3Dflyer

After a wonderful and informative conversation with Louu on the phone I got to work on my new Stoeger M3k. I checked for burs on the extractor and port, bolt carrier, recoil spring, I modified the shell stop and smoothed it out, then I faced fear in the face and broke out my hand files. After I was finished with the loading port modifications I installed a match saver to the forearm. I also added a groove in the trigger guard to keep shells centered, and smoothed out some painful corners on the trigger guard that were chewing up my thumb during reloads. Hope I can figure out how to upload photos here.

I did do some modifications to the shell stop, resulting in a much easier loading experience. I find the shells push in easier, thus helping me prevent a traffic jam and causing the shells to misalign and spill onto the ground.

Here is a modified version (post edited thanks to Chucks) of the same shot string if I remove that #6 shot that was exceptionally low. The spread and standard deviation look much better to me, but I wonder how the rest of you view this data. I honestly have no idea of what good load data would look like. 135-blue-titeedited.pdf

My journey has been slow and steady as I enter the action shooting sports and reloading my own ammo. I am borrowing a friends Dillion 550, just purchased my own Competition Electronics Digital Pro chronograph. I plan to shoot with a CZ Shadow 2 in production class for USPSA and also 3gun events. From what I am reading, I need a power factor minimum of 125... Blue Bullets 135 gr truncated bullets mixed range brass cci primers Titegroup powder I will attempt to attach the data summary to this post. I see that bullet #6 was significantly out of the average range. Head scratcher for sure. Overall, how does this string look as a starting point? Do most shooters attempt to get the power factor as close to 125 as possible? I would like to hear what common strategies are for working up a load. 135-blue-tite.pdf

Wild gamble. Pushed pin out from bottom successfully and now see a spring that must capture the notch on the pin.

I am considering doing my own loading port work on my new Stoeger M3k. How do I remove the shell stop? I see a pin with access from top and bottom, there is a slot inside the receiver where I can see some sort of spring or clip. I cannot find anything on the Internet to provide instructions. Finally, do any of you modify the shell stop to make it easier to push the shells into the tube?

This is in the manual for my Strike Eagle scope... after reading this again, It would seem like I need to get my hands on some 77 grain ammunition and see how it does at longer range while trying the cheap 55 grain stuff for under 50 yards. "Standard Bullet Drop for Popular 5.56 mm / .223 Loads 5.56 mm / .223 55 - 77 grain boat tail bullets 2700 - 3000 FPS muzzle velocity Center dot zeroed 50/200 yards Sub-crosshair Distance Bullet Drop 1st 300 Yards 7.5 Inches 2nd 400 Yards 23.5 Inches 3rd 500 Yards 50 Inches 4th 600 Yards 92 Inches " and this... " Standard BDC Technique For best results, most 5.56mm/.223 caliber rifles can be zeroed in at 50 yards using the center dot. The 50 yard zero will closely correspond to the recommended 200 yard zero. 7.62mm/.308 caliber rifles can be initially zeroed at 30 yards, again closely corresponding to recommended 200 yard zero. Once the rifle has been sighted in, the lower sub-crosshairs can be used as aiming points at the corresponding distances listed on page 5. For most popular rifles and loads, the sub-crosshairs will provide accuracy within 0–3 inches of your aiming point."

Steve133, Thank you so much for the time to type out such a long and detailed response. I will read through it several more times to digest it all, but for now I don't quite understand it all because I am so new to all this. The general concepts are clear enough, though. I do have a chronograph arriving in the mail this week. I hope this will help greatly. Here is the reticle of my scope... I have to admit that when I am trying to get a sub MOA grouping at 100 yards, that center dot completely covers the 1" square on the paper bullseye. If I take my time I can get an occasional sub 1" MOA group. I appreciate the information about using steel cased ammo as well. It would have been devastating to travel to an event and be turned away because I was ignorant about steel ammo and the damage they cause on $$$ targets.

My savage has been back to the factory because it could not consistwntly hit a 3 foot by 3 foot target at 100 yards on a bench with american eagle 55 grain or remington 223 55 grain. The barrel was replaced under warranty. Groups improved considerably but the groups would move together as a group on the targets. I upgraded the handguard to an aero precision free floating handguard and the moving groups settled down tremendously. I could finally repeat 1.5” groups anywhere on the target I wished. Savage has instructed me to use the ammo from which they benchmark their claims, Federal gold match sierra 69 gr. There is a noticeable preference on ammunition weights for this barrel. I visited a local rifle expert gunsmith and he agreed that I would need to run heavier bullets. As I try to learn, and as I connect the dots on this journey, I cannot understand how competitors here are using 1:8 twist barrels with 55 grain ammo.

