April 2004
Range Work 69gr Sierra HPBT
The best group with 25gr of AR2208, I also achieved excellent group with 23gr so I have now loaded 70 rounds with 23gr. I rather shoot cooler as long as the accuracy is the same. I was very happy with the results. Considering I am not shooting off sandbags, I reckon it is a good result. There are so many factors that come into play when aiming for one hole groups, it takes time and plenty of practice. I am working for the best possible results inorder to use this accuracy to head shoot bunnies at long distances.
March B 2004
Perfect weather rabbit hunt
Today I went hunting with my dad. We got there early and he shot a bunny with the spot light, a good start. Less bunnies than last time, the farmer did tell me he was there on the weekend. It does not take long for bunnies to learn to keep their heads down at the sound of a shot. Perfect weather, sunny with a slight cool breeze. The Remington LTR devoured a few bunnies quickly. I planned a long walk into the next farm so I left a couple of bunnies under a tree for pick up on the way back. Sure enough at the top of the next property I found a nice spot, lying down next to a trunk I managed to shoot a few bunnies without them spotting me. These unlucky bunnies had not been hunted much, they kept coming out. Because they had no idea where I was some even ran toward me. It was great, I had shot 5 bunnies and one in particular was an awsome shot no idea how far, maybe 200m+ I was impressed, I'd like to do that again!. My dad had some bunnies running toward him but BSA jammed and he could not take a shot, even had to watch a nice fox walk away. I ended up with 6 bunnies in good condition, a couple were messed up. I also fired some long range target shots which flew well. But I will try 55gr Sierra HPBT projectiles next time, I was using 52grs. I'd like to see if my grounps will improve with a heavier projectile.
March 2004
First hunt with my Remington LTR in .223 Rem
First serious rabbit hunt with my new Remington LTR in .223 Rem. We left at 4am, I picked up Juan my in-law. When we got there it was still dark, not many bunnies seen on the way. As soon as the sun came up we split up and I took Max, my Jack Russell. Did not take long to spot the first bunnie and I had a rushed shot, but missed. To take a long shot you really need a steady rest, so I took more care on the next one. I had prepared the top of my backpack with a neat cylinder of socks and a closed foam seat, I used this for a steady even rest when lying down, worked well. The 12x42 M8 Leupold is an excellent match for the .223 Rem.
I finished off with 7 head shot bunnies for the morning hunt and Juan got 4. After the hunt we did some target shooting. I used the home made shooting sticks made from aluminium square tubes. They worked well but I did not take it out on the hunt. I like my rifle clean, I even removed the slign studs from the stock to have a clean feel. The accuracy was great, certainly more than I can take advantage of. The 52gr Sierra HPBT seem to work well, I am happy with the load of 23gr of AR2208. I'll continue to tweak it though, just to make sure I am making the most of the 52gr projectile. I want to also try the 55gr, 70gr and 80gr.
I need to get a belt or case for carrying extra ammo for quick reloading of the rifle, I am used to having a box magazine, I think I would perfer a box so I can top up the magazine during a quiet spell. As is I have to wait until the chamber is empty and none in the mag to top up. Or I could remove all remaining rounds and top up the mag with 4 rounds. Although the mag can take 5 rounds, I cannot have 5 in the mag and one in the chamber, the top round gets deformed as the bolt is closed. I would have prefered a 6 shot box mag.
I am hanging for the next hunt.
Feb 2004
Remington LTR in .223 - accuracyTakes me a while to get used to a new rifle. I enjoy shooting this new toy.
After the first shoot I decided I had to do something about the trigger, way too heavy. Made my whole hand grip harder and must increase inaccuracy. I searched the internet for trigger adjustments on the Remington 700, I found this article and followed the instructions http://www.varminthunters.com/tech/crisp.html. I managed to reduce the trigger from about 7-8lbs to 2.5lbs, yes it made an immediate difference.
I am now handloading. Firstly because it is cheaper, about 1/2 the price of the cheapest ammo I can get my hands on. Secondly customising the load makes the rifle more accurate. How can a mass produced load shoot as well in a 20" barrel with a 1:9 twist and shoot well in a 24" and a 1:12 twist. I noticed immediately that the kick, or at least the barrel movement was dramatically reduced, I expect because the loads I was using were not hot, so less gass burned outside the barrel to push.
