Leupold RX-1200i TBR Wind Compact Digital Rangefinder – Review by Ed Hale

The Leupold RX 1200i TBR-W (True Ballistic Range® -w/ Wind) DNA Digitally eNhanced Accuracy is super jam-packed rangefinder with features for the serious hunter/shooter.  It weighs in at a mere 7.8 ounces. Wow! DSC_0009

with this rugged case below with Quick Reference Card inside that includes tables to set your bullet performance info (see more on this later). A manual is included that provides all the details.

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Looking through the eyepiece;it has rubber sleeve  that can fold over for those with eye glasses.

Below is the battery compartment which takes a CR2 Nuon  see image of battery below where you lift the lower half-ring and turn clockwise to open it.

 

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Laser and Objective lens below.

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This housing of the electronics is a sealed waterproof machined aluminum rubber armored rangefinder and will deliver years and years of great service if cared for.

Once you have read the instructions (I had to read them a few times) it is a easy-to-use comprehensive MODE packed laser rangefinder for both bow and rifle. It incorporates a 6×22 monocular and will range deer size game from 5 to 800 yards, inanimate objects to 900 yards and reflective targets to 1200 yards. The greatest feature besides the orange OLED Display, and the True Ballistic Range (that takes angle into account) perhaps is Scan mode ( I tested it and works great) when you hold the laser button on wild game you can hold the button down and move the crosshairs from animal to animal or an object to see the distance without taking your eye off the monocular.

Here is a rifle cartridge example below that sets the correct footing for the rangefinders 800 yard deer max;

A 300 Winchester Magnum shoots a 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip at about 3150 fps. Wow, that is fast for the 165 grain head! A look at what happens at 800 yards is that it runs out of ethical killing energy of 1000 ft-lbs beyond that, even though its velocity is 1654 fps. The wind component is 6 MOA or 51 inches at 90º with a 10 mph wind.  You have to shoot “a lot of gun” to go beyond 800 yards and kill deer size game and know the wind too drifts your bullet 51 inches, more than a deer length. A nearly impossible shot under those circumstances. So perhaps 800 yards is a great benchmark distance after all. 

Back to the Rangefinder: The RX1200i has reticle choices too with a simple cross hair called Plus Point™ ideal for small game or very distant targets, Duplex® with Plus Point™ and Duplex® without Plus Point™ which is more like a rifle scope reticle. MSRP is around $519 but prices have come down to below $375 making it a really great buy for this big game hunting season!

The bright orange OLED display is far superior in display than black LED especially in low light… a fabulous feature only a hunter at dawn or dusk can appreciate.

Image of OLED Plus Point

Wind

The new Wind feature can only be used when you enter your rifle velocity/caliber from the table provided in the manual or the Quick Ref Card for modes such as HOLD, MIL and MOA where your cartridge data is entered too because without velocity and bullet data a wind calculation is not possible. The wind calculation portion will provide a fixed 10 mph value at 90º  to the muzzle. Accordingly, if the wind is quartering at 45 or 135 from east to west you must half the wind value in MOA, HOLD and MIL modes when the wind feature is turned on. Example: Wind in MOA mode may say 2 for a 375 yard shot. (being 2 MOA and assumes a 10 mph wind so if it were 5 mph then “half the value to 1” or if the wind were quartering at 10 MPH it would also “half the value” If the wind were 15 mph from 90 degrees you would add 1/3 more to the value and use 3 MOA and adjust your scope accordingly

The hunter/shooter can switch between modes (modes in red are my most used modes with BAS being the easiest without bullet info) such as:

BAS Mode -Ballistic group and sight in distance. Part of TBR (True Ballistic Range) This default mode displays the equivalent horizontal range which takes angle into account. As a rifle hunter the BAS mode will perhaps be the most used mode who simply wants the horizontal distance ± to the animal and takes angle already into account and the hunter has already knows the drop table for the caliber and load like me. Wind deflection function cannot be turned on here because it does not  know your projectile velocity etc.

BOW Mode –  works with TBR (True Ballistic Range) to find the horizontal Range ±1/10th yards. Arguably the most used mode for the bowhunter.

HOLD Mode– will display the amount of holdover to use in inches or centimeters and takes into account your cartridges ballistic path in table settings provided for hunting calibers and can turn the wind feature on.

MIL Mode – will display the amount of holdover in milliradians. Most helpful for those with Mil Dot reticles and know how to use them. Mil Dot reticle scopes are becoming increasingly popular for very long distance fans and military.  Can use Wind feature. 