Ha! Pig Latin! Perfect reply.

I just changed web browsers on my iphone to firefox. I seem to be able to type sentences without the words getting moved, the curser relocating, and random words changing to hyperlinks. Here is a test sentence that would normally be butchered... I am bullets to shoot from my gun for 3 gun matches. I like to load for rifles and pistols to save ammunition or ammo costs. reloading As you can see only one word was automatically changed instead of ten. Firefox helps but is not a perfect solution.

I have ordered five cheap 62 grain options. A few are scheduled to be delivered today. The cheaper heavier bullets seem to be steel cased, like wolf. Is this considered a negative? I will give this selection a try. What group size would most consider acceptable or better at 100 yards? Because I have not attended any matches yet, I have no idea what course layouts I may face.

New member here. I am finding writing posts to be a nightmare. I spend more time correcting the hyperlink errors and sentence rearranging than I do to actually type a message. Am I reading correctly that there is no way to turn off the hyperlink feature?

Some 55 grain ammo shoots 12-14” groups at 100 yards. Most shoot about 8-10” groups. Hornady vmax poly tipped varment rounds of 55 grain shoot about 2.5” groups, but is expensive. A friend did some reloading trials and they varied from 1.5” to six in groups. I wouldnt mind trying to load my ownn but need to decide on what to buy for bullets and powder. I have access to a 125 yard range and use a Vortex strike eagle 1-8 scope. What distance should I zero in the gun? Because the main purpose of the rifle is couote hunting I have zeroed at 100 yards.

Are most 3 gun folks 62, 69, or 77 grain ?

Hello, This forum as been a great resource for entering sport shooting and the vast knowledge shared is greatly appreciated. I am gearing up what I already own to try my hand at 3 gun, just for fun. I have a Savage Patrol msr-15 that doesnt shoot well with 55 gr bullets. It has a 16” R5 1:8 twist barrel with mid length gas system. With their recommended 69 gr Federal mtch king sierra ammo I can shoot 1” groups at 100 yards, but affordable bulk ammo is all over the paper. 55 grain is all can find locally, and most affordable online. Any suggestions? also, I need a muzzle compensator. Do they affect accuracy or poont of aim point of impact?

Iouu, PM sent.

Back on topic, i have ordered a CE pro chronograph DLX with built in bluetooth. I will report back on my loads with both titegroup and hs-6. It sounds like the hs-6 tends to meter well, if I am understanding everyone. This would be a benefit for a beginner.

I want the autoloader option but they told I cannot install it on my own. This is from MOA Precision how do you like the autoload feature? also, can you explain a break in procedure? I have trap loads of 1 1/8 at 1140fps and also some hotter 1300fps. I want to eventually use 1 ounce 1145 shot and Fiocchi low recoil slugs.

A new Stoeger M3k freedom edition has landed. It has been disassembled, cleaned intensely, lubricated, and reassembled a few times. It really smoothed out after cleaning the factory goo out.

BallisticianX, would you mind sharing your hs-6 load data with me?

I will look for a good deal on a Pro Chrono, they seem to be the most highly acclaimed bargain. Still open to further suggestions in the meantime.

I would appreciate some guidance on buying a chronograph. I have performed some searches and it appears the cheap Caldwell is hit or miss. The acoustic units seem very pricey for a beginner. Are there more affordable acoustic chronographs that work well and are simple to set up? I won't be shooting at an indoor range for testing.

Hello, I am gearing up to join action shooting sports. I have 6 pounds of FREE HS-6 powder and a borrowed Dillon 550b loading machine. I have ordered some blue bullets: 147gr, 135gr truncated, 125 gr round nosed, 125gr truncated. I will be shooting with a stock cz shadow 2 in 3gun and maybe uspsa as a total rookie. Locally, some guys are saying I should use and enjoy the HS-6 powder, others are saying that this is a terrible idea and I should dump it and buy titegroup. I must admit that when I read through the forums to absorb as much valuable information as possible I really struggle with the abbreviated, slang, and acronym filled conversations. So far I have become familiar with the loading machine and successfully shot about 400 rounds that I have worked up. I can tell a difference in the powder burn speed, as the titegroup feels snappy and the HS-6 much less snappy. The HS-6 did cause some slow slide travel when using powder charges at the low end of recommended data. I don't have a chronograph at this point, but come spring time I might look into one. I see everyone talking about power factor, but I don't understand how this plays into the rules for shooting sports. If I can find a good load combination using blue bullets and HS-6 powder, I would be very inclined to perfect the Dillon550b setup to crank out several thousand rounds for the upcoming season.

Stoeger has been ordered!