Rookie_Rover
Junior Sportsman
The only good turkey is a cooked turkey.
Posts: 157
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Post by Rookie_Rover on Jul 12, 2006 13:22:45 GMT -6
I stopped by the gunshop today, just to see what was new, grab a cup of coffee, and chat with my buddy Jerry. When I got in there, this guy was trading in a rifle that he had "gotten tired of". Usually, the tradeins are in pretty rough shape, and are either shot out, or just worn to the point of being unreliable. Especially at that shop. JErry will take any rifle because he works on them for kicks. Well, after conferring with Jerry, and with the trader, I became more interested. Interested as in "Hey Jer, you know I've never turned down the chance to shoot a nice rifle, and that one looks like a nice rifle. Maybe you could let me borrow it for a little while to make sure it is in good working condition?" This was meant to be a JOKE. JErry said "Hell, you wanna take it home with ya, buy it." I started doing some quick math in my head, and figured about what I could afford to part with. I didn't let on to him what that figure was. "Ok Jerry, you have my attention, how much?" He did some quick figuring and said "I'll take $415 out the door with three boxes of shells." "Consider it SOLD, I'll be back in an hour, DON'T SELL THAT RIFLE!!!" I hauled buns home, grabbed some cash I had been stashing back, and went back. I left with a Savage Model 111 (I think it is a 111, it is either that, or III which didn't look anything like the Model 3 in Guntrader.) .30-06 Topped out with a 3-9x40 Simmons. I have handled a few BA rifles, and this one seems like the action is brand new, it is still pretty tight, and you can't just flick the bolt up, you have to put a little muscle into it. I am going to guess that this rifle has had less than 50 rounds through it. It gives me great enjoyment to introduce you to..... PROJECT: BLACK THUNDER! I have fired this thing a few times, and I must admit, I am not as skilled as I need to be, but with time and practice, I'll bring my groups in to a respectable size over time. I penned it as "Project Black Thunder" because #1, I have big plans for making it a tack driver, even though the .30-06 is not extremely well known for its stunning abilities. I have no idea at this point what I am planning, so I will be just getting good with it. I need to be able to meet the gun part of the way. A gun that can make ragged holes at 300 yds is worthless if the shooter can't make it do it. That explains the "project" part, I call it Black Thunder because even through ear protection, this friggin' gun is LOUD. This is my first High-powered rifle, as well as being my first Bolt-Action, and my first weapon with a synthetic stock. Even though it is kicking my ass with recoil, I am still loving the sound, and feel of it, and I plan to enjoy it a LOT. I'll post up a range report when I am skilled enough to put my holes where I want them. (I still need to work on the breathing techniques, and I figure once I get that straightened out, I should be able to do OK. I hit the paper a couple times at 50 yards, but my breating and technique are still very bad).
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Post by psycho on Jul 12, 2006 19:57:39 GMT -6
cool...congrats on the new acquisition..
Looks like my model 110's
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Post by DocHolladay on Jul 12, 2006 23:07:14 GMT -6
Well there you go....Looks like you got yourself a good'un. And as far as the .30-06 not being a tack driver.....you must have talked to the wrong person. My buddy has almost he same rifle and he can make all 5 shots touch at 100yds. A little tweeking and he could probably cover the holes with a quarter or less. Just try different ammo and you should be able to find what the rifle likes. Once that is found, dont change unless you start handloading.
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Rookie_Rover
Junior Sportsman
The only good turkey is a cooked turkey.
Posts: 157
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Post by Rookie_Rover on Jul 13, 2006 15:45:43 GMT -6
Doc,
I have learned something in the last couple days! Now that knowing about the .30-06 is important to me, I discovered that for many many years this was a go to sniper round. It is a VERY Stout performer out to 100 yards in the right hands.
I guess in the gun/shooter combination, the shooter is the most critical part. I keep forgetting that in the world of shooting, a gun is only a tool, not the whole deal.
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Post by DocHolladay on Jul 14, 2006 1:17:36 GMT -6
I am not going to say where, but I read that you are wanting to make this a long range shooter(500yds +/-). If it is for hunting, you will be wasting your time unless you do alot of hunting out west where long shots are more common than here in Tennessee. Even then most hunters and outfitters/guides dont like much farther than 300yds., 400yds. if the shooter is comfortable with their set-up. If I were you, I would zero it in at 200 yards and let that be it. You will be able to hit a deer from zero to 300yds. with little adjustments in elevation.