MOA Mode – will display the Minute of Angle adjustment for your target which is based on your cartridges ballistic path you choose in a later mode to select the cartridge or group based on what you are shooting with a bullet path height and with sight-in range of 200 yards. (see the Quick Reference Card) This is helpful to the target shooter and hunter who works in MOA mode and you can turn the wind feature on. Most hunting rifle scopes out in the field today are set-up in MOA increments so this mode can be very helpful for a long range hunting and target beyond MPBR (Max Point Blank Range). 

TRIG Mode -calculates both the true vertical and horizontal distance components such as the height of a tree. A once in a while use feature.

LOS Mode – Provides straight line distance to the target without taking angle into account. A least used mode, I think.

Last Target Mode – for TBR/ W only displays the farthest distance between two objects measured.

Specifications:

specs

 

Battery: CR2 Nuon seen below.

From the website: https://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/rangefinders/rx-rangefinders/rx-1200i-tbr-with-dna-digital-laser-rangefinder/

“All RX-1200i Compact rangefinders are completely weatherproof and feature multi-coated optics, selectable reticles, measurements in yards or meters, and fold-down rubber eyecups to accommodate users with or without eye glasses. Pocket-sized and packed with features, Leupold’s new RX-1200i TBR with DNA makes all other rangefinders dim in comparison. Product includes Cordura® holster, lanyard, battery and complete instructions.

The RX-1200i is covered by the Leupold Golden Ring® Electronics Limited Two-Year Warranty.”

Most hunters that are going to use this rangefinder have a much higher level of long distance shooting skills. 

Many retailers are less than MSRP and less than $400 for this rangefinder making it a top choice for hunter who know value when they see it.

I give it a solid A grade for the value, price, ruggedness and accuracy and of course it’s a Leupold.

In a Leupold review it was said that an elk hunter lost his rangefinder and later his outfitter/guide found it and sent it to him. It wasn’t working so he sent it to Leupold who said they could not fix it but will gladly send him a new one! You can’t beat that! 

Good Hunting!

© 2016

 

 

 

 

Reach for 1000 SIG SAUER Academy with Savage M12 LRP and Leupold Scope VX-3i 6.5-20x50mm by Ed Hale

July 19, 2016 I arrived at the Sig Academy and met up with son Jason. Below is the Pro Shop. A beautiful summer day shooting with son Jason is all I could ask for!

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An inside look.

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We headed to our classroom where Chris Cavellaro our Instructor known as “Cav” gave us an intro as what to expect from the day which started at 8:30 AM and lasted technically till 5 PM but we shot till 6 PM.

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Cav went around the room with 5 students in attendance to see where they were from and their expectations of the course.

Five is a very manageable size for the type of shooting we are doing. I was performing Test and Evaluation of the Savage Model 12 Long Range Precision Rifle as well as the Test and Evaluation of Leupold’s newly introduced Scope VX-3i 6.5-20x50mm Custom Dial System. You must select a cartridge for using the Custom Dial System and have a CDS dial made. I chose not to test the CDS feature.

Below is all my gear for the Class “Reach for 1000”.

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Our set-up to check zero at 100 yards.  Sig gave us shooting blankets to use. Below is top is Jason’s Rifle and my Savage Model 12 Long Range Precision rifle and Leupold VX-3i Scope with a shade attached.IMG_1023

Below is my 100 yard group shooting Hornady Precision Hunter 143 grain (Extremely Low Drag) ELD-X bullets with the first shot called a cold shot 1 1/2 inches high.

hornady ammo Precision Hunter

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The rest of the shots grouped a bit less than 1 inch as the barrel begins to warm up. Initially, I was not really comfortable and relaxed because I set my bi-pod lower to see if it made a difference, it didn’t feel comfortable.  I reset the bi-pod higher and got my large rear sand bag and was comfortable again. the tight group of three to the left happens when this bull barrel warms a bit. Cold shots are important to understand when you need to make that Precision shot the first time.

Cav shared a shooting technique to look through your scope then close your eyes, relax your head and open them to see if the crosshair moves. If it does, you want to move your body left or right till that crosshair remains on center. Emphasis on relaxed muscles. Secondly, Cav emphasized the focus on the crosshair more than the target. In fact the target may even blur but the crosshair is your focal point in the aiming process. No mention about breathing during the shot sequence was done. I am happy with my breathing sequence.

Emphasis on trigger pull as a steady force rearward till the trigger sear breaks and the rifle fires.  All said and done the shooter should not be tense at all and the trigger finger does all the work. My Precision trigger is set at 2 pounds for target shooting, See photo below.

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Below is the 200 yard shooting area center. Targets were again paper.

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Below we are set up at 300 yards and about to shoot steel targets with white circles so we can see/hear the impact.

