Guy Miner
Master Loader
- Apr 6, 2006
- 17,745
- 5,809
Forbidding skies this afternoon, but light winds and dry for the time being. The snow is gone from our lower elevations, including gone from the rifle range. There was sunshine at the range, but big dark clouds coming in over the Cascade mountains to the west. Yes, I hunt mule deer right on that mountain! Time to head out for an afternoon of shooting!
Got to the range and uncased three rifles I haven't spent much time with lately: .300 WSM Model 70, .25-06 Rem 700 CDL, and a .204 Ruger CZ. Hadn't shot the CZ since last summer. The .300 and the .25-06 were last shot in the fall I believe... Too long without running some ammo through 'em.
Didn't have any plans to really stretch the range today. Started at 200 yards and shot a gratifying cold bore shot from the .300 WSM. Now if that had just been in a big buck last fall...
Spent most of the afternoon though, banging away merrily at the 300 yard gong with all three rifles. Shot some from prone, some from sitting and a little from standing. Should have shot more from standing, but... I just wasn't very steady from standing today for some reason. Planted myself on the ground in sitting, with the sling wrapped tightly around my arm, and the bullets were knocking the heck out of the gong. Quite a difference between the 35 gr, 115 gr and 210 gr impacts!
There was another gong, I didn't bring my rangefinder, I think it's at about 375 yards. Smacked it with the .25-06 and the .300 WSM, didn't try with the .204 for some reason.
I hadn't really thought about it before then, but all three of my chosen rifles were set up with Berger Bullets, so it turned into a Berger afternoon. The .204 was loaded with chuck-busting 35 gr Varmint bullets, the .25-06 with the 115 VLD's that have proven so effective on mule deer for me, and the .300 had those wonderful 210 gr VLD's that shoot so nicely from it. Cool.
.300 WSM - Norma brass, full length sized in Hornady dies. Berger 210 gr VLD which has a very good .631 G1 BC, loaded over H4350 and a Federal 215 magnum/match primer to just over 2800 fps. Usually get about 1/2 MOA from this combo and my Model 70 - today didn't prove any different. I only measured a three-shot group at 200 yards and it was about one inch. Not bad from prone.
.25-06 Rem - Remington brass, neck sized in Wilson dies. Berger 115 gr VLD loaded over Hodgdon's Retumbo and a Federal 210 match primer for just shy of 3200 fps. A great load that generates about one MOA for me from the sporter-weight rifle. I've taken three mule deer from 175 - 400 yards, as well as coyotes and rock chucks with this load.
.204 Ruger - Winchester brass, neck sized in Wilson dies. Berger 35 gr varmint hollow point over BL-C(2) at a scalding 3900+ fps!
While I was blasting away with the .204/CZ - about as recoil-free a rifle as I've ever shot - I got to thinking that it could make a wicked 300 yard rifle for prone competitions... No recoil, good accuracy. Hmmmm. Don't know that it's legal for NRA competition, there might be a .22 cal minimum. Ah well, if nothing else it's great on varmints, exactly why I bought it.
All in all it was a good afternoon, sending Bergers downrange, and getting some time with a few well-liked rifles. I finished up about the time the rain started. Go figure.
Sorry - no Nosler bullets today. Luck of the draw.
Guy
Got to the range and uncased three rifles I haven't spent much time with lately: .300 WSM Model 70, .25-06 Rem 700 CDL, and a .204 Ruger CZ. Hadn't shot the CZ since last summer. The .300 and the .25-06 were last shot in the fall I believe... Too long without running some ammo through 'em.
Didn't have any plans to really stretch the range today. Started at 200 yards and shot a gratifying cold bore shot from the .300 WSM. Now if that had just been in a big buck last fall...
Spent most of the afternoon though, banging away merrily at the 300 yard gong with all three rifles. Shot some from prone, some from sitting and a little from standing. Should have shot more from standing, but... I just wasn't very steady from standing today for some reason. Planted myself on the ground in sitting, with the sling wrapped tightly around my arm, and the bullets were knocking the heck out of the gong. Quite a difference between the 35 gr, 115 gr and 210 gr impacts!
There was another gong, I didn't bring my rangefinder, I think it's at about 375 yards. Smacked it with the .25-06 and the .300 WSM, didn't try with the .204 for some reason.
I hadn't really thought about it before then, but all three of my chosen rifles were set up with Berger Bullets, so it turned into a Berger afternoon. The .204 was loaded with chuck-busting 35 gr Varmint bullets, the .25-06 with the 115 VLD's that have proven so effective on mule deer for me, and the .300 had those wonderful 210 gr VLD's that shoot so nicely from it. Cool.
.300 WSM - Norma brass, full length sized in Hornady dies. Berger 210 gr VLD which has a very good .631 G1 BC, loaded over H4350 and a Federal 215 magnum/match primer to just over 2800 fps. Usually get about 1/2 MOA from this combo and my Model 70 - today didn't prove any different. I only measured a three-shot group at 200 yards and it was about one inch. Not bad from prone.
.25-06 Rem - Remington brass, neck sized in Wilson dies. Berger 115 gr VLD loaded over Hodgdon's Retumbo and a Federal 210 match primer for just shy of 3200 fps. A great load that generates about one MOA for me from the sporter-weight rifle. I've taken three mule deer from 175 - 400 yards, as well as coyotes and rock chucks with this load.
.204 Ruger - Winchester brass, neck sized in Wilson dies. Berger 35 gr varmint hollow point over BL-C(2) at a scalding 3900+ fps!
While I was blasting away with the .204/CZ - about as recoil-free a rifle as I've ever shot - I got to thinking that it could make a wicked 300 yard rifle for prone competitions... No recoil, good accuracy. Hmmmm. Don't know that it's legal for NRA competition, there might be a .22 cal minimum. Ah well, if nothing else it's great on varmints, exactly why I bought it.
All in all it was a good afternoon, sending Bergers downrange, and getting some time with a few well-liked rifles. I finished up about the time the rain started. Go figure.
Sorry - no Nosler bullets today. Luck of the draw.
Guy
