Been using a older version of these sticks for a few years.

http://www.midwayusa.com/produ...bipod-shooting-stick

Picked up a Manfrotto 190CX Pro3 carbon tripod and this head a few months ago.

http://www.precisionriflesolut...products/show/838250

Went with the PRS head because several of the matches I shoot there isn't time to mess with clamping to the HOG.

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:
Been using a older version of these sticks for a few years.

http://www.midwayusa.com/produ...bipod-shooting-stick

Picked up a Manfrotto 190CX Pro3 carbon tripod and this head a few months ago.

http://www.precisionriflesolut...products/show/838250

Went with the PRS head because several of the matches I shoot there isn't time to mess with clamping to the HOG.

Thanks!

YGM, BTW.

Another barrels bites the dust. Had between 2950-3000rds on the 6.5x47 barrel. First 1700rds or so shot the Berger 130VLD's then with the throat growth switched to 140VLD's. Velocity/accuracy dropped off in the last 100rds, time to retire it. Keep in mind lots of those rounds were match rounds, pounding on the barrel, several shots/short time....

Seems like every other week on another forum there's the 6 vs 6.5 debate. I'm having that debate myself. Shot out three 6x47 barrels, average 2200rds shooting 105 Hybrids 3050-3080. It's a tough choice between those two calibers. I give the edge to the 6.5. Over its barrel life I believe the 6.5 is more consistent.

Had another 6.5x47 barrel chambered up ready to go. Berger 130VLD's/37.8 Varget/2880 is shooting very well in the new 24" barrel, so easy to tune.

Offgrid, how do you like that APA brake ? I'm considering it if I do a rebarrel this year. I like how it indexes.

Comparing the APA to other brakes I've had, (Badger Thruster/FTE, Surefire, RAD) it's the most efficient of the bunch. I too like how it indexes, easy off/on. I take them off every time I clean the barrel.

Thanks ! I also remove the brake when I clean as I like a spotless crown. Have never been a fan of the brakes that blend into the barrel. I like the FTE on the .30 cal's but I'm starting to shop for a brake for my mouse bolt gun. I'm not sure if it would be overkill on a .223 or not.

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:


Seems like every other week on another forum there's the 6 vs 6.5 debate. I'm having that debate myself. Shot out three 6x47 barrels, average 2200rds shooting 105 Hybrids 3050-3080. It's a tough choice between those two calibers. I give the edge to the 6.5. Over its barrel life I believe the 6.5 is more consistent.

It's certainly a hard choice but I'm sticking with the 6.5's for a while longer even though I have three different flavors of fast 6 reamers due in soon. My debate is more with the 6.5 SAUM vs the other 6.5's. It is to the fast 6's what they are to the regular 6.5's but comes with more of a price. I do like it though and will probably keep it on my KMW if just to hunt with, and have the Manners gun as 6.5x47. I may play with a fast 6 at some point but it's going to be hard to pull me away from the 6.5x47. People can chase unicorn farts and pixie dust from now on. I feel with the stability, precision, and longevity of the 6.5's someone can shoot a lot of rounds without fussing with anything and they will get better by focusing on shooting instead of chasing loads.

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:
Another barrels bites the dust.

Seems like every other week on another forum there's the 6 vs 6.5 debate. It's a tough choice between those two calibers. I give the edge to the 6.5. Over its barrel life I believe the 6.5 is more consistent.

Every time I consider going to a 6.0mm chambering I remind myself of your experience. Especially given that reloading just isn't in the cards for me, I will stick with 6.5 Creedmoor -- at least for awhile. I'm certain you will continue to kick butt with the new 6.5x47 barrel.

*****
On a different note, I again transitioned between rifle and shotgun over the weekend without too much drama. I tied for 5th place out of 170 (10 shooters had higher scores) in a sporting clays tourney. Not world class, no punches earned, but I had fun and it felt good to score in the 90's.

exx1976, you asked about slings and backpacks for matches in another post. Good to see you signed up for that Nebraska match.

Here's all my stuff for this weekends carnival. Lay it out to make sure I'm not forgetting anything.