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Below are my 300 yard shots, Top three inch circle has all five hits in the white while the bottom circle grouping was very tight indeed with all 5 shots three dead center and 2 at 6 o’clock in the white. Whoa! Nice! I said to Cal; “I have read that many precision bullets seem to stabilize at longer ranges.”  “Yes they can”, Cal added.

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Below is Jason’s 300 yard group.

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The three hundred range also is the 750 yard range to the right in the photo below. Look above the scope turret. It looks tiny doesn’t it. Sooo far away that even the targets are difficult to see without  a scope which was set to 14x. I should have dialed to 20x but still shot quite fine hitting a 10 inch white square after a few minor adjustments. Cav had a Kestrel wind meter with barometric pressure. Wind was coming from our backs most of the day making wind drift a small concern.

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It was here that I discovered that I ran out of elevation adjustment but it was not due to the scope. The 20 MOA picatinny rail was on backwards. Cav had field tools so we unmounted the scope turned the rail 180 degrees, remounted the scope and in 15 minutes and I was back in business for 1000 yards. Hmm, the Leupold 20 MOA rail had no markings on it for direction.

Below shooters finishing the 750 yard targets

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Below is 1000 yard targets with a large 4 foot steel plate with a 10 inch white square in the middle. The same target we shot at 750 yards but repainted. One at a time we made adjustments to hit the 10 inch white square. To the left and right are steel human silhouette tagets which we engaged once we could put rounds in the 10 inch square. But now for the balloon shoot at 1000 yards. There were strings of 8 and 6 inch multi-colored balloons to shoot. I was able to take out three of these balloons at 1000 yards.

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Below, Jason and I are taking aim at a 8 inch balloon at 1000 yards. We added 1 minute in windage for bullet spin drift (book says 1.2) I took out three balloons to Jason’s one. Not bad for an old fart, eh with at test Savage Model 12 LRP and a Test Leupold VX-3i 6.5-20x50mm scope and store bought ammo. Not bad at all…and I teased him in good humor too.

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In a few days Sig will email a course evaluation. I was elated with the skill and laid back nature of our Instructor Cav. He had a very consistent demeanor all day. At the end of the course we had a debrief and there I gave my grade for Cal who I gave an A+ grade.

I could have used a two gallon thermos of cold water. My Camel bak Hydration back pack worked great but the water got warm faster than I wanted. Could have added more Ice to it. Need lots of cold water when I do this again.

There is a follow-up to this course which goes into detail on Wind doping and Mirage and Calculators for MOA or Mil adjustments.

We all received a Certificate of Completion of the “Reach for 1000 training”.

Ratings for the Model 12 LRP Rifle are easy I give the Rifle an A grade. It never let me down.

The Leupold VX-3i 6.5-20 x50mm was just fantastic and I could see and pop 8 inch balloons at 1000 yards using 20x. The balloons were clear and sharp with great color.

The 20 MOA rail was terrific once we had it pointed in the right direction and the 143 grain Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X bullets were excellent and Match Grade.

I had a great time learned a lot and recommend the rifle, scope and the training to all my friends.

Good Shooting!

© 2016

Savage Model 12 LRP 6.5 Creedmoor System Test Products Arriving updated 5/24

My heart quickens at the thought of testing each new rifle, scope and accessories here at New Hampshire Rifleman… Like Christmas in the summer.  As you are aware if you read articles here at New Hampshire Rifleman, we are going to test the Savage Model 12 Long Range Precision Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor. I am told that this Rifle can really shoot and sports a 26 inch barrel/w 1-8 twist. It just arrived to my FFL. I drove over just minutes ago and filled out the background check as usual and the rifle is home in my office  Wow! We shall see. I used my Lyman Electronic Trigger pull gauge and the Target model accuTrigger weighed in at an  average of 2 lbs pull out of the box. The red target trigger is adjustable  as low as 6 oz and as high as 2.5 pounds.

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I ran a Hornady bullet OAL gauge in the bore to find lands at 2.868 inches w/ my Sierra bullets.

Max SAAMI COL is 2.825 but need one caliber worth of grip to hold bullet which will be closer to 2.80 inches for a safer COL for this bullet.

 

 

 

along with a “New” 2016 Leupold VX-3i/w aggressively redesigned power selector. Shipping to NH Rifleman soon…

a 20 MOA Picatinny rail add-on to reach out there and the famous RX 1200i DNA Laser rangefinder with TBR.

And the test bed Match grade 142 grain bullets from Sierra – The Bulletsmiths®

6.5 mm/.264 Caliber (.264) 142 gr. HPBT MatchKing (100 bullets)

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Cartridges with the new Hornady® ELD-X™ Hunting bullets see earlier article. The Sierra bullets and cartridges have arrived but no rifle yet but it is on its way to my FFL dealer here in Plaistow, NH.

