My 14-yr-old son needed an adult rifle, as he has outgrown his youth model. I saw a Vanguard .243 at Walmart on Sunday for $249, and couldn't pass that up. He needed a scope, and I wanted a new scope. So, I gave him the one on the MkV .340 and put a new scope on the .340. Sighing it in after bore-sighting it yesterday, among others, I got the following groups at 100 yds:

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The lower hole on the upper-right group is two shots, and the middle one is four shots (two through the right hole). Again, I wore the shoulder-pad thingy, which makes the process quite comfortable. It took me a few more rounds to sight in than I would have hoped because, at one point, I adjusted the windage left when I meant to go right. It was a rushed session (while my son was shooting his .243 in the next lane) because I had to get us back home for dinner. So, I didn't get the chance to keep the barrel cool and it likely was increasing in temperature with each group. The bottom two on the right target were the last two of those shown, and they are the largest, though still not bad. I assume that may be a barrel temperature thing. I shot one more group at another target, and it opened up to about 1-1/2". So, not having time to cool the barrel down, we packed up and left. I will tweak it again tomorrow.

For what it's worth, the 26" barrel doesn't bother me likely because of the way I carry the rifle--on a Safari-style sling; like with my .375 Wby in the pic below. The barrel is going slightly in front of me where I am going. Sometimes, the barrel is down; sometimes, it is up. Sometimes, I actually use it to push small branches or thorns out of my way in brushy areas. I don't think I have ever caught myself hoping for two fewer inches on it. I have hunted the same woods in Virginia with both my 7mm Wby UL with a 26" barrel and a .308 DPMS Hunter with a 20" barrel, and I could not have been less affected by having the 26" barrel when I carried the 7mm. I know it is commonly accepted as fact that a short-barreled rifle is better for hunting in the woods, but that just hasn't been my experience.

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