Log In
Members
Home
Add Reply
Add Topic
With the mentions of range reports on a few of the other posts, thought I would share.
Up until last year I had never owned a M70, had been too focused on the lever guns. I have several non-Winchester bolt action rifles Ive used all my life for hunting so I didnt see a need. With kids growing up and borrowing dads guns, I decided Id get my son his own hunting rifle for his 16th birthday and wanted it to be a quality rifle. So, I picked up a 270 and 30-06 at the fall Tulsa show last year thinking Id prefer he had the 270, but if I had any problems with the rifle, I could fall back on the 30-06. A deal was struck and they both came home with me.
The top is the 270 manufactured in 1953 (232552) and the bottom is the 30-06 manufactured in 1948 (75851).
With scopes in short supply last year I went with a Leupold VX-3ND 4.5x14x50 scope, for the 30-06 a Leupold VS-3I rifle scope.
Bullets were also in short supply but fortunately I had a stock of my preferred Nosler 130gn Ballistic Tip bullets. Using H-4831, I found a load that worked pretty decent.
For the 30-06, I used H-4831 and found a load the rifle liked to check using 165gn Speer HotCore bullets, the results were good as well. Will likley give the 30-06 to the daughter for her 16th birthday (or keep for myself–ha ha).
Couldnt be more than pleased with the purchase and results. Hopefully they will both draw some blood this season.
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
Any of you that are shooting a modern bottle neck cartridge and want it to shoot sub .5″ groups @ 100 yds should look at what the long range target guys are doing.
We fire form our cases to fit the chamber. Usually takes about 2 to 3 firings.
We measure the cases from the base to the shoulder and then size to have .002″ head space.
Next we do a powder ladder test. Start at a middle of the road load and shoot 3 shot groups at .2 grain increments. You are trying to find a stable node where the speed is about the same for a couple groups. We keep going until we find the first sign of pressure. I shot 17 groups and found 4 nodes. I picked the fastest node for long range or hunting. My node was 46.0 and 46.2. I then loaded at 46.1. You would use the lower nodes for punching paper.
Once you find a powder node experiment with the bullet seating depth.
After you find your best groups go back and play with your powder load. .1 grains on either side. Usually a node might be +/- .2 grains or .4 grains wide. So load in the middle.
*We use tuners on the end of the barrel that replaces seating depth tests. Tuners and seating depth changes the harmonics of the barrel. We also have a lot of special equipment and do many other steps.
Here is copy of my last tests with a 308. Lower right corner is marked 0 that is for tuner setting 0. Look at the center target marked 8. This 3 shot group measured .064″. Straight below it I tried to duplicate it, 8+1. I somehow messed up one of the loads as it was 25 FPS less than the other 2. My group opened up to .329″.
Thats all interesting stuff for consideration one of these days, my shooting goal was simply “Minute of Deer”
.
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
Chris, my comments weren’t directed at you. Just a general comment to anyone that really would like to get their Model 70’s to shoot better especially when shooting at longer ranges. As a hunter too I know what you mean.
November 7, 2015
Offline
Good shooting, Chris. Many sporting rifles simply aren’t capable of that level of accuracy. OTOH I’ve used several benchrest loading techniques for decades even though I’ve had very few rifles that could take full advantage of them. I’m thinking those two M70’s may be capable of exceptional accuracy, I’d be very tempted to see what they can do. But we all know the deer will never notice.
Mike
1892takedown said
Thats all interesting stuff for consideration one of these days, my shooting goal was simply “Minute of Deer”
Chris,
I like the term, “Minute of deer”. I also like the two Model 70’s you bought at Tulsa. Tom
TXGunNut said
Good shooting, Chris. Many sporting rifles simply aren’t capable of that level of accuracy. OTOH I’ve used several benchrest loading techniques for decades even though I’ve had very few rifles that could take full advantage of them. I’m thinking those two M70’s may be capable of exceptional accuracy, I’d be very tempted to see what they can do. But we all know the deer will never notice.
Mike
You should check this out. I guarantee that if you follow Erik’s methods your groups will get better and you can increase your average hunting distance by a 100 yards or more. Minute of Mule deer at 400 yds could easily be 800 yds. Erik is a World Class F Class shooter. He shoots 3″ groups at 1000 yds. He does have custom equipment and very high dollar loading equipment but his process will work for anyone.
https://precisionrifleexpo.com/classes?mc_cid=4bc16d9f8f&mc_eid=bd1eebe4b4
Thanks for the comments gents. May tinker a bit more with my loads but for now, they are at a point where they will work for what I need.
