223 Rem. 60-grain Hornady V-Max Target #1
Target #2 Target #3 Target #4 Target #5
0.822" 0.875" 0.994" 1.111" 0.987"
223 Rem. 68-grain Heavy Match
Target #1 Target #2 Target #3 Target #4 Target #5
0.544" 0.668" 1.03"
0.773" 0.662"
rifles because I wanted to clearly il- lustrate that when war fighters turn to the M-16 (AR-15) type rifl e for the sniper role in the fi eld, it says plenty for choosing these rifl es for open country, or even brush busting, varmint hunting needs. Currently, DPMS is building a new model AR-15 for testing in 243 Winchester just because the necked down 308 is such a good cartridge and functions so well in the AR-type action design. Again, we’re seeing added range and performance for a gun system that was once considered a military gener- ated toy at best. MOVING TO HEAVY BULLETS STAG ARMS MODEL 6
With about 75 break-in rounds
now sent downrange using Wolf FMJ 55-grain ammo, it was time to push up or down the grain weight, tack up some clean targets at 100 yards, and check out the bench rest accuracy of the Stag Varmint rig. With the rifl e on heavy sandbags at the bench, the Model 6 shot 0.822" groups at 100 yards using Black Hills 60-grain factory loads. Moving to the 68-grain Heavy Match H.P., groups printed a tight 0.544" at 100 yards. Shooting fi ve three-shot groups with the Black Hills factory rounds for score,
Stag Arms Model 6 and Black Hills 60-grain loads. Increased grain weight means better wind bucking ability for the 224 caliber bullet.
the following measurement turned out to be the rifl e’s 100-yard paper record. (Black Hills 60-grain V-Max. / 68-grain Heavy Match H.P.) There is no question that the 1:8"
twist and the quality of the Stag Arms barrel tended to take a real liking to the heavy bullets versus the 55-grain bullets. These lighter weight bullets are always best suited to 1:9" or higher twist rate barrels, and the Stag Arms Model 6 indicated that clearly. The best part about shooting the
heavy bullets was getting them out into the fi eld for another day of testing. The ranch was the same, but winds were about 15 degrees quartering from right to left and I could not get away from them or I would have been substituting the prairie dogs for the rancher’s cows. Not a good thing! From my portable MTM bench
rest setup, and using the bipod rest that was installed on the Stag rifl e, I moved a sandbag to the butt stock for an even rest and cranked the 3-9x Leatherwood scope to the top of its magnifi cation scale. Several very fat dogs were sitting about eye level across the far side of a shallow draw and looked to be almost the size of small groundhogs. With the
wind kicking up a bit, I pulled the cross hairs to the right of the fi rst dog, leaving a dog width of daylight between it and the vertical line. Then I touched off the 68-grain Black Hills cartridge. Whop! The bullet hit home and upended the grass rat in fine order, sending him straight into an adjoining den hole headfirst. While a single dog is not indicative of the success of a rifl e and cartridge combo, I can say that with a move to target number two and a very close miss that took hair off the critter’s right side, I had cause to ponder the net effect of the heavier wind-bucking bullet in 223 Rem. as opposed to the varmint lightweights so often chambered in this type of rifl e. With winds building and some rough weather coming in off the Bighorn Mountains, it was time to pack up my rig and put further testing on hold. I had no choice but to wait for better weather conditions for my long- range shooting. HANDLOADING THE MODEL 6 In the handloaded cartridge de-
partment, I elected to turn to Sierra MatchKing 77-grain HPBT bullets after watching the net effects of the Black Hills Match loads in the cutting and side-drafting wind. With the Stag target
3507 East Mulberry, Suite A Fort Collins, CO 80524 1-800-640-6607
10% discount for online orders, use code VH10 Buy Online At
www.ColoradoOptics.com Page 40 Spring 2012
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