My suggestion for now would be to get/make a shooting bench and get some form of rifle rest(sand bags, bean bags, backpacks with old clothes, etc.) and start shooting. If you are hitting the paper close to the center at 25yds., move it on out to 100yds. Then start zeroing it in there. If you want a 200 yard zero, sight it in for 1.5" high at 100yds, then once you get room to put the target out at 200, you can fine tune it, but that will get you pretty dang close.
As for your breathing, pretend you are getting siked up to jump in a pool full of cold water. You know the breathing that you do right before you jump in? Deep breath in, let it out, repeat? Good. Do this to get yourself relaxed and help with nerves or heartbeat, while doing this you will need to get into shooting position with the rifle(rifle butt pulled into shoulder, good cheek/butt stock weld, etc.). You should be looking down the scope at this point, take the safety off, take in one last big breath and let out half, hold it, squeeeeeeeeeze the trigger...once the shot is fired, start breathing again. If you run out of breath before shooting, take a few more breaths and try again.
Another tip, if you sight it in with a dirty barrel(not cleaning after each shot), you will need to have a dirty barrel when hunting. I have sighted rifles in without cleaning after each shot and then took a shot with a clean barrel, my shot was off, but I took another shot to varify that it wasnt me and it was dead on. If you do this, clean it very good at the range and then fire one shot to dirty the barrel before putting it up(it will be ok, I promise). If you dont want to do this, then you will have to clean the barrel after each shot so that when you do decide to go hunting with a clean barrel it will hit where you aim. It is up to you, as it is your rifle, but I would suggest the dirty barrel. If you sight it in clean, shoot a deer, then have to make another shot at the same deer or another, you could be off.
I hope this helped more than it confused you. If you have any questions, ask. Thats what we are here for.
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Rookie_Rover
Junior Sportsman
The only good turkey is a cooked turkey.
Posts: 157
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Post by Rookie_Rover on Jul 14, 2006 4:59:46 GMT -6
Doc, I know where you read that. The only reason I was considering going out to serious range with this one is because I figure a nice project would keep my hands busy, plus there is not a good way to set a rifle up for 500 without throwing some SERIOUS lead downrange. And we allllll know my preference for throwing mass amounts of lead downrange! ;D UPDATE TIME!!! Date: Thursday, July 13, 2006. Time: Around 6PM. Yesterday, I took Project Black Thunder to a buddies house. I now have a Pachmyar recoil pad installed, as well as some bungee styled scope caps. The scope caps were bought used, and are scratched like they rode down a gravel road for a few hours. I only paid 50 cents, and I didn't get these to look through, just to protect my scope. While at my buddies house, I was given the option to have my rifle boresighted. Well, lesson one. NEVER let a money hungry friend boresight your rifle unless you have some cash on ya. He did a fine job, but the $20 charge kinda pi$$ed me off! 3 or 4 of those kind of prices, and I could have saved and bought an entry level boresighter for myself. Also, it wiped out my reserve cash that I keep in the truck. (I try to keep a few bucks in the truck incase I right out of gas, am away from home and break something cheap, need a used tire to get home on, etc). On the way home, I stopped by the local wally world and picked up two more boxes of ammo. Got back to the house and walked down to my makeshift range. I have two places to shoot, one area is a ways off, and offers 550 yards, I also have one little stretch a few hundred feet from my house, it offers a 250 yard distance. I keep my stuff relatively low range because of my current lack of skill with this weapon. 50 yards, 10 rounds. I didn't want to take every round I have because.... IT was getting late, and I really don't want to be out shooting at 9:30PM, LOL. I put the first two shots about a half inch on each side if where I wanted to. I thought for a minute and decided it MUST be me, because a rifle will generally hit where you point it. I chambered an empty round, and squeezed off on it. squeeeeeeee (this trigger pull must be 14 pounds, lol) eeeeee <CLICK!