My Nosler friends came through and provided these Custom Competition Bullets for NH Rifleman to test and share with readers. Just arrived below are 69 grain, 77 grain and 80 grain .224 bullets for shooting in my AR-15. The 77g and 80g will be used as single shot.
Yesterday, 3/1/2016 was sunny and little wind (0 to 5 mph) at the range in Southern New Hampshire. This article is a continuation of discussion my Colt upper/ Bushmaster mil spec lower AR-15 and its Trigger.
First, let me say that if given this trigger was a permanent one and I could not change it, it does work “ok” if you work to learn it even at 8.5 lbs. Thankfully that is not the case. New Timney triggers are coming and thus we can see what kind of improvement we can get. Should be a fun exercise and we can hopefully learn a lot. Yes there are other manufacturers that also produce triggers but that is for another day.
So I went to the range today and shot 3 brands of 55 grain Full Metal Jacket FMJ ammo with cannelure crimp at 50 yards to see what grouped best with 5 shot groups.
What I found was groups tighter than expected and occasional fliers which can be attributed to 1) the trigger 2) the shooter, 3) the ammo itself, 4) new rifle.
The trigger pull experience on this rifle can be understood to be heavy and have slack. I found that I could pull up slack and find the barrier wall where the hammer is located. It helped me group better than I expected by pulling to the wall first and then a final squeeze.
I chose 50 yards to begin this grouping exercise because I could clearly see the “x” in the bullseye and focus on it. What I found was that each brand grouped well with this trigger with occasional flyers due perhaps to a combination of things including the trigger, shooter unfamiliarity etc. I am satisfied with this exercise of capability with each brand of ammo with ARMSCOR USA shooting the best 5 shot group with one flyer. It is about groups not where they hit the target bullseye you see. We can always adjust the scope! My goal is to do this kind of grouping at 100 yards not 50 yards with a better trigger like the drop in Timney’s that I will test. Note the “X” Ring circle is 1 inch across for your reference. Triggers are coming! The take away here is that the Colt barrel is excellent and, I believe, capable of better groups than we see here under ideal conditions.
© 2016
As you may have read already, my carbine is a marriage of a Colt upper with a 1/7 barrel twist (a gift) and a Bushmaster Mil-Spec. lower and working well except for the trigger. This article is very short but sweet for those who know little about triggers, like me. My AR trigger is an 8.5 pound trigger and bumps and drags like bad chalk on a chalkboard in school, till the sear breaks and the rifle fires. A long range target shooters nightmare!
Grouping at 100 yards is around 1.75 inches and perhaps largely a trigger issue with off the shelf 55 grain ammo. Clearly the trigger needs to be replaced if long range shooting is your goal. I expect sub-moa from this rifle but not with that mill spec. trigger!
Here are 2 youtube video’s I found on-line for you and I to see on Timney Triggers (may test some) and Geiselle triggers of both single and 2 stage types. Cost is around $200 to $300 for these. I am learning just like many of you with a new AR in the gun safe. I make no recommendations here just information as a fellow shooter. As I said, my Carbine has a 1/7 barrel twist making it more of a long range heavy bullet competition rifle. More on that soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejf6m1t8c-I
I have contacted Timney and hopefully we will have some triggers for us to test this spring.
Resources:
http://www.brownells.com/search/index.htm?k=ar+15+triggers&ksubmit=y
https://xtremegunsandammo.com/gun-parts-and-accessories/triggers.html
The 375 Ruger Cartridge is still growing in popularity. It is one of the most powerful cartridges in North America. When coupled with state of the art recoil pads like the Pachmayr decelerator or the Simms Vibration Laboratory SVL recoil pad which reduce felt recoil to 50% it is likened to a 30-06 or .270 recoil and very manageable indeed. My M77 Ruger African rifle shoots it so well in such a variety of bullets that it just makes me smile when paper holes overlap like a Venn diagram regularly at 50 yards and are sub-moa at 100 yards. I achieve the greatest satisfaction by handloading them. I have written lots of articles before in my magazine here for you to search out too. Barnes Triple Shock has several heads in .375. I intend to try some Barnes 235 grain heads and download them for deer. Below is a Barnes video demonstrating the lethal nature of the all copper head.
I bought extra boxes of Speer 235 grain now out of stock but will try the Barnes which are have higher BC-ballistic coefficient.
