bluegrasspicker

Thanks, everyone, for your sharing your thoughts. I really appreciate it. Kurt, your thread from '13 shed a lot of light on potential problems. I figured out the problem and am posting my experience for future DIYers... I remember reading the in '10 thread about leaving the mag tube loose to prevent a torque on the barrel. When I put my DIY M2 back together last time (6 months ago) I remember thinking that's gutsy since it's what holds the barrel on. When I took my M2 apart it dawned on me that the nut holding the barrel is what I left loose, not the extension that's attached to the clamp. That was the jack wagon move, I left the wrong part loose. Anyhow, after putting it back together (full disclosure in the interest of posterity - I moved the clamp closer to the stock end of the gun, too) with the barrel nut tight and the mag tube ~1/4 turn loose. All is right now. I also installed a Tricomp front bead to remedy my sight picture. Anyhow, my slugs are shooting spot on. There's nothing wrong with the shotgun other than its shade tree gunsmith owner. So, in short, my problem was that the barrel nut was left loose instead of the mag tube. The barrel was probably not secure to the action. I hadn't shot it enough since the last time it was disassembled to fully notice the problem. Once again, thanks to everyone for offering your help. I'm relatively new to this forum, and it really seems like a great crew. Now I just need to decide if I'm sold on the giant Tri comp versus the smaller fiber optic......... A shotgun tinkerer's work is never done.......

Haha, the EXTREME 6 o'clock hold is part of my current solution! Right now it's barrel down to where the front sight is barely visible, then I still hold low after that. If the rain holds off I'm going to experiment with tightening the magazine extension back up and changing the position of the clamp. When in doubt try everything, I suppose...

Tmcfarland, I'm not sure what you mean by "tap" the barrel. Do you create a hole so that you can screw in the front site of you choice? Hi-Power Jack, that's not off the table. I'm really having fun blasting clays and metal as quickly as possible with just the front bead, so I'm not too eager to change it. By my math adding a .1" raised front bead should raise the poi at 50 yards by about 10". I'll add that the windage is perfect, it's only the elevation that's causing me grief.

I have a self-modified M2 that I love. It has a stock front fiber bead and rib on a 24" barrel. My only problem is that slugs are hitting ~1ft high at 50 yards. I'm totally happy using "Kentucky windage" to just use a fraction of the front bead, but to get it hitting dead center the bead is too low (obstructed by the rib). Then I'm just lost in space. A while back I bought a bunch of "maximum velocity" slugs. I'm happy to say the stockpile is nearing its end. My two solutions are to get slower slugs and install a bigger front fiber. My thought is with the taller front sight I can index higher up and bring the point-of-impact down some. A rear sight would be nice, but I'd rather find a solution that doesn't involve installing a rear sight. My groups are fine with the rail/bead, it's just the point-of-impact not coinciding with the point-of-aim. If anyone has any ideas on how to solve this dilemma I'd really like to hear them. Thanks in Advance, Bob PS: I'm thinking 3-gun here.

Hey, I know this is an old thread, but IT'S TRUE! During a fit of cabin fever last winter I took the 20 mins to adjust the fit. It made a world of difference. The timing from shot to shot is faster with a natural recovery into the next target. Thought I'd put this back to the top in case anyone hasn't done it. I neglected it for several regretful months! If I could turn back the clock.. Bob

I shoot a Savage, and it's just become normal for me to work the bolt with my thumb pushing up along the bolt's central axis. Instead of just pushing the knob like on an old Winchester, I stretch my thumb over and keep the bolt straight as it's pushed up. I think that since the tolerances are pretty loose the bolt gets a little cockeyed in its travel and binds. It's not ideal but not really a big deal. Oil helps.

Thank you. Gotta love a two-fer!

My question is in the context of the 3 Gun Nation rule book. If two cardboard targets are lined up so that they can both be neutralized at once, and two shots result in two holes in both targets, is any further action required? I heard an RO say that it's a five-second penalty but couldn't find any language in section six (Penalties) that I interpreted as supporting a penalty. With that said, I'm still kind of new to this game and could well be missing something. Thanks in advance, Bob

One of my pet peeves on a precision rifle is that the switchview interferes with seeing the level at certain magnifications. This is a great solution. Thanks for the heads up.

Sure, it's here... https://forum.snipershide.com/threads/just-released-nightforce-nx8-ffp-1-8x24mm-30mm-tube-atacr-f1-1-8x24mm-34mm-tube-models.6798633/ My tech skills are not the best, so if that doesn't work you go to snipershide, then click forums, then click on "rifle scopes," then the thread is usually in the top couple pages (a lot of interest in these!) called *JUST RELEASED* Nightforce..... The thread's been going on for months, and several folks who are really into optics have shared their experiences. Enjoy!

I've never seen the nx8 1-8 first hand, but I've read the thread on it over in the snipershide riflescopes subforum. I went ocd on the issue for a couple months this winter trying to figure out an optics shift for a couple rifles. If you're considering the new Nightforce options that thread is a wealth of info. From what I've read a lot of folks say that the nx8 is not so forgiving in the eyebox. That's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things that a rifle scope can be used for, but that aspect is emphasized in the 3-gun world. The pricier ATACR is (apparently, I've never seen it, just going off of what I've read from those who have seen it) more generous in the eyebox, but still with a smaller field of view than the razor and a much more difficult price tag. In the end I found a deal that couldn't be refused on the new lighter Razor 1-6. I'm really liking it after coming from a pst 1-4. Still, a part of me wonders what might have been.....

My motivation for switching to Varget for 223 77 grain bullets is the metering that 12glocks mentioned . I load 223 on a progressive press. I don't like to call it a precision load for that reason. I'm going for "best-bang-for-the-buck precision." I've had Varget stack up and spill on the progressive. It makes a mess, isn't safe, but most importantly it makes for inaccurate ammo! Since I only chose Varget originally because it would cover a lot of bases very well while not being sensitive to temp changes, it's time to switch for progressive use. The second reason was that it's temperature stable. If I'm going to spend time doing load development I want it year 'round. The third is that it seemed similar to Varget in what it's good for. With all that said, I'm sticking with Varget for 7mm08 and 308 on a single-stage press. I love the stuff, it just doesn't meter well. Since you're info gathering, ecn, my Varget load for 77 grain MK was north of 24 grains (on the upper end of published loads, but with a longer oal than published) without a crunch in LC brass.

Since you asked, ecn515, my "precision" (I use that lightly, it's not like my bolt rifle precision) is mostly on LC brass that is sorted by year. I have no empirical evidence to support that practice. It's just what the guy who taught me ~15 years ago said to do, and I did it so much that there's still brass left over. For long range precision in a bolt action I'm more deliberate, but that's not the topic of this thread. Reloading is always a bang-for-your-buck trade off. My recent ah ha outcome is that I'm switching from Varget to IMR 8208 for progressive loading. I believe that will have as much of an effect as the volume differences in same-manufacturer brass for bulk reloading. Enjoy, Bob

You can't afford NOT to reload! You'll actually be SAVING money! Once you have a pile of left over brass from your current ammo and throw some money into an Rockchucker and some dies, you'll be shooting for $.50/round on the next batch. Of cour$e, you'll want to buy component$ in bulk :^) (the wallet will be back in your hand before you even know it---like it has a mind of its own)

Glad to hear you're up and about. I hate to do this to you, but it might be time to look into..... Reloading! (get the wallet back out)