Pack is a Kifaru Xing. I got a very good deal on it. It's a little big. If I were to buy another Kifaru, would get at Xray. I've been hiking/backpacking for years. Have a closet full of packs. Kifaru's suspension is very good, well made pack. I could comfortably hike with 50+ lbs in the Xing. Sling, simple strap with two HK hooks.

Few things about my gear. Action is AW cut. I will not use AW mags in this match, AICS 10rd only. Few times AW mags bit me, rounds popping out.... I know there's only going to be few pistol stages, like the Tek-Lok attach easy off/on holster/mag pouches, back in the pack when not needed. The only device I have with a battery is the bino/RF. For dope simply print a card from 200-1350yds based on elevation and average predicted temp. Forecast between 45-65 degrees. Dope card based on 55, shoot past 1000yds early in the AM, add a .1 MILS, shoot late in the day subract, very simple stuff! Extra Atlas bipod for a couple reasons, it has leg extension on it in case I need the height, faster to simply swap bipods. Also last year I broke a Atlas, slim chance that will happen again, but... In the Borka tool pouch have a extra trigger from another rifle, also slim chance my trigger will fail, but... Not sure if we will be ranging a stage with our reticles, have a chart in my notebook for that.

Weather forecast is rain/wind this weekend. Look for the Oklahoma shooters to do well if those conditions hold, they shoot in crappy weather all the time.

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:
Here's all my stuff for this weekends carnival.

Kick some butt in the Cup.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:
Here's all my stuff for this weekends carnival.

Kick some butt in the Cup.

And don't drown in the mud!

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:
Here's all my stuff for this weekends carnival.

Kick some butt in the Cup.

This!

Looking forward to hearing all about it after!

I wanted so badly to shoot the cup, but when the rubber met the road, I was afraid I just wouldn't have had enough time behind the new rifle yet to get everything dialed in exactly. I'm sure this Nebraska match will teach me a few things about what I need, don't need, and should and should not do. I've only shot 2 local steel matches, and I learned more at those 2 matches than I did in 2 years on a square range. Unreal. And it's always the little things....

As for bino/rf - I don't yet have one. One of the guys running the Nebraska match recommended the bushnell fusion 1 mile bino/rf combo. I see the 12x50 listed online for just about a grand, which is my budget for this item. He told me he has the 10x42, and is able to range buildings at a mile, and steel targets to about 1300 or so. If they are a decent piece of gear, I'd much prefer the combo like that since it's one less thing I have to carry... Thoughts?

Not doubting the Bushnell ranged a target at 1300yds. But, how was he ranging? Certainly not off hand. What were the light conditions? How refelective was the target? How big was the target? Don't care how far any RF can range a building, I'm not calling in artillery strikes!

Magnification? After looking through others 8X, 10X, 12X at matches....., I went with 8X. For what I'm using them for, finding targets and hunting, I prefer the wider FOV of the 8X.

A friend has the Bushnells, he'll be at the Nebraska match. I have the Lieca HD-B's. Slight edge to the Lieca's RF ability over the Bushnells in ANY condition. Huge difference in optic quality, I paid a premium for that difference. If your not opposed to buying used in the Bushnell price range, I would look for a pair of older Lieca's. A couple friends have those. Optic quality is very good, RF'ing not quite as good as the Bushnells.

With my RF, can range a 2-3 moa target off hand to about 600yds. Depending on the wind conditions, how much the wind is moving me around. Calm I'll stand, windy I'll kneel or sit... Beyond that need to be resting on something, branch, post, tripod, laying prone/rear bag on top of my scope/RF on it..... or I'll range a tree, rock, berm....what I think is near the target.

Alpine will have his Terrapin at the Nebraska match, everything you read about how well the Terrapin ranges is true.

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:
Not doubting the Bushnell ranged a target at 1300yds. But, how was he ranging? Certainly not off hand. What were the light conditions? How refelective was the target? How big was the target? Don't care how far any RF can range a building, I'm not calling in artillery strikes!

Magnification? After looking through others 8X, 10X, 12X at matches....., I went with 8X. For what I'm using them for, finding targets and hunting, I prefer the wider FOV of the 8X.

