time-strapped world we live in, many adults, faced with longer work hours and growing costs of living, are finding it harder and harder to make time to take kids afield. Some kids, despite their interest, may be part of a family where hunting wasn’t a tradition and have no one to turn to.

So, are you a parent who wishes you had more time and opportunities to share the outdoors with your children? Perhaps you work for a state game agency or are a hunter education instructor and are looking for ways to get more young people involved in the sport we love. Maybe you’re searching for ways to increase your hunting or shooting club’s outreach to the local community. Or maybe you’re just an adult who, as a kid, realized the value of time spent with grown-ups in the field, and you want to make sure the next generation is able to enjoy the benefits of hunting and the outdoors as well. In any case, the NRA YHEC program is the answer.

******End of Article*******

Nosler Competition Hollow Point 77 grain Heads Handloaded – Re-Test at 150 yards

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Ed Hale

I should have retested at 100 yards but I wanted to see how this bullet handles groups at 150 yards. I want to shoot competitively in F class at 600 yards. I expect that this .223 is not ideal but I am new to long range rifle competition but an inexpensive way to try it!

Earlier test show a best 100 yard group at 5/8 inch with 77 grain Nosler Competition hollow point bullets but the second group a few days back was much larger and I blamed myself and not the set-up. I thought the 77 grain deserved more attention as it can punch paper at 1000 yard targets and favored weight for the caliber.

I used the same powder and volume and Cartridge Overall Length at 2.256 inches to fit the clip length. It was a bit windy 5 to 10mph swirling but coming from behind at 160 degrees. But also added a Vortex bubble level to the scope and used it. Works great and I can see it as I aim. I used a plumb line to get the cross hairs straight at 50 yards and adjusted the bubble to match it. At long range it will pay big dividends.

a scope level

Groups below:

march 77 grain groups

I took 5 shots Group 1 with PMC 55g fmj to warm me and the rifle up and surprisingly at 150 yards the group was 2.5 inches “if I throw out the first shot.” Not bad for off the shelf ammo.

Group 2 was 15/16inch for 3 shots at 150 yards. This is Sub MOA for sure. Wow!

Group 3 was 2 1/8 inch for 3 shot group but a bit more windy and gusting.

When I left the wind was 15 mph gusts but I was done by then..

So there you have it! A winning combination!

And I am better at my cheek weld too and that can explain a lot with a collapsable stock not really designed for Lon Range Shooting. The Colt upper barrel is very accurate, the Timney Trigger was essential to pull groups in as I have stated before, I loved the drop-in mode for the trigger, Scope, Bubble, Nosler Competition heads and Custom Brass made this Rifle “jump to light speed” for an off the shelf rifle.

I want to thank my friends at Nosler, Leupold and Timney for their products to be evaluated at New Hampshire Rifleman. Outstanding products all!!

Bragging rights “perhaps” here at 100 yards 5/8 inch at 150 yards 15/16 inch for best shots and different days. I clean it every 100 to 200 shots and just feel it out. I run a dry snake through each session. No more tests to confirm what some data suggests is sub-MOA we need to shoot it at 600 yards and then we shall see.

Good Shooting!

AR-15 Barrel Break-in and Bore Cleaning

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Ed Hale

After having tested several hunting rifle barrels from new, my observation is that, in general, rifles improve in accuracy to some degree if not broken in at the factory already. But all new rifle barrels should be cleaned before you put bullets through them whether broken in or not. I find residue in all cases for new barrels.

On new rifles and barrels I use a solvent laden bronze bore brush and then 1 soaked patch of your favorite bore cleaner that also addresses copper fouling and then around two or three dry patches. Web research on chrome lined barrels is that you should clean it like an unlined barrel just less frequently some say after 200 rounds. I bore snake my AR barrel after each outing as a practice but did not use any specific method to break it in, believing that I did not need a regimented plan. After a session of 20 or 30 rounds I have touched my chrome lined barrel for heat and find it just warm to the touch and never hot. My AR is new and has only 150 rounds through it. Some say the barrel is not broken in yet. I would strongly avoid any abrasives in a chrome lined barrel as it will surely wear the chrome away. And be very reserved in its use for break-in on steel barrels. I scrubbed the barrel only once with a brush since new and wont scrub for another 100 or so rounds unless groups deteriorate.