I will hand load the Sierra’s, one at a time… details to come.

Long Range AR-15 – Putting It All Together by Ed Hale

I must admit that there was “much” needed for this AR-15 to be ready for real long distance and it may be that “more” is needed to accurize it. So what did I do to make it more suitable for long distance? Use a systematic approach that  makes sense without going overboard.  And use what you have as much as possible; improvise,adapt and overcome says the “gunny”. I keep saying that, for sure some of that will happen.

cropped-IMG_0909.jpgFirst was to change the mil-spec trigger. As you can see from a previous article I installed a 2 stage Timney Trigger.

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It has 2 pounds pull in the first stage as it is squeezed rearward and then 2 more pounds to break and release the internal hammer within the trigger. It is crisp once the first stage is complete. Next was to put a better scope on it. Leupold’s VX-6 is an outstanding scope  with a working range from 3x to 18x with a 44mm Objective lens.

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The VX-6 is unique in all rifle scopes for its 6:1 Zoom capability, with unserpassed light transmission and optical clarity throughout the entire magnification range. This was the scope that helped me drop my whitetail deer at 300 yards this past fall. See this link.http://www.nhrifleman.com/2015/11/02/savage-11111leupold-vx-6-and-nosler-e-tips-field-test-by-ed-hale/

The scope model includes the Illuminated Boone and Crockett Reticle with the option of creating a Custom Dial System (CDS) for dialing in your favorite bullet, (based on the ballistic coefficient) out to 600 yards. I have not  entertained creating the CDS dial as I keep moving it onto different rifles and calibers. It is such a rock solid scope that I use it to test rifles. Next, I mounted a Mark 2 Integral Mounting System. (See the article on it)

Ammunition: I am using Nosler Custom Competition ammo as you may have already seen in early articles. I will be testing 69, 77, and 80 grain bullets at longer ranges with different powders and cartridge overall lengths.

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I am in training too.

Reloading: I found that Custom hollow point target bullets need special attention when seating them so I did some research and purchased a Redding Custom Competition seating die below. The design of this die and its capability of keeping the cartridge straight and in alignment with the bullet is not only well known but perhaps even legendary.

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Powder: You will need to experiment. Right now I am using Reloader 15 powder.

Reloder 15

Behind the Rifle: I have visited Sniper Hide and found a piece on Breathing and Natural Point of Aim. There is a video there you can purchase. I chose to read and practice. They instruct to break the shot at your natural respiratory pause (meaning at the bottom of your exhale). https://snipershide.mycustomevent.com/ShoppingCart.aspx?com=detailview&iid=103&cid=247

I never trained to shoot at the bottom of my exhale but somewhere in between. I have lots to unlearn it seems but some I did well on too. I need to play with cheek weld on my AR stock too, which will cause your shots to never fly well if you can’t weld your cheek consistently.  I am very unfamiliar with the collapsible stock settings too making it a real learning experience.

 

I found a number of sites you can google on shooting techniques for long range. They are too numerous to list but the word to the wise is practice each day if you want to win matches. Dry fire with snap caps can help but remember only perfect practice makes perfect. I must put lots of bullets down range too using the skills I have learned. You can do it too. I am looking forward to loading up some rounds and burning some powder.

Good Shooting!

© 2016

 

Winter doldrums? Buying ammo and accessories for my Colt .223/5.56mm Carbine! by Ed Hale

Brrr it’s cold out. Stuck inside? Now is the time to stock up for your shooting needs for Coyote and Target. I have been researching best ammo prices for my new .223/5.56 Colt LE 6940 carbine upper with chrome lined barrel seen below. I have an inexpensive Tasco Red/ Green Aim Point on it with 3 moa dot. Cost $37 dollars last year and sat in my safe but will eventually get a better Red/ Green dot or at least try others like the EOTech holographic at a cost of $400-$500 dollars but we shall see there are so many out there. We need to be penny wise and not pound foolish.

Rifle accuracy is amazing but no target data to show yet. I will switch to a scope for longer range testing this summer.

Ed's Colt Carbine

I am pleased that I was able to find decent bargains on bulk 55 grain ammo for my 1/7 twist barrel. At some point I will likely reload the .223 brass and play with heavier bullets for velocity and penetration on game. Since this rifle has few accessories, I purchased a 2 point sling and picatinny sling attachments and a picatinny adapter for a Harris Bipod forward lug. Also got a bore snake for barrel care just for the .223. Notice the forward hand grip that drops at a 45 degrees on the forward rail. This is so the shooter has a good grip for muzzle control.

