Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Technique for shooting ultra light rifles

I shoot one 3 shot group every time I go to the range, by the third shot I'm really anticipating the recoil. As good as this gun shoots, carries and feels if I can't beat the recoil I'm going to get rid of it

JB,

Have you run that test with Kimber Montanas?

IME, they are the only ones that insist on some kind of hold on the forearm to remain consistent.

Particularly with my 84M 7-08 and 308 Montanas, they will hum 2 or 3 on the money laid across a pack/towel, or other rest which is not too hard, but will send the occasional flyer which I attribute to some level of inconsistency that I am allowing in muzzle jump - since they will stay consistent if I hang onto them up front.

I'm wondering if full length bedding on a really light contour flyweight rifle might not be of more benefit than on Sporter weight barrels - and may even be better than bedded and floated.

My Montanas shoot well enough I probably won't full length bed them, but I wonder how one would act full length bedded.

DJ

DJ,

No, I haven't run that test on Kimber Montanas. The two cebterfire Kimbers I have right now are both walnut-stocked, and they shoot just fine without me holding onto the forend--though I do use a folded towel over the front bag.

I also have a Merkel K-1 single-shot .308 that weighs about 6-3/4 pounds with scope, and it shoots very accurately with the forend rested over a towel/bag or daypack.

Thanks, JB.

I don't see extreme flyers with them without a forend hold unless I'm shooting off a hard bag. Learned this lesson the hard way with my first Montana - a 300 WSM. Hanging on and padding that rest cured its ills, and I've done it ever since.

But even off a gunsock (which I generally use instead of a towel, but to the same effect), the Montanas I've run are a bit more consistent if I have a forend hold.

Incidentally, my Montana 223 is the most forgiving and fun to shoot of the lot - for obvious reasons - but it just wants to hit where it should beyond all reason. I've shot silly groups at 300-400 yards with it from field positions - off sticks and packs and my knee - sometimes in more wind than seems reasonable. Just dial elevation, make a pretty good guess on wind and start shooting, and it seems to almost seek the target.

It is the most fun and naturally great shooting rifle I've ever played with, and should only get better when I shoot the barrel out and AI it.

I killed a doe on a dead run with it this year at around 100 yards on the last day of the season - just swung through her and daylighted her a little and stuck it right behind her shoulder. Felt like wing shooting with a really well balanced shotgun.

An ultra light can sure shine if it fits right.

DJ

My FWT 30-06 is in a very light HS stock from a long time ago. Bare rifle goes about 6.25 pounds.

I find that it "wanders" ever so slightly if I don't hold on to it a bit in the forend. However, this varies according to how hard the front bag is. Sometimes I use a pant leg filled with corn, that one doesn't wander much. But if using a standard sandbag, it does make it move around some. Similar to JB's towel idea. So, maybe my groups moved based on hardness of the substrate only, but they never seem to change if I use my hand to hold the forend.

Also, off sticks, the gun seems to shoot a lot better groups if I use my front hand to simply hang on to the forend.

The other reason I took to holding the forend down was that I used to shoot only 180 grainers, and in that light rifle they bit my cheek pretty good if I just let it sit there on the front bag. I've found that even just laying the weight of my front hand across the barrel tends to make it come back straighter.

I'll let you borrow my Montana if you let me borrow your NULA. I promise I'll take it bear hunting a bunch and beat the [bleep] out of it

Dan,

Thanks for the great offer! Unfortunately, I've already beat the bleep out of the NULA....

v

Well gee John, if you've already trashed the NULA, just send it me. I collect abused rifles.

I learned that too. Suddenly the difference between a .7" group and a 1.0" groups seem rather insignificant.

I get horrible vertical stringing unless I take a very firm hold on the forend of light rifles. .243 on down shoot fine, but once recoil goes up, yikes!

That's the great thing about an "ugly" rifle. If you beat the [bleep] out of it, it doesn't get any uglier

I would never do that kind of stuff to a rifle from D'Arcy or the likes.

Yeah, that's what synthetic stocked rifles are for.

Not that my walnut-stockec custom rifles don't have some dings, but when the going might get really tough I tend to reach for one of my relatively few syn-stocked rifles. Since this NULA's a .30-06, it gets reached for a lot. It's also so accurate and easy to shoot that it gets used quite a bit for testing scopes for articles--partly because a 6-1/2 pound (scoped) .30-06 has enough recoil to shake an iffy scope apart.

You know, I've been struggling what to build for my next rifle and Glen doesn't need specifics just yet.

Now its a toss up between a 6 1/2 pound 30-06 or a 7 1/2 pound 338 WM.

I need to take a trip down your way and shoot that NULA sometime

That would be fine. I've also got a Model 28 .257 Weatherby, and Eileen might even let you shoot her M20 .257 Roberts.

I just saw this..Owning four (I think) Nulas and having messed around with a bunch more I agree with MD in that they really shoot much better off a soft padded rest or held in your hand. Soft rest in the field include your hands, back packs,hunting jackets, cowboy hats, bed rolls, moss, and?? All have worked well.

Off the bench a sinclair rest with a leather bag and folded towel in the front,a sand filled bunny bag in the rear forward of the rear swivel. In the front I position the rest so it is pretty far back towards the trigger gaurd. If I am really looking for small groups I will put a piece of masking tape on the forend where it sits in the rest so the gun is positioned exactly the same each time. I also hold the forearm in front of the rest on all except my .223.

The NULA's are the only light weight rifle I have shot that pretty much come straight back without much muzzle rise.

I like em.


Lefty C

It would be fun

Theory has it that a guy like me, who likes to use a real sling, would experience quite a zero shift. I'd like to see once and for all if its theory, or true.

And then there's always the fact that good whiskey won't drink itself

JB
Just checking, if you or anyone else might know what the Ballistic Coefficient is on the above 180 grain bullet.

Thanks for your time.

Dan,

I suspect you would be surprised at how little effect a tight sling has on a NULA, due to the very stiff stock. But when shooting at longer distances I much prefer to rest the rifle over a daypack, so....

If you make it down, we can come up with some sort of Irish rotgut!

Hammerdown,

My guess is that it's a lot like the protected-point 180 Nosler Partition, since the profile is very similar. The PP 180's is around .360 as I recall.

The number is kind of irrelevant, however, unless you have a bunch of the old ammo or bullets lying around.

Thanks John