a 57M Jackson Hunter, up to the bench and shot a group with it using the new ammo. Pretty much the same result: a 4-inch-plus group with one shot not even on the 3x5 inch oval target. The new 15.5-grain NTX 17 Mach 2 loading is not compatible with a 1:10” barrel twist rate.
Hornady NTX load grouped well ... but not in a 1:10" barrel.
Two loads shot well in Kimber Classic
I pulled bullets from both the new Hornady load and the CCI 17-grain ammo I had on hand. Interestingly, the 15.5-grain NTX bullet was longer than the 17-grain bullet but it had, according to Hornady, a lower BC than the shorter 17-grain bullet. Now I was confused. I put in a call to Mike Hudgins at Cooper and he said they had heard nothing about the performance of the 15.5-grain load in their rifles but said he’d file my information away for future reference and indicated he’d pay atten- tion to where future requests for Mach 2 rifles were coming from to address ammo requirements. What this means to us squirrel and dog shooters who use the 17 Mach 2 is that you need to pay attention to the twist rate of your rifle’s barrel if you intend (or are forced) to use the new Hornady NTX 15.5-gr. load for your shooting. One in nine inch twist bar- rels seem to handle the new load with aplomb while, if my two Cooper rifles are any indicators, one in 10 inch twist barrels don’t seem to like the new ammo at all. I have no idea what the twist rates are for Marlin, CZ, Ruger, or any other rifles chambered for the Mach 2 round but I’d suggest shooters test a box of this new Hornady loading before buying a bunch of it. The targets in the photos tell the tale.
Carson Optical C6 Lens cleaners Page 166 Winter 2013
I shot a pretty good bunch of the new Hornady 15.5-gr. NTX ammuni- tion on prairie dogs using one of my Kimber Classic Varmint rifles. Walking the towns and shooting off of sticks, the terminal performance of the new load was indistinguishable from the original 17-grain load. Care still needs to be taken with shot placement as the Mach 2 is not a powerhouse round, but with careful shooting, this new non- toxic load from Hornady performed quite well. KEEPING THOSE LENSES CLEAN After the SHOT Show I got a small package from Carson Optical in the mail. Inside were three of their new C6 lens cleaners. They have a retract-
able brush for getting the major crud off of scope and camera lenses and the cleaning pad is impregnated with a proprietary dry cleaning compound that bonds with oils left behind by the skin wiping away smudges and other goo. Three models are available with different sized cleaning pads. I used the pocket-sized C6 lens cleaners almost daily during the summer 2012 varmint- ing trip, with great success. The fact that I had clean lenses for a change amazed everyone. For details go to:
www.car-
sonoptical.com. NOSLER GREEN 223 AMMO When I arrived in South Dakota in June to hook up with Rick Miller and his crew to shoot prairie dogs, the pro- prietor of the bed and breakfast where we met had a box from the Nosler folks for me. Zach Waterman had kindly forwarded me some of Nosler’s new 223, 40-grain lead-free ammo to test on furry targets.
I had such great success with the accuracy and performance of Nosler’s 40-grain Ballistic Tip load in my Mark Soulie-built Walkabout rifle in 2011, I was curious to see if the non-toxic, politically correct, ammo would shoot up to the standard set by the BT load. I had little to fret about.
I did a quick field expedient zero check of the Lead Free 40-grain load. I had to fire only six shots to see that this new load was pretty much interchange- able with the 40-grain Ballistic Tip load when fired from the Walkabout rifle. Shooting prone off a bipod, the point of impact of the Lead Free 40-grain bullets was not quite 1 inch lower than the 40-grain Ballistic Tip ammo using the same point of aim. There was no windage difference at all. I shot the Nosler 40-grain Lead Free and BT ammo interchangeably until I had expended all I had of both loads. In the field, and shooting out to about 275 yards or a bit farther, I personally could not tell any difference between the two either in trajectory or terminal performance. So, if you travel from Free America to the Lead Free Zones, rest assured that Nosler’s new Lead Free ammo can serve you well, offering you the same hassle- free interchangeability with lead core BT ammo that I experienced. Brownell’s 1911 Conversion Case and Signature Series Shooting Bag Keeping stuff organized while
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