 

 

VX-6 Boone and Crockett Reticle – Leupold Ballistics Aiming System on Savage 11/111 Long Range Hunter

Experimentation with the Boone and Crockett™ Big Game Reticle is best when a long-range place to shoot out to 400 to 600 yards is available. I did not have that, but went through the exercise with some known information. But I still need a long distance range to proof the work.

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The key to properly using this reticle is to have a laser rangefinder.

Accurate distances mean accurate trajectory once your bullet has been sent downrange at those longer distances. First the VX-6 comes with triangle markings on the zoom ring for some bullet speed groups called Group A and Group B and C cartridges. A large white triangle on the Power Dial is near 18x is designated for bullets muzzle velocities 3000 fps and a small triangle mark on the power dial for slower bullets. Group C cartridges are for very fast bullets 3100 fps to 3400 fps like 7mm RUM and .270 Wby and are sighted in at 300 yard zero verses 200 for A and B groups but use the larger triangle on the power dial at 18x.

The Savage 11/111 Long Range Hunter in 7mm Rem Mag I am testing with the VX-6 and Nosler 140grain E-Tip is in “Category A”  thus it required the shooter to zero the rifle at 200 yards shown above. My range limitation was 150 yards so to estimate the 200 yard zero i used JBM on-line software. I knew the speed of the bullet as I chronographed it already at 2950 fps and are sub-moa accurate.

My 7mm Rem Mag when zeroed at 200 yards is 2 inches high at 150 yards. With this setting and not changing point of aim I am at Max Point Blank range to 270 yards and will stay within a 3 inch radius. At this point the bullet is falling fast and to kill game at 300 yards needs to use the next cross-bar below. At 150 yards as point of aim using the 300 range cross-bar places the bullet nearly 5 inches high and will strike the target 6 inch kill area at 300 yards based on the JBM data of bullet drop at 300 yards. Proof is actually shooting at 300 yards to confirm the bullet placement.

The next bar below is supposed to be the 400 yard bar but because my bullets drag and speed is slowing, it strikes the target at only 335 yards for a kill shot based on drop data from JBM. This bullet at this point is “falling like a rock” due to the effects of gravity squared and accelerating the bullet drop. Accordingly, distance accuracy with a laser rangefinder is an absolute must.

Max Point Blank Range (MPBR) Zero 

The method of Calculating Max Point Blank range all by itself takes the Boone and Crockett reticle out of use as the rifle needs to be zeroed at its maximum zero range of 250 yards with the main cross hair based on the 2950fps and BC of the Nosler 140 grain E-Tip. With this method the rifle has a MPBR of 294 yards. For most of us wanting to shoot long range that is all we need as long as a steady rest is available.

If I was shooting prone position at a test range that was in the 400 yard to 600 yard category the B&C reticle would offer proved solutions to where the lower long distance crosshairs of 400 and 500 yards will fall.

Wind Drift

The two largest factors in long-range accuracy, given that you have a steady rest, is bullet drop and wind drift. The most unpredictable is “wind drift” of your bullet. At a MPBR of 294 yards with a 10mph wind will move your bullet 5 to 6 inches left or right from center per JBM data. A 5 mph wind will push the bullet laterally 2.9 inches in keeping with the 3 inch radius you are trying to keep to. The good news is that wind in the early dawn and dusk where you expect to see game is often negligible.

Hunter Ethics

Having gone through the exercise, the bottom line is hunter ethics. If you have not shot or practiced or proved your crosshair use of B&C at these longer ranges then you should pass on the shot. As I said in an earlier article, that buck may be within your range another day. Patience is a virtue a good hunter learns. We all want a clean kill and a promise to yourself to abide by that is important.

Savage 11/111 Long Range Hunter Rifle and Leupold VX-6 Scope and Nosler Bullets Out of the Box (Part 1) By Ed Hale

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I chose this 7mm Remington Magnum caliber to test because of the availability of ammo and brass for reloading and its outstanding accuracy record at any hunting distance. I chose the rifle because it has so much versatility with the built in cheek rest and muzzle brake. Due to the popularity of this rifle, it took my friends at Savage some time to obtain one for me to test for NH Rifleman publication. We will be testing this rifle with  the Leupold VX-6 3-18 44mm CDS Illuminated Boone and Crockett system and with Nosler E-Tip Expandable solid gilding copper bullets in 140 and 150 grains.

