TrianglePatch.com Bighorn Arms Custom Rifle Actions
Ph 303-655-8405
BighornArms.com
worldwide Patent
In the gun bore they do not get stuck make more contact reduce rod flex
“. . . your patches . . . work very well. No 336-608-9355
open up, so I started backing down, this time at 0.1 grain with each test load. At 21.9 grains, I hit the sweet spot. I was get- ting consistent fi ve-shot, half-inch groups at 100 yards, with a muzzle velocity of 3,350 and an estimated chamber pressure of 44,600. As I began working with the 32-grain bullet (BC of .205), a reference to my reloading log showed that while I had had some fairly good success with Benchmark, I had been able to squeeze a few more feet per second out of H322 without compromising accuracy or safety. With a charge of 21.1 grains of this powder I was measuring muzzle velocities in the low 3,600s range. The top end charge appeared to be 23 grains, so I started creeping up on this number, a couple of tenths of a grain at a time. Accuracy results were mixed with each batch as I worked my way up, but fi nally, at 22.3 grains, everything fell into place: muzzle velocity of 3,900, chamber pressure of 48,600, and solid, repeatable half-inch groups at 100 yards. I was comfortable that I had my loads worked out. The next item on my “build” list was the scope. The
choices of rifl e scopes we have available to us are absolutely mind boggling. The manufacturers are building scopes that are almost bullet proof, and in every magnifi cation, barrel size, and objective lens size you can ever use. Figure out the application you intend for the scope, and I guarantee you that there’s one or two or three of them out there that will completely meet your requirements. For Colorado, I wanted a variable power scope that went from around 4 power up to 18 or 20 power. I wanted a 50mm objective lens. I had just completed a thorough test of 10 different scopes over a period of about 2½ months, so I had gotten to work with most of the
more stuck patches and a far cleaner bore.” Arthur G. in Karns City PA, Nov 2010
Pending
HUNT THE EDGE
IN WYOMING Great Hunting In Big Country
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TROUT FISHING Also deer, antelope, turkey
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truly top brands. I narrowed my choice down to Leupold, Nikon, and Swarovski. As I was struggling with this decision, I got a typically, beautifully executed 2010 announcement kit from Swarovski OPTIK. This Austrian company was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski, who was the inventor of the world’s fi rst electric grinding machine for jewelry stones. Its primary business remained jewelry polishing at the very highest levels until 1935. Along came Wilhelm Swarovski, son of the founder, who had a fascination with astronomy. He wanted the very best in scopes to view the stars and other heavenly bodies, and took it upon himself to use the company’s resources to build a 6x30 binocular. Then, in 1949, he founded Swarovski OPTIK, and produced the still famous Habicht 7x42, considered an industry standard in the fi eld of hunting optics. As I worked my way through the announcement mate-
rial, I kept coming back to the information on the new Z5. This model appeared to have everything I was looking for in hunt- ing glass. Having recently used a Swarovski in fi eld testing, I was confi dent that it would meet all of my requirements. I ordered the 3.5-18x44 with the Plex reticle. To perform my am- munition testing while awaiting the Z5, I put some Leupold bases on the Model 21, mounted a Leupold Vari-X III on it, and spent the next several days at the reloading bench and the range, testing different loads and building up my inventory of ammunition. For a fi ve-day hunt, I wanted to have at least a thousand rounds with me for my primary rifl e, plus several hundred more for the backup rifl e I always carry with me. By the time the Z5 arrived, I was ankle deep in fresh reloads, and eager to get out to the range and fi ne tune the new rig. I replaced the Leupold with the new Swarovski, bore sighted it, and was able to confi rm that with just a few clicks down and a few clicks left, Cooper, Hornady, and Swarovski were ready for a prairie dog hunt. I rolled out of bed at 4:00 a.m., loaded my prestaged
Cooper, Hornady & Swarovski: The “A” team. Page 62 October — December 2011
gear into the truck, and headed out on the 12-hour trip to Colorado. After a thankfully uneventful trip, I was checked into the motel by late that afternoon. I headed out to meet the rancher whose property I was going to hunt. He and I drove around for a while, and he pointed out the various dog towns I should work, and the various gates I should NOT go through. As usual, I was carrying some duct tape, so I put strips of it around gate posts as a reminder that they were “no fl y zones” for me. I also marked various sites that seemed promising on my portable GPS unit, since this was the fi rst time to this particular ranch and I fi nd it very easy to get a bit disoriented out there. We saw herds of antelope, a couple of coyotes, several golden eagles, a badger, and more prairie dogs than I’ve seen in years. As the rancher said, “I’m just eaten up with the little buggers.” He gave me a key
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