Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles 24HC Black Rifle Challenge Thread

I shot the 55 gr NBT's this winter and killed pigs and coyotes with the 16" Noveske. I wouldn't be afraid to shoot anything with them or the Vmax's.

I knew the 77 Nosler's didn't shoot as accurate as the Sierra's but they open up a little easier and killed stuff just fine. I probably won't be buying anymore 77's unless I can find some tipped SMK's but I've got a stash of 55's that I have to use up before buying anything else first.

I ordered another LaRue mount and will stick my spare MK4 3.5-10 in it for range use but the 1-6 is still on the gun when I go to kill something. I have yet to find another mount that will beat out LaRue for my uses.

I bought a used LaRue a while back, that was already mounted on the Loopey Mark 6, and it is better than the American Defense, so I'll probably go that route in the future.

Interestingly enough, the way we tested accuracy on service rifles was the stupid carry handle mounts, that are not very expensive and don't look like much, but yet even with those I've shot groups as small as about 1.25 inches at 600 yards for 5 shots.

Amazes me to see that you have to buy expensive mounts to retain accuracy but as you know I don't run optics on ARs much.

The best setup I have is a riser and regular rings on a 6x6.8 First hunting load of TSX it shot under an inch easily and one shot groups for zero checks are usually on or within half an inch of target at 100.

That being said, I don't think that buying a top line mount hurts anything at all.

TWR, 75 bthps, which cannot be pushed as hard as 77s, will open up as will 73 bergers. FWIW. I've shot a LOT of stuff with 75 bthps and never had reason to complain. A fluke really as I have a shoe box of loads, maybe 1500 when I started for practice stuff, and had quit shooting, so in need of ammo, took em on a pig hunt and they worked just fine so started calling that my grab and go ammo.

I have not shot much with 77s, but all has died, but I don't have much of a sample there.

Those are great for 1 shot per bull and force your NPA on you big time. I'd think that a great cold bore test for your optics setups! But make it a diamond instead of round bull for the optics. At least I like those the most. NOt that I will ever shoot the optics session.

yes sir, I have two of them and like the LT-104 a lot, maybe I will just get a third. I experimented with the Aeromount and while it is very very light I found that the screws backed out of the clam shell holding the optic after using it for a few months. I have the VX-6 on the .308 now in the Aeromount and the screws are now "farmer tight". We will see what we will see.

I can actually get the ADM mount 70 cheaper than LaRue but choose to pay extra because I like them better. The only reason I use these is their return to zero capability. If I was going to just mount a scope and zero it then shoot, I'd be happy with Armalite or even RR. We used to use the ARMS #5 riser and rings back in the day.

Jeff forgive me but what is NPA?

I used to shoot these targets with my 22's at 50 and 100 yards, 5 shot groups in each one just for fun.

Oh and the 75 HPBT's worked fine and I could gain more speed with them but they would not shoot in a few of my guns so I quit trying them. Maybe it was due to being pushed too hard or I didn't try the right combination of components.

I bought a used SWFA 16x last night, which will go on a bull barrel Armalite 15T. That one will probably get an inexpensive mount as the rifle is mainly a varminter.

2650 to 2700 IIRC was about as fast as you could push 75s, and get any accuracy..

RE NPA, my bad as they say, Natural Point of Aim.

If you were to sling up and I even can tell if off a rest, and relax so taht you were pointed at the center bull basically, then move the gun to each bull and shot, each shot will be off just a hair, all due to the fact that you are not letting the gun point naturally at that bull, but actually moving it over with your muscles... If it recoils a hair left, the shot will be a hair left too boot.

Gotcha, I have a buddy who each time he starts out he dry fires several times before he loads up. I need to take more time but always seem to be in a hurry.

Tex, the super chickens are really nice if you dial any at all, very repeatable. I had this one on my 22 and never did get the dials to not move where I wanted them to. Glass is not terrible but if everything is just not right with conditions, I can't see 22 holes at 100 yards unless they are in the white.

Much better than the one I looked at several years ago.

Dry firing even off the bench, though I didn't do it the other day, it took me about 5 rounds to get good with the 5 pound trigger again..., can make a really big difference.