Hunters can spend many thousands of dollars on a fine hunting rifle and never equal the engineered quality of this Rifle at this price point MSRP of $1136. Yes it is not cheap but for what is in this rifle it is truly amazing if it can shoot as well as they say. Read on…

For the Techies like me…The rifle is for right handed shooters with a barrel rate of twist of 9.5 thus for 140 grains to 175 grains bullets are stable.  Stability is calculated at http://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmstab-5.1.cgi where bullets are very stable above a factor of 1.5.

THE RIFLE

The rifle weighs in at  8.65 pounds without scope. Barrel Length is 26 inches and includes a 2 inch muzzle brake that can be turned on and off by a simple twist. Ammo capacity is three rounds and the cartridge is based on the large .375 Holland & Holland Magnum and necked down to 7.2mm or .284 inches. I think of this rifle as a 24 inch barrel with a 2 inch muzzle brake.  So what is so engineered? I liked the Savage videos below to share with our readers all the details. The adjustable cheek rest needs an allen wrench to change the height.

Stock – The AccuStock is engineered to seat the floating barrel firmly in a metal housing. A video presentation makes this clear.  http://savagearms.com/accuracy/accustock/

Trigger – Next is the innovative and Adjustable AccuTrigger  which allows low trigger weights and with Safety primary. The trigger on this rifle is set just under 3 pounds at 2 pounds 15 ounces and breaks crisply. Video http://savagearms.com/accuracy/accutrigger

Barrels are button rifled with a floating bolt head and head-space control and video clips are seen here. http://savagearms.com/accuracy

Recoil Pad and Muzzle Brake

The rifle has a state of the art recoil pad and absorbs lots of felt recoil. But the best option is the Muzzle Brake.  Savage added a 2 inch Muzzle Brake that can be turned on or off, adding more or less to velocity and recoil absorption (Pictured below with the brake activated. See the background through the center holes)

muzzle brake

THE SCOPE

The Leupold Scope is the VX-6 3-18 44mm CDS Illuminated with Boon and Crockett Reticle. We will set the scope on 10x for 100 yards with no Illumination. The body of this scope is too short for the existing mounts on the rifle so a set of high rings and a longer forward mount was purchased from Weaver to move the rings closer together.a zero to 600 ad

THE BULLET

etip

See the You Tube videos of Nosler bullets and E-Tips on the internet.

On one video the bullet began expand on impact of ballistic gel and at 5 to 6 inches and beyond it creates a maximum wound channel of 4 inches for an ethical kill and maintained more than 95% of bullet weight throughout and mushroomed perfectly.

BULLET GROUP TESTS (OUT OF THE BOX) SUB MOA August 7, 2015

Bullets were reloaded according to SAAMI spec’s and Nosler Manual Powder and Load recommendations for each bullet. IMR 4831 powder was chosen because it was available and had a starting load that was already proven to be accurate.

140 grain 100 yard Test at a MV of 2950 fps with 62 grains of IMR 4831 with the Muzzle Brake turned off ( Recoil was very acceptable with 140 grain bullets)

DATA and Photo’s

Group 1 = 1.06 inches

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Group 2 = 0.812 inches

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Group 3 = 0.687 inches

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Average = .853 inches

JBM Ballistics Table for Drop, Velocity, Energy and Max Point Blank Range MPBR for a 6 inch target. Max Point Blank Range is 293 yards when sighted for 250 yard zero. If the wind was 10 mph the shot would be limited to 220 yards without any correction. The maximum height of bullet flight is at 3 inches high at 141 yards.

jbm 140 grain 2950

 

I was thrilled with the rifle, scope and bullet set up as this combination shot sub minute of angle right out of the Box! WOW!!!

© 2105

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ruger M77 Hawkeye Predator 6.5 Creedmoor & Product Tests – Day One

Ruger M77 Hawkeye Predator with Leupold Gold Ring 3-18x44mm

Ruger® M77® Hawkeye® Predator 6.5 Creedmoor & Product Tests – Day One

Day One – I did not waste a moment when I picked up this rifle from my FFL friends at State Line Guns Ammo and Archery in Plaistow today. Yes, I am like a big kid in a candy store when it comes to new rifles and scopes and I am sure most all of your rifleman out there are just the same. Upon receiving the rifle, I inspected it and all was as it should be visually a beautiful rifle with the laminate stock. I mounted the brand new Leupold VX-6 3 -18 x 44mm CDS Scope to test too.(Above Photo by Author). The combination looks stunning! Future Testing includes the use of Hornady Brass, CCI Primers, Hodgdon Hornady Superformance Powder and Sierra bullets a combination that I believe will work supremely well.

