Cold Bore / .308 Win

[Guy Miner]

Years ago a rifle buddy of mine, GySgt USMC Type A, instilled a real love of an accurate cold bore shot in me. I try to make sure I'm up to it, and my equipment is up to it. Recently made a couple of changes to the .308 Win/Green Machine:

Put it back in the original HS Precision stock (bedded) which I prefer for general purpose hunting.

Swapped to my hunting loads instead of target loads. In this case a 165 Nosler Ballistic Tip over 45 grains of Varget, sparked by a CCI BR2 primer in a once-fired Federal case.

Today I got down into a good solid, sling-braced prone position, and fired one Nosler into the target, 100 yards distant:

I normally do pretty good with this rifle, but shots like that make me wonder why I even own any other center fire rifles...

 

[SJB358]

Very nice. I see your plan is coming together. Scotty

 

[DrMike]

It is difficult to improve on that!

 

[russ808]

Good shootin Guy.
Can't improve much more than that eh.
Russ

 

[FOTIS]

See? You had the magic rifle all along!

BTW what is your velocity with that load Guy?

 

[gerry]

Nice shot Guy, could you share any details on your well used Leupold scope?

 

[Guy Miner]

Fotis - mv with that load generally runs 2730 fps from my rifle, 24" 1:12 twist Krieger.

Gerry - just an older 4.5-14x Leupold, one inch tube, adjustable objective, target turrets and a simple duplex reticle.

Got the rifle about 16 - 17 years ago, the scope a year or so after the rifle. Both have been painted a few times. Have worn out several .308 Win barrels. For quite a few years it was essentially the only centerfire rifle I shot. Shot it a lot back then too - sort of rediscovering it recently. Intending to use it next weekend on a whitetail hunt.

Like the fancy skateboard tape on the bottom of the stock? :grin:

I've got to dye that brown sling keeper. Just got it, had to replace one of the black ones when it wore out, and couldn't find a black keeper. It just looks wrong on the rifle!

Guy

 

[onesonek]

Awesome Guy!

 

[JD338]

Nicely done Guy.

Are you going to use the 125 gr BT for your deer hunt?

JD338

 

[Guy Miner]

No - all loaded up with 165 Ballistic Tips. They shoot very well for me, and have for a long time.

Loaded up 125's for a friend. Not sure she's going to hunt this year though. Doesn't look like it at this point. I do want to use them someday, but dang, I've got a pile of Nosler 165's in various flavors sitting here...

Guy

 

[JD338]

I like the 165 gr BT and it will work like a charm on a Whitetail.

Here is a pre season primer for you. These photos were downloaded from my Leupold RCX-2 trail cam today. These bucks are behind my house.

Good luck on your hunt Guy.

JD338

 

[DrMike]

That does make it somewhat easier, Jim. When is your season? Have you trained any to come knock on your backdoor?

 

[BK]

Dang, JD, I'm looking at the temp readout on the first two pics, and all I can think of is, "Brrrrrr!" I've become enough acclimated to San Diego, I start needing a sweatshirt when it's 68 degrees outside!

 

[Too Tall]

Guy, did you install a different style extractor, in the Green Machine?

 

[Elkman]

Guy

Nice!!!!!! no better than that. !

 

[Elkman]

JD

My back yard is full of does and small bucks waiting for me to select one. I like yours better!!!!! Thanks for the picutres

 

[sask boy]

By Joe I think you got it Guy :mrgreen: really Guy that is some fine shooting isn't it a great feeling knowing that you can tune a rifle to shoot like that it is a art

Blessings,
Dan

 

[nvbroncrider]

It really sucks when you have 25 head of mulies grazing on your alfalfa field 100 yards from your front door and no tag.

 

[Guy Miner]

JD338 - if I see a whitetail like the top photo, I'll likely have a heart attack, hopefully after I shoot it. I do appreciate the vote of confidence on the 165 Ballistic Tip - they haven't ever failed me. Accurate and lethal, pretty much a perfect deer bullet.

My son surprised me tonight - said he might want to use the old .30-06 instead of his 6mm Remington. I'll be darned. I think it's because we expect it to be cold and wet this weekend, and the '06 has a fiberglass stock. It's sighted-in with 165 grain Nosler solid-base bullets.

Too Tall - no SAKO style extractor. Personally I think that's an over-rated modification. I know some people are very enthusiastic about fitting a SAKO type extractor to the Rem 700, but I've been using a Rem 700 since 1974 and have only had one Remington extractor fail - the sixth shot on a .300 RUM. The Marines build Remington actions into sniper rifles and don't make the modification - their rifles go to war. This particular rifle has worn out several barrels, but has the original Remington extractor, thousands of rounds ago. It works perfectly. I'm happy with the Remington extractor.

Hope all goes well, we leave tomorrow afternoon for our whitetail hunt. Will be out of internet comms for a while. I'm pretty pleased to be hunting with the .308 again, haven't had it out for game since '09.

Guy

 

[cloverleaf]

Guy, I like the gray stock.....Now you have to decide which one to take to Wyo. That out of the case cold bore shot is certainly resume enough for a hunting rifle. But to leave the 25-06 at home....? And the there was Dad's 257 Bee I think? decisions, decisions. CL