or so later I had a pretty hard time spot- ting misses because of the boldness of the BDC600 reticle’s open circles. Of- tentimes, with a dog centered in one of the circles of the reticle, I’d see the dust fly from a close miss but couldn’t get a good read on it. Also, the circles made holding off for wind almost impossible, especially if I was trying to just favor on the edge of a prairie dog. As with my shooting in West Virginia before going west, I did not dial for trajectory com- pensation at all while shooting dogs. I wanted to give the ballistic matched reticle a good chance to perform as advertised.
I truly like the in-scope range dis- play of the M-223. It is pretty useful. I question whether the BDC elevation tur- ret is necessary. If the scope is designed to be used with the ballistic matched reticle, why would one need to dial for different ranges? It seems redundant to me. Also, I found both the elevation and windage turrets turned so easily that they were often “spun out” just from general handling. If I was hand carrying the rifle and the scope brushed against my leg, the elevation turret would be moved significantly. If I carried the Colt AR in my Eberlestock pack’s scabbard, the turrets were turned every time I dragged the rifle out. I finally put a layer of 100 mph tape on the turrets and that solved the problem. I kept the M-223 mounted on my Colt Coyote for the duration of the 2012 summer trip to give it an honest evaluation. I finally ended up putting a 200-yard zero on the scope and, for the most part, just shot using the cross wire for a hold point, except when trying some longer range shots. For varminting, it is my consid- ered opinion that a reticle similar to the Leupold Varmint Hunter or the Burris Ballistic Plex E1 would provide a much more precise sight picture than the open
circle BDC600, and would make the M-223 much more suitable for use on small targets like ground squirrels and prairie dogs.
The M-223 Laser IRT is nitrogen-
filled, o-ring sealed, waterproof (except the battery compartment), fog proof, and shock proof. Power is supplied by one CR-2 battery. Sinclair International lists the M-223 Laser IRT at a retail price of $849.95. HORNADY’S 15.5 GRAIN NTX 17 MACH 2 AMMO There are places in the nation where one can no longer use ammuni- tion which launches bullets containing lead. For those California squirrel shoot- ers who use the 17 Mach 2, and haven’t moved out yet, Hornady has introduced a new loading with a 15.5 gr. non- toxic bullet. If you live in “one of those states,” check your local regulations to see if you need to be using this ammo for pest shooting or plinking. Here’s a report on my experience with this new 17 M2 ammunition. My Cooper Model 57M Custom Classic chambered for the 17 Mach 2 car- tridge is one of the most accurate rifles I’ve ever owned. You can imagine my chagrin as I watched the 10-shot group I was shooting with this wonderful
example of the gunmaker’s art opening up to more than 4 inches, with most of the bullets key-holing. The range was only 50 yards! Yep, that was my first experience with Hornady’s new NTX 17 Mach 2 ammo with the 15.5-grain lead-free bullet. To say I was shocked would be an understatement! Turns out, it all comes down to barrel twist, and the new Hornady 15.5 gr. 17 M2 loading has proven to be pretty sensitive to minor twist dif- ferences. After shooting the group described above, I immediately broke out one of my 17 Mach 2 Kimber Clas- sic Varmint rifles and proceeded to give the new Hornady NTX ammo another try. Groups fired with the Kimber and Hornady’s 15.5-gr. NTX bullet were as small as I had expected the Cooper’s groups to be. Well, now!
A quick look at the Cooper catalog in the gun room told me the twist rate of the Wilson Arms barrel on my 57M was one in 10 inches. A call to Kimber cus- tomer service confirmed what I thought: the Kimber had a different twist rate, one turn in 9 inches. Obviously, the 1:10 twist rate of the Cooper rifle was not fast enough to stabilize the new 15.5 gr. Hornady 17 caliber projectile. To be certain, I took my other Cooper 17 M2,
Nikon M223 Laser IRT scope on AR Laser rangefinder built within scope 6720 Colt AR in a Montana dog town
www.varminthunter.org Page 165
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