The NEW Leupold VX®-3i 6.5-20X50mm CDS Target Scope from Leupold and Stevens is an improved version of the VX-3 where I verified that the power dial is much easier to turn, especially with gloved hands in the field. https://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/vx-3i-riflescopes/vx-3i-6-5-20x50mm-30mm-side-focus-cds-target 

With a 30mm tube it draws light in like a magnet from the 50mm Objective Lens and its Twilight Max Light Management provides maximum brightness in all colors and intensifies contrast on the range and in the field. The tall turrets are designed for ease of use and visibility to change windage and elevation setting on the go. The scope does not come cheap, its MSRP is $1169.99 but I have seen it for just under $900 on-Line. You get what you pay for. This scope is capable for long range hunting and varmint and comes with its famous dual erector springs so it can take a beating with a big bore rifle. Setting the Zero on the turret is easy to do with the provided Allen wrench. This wrench is very small indeed so keep it in a safe place. Each turret has three Allen screws to loosen to free the dial so it can be turned to Zero as seen in the photo below. I have dialed in a 600 yard solution and turned the elevation dial and fired Hitting just out of the bullseye on the first shot. The adjustments are crisp with a felt and heard (audible) click and right on.

In the image above you can see the elevation turret with the Allen wrench sticking out and the side focus on the left with hash marks. The Side focus really aids it creating a sharp image. At 600 yards the F Class target X ring as seen through the scope is as clear as day so you can count the points on an Elk just as easy from that range. Leupold scopes are really rugged and can take the abuse of hard hunting.

From the website above Leupold states: “America’s favorite riflescope just got better. VX-3i brings legendary Leupold Gold Ring performance to a new level. Twilight Max Light Management System provides maximum brightness in all colors and intensified contrast across the entire field of view. Dual Spring Precision Target Adjustments perform with match grade precision and when paired with the Custom Dial System (CDS) long range shooting solutions have never been easier. The 30mm maintube dramatically increases windage and elevation travel while the side focus adjustment makes fine-tuning parallax effortless. The easy turn power selector can be quickly turned, even with gloves on while watertight seals ensure fog free performance for a lifetime.”

“Versatile magnification ranges and an attractive new look make the Leupold VX-3i riflescopes ideal for virtually any hunting situation. The aggressively redesigned power selector is easy to grasp and turn and allows the shooter to quickly verify the power setting even with gloved hands.

The Twilight Max Light Management System delivers the highest average light transmission in all colors with emphasis on the blue and red portions of the light spectrum for exceptional low light performance and contrast in all conditions.

Edge blackened lenses reduce diffusion and glare to improve resolution and contrast. Second generation Argon/Krypton gas more effectively resists thermal shock and the dual spring precision adjustment system ensures match grade repeatability and strength.

Top it all off with DiamondCoat 2™ external lens coatings for scratch resistance and you can see why the VX-3i is the first, last, and only name in riflescopes. As always, each Leupold Gold Ring riflescope is factory tested to be the ultimate in ruggedness, reliability and absolute waterproof integrity. Covered by the Leupold Full Lifetime Guarantee.”

There are many fine articles on the web that discuss this load combination but every rifle is different so loads with powder and bullets need to be worked up carefully and safely. This is a continuation of a series of articles here on this site highlighting the rifle, a Savage Model 12 Long Range Precision Rifle with the Leupold VX-3i 6.5-20 X 50mm. Both are a marriage made in heaven and work seamlessly together. See the image on the front page. In addition to this great marriage of rifle and scope we add Sierra 142 grain HPBT Match bullets lit by H4350 Powder seen in a recent article here.

Earlier articles used newer cases that were full length resized. Below I used cases that were twice used and neck sized. An advantage of using cartridge cases previously used in the same rifle is that they now fit the chamber perfectly and have a positive effect on group to a degree that is often noticeable. Since I am relatively new to the rifle some accuracy comes from the shooters comfort with the rifle, scope and loadings. That would be me!  I reloaded the H4350 with slightly hotter loads for the Sierra 142 grain HPBT observing for signs of high pressure adding a tenth of a grain at a time at near max loads.

Weather sunny with 12 oclock  0 to 5 mph wind. Ideal!

Shooter – Ed Hale

Group 1 was a three shot group that I previously tested in an earlier article with the best being 0.235 inches. This group was 0.3 inches. No data measured.

Group 2 is a 5 shot group with a flyer using 40.5 grains powder. With the flyer it shot 0.7 inches. If take out the flyer it is 0.36 inches.