I inspected the bore but it was a dull shine so I swabbed the bore with Butches bore bright. It is a good idea to clean the bore of a new rifle so you have a pristine starting point. Test shots are taken at the factory as was very likely in this case.

patchs 1 and 2 from new Ruger 6.5 Creedmoor

(Photo by Author)

The swab on the right was a first pass. Finding this, I ran a brush just once and then swabbed again with the patch to the left. I ran more till the bore was clean. Having owned several Ruger’s,  I placed the bolt in the rifle and it worked smoothly. I did read the manual to see if there was anything new and found there were video’s which could be viewed on line for use and dis-assembly plus the lock they provide for safety and a pair of 20mm Ruger scope rings. Luckily I had a pair of 30mm rings for the Leupold VX-6 to attach to the Ruger scope platform.

I used a Wheeler Fat Wrench to torque the mounting and scope ring screws. (Photo by Author)

Wheeler Fat Wrench

Next is to load the new Hornady cartridge cases, I could not get any Nosler cases as they were out of stock but the Hornady Cases look terrific. (Photo below by Author)

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The brass necks and shoulder have been annealed (softened) for reloading. Now off to the reloading bench. I have found that the necks of this new brass need to be really hand chamfered quite a bit on the inside edge so that the flat base bullet does not distress the case neck angle. I ruined a few cases and bullet heads in the learning process but all is well.  It took some time and trial and error to determine the cartridge length to the rifling inside the barrel (approx.2.53 to 2.6 inches by my reckoning seems a good COL for the 120 grain bullet based on later tests). Once known you should seat the bullet a bit deeper, so as not to contact the rifling. Good reloading manuals will help with this distance away from the lands and it varies from bullet to bullet and brand to brand. I used CCI 200 large rifle primers.

My research indicates that Hodgdon Hornady Superformance Powder is one of the best powders for my Sierra 120 grain Pro Hunter bullet for the 6.5 Creedmoor. Also Alliant’s Reloader 17 has been cited for excellence with the Creedmoor too.

Inspection of several fired rounds indicate that I am good to load up some ammo for another day. The recoil was pleasingly mild and the trigger seemed perfect. I will measure the trigger pull next with an electronic trigger pull gage along with other attributes.

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I loaded less than a recommended load by a grain and a half, shot the round and examined the primer and cartridge. All looked normal so I shot the recommended load and it looked normal as well. Great! Now to load up some rounds for bullet speed by chronograph and accuracy with the new scope for this load and bullet. End of Day One. Much more to come… © 2015

 

 

 

A Box of Gold – The Leupold VX-6

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This is a rifleman’s “Box of Gold.” Inside this box is a device known to rifle hunters World Wide. It contains a Leupold Gold Ring Scope arguably one of the finest rifle scopes on planet earth with its Quantum Optical System. NH Rifleman will test it!

Leupold VX-6 3-18x50

 

This scope is in 3 -18x44mm CDS riflescope with an Illuminated Boone and Crockett Reticle. (Photo from Leupold.) CDS stands for Custom Dial System and a dial can be created free that will be for your best bullet and with a twist dial your yardage. More later.

 

Above is the Boone and Crockett reticle (image from Leupold) and power selector values for cartridges (more on that later). Also visible is the 10 mph shift posts we will use in testing

The Box of Gold also contains an instruction guide, Scope caps and a neoprene cover are the other gems included.  When I was a kid, most hunters that had a scope shot 3 power or 4 power fixed. Then the industry produced a 3-9 power that was affordable, and filled the tube with nitrogen, an inert gas to prevent internal fogging. Today, Leupold uses second generation waterproofing exclusively using a blend of Argon/Krypton gas. Now with supreme engineering and optical know-how Leupold offers hunter the power of close hunting at say 30 yards with the 3x all the way to 600 yards up to 18x. A new way to sing “You Got The Power”, a scope that is best of both short and long-range hunting and target shooting. In the coming months we will talk again and again of our experience with this world-class scope on the Ruger and Savage rifles.  In my testing will include the internal twin bias erector system that can handle most any caliber in the field or in the African bush. Look for more on this scope soon!

 

 

 

A New Rifle and Scope?

So you have a new Leupold VX-1 nice choice. You mounted it on a new rifle 30-06 Springfield, on your favorite Rifle Manufacturer like Savage, Ruger, Remington, Winchester, Kimber, TC and many more.

For discussion sake say you have purchased over the counter Winchester ammo with Nosler 150 grain E-Tips for your hunt. A polymer tipped solid gilding copper bullet that flairs into a mushroom with petals.

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Note: gilding copper leaves very little residue in the barrel unlike other soft copper bullets.

Lets go to the range and bore sight your rifle and scope at 25 yards. After that we want to shoot it at 100 yards to fine tune your shot placement and shoot for group.