> eeze. The muzzle moved about a 16th of an inch. DOH! I am aware that a trigger kit can be bought, and I also know that some folks can tinker the trigger themselves, but I kind of like having this heavy pull. It keeps me feeling safer. I have to put a concerted effort to shooting. When I am setting up for my shot, once I have my shot lined up on my target, I have a 'different' technique. I will get my crosshairs just about where I want them, and put a little weight on the trigger. Take a breath, let half out, hold it, get what I need, where I need it, and finish the pull as gently as possible. (This technique may not be sound, but I hit paper with it, that is good enough for me!) On a side note, I got some decent safety gear. I thoroughly confess that up until about a week ago, I was stuffing cotton balls, spent casings, (.32ACPs fit my ears well. Only I would be goofy enough know that,) Paper towels, tissues, toilet paper, etc. Now I am the proud owner of a set of cheapo Silencio earmuffs, and silencio earplugs. With these, my .30-06 sounds like I am setting off a .22 magnum! For added protection, I put the earplugs in, the put the muffs on. LEss than $10, and I can't hear very much at all through them! VERY impressed. I also picked up a pair of Remington yellow tint shooting glasses. Everyone says that they make seeing the target easier, but I haven't found that to be true. They don't hinder, but I can't see it if they are helping. But, they protect my eyes from flying cases, so I will wear them anyways. (Be on the lookout for a review of these two, if I can get the time to write it)... Doc, sorry for such a long post. I am really enjoying shooting this rifle, and learning how to shoot a high-power rifle, so it is pretty interesting for me to talk about it. In the next 8 months-2 years, I should be over it.
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Post by bigblue on Jul 14, 2006 17:56:07 GMT -6
RR, First off, congrats on a great rifle. In my book, Savage is making the MOST accurate rifle out of the box. I have one Savage, and two Stevens rifles. The Stevens are made by Savage to their Mod. 110 and Mod. 10 design. I believe the removable magazine is what changes the designation of your rifle to Mod. 111. Here it is in their catalog- www.savagearms.com/111fcxp3.htm I'm guessing the rifle does not have the newer Accu-Trigger, but there is no reason you can't adjust the weight down a bit. www.savageshooters.net/SavageForum/index.php is a great place for information on your rifle, including trigger adjustment instructions. I was able to get all of my Savage made rifles down to the 3 1/4-3 1/2lb. range with simple 5 minute adjustments. You didn't say what ammo you bought, or what you plan to use the gun to hunt. The 30-06 is capable of taking anything in N. America, however I'd rather have a bit stouter load for the great toothy bears. It's got to be the most versatile cartridge ever made. Bullets are available from the saboted 55 gr. Accelerator all the way up to 250gr. The most common range is from 150gr. to 180gr. bullets. It has won 1000yd. matches and is the#1 most popular cartridge in N. America. I use mine for deer and black bear. Right now I'm testing 180-200gr. bullets for that purpose. I don't ever plan on shooting game any further than 300yds, and the most common shots would probably be under 100yds. Once you figure out which bullet and load you'll be using, check out www.huntingnut.com/index.php?name=PointBlankOnline for an online ballistics calculator, or you can download that calculator for free. If your looking for cheap practice ammo, try Wolf ammo from Cabelas. At $9 a box it's a great buy. For deer, I'd stick with 150 or 165gr. bullets, for elk or bear, I'd stay with a heavier bullet in the 180-200gr. range. If your planning on just shooting paper, the 168gr. match loads are best. Good luck with it, and keep us posted! Don
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Post by bigblue on Jul 14, 2006 18:10:18 GMT -6
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Post by DocHolladay on Jul 14, 2006 18:15:04 GMT -6
I just purchased the Calibers of the World, Edition 10 and am going to scan the .30-06 portion for him to read.....even gives some loads.
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Post by bigblue on Jul 14, 2006 18:24:02 GMT -6
From Reloaders Nest- Developed and introduced by Springfield Armory in 1906, the .30-06 is a slightly shorter version of the earlier .30-03 cartridge. Its development as a U.S. Military cartridge was inspired by Germany's development of the 7 x 57mmand 8 x 57mm Mausercartridges. In addition to serving as the primary U.S. Battle cartridge until 1952, the .30-06 has established a track record on target ranges and in the game fields that has yet to be equaled by any other cartridge. Other cartridges have now set more accuracy records and many hunters now choose more powerful cartridges for big game, but no cartridge has served both roles better than the .30-06. When one takes a close look at the .30-06, the reasons behind its success become quite clear. To begin with, the .30-06 is about the most powerful cartridge the average shooter can handle without suffering discomfort. To end with, the .30-06 shoots flat enough for long range shooting of deer and pronghorn and it hits hard enough for most of the world's big game. As a bonus, a good bolt action rifle in .30-06 is accurate enough for varmint shooting even though it is far too much cartridge for such a task. Hunter opinion on the best bullet weights for the .30-06 differ, but the 150 grain for deer size game and the 180 grain for everything else still makes a lot of sense. When all is said and done, the handloader with IMR-4350, IMR-4064, H4350, H414, and W-760sitting on his powder shelf needs to look no farther.
