ers of AR-15 rifl es is getting the scope mounted suffi ciently high for comfort- able use. The excellent Mark 4 Super High rings raise the scope’s optical axis 1.40 inches, but this was still not suffi ciently high unless I pressed my cheek down hard on the comb. A more satisfactory solution was obtained with a Leapers AR-15 Deluxe Riser fi tted to the rifl e’s Picatinny rail and the Leupold QRW High rings attached to the rail of the Leapers Riser. This arrangement placed the scope’s optical axis 3.25 inch- es above the bore centerline and allowed the scope to be moved approximately 1 inch farther forward than was possible with rings attached directly to the rifl e’s fl at-top rail.
Three-shot groups of 0.28 to 0.82 inch at 100 yards with handloads for Hornady 55-grain V-Max and Sierra 77-grain HPBT MatchKing moly-coated bullets demonstrate the accuracy potential of the Stag Super Varminter.
Sims Vibration Laboratory LimbSaver slip-on recoil pad. The fi xed rear sling swivel on the toe of the stock tends to block the pad, but the pad can be pulled over the swivel or trimmed to provide clearance. Pat Mundy, marketing commu-
nications supervisor at Leupold & Ste- vens, kindly provided one of the new Leupold Mark AR 6-18x40mm scopes with Leupold Mil Dot reticle and sets of both Leupold QRW High and Mark 4 Super High scope mount rings. The Mark AR scopes, released in 2010, are designed for use on AR-15 rifl es. They have one-inch tubes and come
with either the Leupold Fine Duplex or Mil Dot reticles. Adjustments are ½ minute-of-angle (MOA) clicks for the lower power models and ¼ MOA clicks for the 6-18x model. The elevation dial has engraved Bullet Drop Compensa- tion (BDC) markings that match the ballistics of most 55-grain loads for the .223 Remington. This allows the user to zero the central crosshair for 100 yards and then turn the BDC dial to 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and so forth for 200- to 600-yard plus shots. The 6-18x40mm Mark AR scope has superb optical quality and weighs only 14.5 ounces. A problem with the fl at-top receiv-
ON THE RANGE At the range, six different brands
of .223 Remington factory ammunition with bullets of 45 to 77 grains produced three-shot groups averaging slightly less than 0.8 minute of angle (MOA). The factory ammunition consistently producing the smallest 100-yard groups included the Hornady 75-grain BTHP Match, Federal Premium 55-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, and Winchester 45-grain Jacketed Hollow Point car- tridges, confirming the suitability of the 1-in-8" twist barrel for use with both heavy- and light-weight bullets. Handloads of Hodgdon Varget
and IMR 8208 XBR powder in Win- chester brass behind moly-coated Hor- nady 55-grain V-Max varmint bullets produced three-shot groups of 0.28 to 0.50 inch. Thirteen successive three-shot groups using Remington brass with Remington 7½ Small Rifl e Bench Rest primers, Sierra 77-grain HPBT Match- King moly-coated bullets, and charges of Hodgdon’s Varget, Alliant Powder’s Reloder 15, and Western Powder’s Ac- curate 2520 powders, generated muzzle velocities of 2,600 to 2,700 fps and pro- duced an average group size of 0.60 inch. These range tests demonstrated sub-MOA accuracy with both factory ammunition and handloads. A further test involved a 600-500-
These three-shot groups at 100 yards with factory ammunition averaged 0.66 inch: 1) Hornady 75-grain BTHP; 2) Black Hills 68-grain Match HP; 3) Federal Premium 55-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip; 4) Winchester 50-grain Ballistic Silvertip; and 5) Winchester 45-grain Jacketed Hollow Point.
Page 110 July — September 2011
Thirteen three-shot groups at 100 yards with the Stag Super Varminter/ Leupold Mark AR combination using Sierra 77-grain HPBT MatchKing moly- coated bullets and Varget, Reloder 15, and Accurate 2520 powders produced an average group size of 0.60 inch.
400-yard benchrest match where the targets were paper groundhogs with scoring rings centered on the chest and head. Remington Premier Match 69-grain MatchKing BTHP factory loads with a muzzle velocity of 3,000 fps and a ballistic coeffi cient of 0.336 were used for this competition. Three sighting
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