poor range day - 02/10/19
I loaded an 1899 SRC and some 99's in the pickup and went out to the range yesterday. The temperature readout in the pickup said it was -13. Maybe that was a clue I should have waited for another day. I built a fire in the range house stove first. Then brought in the rifles and shooting paraphernalia. I tried the 99DL with the 24" barrel, 300 Savage first. It misfired, so I partially opened the bolt to recock and tried again. That time it fired. Factory ammo with copper primers. When I tried the second bullet it wouldn't fire even after 4 or 5 attempts. Put it back in the case and fired the offended round in the EG. The forearm fell off the EG. Don't need no stinking forearm, I was resting the receiver on the lead sled anyway. Got it sighted in at 15 and then 50 yards. Next I broke out the 1960 99E in 300 Savage. I'd mounted the Bausch & Lomb Balvar 8A scope the day before. I didn't notice that the windage adjustment was turned all the way to the left. It shot way right and the windage screw wouldn't move in either direction. Put it back in the case. The SRC and the 18 1/2" barrel 308 99F were already zeroed for 100 yards. I had put a new forearm on the F. The first shot was pretty high, each succeeding shot went several inches higher than the last shot. Probably 4 total. I pulled the forearm off and zeroed the rifle. The SRC shot a 2 7/8" group with some unknown 165 gr. round nose bullets and 29 gr. 4064, Then shot a 1 916" group with Sierra 150 gr. flat nose 30-30 bullets and 29.5 gr. 4064. I've shot better groups with this carbine with this last load. Then I tried the EG, it threw bullets all over the target. Then the F. I don't know where it was shooting but not on the paper. The stove brought the temp in the building up some but my water bottle which was near the opening I was shooting through was starting to freeze. The guns came from a room that was about 45 degrees and I had the heater on in the pickup. It had warmed up to about 14 by the time I left. I'm assuming the DL had some pre-existing problem. I haven't had a pre-mil bolt apart yet but am going to tackle it. Could the erratic groups of the other rifles be from the cold?
pics
99DL 300 w. Vari-X 2-7 scope, 99E 300 w. B&L Valvar 8A and 99F 308 Leupold 2 1/2 compact
The SRC 30-30, Weaver KV and 1948 vintage EG 300 w. Kollmorgen 2 1/2 scope and windage adjustable Stith mount
SRC's 1 9/16" group
SRC's 2 7/8" group
either group would do in an elk at 100 yards.
David
pics
99DL 300 w. Vari-X 2-7 scope, 99E 300 w. B&L Valvar 8A and 99F 308 Leupold 2 1/2 compact
The SRC 30-30, Weaver KV and 1948 vintage EG 300 w. Kollmorgen 2 1/2 scope and windage adjustable Stith mount
SRC's 1 9/16" group
SRC's 2 7/8" group
either group would do in an elk at 100 yards.
David