A friend has the Bushnells, he'll be at the Nebraska match. I have the Lieca HD-B's. Slight edge to the Lieca's RF ability over the Bushnells in ANY condition. Huge difference in optic quality, I paid a premium for that difference. If your not opposed to buying used in the Bushnell price range, I would look for a pair of older Lieca's. A couple friends have those. Optic quality is very good, RF'ing not quite as good as the Bushnells.

With my RF, can range a 2-3 moa target off hand to about 600yds. Depending on the wind conditions, how much the wind is moving me around. Calm I'll stand, windy I'll kneel or sit... Beyond that need to be resting on something, branch, post, tripod, laying prone/rear bag on top of my scope/RF on it..... or I'll range a tree, rock, berm....what I think is near the target.

Alpine will have his Terrapin at the Nebraska match, everything you read about how well the Terrapin ranges is true.

Yes, I understand that stability plays a major role, as does target size. I have used monocular RFs that friends own, so I'm familiar with some of the limitations. I would just borrow theirs, since none of them will be attending the match, but I need to buy my own anyway, so..

I would use them prone, or from a tripod (they do have a mount, I checked) if I was trying to range something farther than probably around 600, as you indicated.

I'm less concerned about optical clarity than I am RF ability. My scope has excellent optical clarity, and the primary objective for this purchase is RF, not bird watching. As long as the clarity is good enough to identify the target, so that I can accurately range it, that's what I need. If I need a better look at something, I'm probably preparing to put a hole in it, so I'll use the scope for that once I know how far away it is. So if the new Bushnells range better than the older Leicas, I think I'll go with the Bushnells.

<pause, looking up the ones you said you have>

Holy CRAP! The new Leica RF/Bino combos are the same money as the Steiner Military combo!! I'm sure they are nice, but that's WAY out of my price range.

We commonly share RF'ers with squad mates who don't have a set. Also common for match directors to have a loaner set at ranging stages or a vendor to donate a demo set. You probably won't need a set for the Nebraska match.

quote:

Originally posted by exx1976:
Holy CRAP! The new Leica RF/Bino combos are the same money as the Steiner Military combo!! I'm sure they are nice, but that's WAY out of my price range.

I have played with both the Leica and Swarovski RF/binos. Great glass and RF combination. Buy once and cry when the credit card statement arrives. Then cry some more. If the cost is within one's budget, it's really hard to beat these units.

I went with a Terrapin for range finding, as I found one for a discounted price just as the rumors started they were going out of production. Tremendous RF capabilities in a nice compact unit. A stabilized Terrapin can RF really small targets with consistent distance figures. Even targets that are not reflective. The Terrapin's glass is decent, but IMO it's not up to the clarity of Leica or Swarovski RF/binos. Also, I find it easier to locate targets with a bino system (Leica or Swarovski) than it is with a monocular system (Terrapin).

I'm with you on the cash outlay for this game -- I could use a winning uber-bucks Lotto ticket.

There's a couple of you here no doubt sick of my giddiness today on this subject. But I finally found a place to safely stretch things out. The lone pine tree out there is a tad over 1K. Why I never thought of this area before is beside me. Public land, natgas right of way. All legit. Im stoked!


image hosting site

quote:

Originally posted by entropy:
There's a couple of you here no doubt sick of my giddiness today on this subject. But I finally found a place to safely stretch things out. The lone pine tree out there is a tad over 1K. Why I never thought of this area before is beside me. Public land, natgas right of way. All legit. Im stoked!


image hosting site

Should be less impaired by the wind too - you have trees as a wind screen.

Looks good!

quote:

Originally posted by entropy:
There's a couple of you here no doubt sick of my giddiness today on this subject. But I finally found a place to safely stretch things out. The lone pine tree out there is a tad over 1K. Why I never thought of this area before is beside me. Public land, natgas right of way. All legit. Im stoked!


image hosting site

That your dog at 11:00 about 100 yards out?

The LRF talk I find very interesting. For the most part I shoot ranges with known distances. However I have had opportunity to use one. I'd prefer to pick up the monocular versions. I have a nice set of Kowa bino's that don't get out much. I know the whole get what you pay for credo but have a hard time with 2k for a rarely used item. Thinking perhaps the Leica 1600 or just wait and see if these manufacturers can push the range a bit further at this price point.