375 Ruger and Leupold VX-III side view

And finally we want to determine your Maximum Point Blank Range (MPBR) with this Cartridge. If you are not familiar with this term let me explain. MPBR was developed so that the hunter can hit a kill zone of 6 inches from zero yards to a point where the bullet still falls in the six inch kill circle often well past past 200 yards.

But first things first lets get you sighted in.

(Muzzle velocity of  the 150 grain E-Tip is 2900 fps is written right on the box. This combo is great for short or long range as the e-Tip will stay together as it flairs.  It has an SD (Sectional Density) of .226 and is best for deer, black bear and elk according to many experts. It is great for large New England deer in the 200 lb plus class.) 

Sighting in –  Without spending a dime on bore sighting tools you can take the bolt out of your new rifle and do what is called bore sighting and you won’t have to use up your expensive ammo. If you like some aid in gadgets the Leupold Magnetic Bore Sighter is a great tool. Check it out on the web.

We will need a firm steady front and rear rest. Sand bag rests are great and cheap. My best front rest is a Caldwell for 39 bucks and a sand bag rear rest that cradles the stock.

Place your target that has a one inch grid pattern on it such as a Champion Redfield Sight in Target at a distance of 25 yards.

Redfield targets

Place your rifle on sand bags that hold the rifle with out you touching it. You can use bench rest leather or fabric sand bags or purchase a rest like the Caldwell as I said.

Look down the  bore where the bolt was, and place the bore in the bullseye of a target. keeping the rifle still adjust the scope left right up down so that the scope matches the bore image. You may have to get your rifle in focus by turning the rear focus ocular bell see your Leupold scope manual.

At 25 yards with a scope that has 1/4″ clicks for 100 yards, it will take 4 clicks to move your crosshair 1/4 inch at 25 yards and one click to move it 1/4 inch at 100 yards. If you are 2 inches left visually (no shooting yet)  at 25 yards then you will need to move the scope right. How many 1/4 inches are there in 2 inches? There are 8 therefore multiply  8 x 4 = 32 clicks. It will take 32 clicks to get the scope on the target bull.

Now take a shot. The fore-stock should be in the front rest and not the barrel.

The shot is one inch high and one inch left. Make the same adjustments with the 25 yard formula which is what?

For the one inch high shot you will need to come down 4 x 4 =16 clicks. The same 16 clicks to come right. Yes that is alot of clicks but because you are shooting so close it takes that many to move the point of aim.

Take a shot. Chances are you are smack dab in the x-ring. and you only took 2 shots to get there.

Now place your target at 100 yards.

Take a shot with the scope adjusted to 9 power for better visibility of the bullseye.

Ok you are 3 inches high and one inch to the left. You are almost done. Lets bring the scope down so you are in the bullseye. How many clicks? 12 is correct. And to the right you move windage 4 clicks. Now before I shoot for groups, I will tap a scope lightly with my knuckles like knocking on a door or tap it with a small rubber mallet to set the windage and elevation adjustments firmly into position.

Load a round put the safety on and take it off safe when you are ready to shoot taking 3 shots.

Shoot so that the sand bags do all the work of holding the cross hairs on target so all you need to do is keep the rifle firmly into your shoulder (need a good recoil pad) take a breath and let it out half way. Hold your breath and squeeze the trigger.  Wait 2 minutes or more between shots. Great Group! 3/4 inch at 100 yards! Nice shooting. Shoot another group and average them.

For the hunt you may want to know Maximum Point Blank Range for your 150 grain e-Tip traveling at 2900 fps. The 150 grain has drag Ballistic Coefficient of .469. This is a very good BC. Now go to the Hornady Ballistic Calculator in the header of this website and enter the speed of the bullet and the BC. Choose 550 yards for farthest shot at 50 yard increments. It is a hot day so I chose 80 degrees with a 10 mph wind. I zeroed the rifle at 200 yards.

hornady table 150g e tip

 

As you can see the bullet drops to 2.8 inches below center at 250 yards. Close enough to 3 inches low to call this your MPBR. In other words you are in the kill zone of a big game animal out to 250 yards by holding the cross-hairs dead on in the heart lung area. Wow! Just be aware that the bullet drifted 4 inches at 250 yards with the 10 mph wind so you should compensate or limit your shot to no farther than 200 yards. The wind was the limiting factor here.

Now practice without a bench rest from standing,  kneeling, using a tree to brace your rifle, a backpack as a brace and you will learn your best killing distance.  Learn to shoot with a bolt rifle by working the bolt between shots. Get back on target and shoot again. Practice that a lot so you can just do it at will. You will know when you are getting good! Good Hunting! ©