Don
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Post by DocHolladay on Jul 14, 2006 22:16:42 GMT -6
I have already shared this with RR, but figured I would share with everyone else too.....(sorry for the size, but it didnt want to do right as a thumbnail)
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Post by bigblue on Jul 15, 2006 5:34:42 GMT -6
Doc, Great article, thanks for sharing it. Within the limits of ranges I'll be hunting, the 180-200gr. bullets make the most sense for me. Even with non-premium bullets like Sierra Gameking, Hornady SPBT Interlocks, or Speer Hot-Cores, I have no fear of bullet failure. Even at close range the velocity is well under 3000 FPS and they have enough weight that even if they only retained 50% I'm still looking at a 90-100gr. slug. At these weights the BC is at .500+ and SD's at or near 300. If I was to hunt Elk or Moose I'd opt for a better bullet such as the Nosler Partition, Nosler Accu-bond, Swift A-Frame, Hornady Interbond, or Barnes TSX. Given my past experience with the Barnes TSX bullets and their inherent accuracy, I may still go that route, but they do come dear. About $28 a box of 50 compared to $17 a box of 100 for the Sierra's. Don
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Post by DocHolladay on Jul 15, 2006 12:59:39 GMT -6
I received a DVD from Barnes in the mail today about "Choosing The Right Bullet". I will be viewing it later this evening when I get home from work. I will let you know what I think and maybe share some of the info with TJ to help him make a choice in reloading for that new toy of his.
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Post by bigblue on Jul 15, 2006 15:30:08 GMT -6
Doc, You'll love some of the shots taken in that video. The exploding Prarie Dog shot is unbelieveable! Don
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Rookie_Rover
Junior Sportsman
The only good turkey is a cooked turkey.
Posts: 157
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Post by Rookie_Rover on Jul 16, 2006 13:31:45 GMT -6
Alright fellas, it is time for me to post a range report. Admittedly, I've seen better, but for a guy who is still learning, the day was a complete success! I went out and did a little shooting, got myself warmed up with a few practice shots (nothing special to report, other than the fact that I hit the stump I was aiming at). Initially, I set up on the 75 yards line, but then I got to thinking, the stump I was shooting at is a LOT farther away than 75, so I backed off to 100 yards (actually, closer to 110). For the current fact, 150 grain ammo is a LOT easier for me, and I don't flinch as much. Since I got a little carried away with my "warmup" I only had 4 rounds for the actual range report target photo instead of 5. :cry: Here is my four shot target group: Outside to outside dimension of 3 1/4 inch group, over a rest, with a slight crosswind that had most likely nothing to do with how I did. Now, a few of my notes that I jotted down while I was taking rest breaks along. "Even with the temperature, the Savage seems to be shooting well, even with my shaky skill. I am considering doing the target now and using the rest of the ammo for practice, as my shoulder is getting a little worn from shooting the 180s yesterday, and then the 150s today. I will probably shoot some more and decide on that later." "I am starting to take a little long to get off my shots, so I am on a 15 minute cooldown for me and PBT. The barrel is heated up, and although I don't know what effect that will have on its accuracy, it wouldn't be a crime to let my shoulder have a break. Also, the scope seems dead on at about 125 yards, so I will need to counter for that when I start hitting the paper." "I am taking my last break before the big shoot, I brought 4 boxes of 150s down here, and I am down to my last four. It seems that I lost count somewhere and popped one too many times. I will have to settle for 4 shots instead of 5 this go around. I have decided to set the paper at 100 yards, and hopefully I can just drive the bullets into it without having to mess with it too much. " With the info I have gotten here, and other places (as well as the one on one advice from certain people) I can proudly say that I am nowhere as good as I will be, thanks guys!
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