Velocities; 2653,2630,2641,2633,2638

Mean (Average):2639

Range 23 fps

Population Standard Deviation, σ=7.9

This is a very tight spread.

Group 3 is a 5 shot group with 40.6 grains of H4350 measuring 0.34 inch spread.

Velocities 2661,2656,2648,2624,2633

Population Standard Deviation, σ=13.922643427166

Range is 37.

Mean (Average):2644.4

Best group with widest velocity range if the chronograph is correct. Best to repeat this test to be sure of the Range calculation.

Group 4 is a 5 shot group with 40.7 grains of H4350 measuring 0.69 inch spread and still no case or primer issues.

Velocities 2636,2655,2650,2636,2645

Population Standard Deviation, σ 7.5524830353997

Mean (Average): 2644.4

Range 19

The Target tells some of the story.

Low Range and Std Dev σ is best.

I have added today 6/22/16 image

Tested H4350 at 41.1 grains Group 1 and G2 at 41.2 grains powder trying to achieve a speed of 2700 fps and I did.

UPDATE BELOW FOR 6/22/16

Group 1 on 6/22/16 41.1 grains was a cold barrel and the first shot pulled right 1/2 inch. the other 4 shots grouped less than 1/2 inch statisticical variation of range “R”  in group 1 was 46 fps thus would exceed 3 sigma in standard deviations from the mean and will group poorly at long range.

2706,2693,2696,2659 One data point was not captured so i used the 4.

Population Standard Deviation, σ 17.69

Range R = 45

Mean (Average): 2688.5

Very poor long range reliability as the range and standard deviation conclude poor confidence.

Group 2 on 6/22/16 is 41.2 grains H4350 and measured 0.49 inches of 5 shots.

Chronograph of each shot 2687,2691,2708,2702,2687 in fps. Use an online Std Deviation calculator.

Population Standard Deviation, σ 8.5
Mean (Average): 2695

Range R=21 fps

This is excellent! Speed is there and the Standard Deviation is below 10 and with a range or spread of 21 fps the rifle should shoot very well at long distances with this load. A real winner and for all intent it is a 2700 fps load that can win at 600 yards in F class competition.  I would like more speed but this will work.

Note there are barrel harmonic vibrations at play and each barrel is different. By testing in this way you are trying to shoot in the valley of the rifles harmonic vibrations. I did note that the barrel performed more consistent when it was warmed with a few shots first.

The quality and clarity of the Leupold VX-3i 6.5 -20 x50mm makes a huge difference for me the shooter. The image was so crisp that I could hold within 1/8th inch of crosshairs or less and is specifically designed for long range. At 100 yards I shot it at 14X. This scope has a side focus to reduce parallax. More on this scope soon!

© 2016

For those just joining us today to read about the Savage Model 12 LRP Bolt Action Rifle, take a moment and look back at recent articles introducing the Savage Model 12 and the Leupold VX-3i Scope I am testing. This will aid in a full picture of the testing we are doing. This is a competitive target rifle that can shoot 600 to 1000 yards in a NRA competitive shoot… and win.

It was the first time that I took the Savage Model 12 Long Range Precision Rifle to the Nashua 600 yard range just a few days ago. It was with all the seriousness of a Competitive shooter that I came to shoot at Thursday practice.

Planning included significant research into the Rifle itself, the scope used, the bullet,powder, seating die and Cartridge Overall Length. Read earlier articles.

The day was very breezy with a shifting 11 to 12 o’clock wind that peaked at 20 mph and averaged around 10 mph. Yes some would say that was easy with wind blowing at me, the wind was blowing “mostly” at me but on occasion swirled right to left unpredictably. Temperature was about 60 degrees and humidity low. I was on time to shoot but was partnered with someone who was not shooting F class and was shooting first. That meant I was headed to the shooting pits to pull targets for him first and I got to shoot later. The target above represents 2 shooters, I have studied the target before I shot and confident of my shot groups. What appears evident is that shooting close to a bullseye is not a 10, it is a 9. I shot lots of 9’s with some in the 10 and one or 2 in the X ring. At 100 yard this rifle is sub-MOA all day long, so to have a 10 inch spread seems way off until you include wind. Matter of fact it was a very tight group but needed more skill to click left a 1/4 (1.5 inches) and maybe down 1/4 Minute to center over the 10 ring. Burning powder at the range will help that. What was so satisfying is the work I did with my rear sand bag height. It was as perfect as I could want. The crosshairs could be adjusted with a little rear pressure to hold steady on the X ring. Each shot was comfortable to shoot with light recoil due to the 12 pounds of the rifle and scope. I calculated a 15 minute correction from 100 yards to shoot 600 yards with my JBM Software. My first shot was a 9. Nice! I was very impressed with the Leupold VX3i 6.5×20 50mm scope. It is an improved version with an easily turned power dial. As I was in the Pit first I got to see what other shooters were doing. Honestly I did extremely well but there were a few hot shot shooters that I did not see shoot. Those folks are my real competition and my own best self. I was pleased with my partner and his speed of marking and putting up my target. I was done first of 12 shooters.