On hunting rifles I have use JB Bore Bright, (an abrasive) very sparingly if groups seem out of normal but in general it does not get used much at all.

I once tested a 300 Ruger RCM that shot 1 3/4 groups at 100 yards but later tightened after use and normal cleaning to sub-MOA. The truth is just the shooting alone may have cleaned the bore or as some say, shooting seasoned the barrel.

I think it is a best practice to at least run a bore cleaner soaked swab through a bore if your not sure of fouling. How the swap comes out is the tell all.

I avoid using soft copper bullets in my hunting rifles as cleaning can be a pain to get soft copper out of the lands and grooves. Some folks swear by them, I swear at them.

I prefer the harder gilding copper which is used on regular hunting bullets and on some brands of solid gilding copper bullets such as the Nosler eTip® that I just used on a whitetail buck this past fall. Don’t over do barrel cleaning and remember to take some fouling shots before shooting for group. At least one and perhaps 2 or 3 is better.

A hunting story of barrel cleaning and lack of it comes to light as a hunting friend of my father shot a Savage 300 in the deer woods. He shot that rifle one or two shots before the deer season then hunted with it. Never cleaned the barrel after many years and when others complained that he never cleaned his rifle the would put a hole in a coke can at 50 yards to shut them up. I am not sayin’ never but his rifle never had “solvent stink” and oil smell in the deer woods and he killed lots of deer.

On the target range is another story, there you don’t care about smell you want clean!

AR-15 Nosler Experiments – Thoughts added

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Ed Hale

Using the same AR-15 now updated with Timney Trigger, Leupold scope and mounting system I shot in single shot mode with 77 grain Nosler Custom Competition bullets and 23 grains of Reloader 15. The cartridge overall length was 2.435 inches. I expected the rifle to shoot tighter groups at least 1 inch at 100 yards as the bullet was closer to the rifle lands. Best case was one group at just over 5/8 inch and two groups at around 1 1/4 inches. This is good but this rifle can do better, I think.

Back at the reloading bench today, I tried three different powders but I really did not want to shoot them in single shot mode so I shot them at just under the max cartridge overall length of 2.260 so they would fit in the clip. I shot 3 shot groups at 100 yards with wind under 5mph.

GROUP# BULLET POWDER SPREAD

Group 1 69 grain Nosler CC Bullet with 23 grains Varget 1 3/4 inches

Group 2 69 grain Nosler CC Bullet with 23 grains Varget 1 3/16 inches

Group 3 69 grain Nosler CC Bullet with 23 grains Varget 1.0 inches

Group 4 69 grain Nosler CC Bullet with 22.5 grains IMR 4895 1.0 inches

Group 5 69 grain Nosler CC Bullet with 22.5 grains IMR 4895 1 1/4 inches

Group 6 77 grain Nosler CC Bullet with 23 grains RL-15 1 1/16 inches

Group 7 77 grain Nosler CC Bullet with 23 grains RL-15 1.0 inches

Group 8 77 grain Nosler CC Bullet with 23 grains RL-15 1.5 inches (two of the bullets are 1/2 inch apart, one looks like a flyer)

Analysis

Each group had at least 1 group at 1.0 but the 77 grain Nosler CC has two groups (6 &7) basically at 1.0 or 1 MOA and the other 77 grain group may have a flyer. This preliminary data was expected that the heavier bullet will outperform. From a Mil-Spec Semi-Auto Carbine with a 16 inch barrel this is very good. Thus it translates to keeping 6 inch groups at 600 yards and 10 inch groups at 1000 yards if there were no wind. I need to repeat this test with 77 grain bullets but at 150 yards, the farthest at my club before trying 600 yards.

After Thoughts

Group 1 was way out of line and it is likely that I was not warmed up and relaxed. Hitting the bench cold can sometimes do that. Thus I think that the Varget Group 1,2,3 needs repeating after a warm up of a few practice shots. I used the scopes power at 12x to split an orange 1 inch square on each target into 1/4 inch quadrants as I squeezed the trigger.