I am using ADI AR2208 because I use the same powder for my .375 H&H. I started with 21gr shot 10 rounds, 22gr shot ten rounds etc until I reached 25 gr. It was clear that the 23gr produced the best group. Of course there could be other factors but I will start with one problem at a time.
I then loaded 50 rounds of 23gr AR2208. I went to the Little River Range in Victoria where I had joined up. Not too bad, although I reckon I would shoot better with a bipod or proper sand bags, which I will do later. I am not out to break any records or shoot in comp but I want to get the most out of the rifle and myself to hunt the most efficiently.
I was content with the accuracy, average about 3/4 MOA. but I am sure I could do better. I want to check the accuracy with the 55gr. Because the rifle has a 1:9 twist which is designed for heavier projectiles, I want to test heavier loads and see which produces the most accurate load and stick to it. I will mainly be using this rifle for rabbits, foxes, dogs, cats etc.
Dec 2003
New Rabbit Rifle - Remington LTR in .223
I traded in my Winchester 94 Big Bore in .375 Win and (my daughters) .22lr Winchester lever action.
Remington LTR (Light Tactical Rifle) in .223, has a heavy 20" barrel, fluted. Short and stumpy, but very accurate. I put a Leupold M8 12-42mm scope on Leupold mounts. Very nice little package. I have already shot 100+ rounds on the first outing. Shot a couple of crows at amazing distances, I have never owned such a rifle so the experience is new to me.
more later ...
October 2002
Lonesome Hunt
PhotosFinished a little early from work on Friday and off I went. I enjoy the drive up to one of my favourite hunting spots, especially alone. It is relaxing and winds me down similar to a day fishing. I hoped to get there for an afternoon walk before sundown. Ah, I made it but had a headache and had just enough energy to setup the tent and hit the sack. Max (my dog) behaved very well and let me have a good nights sleep.
Got up just after sunrise and scoffed down some food and off I went. Found some reasonable sign. With the wind in my favour and damp earth I was confident of being quiet and undetected as I walked upwind and slightly up hill. I like getting my ground quickly and looking down to the on coming deer.
I did find some promesing sign from the night but once more the sambar have given me the slip. It was great to see a wallow (see photos) and a rub tree used by a good sized stag (see photo). The only slight drama I had was dropping a wheel into a wombat hole in the middle of a track ! because it was uphill I did not see it coming but thankfully the diff lock gave me enough tracktion to keep going (see photo of hole).
But I had a great time, physically draining but mentally refreshing. Ready to do another weeks work.
August 2002
On a Hunt with George
PhotosHeaded off Friday afternoon, we had planned a roo cull on a mates property but the forecast was rain, thunder and possible snow. So the farmer suggested we cancel. But worrying about the weather is not a factor when hunting sambar, except 40 degrees and no wind, so we took off anyway.
We got to the campsite about 10pm, very still, a little rain, warm. What an excellent night, overcast though. George had to read the instructions on how to set up his tent. I had a great night, but Georges self inflating mat went flat.
We got up pretty late and headed off. We walked on the hills for a few hours without seeing any fresh sign. It was a great day for a walk though. The sun came out a few times and we had a shower too. Only saw a couple of roos. We headed back for lunch and decided to drive on to another spot for a look after lunch. We had lunch of chilli beans and pita bread for me, George had his raw borccoli and buk choy, yep raw. George wanted some rocks so we went to the river and he collected a few, about 70kg!! I went back to the car and saw a cat run off. I got into the car and hoped it would show itself again. It did, a large ferel cat. I loaded a 270gr round, took the scope off the .375 H&H and opened the window slowly, and fired. I walked up to it and George appeared from the river bed. The projectile almost turned the cat inside out.
We drove and looked for sign, but the only sign we found was old. So we took the opportunity to do some target shooting.
The drive home I devoured scallops and potatoe cakes as tradition regulates. Well what we did find is new territory to hunt.