Sub MOA Guns

ShadeTree

Handloader
Mar 6, 2017
3,515
3,019
It's a plain Jane duck, but the old 1969 Model 70 consistently qualifies. The gun is a little ridiculous really for bone stock, sometimes I wonder why I mess with other stuff.

I think I put 5 shots downrange with it this yr. 3 to confirm I was using bad powder in my springfield, then 2 more with new powder to confirm it was back to cutting bullet holes. Today I loaded up 3 cases with one of it's favorite recipe's for 150 Speer's and sent them downrange.

It's as straight up hunting as you can get.....22" hooded sight barrel, see thru scope mounts, and a cheap simmons 3x9 with heavy cross hairs. All that and somehow the gun shoots more 1/2" groups than it ever does 3/4" at 100. I should sell every other gun I have except for the old stuff.



 
I was with you until you said "see through mounts"..... :shock: :shock: :!: :?: :twisted: . I have suggested to folks at the public sight ins that maybe they should go find something else before they fire a shot :? I am ashamed :? :? . That's cool :) :) !! we all want that. I was reading the "gun reviews" in a magazine recently. $1000+ rifles out there that cant do that. CL
 
cloverleaf":1jica1c9 said:
I was with you until you said "see through mounts"..... :shock: :shock: :!: :?: :twisted: . I have suggested to folks at the public sight ins that maybe they should go find something else before they fire a shot :? I am ashamed :? :? . That's cool :) :) !! we all want that. I was reading the "gun reviews" in a magazine recently. $1000+ rifles out there that cant do that. CL

You're not really wrong, they're not akin to promoting accuracy. If the rifle is just a little bit off level from one shot to the next it would magnify left to right error because of the scope being so far above center. I'm not a fan but it's what my F.I.L. had on the gun and it shoots regardless of that, so I let it be.

Most times I just shoot 2 shots with this gun, just to confirm that yep, it's still doing it. I don't get it, it shouldn't be so easy to shoot against guns I own that are set up better with better scopes.

150 Speers on top, 180 Hornady's on bottom.



180 Sierra Pro Hunter's.

 
It would be tough to find a reason to NOT carry that rifle for all your hunting needs, excellent shooting.
 
That is a really good results...certainly with see-throughs holding the scope on!

Some of the old ones will do that...most won't- be sure you pick someone deserving to leave it to when you're done with it!
 
hodgeman":2nhg84ln said:
That is a really good results...certainly with see-throughs holding the scope on!

Some of the old ones will do that...most won't- be sure you pick someone deserving to leave it to when you're done with it!

I've had people tell me that I should at least bed the recoil lug. Another thing I wouldn't normally argue against, and the gun enthusiast in me says the same. But the gun will do that any time of the yr I shoot it with the only thing changing is a slight POI adjustment depending on the temperature swing at opposite ends. I'm gonna let it the way Winchester sent it out the door.
 
OU812":3jb0nxjx said:
It would be tough to find a reason to NOT carry that rifle for all your hunting needs, excellent shooting.

It's a question I ask myself. I got a springfield that will shoot if I coax and finesse with the right load , and sometimes try talking nice to it when all else fails. :lol: But it can also fall off the wagon if you don't do something right, as will some much newer guns I have.

Not this one. Put the crosshairs on and squeeze the trigger and it has yet to disapoint me with any known load it likes.
 
ShadeTree":3ca2qap4 said:
I've had people tell me that I should at least bed the recoil lug. .

Shooting that good...I don't think I'd even take it out of the stock!
 
Sweet rifle and load. You've posted something that is the envy of every rifle crank. Excellent.
 
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Some rifles just defy the "rules".
Just accept that it just plain works, and have fun shooting it beside others with expensive toys that cannot shoot as small of groups!LOL
 
ST,

Very nice! I assume that it's a 30-06, correct?

JD338
 
JD338":3egm31u0 said:
ST,

Very nice! I assume that it's a 30-06, correct?

JD338

Yes sir. As long as your feeding it something it likes, which is most things, it is simple to load for. The 150 load with Speer and Hornady is exactly the same right down to the OAL, and there's not a whiskers difference in how it shoots the 2 other than a shift in impact. 180's were also easy to make shoot really well. Spent little time finding a load.

Oddly enough the only 165 bullet I tried in it, Speer boat tails, it wasn't that impressive, shooting 1" to 1 1/4, with a load I thought should be close. Rather than burning up powder trying to find a happy spot for a gun that's easy to make shoot, I moved on.
 
An excellent rifle will put 3 into basically an inch with just about any load. They don’t come around that often, regardless of what we read in gun mags or forums. I have one, a custom Winchester 70 (well actually it’s my dads), but I don’t even like to clean it for fear of changing something.

That is an excellent rifle, don’t change a thing or let it get away!
 
Thanks for the comments fella's. I don't plan on getting rid of it for numerous reasons.

Wanted to correct something because I don't like misleading even if unintentional, I said I thought I only put 5 rounds downrange this yr with the gun, and I believe that is correct shooting target with known bullets and loads that it always shoots well.

But commenting on the 165's reminded me that I believe I worked up loads for that bullet this past spring.
 
I've got one that makes me a little angry. It's a sported M17 I picked up for $125 at a pawn shop a few years ago with the intention of rebarreling to something interesting. Yes, I shot the donor as I needed a spare deer rifle for a friend on short notice. My all purpose M1Garand load, 46gr IMR4064 under a Sierra 150SP grouped 5 shots inside an inch with a 4.5x scope. Haven't done any tweaking with the loads. Also worked up a full power bear/moose load with the 180 Alaska, also under 1".

Inspected the rifle closer after the first range trip, and found it was (very professionally) glass bedded and trued a long time ago. The receiver and barrel have shadows where I suspect NRA peep sights were installed at one time, this may have been somebodies match rifle before it was reworked into a scoped sporter. There was also a hairline crack in the stock that I stabilized with dowel and acraglas with no negative effect on accuracy. It now holds a place of honor on the wall of my hunting cabin, to be used for the occasional hunt or informal shooting match until I figure out something better to do with it.
 
That old 30-06 Winchester is pretty doggone terrific!

I'd have to change those scope mounts... But, changing anything might shake the lucky charms loose from it and it could go to a 2 MOA rifle!

What a great ol' rifle. Load what it likes and go hunt the continent! Or several continents.

Guy
 
Guy Miner":2e4tw2yz said:
That old 30-06 Winchester is pretty doggone terrific!

I'd have to change those scope mounts... But, changing anything might shake the lucky charms loose from it and it could go to a 2 MOA rifle!

What a great ol' rifle. Load what it likes and go hunt the continent! Or several continents.

Guy

Father in law has been gone now 13 years. I never used the gun a lot since, but killed a buck with it both yrs I took it. I never realized until I actually started messing with reloads with it, how good it consistently shoots. It will be kept as a keepsake regardless, but if I'm gonna make it really mine at some point those see thru mounts will have to come off.
 
I have two just like it, just not in that caliber. One I traded for the other I bought in 1970, for $160. Both shoot MOA, the 300 WM shots tighter than that. Both have been well worked over but the basic parts are still the same. I am not surprised at all with your accomplishment.
 
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