Long Range AR-15 – Putting It All Together by Ed Hale

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Ed Hale

I must admit that there was “much” needed for this AR-15 to be ready for real long distance and it may be that “more” is needed to accurize it. So what did I do to make it more suitable for long distance? Use a systematic approach that makes sense without going overboard. And use what you have as much as possible; improvise,adapt and overcome says the “gunny”. I keep saying that, for sure some of that will happen.

First was to change the mil-spec trigger. As you can see from a previous article I installed a 2 stage Timney Trigger.

It has 2 pounds pull in the first stage as it is squeezed rearward and then 2 more pounds to break and release the internal hammer within the trigger. It is crisp once the first stage is complete. Next was to put a better scope on it. Leupold’s VX-6 is an outstanding scope with a working range from 3x to 18x with a 44mm Objective lens.

The VX-6 is unique in all rifle scopes for its 6:1 Zoom capability, with unserpassed light transmission and optical clarity throughout the entire magnification range. This was the scope that helped me drop my whitetail deer at 300 yards this past fall. See this link.http://www.nhrifleman.com/2015/11/02/savage-11111leupold-vx-6-and-nosler-e-tips-field-test-by-ed-hale/

The scope model includes the Illuminated Boone and Crockett Reticle with the option of creating a Custom Dial System (CDS) for dialing in your favorite bullet, (based on the ballistic coefficient) out to 600 yards. I have not entertained creating the CDS dial as I keep moving it onto different rifles and calibers. It is such a rock solid scope that I use it to test rifles. Next, I mounted a Mark 2 Integral Mounting System. (See the article on it)

Ammunition: I am using Nosler Custom Competition ammo as you may have already seen in early articles. I will be testing 69, 77, and 80 grain bullets at longer ranges with different powders and cartridge overall lengths.

I am in training too.

Reloading: I found that Custom hollow point target bullets need special attention when seating them so I did some research and purchased a Redding Custom Competition seating die below. The design of this die and its capability of keeping the cartridge straight and in alignment with the bullet is not only well known but perhaps even legendary.

Powder: You will need to experiment. Right now I am using Reloader 15 powder.

Behind the Rifle: I have visited Sniper Hide and found a piece on Breathing and Natural Point of Aim. There is a video there you can purchase. I chose to read and practice. They instruct to break the shot at your natural respiratory pause (meaning at the bottom of your exhale). https://snipershide.mycustomevent.com/ShoppingCart.aspx?com=detailview&iid=103&cid=247

I never trained to shoot at the bottom of my exhale but somewhere in between. I have lots to unlearn it seems but some I did well on too. I need to play with cheek weld on my AR stock too, which will cause your shots to never fly well if you can’t weld your cheek consistently. I am very unfamiliar with the collapsible stock settings too making it a real learning experience.

I found a number of sites you can google on shooting techniques for long range. They are too numerous to list but the word to the wise is practice each day if you want to win matches. Dry fire with snap caps can help but remember only perfect practice makes perfect. I must put lots of bullets down range too using the skills I have learned. You can do it too. I am looking forward to loading up some rounds and burning some powder.

Good Shooting!

Leupold Scope – Integral Mounting System for Picatinny Rails by Ed Hale

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Ed Hale

Pictured on the front page of New Hampshire Rifleman is a new image of my AR-15 with Leupold’s one-piece cantilever integral mounting system for scoped rifles such as my carbine with Picatinny rails. The model I am testing is the Mark 2 IMS for 30mm Scope bodies. It does the job and fast mounting! Great for tactical scenarios or just rapidly swapping over to other scopes or other aiming devices.

https://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/mounting-systems/integral-mounting-systems/mark-2-ims-30mm-integral-mounting-system/

What makes this model so attractive is its easy attachment of the IMS system to the Picatinny rail. Just a few minutes and it is on and snug.

This is a great solution for an AR needing a long range scope such as my VX-6 . As you can see it is a beefy mount that can take punishment of an AR.

If I were shooting a magnum rifle I would likely use additional top ring screws to keep the scope in place during heavy recoil. See the upgraded Mark 4 IMS system below for 30mm.