So at 100 yards I grouped sub MOA less than 1 inch at 100 yards. My best 3 shot group is less than 0.25 inches but my 600 yard range leader says I need more speed than 2600 fps to buck the wind so I may give some MOA accuracy to get some speed to the target. That is a work in progress. As you can see below the Savage is a BIG barreled Rifle and without the scope it is a hefty 11 pounds. Three pounds or more than a big game rifle. Its primary task is Competitive Shooting at long range such as F Class. The rifle can be used when hunting from a stand or blind with a monopod, bipod or tripod but there are better lighter rifles for that. See the Savage article on the Model 11/111 I took to North Carolina for deer hunting.

Lower right is sight in 3 rounds to get on an orange square. Upper left is group 1, lower left is group 2.  I realized at that moment that my cheek weld could be better and perhaps part of the problem. Then I shot three rounds for group number three at 0.235 inches. So the take away was that a good cheek weld with this scope was vital and it paid off.

Hunting rifles are not designed to shoot 20 rounds in 15 minutes and keep the barrel cool and on target for long range accuracy, they are designed to kill game in the first few shots. So if you have a hankering for competition like i do then it is a great rifle. I have two more competitions this summer with this rifle so we shall see what I can do. The competitive path will surely make me a better long range shot while hunting. More to come…

Good Shooting!

© 2016

My first shots with Savage Model 12 today. My best group 1/2 inch at 100 yds out of the box. Of course we will shoot even better as I get accustomed to the rifle. Today I used my Leupold VX-6 at 10 power. Bullets were Sierra 142 g HPBT with 40.7 g  H4350 powder and CCI BR-2 primers. Wind was swirling 5-10 mph mostly toward the shooter from 12 oclock or around there.

The new Hornady® ELD-X™ (Extremely Low Drag eXpanding) bullet is designed for hunting performance at long ranges  and mushroom as low as 1800 fps (its design speed low end and still mushroom). At close range it  expands correctly and stays together says Hornady at almost point blank range too. A bullet for all practical ranges. I will be testing some in 6.5 Creedmoor 143 grain shortly for Match accuracy. Claim to fame Heat Shield™ Tip for Extremely Low Drag (BC G7 is 0.315). Check it out!! More to come…

http://www.hornady.com/store/6.5mm-.264-143-gr-ELD-X/

Button Rifling has, in the past, been seen as the best in producing highly accurate barrels. It is accomplished by forcing a button like device down a barrel to cut grooves or rifling.  It is not a volume process and the devil is in the Quality Control details including barrel lapping.

But today, Heavy Machine Hammer Forged barrels produce barrels just as accurate and in volume. Quality Control again is necessary to ensure a barrel will shoot well. Some companies are legendary in the button rifle barrel making process and hold a place in the hearts of Competitive shooters even today but again, no volume and higher cost.

Ruger and others makes hammer forged barrels that can shoot 1/2 inch groups or better out of the box based on my testing, so that means 1 inch groups at 200 yards. For hunting that is all you need unless you are target shooting in competition.

But more than that, the technology of hammer forging keeps getting better, so expect that hammer forging to advance and make button rifling less attractive but it will never disappear as button rifle barrel making and lapping is an art form and skill of a human metal smith. And a few of these metal smiths are near magicians in the art of barrel making.

In the end, as a hunter I am very happy with hammer forged barrels and their greatly reduced cost and quality bedding.

Good Shooting!

© Copyright 2016

I have never swapped out a barrel before but my son Jason has. So we will endeavor to see the new barrel and talk shop with Jason to take the barrel off a Savage 110 and put a new one on. And more…

Advanced Shooters – First and foremost, if you are going to hunt long range western game such as elk, deer, antelope beyond 300 yards then you must practice at long ranges beyond 300 yards. It can and is being done all the time by skilled folks with a math background. I have only shot game out to MPBR Max Point blank range of 300 yards and shot target to 600 yards. This exercise was good for me and good for the game I hunt.