Also the Sierra 200 grain flat nose will flatten deer size game and is available today as a reduced load bullet traveling no faster than 2200 fps to avoid over mushrooming.
An article of value to 375 Ruger Enthusiasts for Full Power is; http://www.loaddata.com/articles/PDF/LoadDevelopment2LowRes1.pdf
See my reduced load article: click the header.
http://www.nhrifleman.com/2014/09/05/375-ruger-reduced-loads-and-powder-are-here/
C 2016
A great way to get started!!! Check it out! You can search for NH clubs too…
New Hampshire CMP Affiliates search below
https://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php?do=clubSearch
https://ct.thecmp.org/app/v1/index.php
I was perusing Ruger’s Newsroom and ran across Project Childsafe on the Ruger site. There are lots of ways to keep your gun safe as the Website indicates including child training. Check out the website below.
http://www.projectchildsafe.org/
Because you want one, AND the right to bear arms is guaranteed under the Second Amendment! The only reason to get today’s civilian version of the AR-15 is that you desire to own and shoot one. I am first and foremost a hunter who shoots targets too. And to protect my family and home.
It was and still is the political left that wants to take guns away along with your second amendment rights.
We must endeavor to stay up to par with the marksmanship and shooting skills of our military. Civilian Marksmanship and Hunters are the prime contributors to our military during wartime. The finest of the worlds snipers cut their shooting teeth in the deer woods.
Even though the AR-15 civilian version is simply a semi-auto like many guns of the post WW II era, it is very accurate, little recoil and shoots with a 20 or 30 round magazine. It evens up the disparity of military vs civilian rifles significantly. The AR-15 in some barrels allow bullets in the 75 to 80 grain class thus the deer hunter can use it effectively too. Reloading the .223 Remington is a must for deer and predator hunters so that you can optimize bullet performance on game and keep shot cost down.
I am no expert on this rifle per se as it requires study to master its value. I have found, however a nice nested group of articles for you to read by Scott Powers of Sniper Country. Enjoy!
Guns when not in use are securely locked in safe place and away from any unauthorized use.
I have been a hunter and RCBS Brand reloader all of my life, that said, there comes a time when you are target shooting that volume of ammo becomes a factor as in my AR-15 223/5.56mm Carbine. It will go through a hundred rounds in minutes. There is a shooter fancy with long distance too with volume. My RCBS Rockchucker press has its place but not where volume of shooting is concerned. I have asked RCBS to send one of its best turret presses to NH Rifleman for testing and will write about it this spring/ summer.
NH Rifleman is a free on-line magazine, we make no profit here. I will let you know what they say. Can you imagine the exposure for RCBS to write about them each time I test a new cartridge or rifle? Yes it can have a down side but over the years RCBS has treated me well.
© 2016
The Robertson’s are as earthy as you can get. Religion, belief in God, Family, Guns, and hunting go for both Cruz and Trump. Willie goes Trump!
But wait just a few days later Donald hates Fox and Megn Kelly so much that he can’t deal with her on a debate stage or even talk to Roger Ailes?
Is that a real leader? A leader to lead our country? I can imagine Phil Robertson in face camo heading to the duck blind saying to Willie, Well I told you so!
Brrr it’s cold out. Stuck inside? Now is the time to stock up for your shooting needs for Coyote and Target. I have been researching best ammo prices for my new .223/5.56 Colt LE 6940 carbine upper with chrome lined barrel seen below. I have an inexpensive Tasco Red/ Green Aim Point on it with 3 moa dot. Cost $37 dollars last year and sat in my safe but will eventually get a better Red/ Green dot or at least try others like the EOTech holographic at a cost of $400-$500 dollars but we shall see there are so many out there. We need to be penny wise and not pound foolish.
Rifle accuracy is amazing but no target data to show yet. I will switch to a scope for longer range testing this summer.
I am pleased that I was able to find decent bargains on bulk 55 grain ammo for my 1/7 twist barrel. At some point I will likely reload the .223 brass and play with heavier bullets for velocity and penetration on game. Since this rifle has few accessories, I purchased a 2 point sling and picatinny sling attachments and a picatinny adapter for a Harris Bipod forward lug. Also got a bore snake for barrel care just for the .223. Notice the forward hand grip that drops at a 45 degrees on the forward rail. This is so the shooter has a good grip for muzzle control.