Applying proper torque is critical and Leupold recommends the following maximums:

6-48 Base Screws – 22 in/lbs

8-40 Base Screws – 28 in/lbs

8-40 Ring Screws – 28 in/lbs

Ringmount Keeper Screws 45 in/lbs

The ring screws on mine are 8-40 and I did snug them with 28 in/lbs with my Wheeler fat torque wrench below.

. wheeler fat wrench

Back to the IMS mounting systems. If you want more IMS security for your scope the Mark 4 System base can be purchased. https://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/mounting-systems/integral-mounting-systems/mark-4-ims-integral-base/

and then you can purchase the Mark 4 IMS insert below.

https://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/mounting-systems/integral-mounting-systems/mark-4-ims-30mm-integral-ring-insert/

It has been the practice of many shooters to place an indelible pen mark where the ring and scope mate. Over time you can verify with the mark that the scope did or did not move. I would do that here as part of my test which will last several weeks. Look for more feedback on the Mark 2 IMS system.

There are lots of scope mounting systems on the market but as I have said before, I trust Leupold products to deliver. You just have to choose the right product for your application.

Good Shooting!

New Timney Trigger Install on My AR-15

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Ed Hale

Below is the red AR 2 stage short trigger I installed as a drop in unit. It was not difficult to do once I pulled the old trigger and the safe/fire switch. Also I had to remove the hand grip with an Allen wrench to reveal the spring and tension for the safe/fire switch for removal. All to get the trigger and its base out of the lower unit.

The AR Targa Image is from the Timney web site. http://www.timneytriggers.com/shop/AR-Targa-2-Stage-Short-gger-PTri77.aspx

Screenshot (6) copy

Some folks have already made a You Tube video of a Timney Install on the AR-15 and it is a good one. I followed it easily. The great part is that if you can work with basic tools it is a drop in solution. No muss no fuss.

It took me 45 minutes to do the removal of the old trigger and install of the Timney with a You Tube video at my side to follow. Since my lower unit is metal it did not have the little loose lock screws as the video shows.

The trigger allows in the first stage to pick up slack at 2lbs so you know you are pulling, then firms up and releases the hammer at an additional 2 pounds. I was not able to use a Trigger Pull gauge to determine the 2 pounds to break the sear it but is supposed to pull 2 pounds in the first stage as far as I can tell and then another 2 pounds to break the sear. It is smooth and breaks crisp. My groups have tightened with the tightest less than 3/4 inch at 100 yards by my 3 shot groups today 3/20/16 and my worst group at 1.5 inches.

Now there is no excuse for the trigger to provide poor groups and can work on powder, bullet choice, Cartridge Overall Length (COL), Scope and Cheek weld to enhance the groups even further. At least that is the plan.

Ruger Precision Rifle Test and Evaluation in June?

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Ed Hale

Screenshot (217) copy

I had hopes of testing this New Hampshire made rifle soon but sales at Ruger are so hot and heavy that I can’t get one to test till perhaps June.

After much research on the engineering of this rifle is that it is not just your drop in a barrel and a minor change here and there, this rifle was engineered from the ground up for long range shooting. I am very pleased with Ruger firearms as they are well built, designed and are cost effective for a broad range of the shooting public. We shall see if this rifle lives up to that reputation or even exceeds my expectations!

Why all the fuss for a little AR-15 in .223

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Ed Hale

Why all the fuss for a .223 like my AR -15 in the Header Photo?

I can tell you that my.223 is just plain fun to shoot and is capable for targets out to 1000 yards and further though I have yet to do that. It is a great coyote and varmint rifle. Some like it to deer hunt with it but I prefer larger calibers for that.

Below is a video of a shooter at 800 yards ringing 12 inch steel multiple times with his carbine with a standard 16 inch barrel and his trusty AR-15 in .223 Remington. I would love to do that! Perhaps you would too! Shooting long range requires skill and coordination, and a great understanding of your rifle its ammo. Since I am reloading my own ammo with Nosler Custom Competition bullets it requires attention to detail. I was going to write about the new Die I purchased but thought that this was better use of your thoughts. Having shooting fun is more my style!!

This kind of accuracy can be expected out of a good AR-15 and a skilled shooter.