Below is an exercise only for those that are advanced shooters and willing to practice at longer shots. Out west where you can sometimes see for a mile or more, necessitates having this skill to bring home the bacon. I need more training too if I consider this as an option.

Ethics are a constant in my mind and should be in yours as well. If you are prone to uncontrollable buck fever this article may not be for you. The exercise though has some value for those thinking they can just kill a deer at 500 yards without these skills are dreaming.

The recent long range competitive rifle match I participated in gave me confidence that all of the detail work in understanding my rifle, scope, and bullet speed can kill game at longer ranges than Max Point Blank Range which is usually 240 to 330 yards. The spoilers in this type of hunting is often wind, angle of shot, altitude, energy delivered e.g. (1000 ft-lb for deer) and bullet design speed (e.g. 2000 fps). If the wind theoretically blows your bullet off the 6 inch kill zone but you know the wind angle and speed then you can correct for it by creating a table for elevation, windage,and energy delivered and make that shot.

The tools you need are a chronograph, rangefinder, wind meter or wind knowledge and time at the range determining the best hunting bullet and powder to deliver the tightest variation in bullet velocities, Ballistic Software – I use JBM Ballistic software for free on-line trajectory calculation and to determine come-up clicks or minutes needed to hit the heart lung area of game (6 inches for deer, 8 inches for elk)  and also for windage adjustments.

 http://www.jbmballistics.com/ballistics/calculators/calculators.shtml

Laser rangefinders are a given in the above situation and must adjust for shot angle solutions as well in steep terrain. Leupold makes great rangefinders. I have tested the Leupold RX 1200i DNA and find it works well on distance and angle for bow or rifle with max range around 1000  or so yards. The steadier you hold to rangefinder, the more accurate it is.

On Bullets – I am a huge fan of Nosler AccuBond® and Nosler E-Tips® for hunting big game. I have killed moose and bison with the AccuBond and deer with the E-Tip. I am a fan of all gilding copper bullets but for long distance the AccuBond is one of my go-to bullets. Example: 6.5 Creedmoor 142 grain AccuBond Long Range is in the drop down menu for the bullet

Step 1 Velocity must be chronographed with the actual rifle and bullet. e.g. 2635 fps with RL-15 powder. I have the SHOOTING CHRONY F1 **MASTER** Chronograph – FPS – at $120 dollars.

Step 2 Zero Scope at 100 yards and set elevation dial to zero as in my Leupold VX-6 and side focus to 100 yards.

Step 3 Use JBM ballistics to calculate come up clicks for given ranges and create a table for distance, minute correction for drop, wind deflection and energy, velocity limits. Set zero range in the software at the distance you want to shoot and then read the bullet MOA adjustment at 100 yards

Distance to game is approximately 400 yards by your rangefinder. Place 400 yards in the “zero range” of the software and hit calculate. At 100 yards where you actually zeroed the rifle will indicate on the software printout that you will need to adjust 7.7 minutes of up elevation to make that shot at 400 yards. Adjust the elevation dial to about 7.7 minutes and side focus to 400 yards See below.

The more complete your table is for range say in 25 yard increments than you can see more accurately your come-up adjustments in minutes. Let’s say your deer was 425 yards give or take then the table you will have in the field will indicate 8.5 minutes for 425 yards, Get it? That is 3 3/4 inches to adjust for that 25 yard difference.

Wind Meter – Kestrel 1000 or similar for under 100 bucks can help with wind. See the article below for more on wind values

http://snipersnest.tripod.com/index-5.html 

Cartridges and game kills at ranges beyond 300 yards include my favorites such as .270 Winchester,  7mm Rem. Mag, 300 Win Mag on up to .338. The .270 WSM seems popular for LR hunters and there is also a long range following for the 7mm STW (Shooting Times Western) that can reach out to nearly 700 yards with 1000 ft-lbs energy at a 2000 fps bullet speed. Recoil becomes an issue for these larger calibers. Lots to think about for sure, but if you want to go this route then, it can be done.

Otherwise your calculated Max Point Blank Range with JBM software  is a great solution where you just range your distant game, aim and shoot out to your MPBR of say 270 or so yards based on your rifle and be done with all the fuss.

Good Shooting!

© 2016