With optics if the crosshairs move, IE more than a tiny bit, and especially if they don't just quiver and end up where they were when you pulled the trigger, if they jump to the side even 1/4 inch, its likely a bad shot. Maybe not bad vs impact, but it certainly could have been better.

I don't have issues with the SS scopes, have one on the 50 bmg. Not my idea of percectly clear or a low light scope, but its been repeatable dealing with the recoil over a number of years now.

And if scopes don't track right, generally if you go 10 past whatever you were putting on and take 10 back off again, IE moving it 6 up, go 16 up, 10 down, you'll be ok as it tends to get rid of the thread slop...

Same with non pinned AR iron rear sights.... flip the sight against the sping and detent especially on elevation changes to make sure it hasn't drug/hung up...

I always like to dry fire practice.

When I was a kid and was involved in NRA small-bore the retired Sgt. Major that ran the program would have us dry fire with a nickel balanced on the barrel until we could consistently do it without the nickel falling off.

This is my official entry for now. I shot these groups using my AR with a Noveske lower and a Daniel Defense upper. The barrel is a 20 inch Bushmaster with a hard chrome bore. The barrel is not floating.
The ammunition used was some of the cheapest stuff that I had laying around. It is corroded and dented and came that way from the factory. I probably would not have shot it from an expensive barrel, but it still shoots good.
I'm satisfied considering how little I shoot ten shot groups. Sixty three year old eyes tend to blur things out if you stare at it very long. Mine tends to go around shot three. The scope is a new Burris 4.5x14 with an ocular that you can focus. I haven't yet.
This is a great thread and a fun project. Thanks!



The groups and specs. Average group size 1.514.


The Rifle


The range. Yes, I know, same range as Mathsr. Same dog too.

Rost,
Thats good shooting whether you like it or not. Something to work towards for all of us.

Scenarshooter,
I knew GAP's would shoot but daaannnggg. Thats a laser, good shooting and congrats, I think you will be in first place for a while.

TWR,
Nice shooting, looking better and better.

348srfun,
Not bad at all considering the non-floated chrome lined barrel. Really good in my opinion. If yall would mow the grass out there it wouldn't deflect my shots as much and I could be up there with scenarshooter.


Current Rankings:

Optics:
1) scenarshooter: .475 MOA (page 6)
2) jimmyp: 1.085 MOA (page 5)
3) TWR: 1.110 MOA (page7)
4) Certifiable: 1.155 MOA (page 5)
5) wareagle700: 1.246 MOA (page 1)
6) BGunn: 1.265 MOA (page 2)
7) 348srfun: 1.449 MOA (page 7)
8) tex_n_cal: 1.461 (page 5)
9) jimmyp: 1.537 MOA (page 5)
10) fredIII: 1.736 MOA (page 5)
11) Formidilosus: 1.787 MOA (page 4)
12) Mathsr: 1.928 MOA (page 4)
13) wareagle700: 1.968 (page 5)
14) TWR: 2.308 MOA (page 1)

Iron Sights:
1) rost495: 199-8x / 1.351 MOA (page6)
2) wareagle700: 167-0x / 3.320 MOA (page 1)

Wareagle700, 358's are fun and I like shooting mine but 348's are more fun and I like shooting them more, especially the O&U. 348srfun is the name. Our mower died a long and painful death. Working on another one, probably after the Blade Show.

this has been a lot of fun, I am thinking of shooting it with M855 and a Colt with an aimpoint.

And when you start to get really good, you realize how many mistakes you can still make and not knock the penny or nickel off.... IE its a great starting point, but once you keep it on, you are not done working with your issues.

Yeah, I will buy & use once fired stuff for my AR's & will also use it in my bolt gun, but for the very best loads in the bolt gun, I prefer to start with virgin brass fire formed in that chamber for subsequent reloading.

Just me, YMMV.

MM

nothing wrong with virgin brass. At all.

I shoot a couple of wildcats and new brass is well undersize anyway, so its all fireformed again after sizing, and then can go to neck size only for a while in some good ARs.

only issue I've seen after sizing to my chambers, is if it was fired in a saw or such with sloppy chamber you may be ICS early...

where have all the Mini 14 aficionado's gone? Come on guys we won't beat you up that bad! Just post a couple of 10 shot groups with XM193, we can blame it on the ammo!!!