Tom, wish I could say the “Minute of Deer” is something I came up with but its not. Its something a truly great friend of mine says from time to time to bring things back to reality and remind me success can be defined in a multitude of ways.
Mike, you could be well right, some of these guns could likely shoot better, especially in more capable hands with better eyes and degrees of precision, pushing them to the limits. In the end, whats important to meet my ends, is that they can perform in the field as intended and be a part of those memories that will last a lifetime, of a successful hunt.
Rifle season started yesterday, will see how they do provided the opportunity.
CH
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
November 7, 2015
Offline
Rifle season started yesterday here as well, had a nice cold front come thru Friday night pushing temps down into upper thirties. Bucks are reported to be actively chasing does in the north Hill Country. Saw a few nice bucks carried into the game processor behind my ice machine in Lindsay. Reports from Bee County aren’t so glowing but there were a few moving and seem to be healthy. Good hunting!
Mike
Our rut just started here near Nixon/Gonzales area a few days ago. Unfortunately the peak of the rut here always falls during the Tulsa gun show. Wish they would move that show to October or the third weekend in November. The rut should start in another 3 or so weeks down south TX, usually around Thanksgiving.
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
November 7, 2015
Offline
I’m sitting out deer season this year. Gun shows, flu and ice days used up all my 2022 PTO and vacation time. I may be able to cull a doe or shoot a hog after the first of the year but I’ll need to look at my show and travel schedule.
Mike
Hey Chris
Good luck with the Model 70s. Maybe you and your son are out there hunting right now.
Ive been out with my son and daughter a couple weekends but havent been able to connect. There are a couple of bucks we are hunting. Where we are at is a 1 buck county with antler restrictions. Kind of frustrating when your looking down the scope at a mature 5-6 yr old buck that isnt 13″ inside or wider to make him legal to shoot. The Parks & Wildlife logic is that bucks with inside spreads less than 13″ are 1-3 yrs old and by making them off limits, they survive to be 4 yr olds. Leaving these rather narrow or freaky deer that need to be shot off limits.
1892takedown @sbcglobal.net ......NRA Endowment Life Member.....WACA Member
"God is great.....beer is good.....and people are crazy"... Billy Currington
Hey Chris
I missed the sentence in your original post about giving the 30-06 to your daughter someday too. They are both lucky to have you hunting with them. Good luck on getting the legal bucks you’re after.
November 7, 2015
Offline
1892takedown said
Ive been out with my son and daughter a couple weekends but havent been able to connect. There are a couple of bucks we are hunting. Where we are at is a 1 buck county with antler restrictions. Kind of frustrating when your looking down the scope at a mature 5-6 yr old buck that isnt 13″ inside or wider to make him legal to shoot. The Parks & Wildlife logic is that bucks with inside spreads less than 13″ are 1-3 yrs old and by making them off limits, they survive to be 4 yr olds. Leaving these rather narrow or freaky deer that need to be shot off limits.
Antler restrictions make it difficult to remove cull bucks from the gene pool. By protecting the young bucks they also protect the less desirable bucks. They don’t trust the hunter to make the correct call. Possible upside is getting to spend more time in the field observing wildlife while waiting for a buck that fits TPWD parameters but we don’t all have that luxury.
Mike
Try hunting here in NH with antler restrictions and doe restrictions. There are now more does than bucks so shooting a good buck is tough. then add in the challenge of hunting around all the posted land. not that we have large areas to start with.
TXGunNut said
Antler restrictions make it difficult to remove cull bucks from the gene pool. By protecting the young bucks they also protect the less desirable bucks. They don’t trust the hunter to make the correct call. Possible upside is getting to spend more time in the field observing wildlife while waiting for a buck that fits TPWD parameters but we don’t all have that luxury.
Mike
I was amazed to find out about this on an episode of Lone Star Law, in which a poor sap who’d been caught with a rack an inch or so undersize was being put through the wringer. How is it supposed to be possible under conditions of dim light, maybe obstructing vegetation or a moving buck, to estimate exactly the width of a rack? You can discriminate between those that are obviously much too small, & those that are clearly trophy size, but that leaves a large proportion of uncertain size that it would take a tape measure to determine the legality of. Seems like a law calculated facilitate entrapment by wardens with nothing better to do.
1 Guest(s)
