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Finally fired the .50
.250Savage
Member Posts: 812 ✭✭✭✭
Finally got all the "bits" together, lapped the scope rings a couple weekends ago, loosely mounted/aligned the scope in the rings. Couldn't really line it up and lock it down until I got to the range and had some distance to work with. None of the windows of my apartment offer a good "line of sight", and besides, pointing that monster out the window would probably be a great way to get to know the local SWAT team .
So I'm at the range, and I finally got the scope aligned and locked down, and loaded a round (handling those big f'ing cartidges makes you feel like Elmer Fudd or something). Surplus FMJ, 100 yards, wearing PAST recoil pad 'cause I don't quite believe the company when they said recoil was on a par with a 12 guage. I was nervous, to say the least, and touched it off.
Hmmm. Muzzle blast/concussion not too much different than your average high-powered rifle, but you are AUTHORITATIVELY moved back six inches! It is one of those "Be advised, you are going to be shoved backwards by this amount. You do not have a choice in this." As I extracted the empty, I found my hands were shaking. This would definitly NOT be good for those with really bad backs. First, the f'ing rifle weighs like 30-40 pounds, and that backward shove is VERY abrupt, and prone to twist the spine. Then, of course, clean, clean, clean. Wanna break in the bore right on this one, this one has enough ranging capability that I think it is worth the extra work.
But...no hole in the target. OK, next one at 200 yards, target is oriented vertically, maybe it is just low/high. Another abrupt shove, set the bore to soak, look thru the spotting scope. Nope, still nuttin'. Now what? Smack self in head: bore sight it, ya idjit, like you shoulda done in the first place! Yep, that does the trick, scope is low 18" and 6" to the left. RSO wants to shut down the range early since there are so few people there, I only have a chance to shoot one more round. This time, a black tip! Another shove, this time I can see the hole in the black through my rifle scope set at low (5.5x) power, and a large dust cloud drifts off on the wind. Did it go all the way through the berm? The FMJs didn't throw that much dust. Wheee! This is fun! At some point, at some longer range, I will have to crank the scope up to 22x.
So, for the first outing, I only got to fire three rounds, but I knew that going in, what with completely cleaning the bore between every shot. I figured if I fired a full ten rounds, I would be doing very well. As I told the RSO, I didn't mind getting shut down early, as this is one of those long-term projects, and I expected it would take me months to break this in. Too, my shoulder wasn't sore, exactly, but I did feel like I had done at least a round of trap, so that was another reason to not mind being shut down early. I would "fight again another day."
I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.--Voltaire~Secret Select Society Of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets~
So I'm at the range, and I finally got the scope aligned and locked down, and loaded a round (handling those big f'ing cartidges makes you feel like Elmer Fudd or something). Surplus FMJ, 100 yards, wearing PAST recoil pad 'cause I don't quite believe the company when they said recoil was on a par with a 12 guage. I was nervous, to say the least, and touched it off.
Hmmm. Muzzle blast/concussion not too much different than your average high-powered rifle, but you are AUTHORITATIVELY moved back six inches! It is one of those "Be advised, you are going to be shoved backwards by this amount. You do not have a choice in this." As I extracted the empty, I found my hands were shaking. This would definitly NOT be good for those with really bad backs. First, the f'ing rifle weighs like 30-40 pounds, and that backward shove is VERY abrupt, and prone to twist the spine. Then, of course, clean, clean, clean. Wanna break in the bore right on this one, this one has enough ranging capability that I think it is worth the extra work.
But...no hole in the target. OK, next one at 200 yards, target is oriented vertically, maybe it is just low/high. Another abrupt shove, set the bore to soak, look thru the spotting scope. Nope, still nuttin'. Now what? Smack self in head: bore sight it, ya idjit, like you shoulda done in the first place! Yep, that does the trick, scope is low 18" and 6" to the left. RSO wants to shut down the range early since there are so few people there, I only have a chance to shoot one more round. This time, a black tip! Another shove, this time I can see the hole in the black through my rifle scope set at low (5.5x) power, and a large dust cloud drifts off on the wind. Did it go all the way through the berm? The FMJs didn't throw that much dust. Wheee! This is fun! At some point, at some longer range, I will have to crank the scope up to 22x.
So, for the first outing, I only got to fire three rounds, but I knew that going in, what with completely cleaning the bore between every shot. I figured if I fired a full ten rounds, I would be doing very well. As I told the RSO, I didn't mind getting shut down early, as this is one of those long-term projects, and I expected it would take me months to break this in. Too, my shoulder wasn't sore, exactly, but I did feel like I had done at least a round of trap, so that was another reason to not mind being shut down early. I would "fight again another day."
I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.--Voltaire~Secret Select Society Of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets~
Comments
Shoot straight!
- Life NRA Member
If dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
The first decision I see to make is: Do I buy a cheaper gun that is a single shot, or a more expensive one with a magazine?
Merc
NO! You may not have my guns! Now go crawl back into your hole!
****************************************
"Tolerating things you may not necessarily like is part of being free" - Larry Flynt
Edited by - Mercury on 05/13/2002 00:56:40
- