Range is Hot!

It is! I decided to visit range today (yesterday actually) and when I was shooting it was around 36C (97F) on the range. But little discomfort should not stop anybody from visiting shooting range!

I took my HK MR223 to verify zero with new muzzle device. I plan to shoot Level III IPSC rifle match in Czech Republic next week. New muzzle device is from GoGun USA. It is called Supercomp No Talon. It seem to be working OK. When shooting standing with scope on 1x at IDPA target 50yd away, I barely seen scope movement. This was with Hornady Steel Match 55gr ammo. With some military surplus 62gr FMJ movement was more noticeable, but still OK. I even managed to put some hammered pairs at 50yd.


But before that there was some zeroing. I used another new toy - MTM Case Gard new K-Zone shooting rest. I never before actually used shooting rest, so it was new experience to me. Obviously polymer one like K-Zone is not easy to do fine adjustments. But for purpose of zeroing scope it worked quite nice. Range I used offer only one bay for rifle shooting, and it is declared to be 50m range. However laser rangefinder showed that actual range to targets is 47m (51.4yd). After shooting some 30 rounds of Hornady Steel Match 55gr ammo to verify zero, I shot final, 10 rounds group (first picture with group). Then I shot 15 rounds group with RWS Target Elite 69gr ammo (second picture with group). Results are very close with 1.140MOA spread and 0.376MOA ATC (average distance to group centre) for Hornady and 1.491MOA spread and 0.409MOA ATC for RWS. One more proof how good ammo Hornady Steel Match is. It is 4 rounds of Hornady for price of 1 round of RWS. Last picture shows target that was all time on bottom of other targets - 55 rounds of ammo combined. Low left groups are first before re-zeroing scope. Then I got too far to the right, and then settled back to the left and little more up. Overall adjustment was 0.6mrad up and 0.2mrad right.




Then I took my new Benelli M1 Super 90 and I went to shoot it a little at mini poppers. I shot it with Mesa Urbino (pistol grip) stock with Limbsaver that I cannibalized from my Supernova. No other changes. Well lubed. Point was to test it with different kinds of ammo to determine what works and what does not:

1. Fiocchi 12/70 (2 3/4") 34g (1.2 oz) nr 3 - 50 rounds - flawless
2. B&P Competition 12/70 (2 3/4") 24g (0.84 oz) nr 7 1/2 - 25 rounds - one FTF when I did not strongly shoulder, second was FTE when I deliberately shot without shouldering at all
3. FAM Practical Short 12/63.5 (2 1/2") 32g (1.12 oz) nr 4 25 rounds - this ammo is extra short, 2" each shell (shorter than S&B Practical). I had one FTF where shell was slammed against right side of barrel and jammed.
4. FAM Practical Slug Short 12/63.5 (2 1/2") 28g (1.12 oz) low recoil slug - I shot 8 of it, and had 8 failures to cycle (FTE mostly). It is a pity because those are very nice slugs.

Now I know, that I can have 24gr (7/8oz) birdshot working even with pistol grip stock (of course must test more to make sure), but I have problem with slugs. They sell Brenneke K.O. slugs here in 12/60 (2.36") and 12/67 (2.63") both in 28.4g (1 oz), so I will try those.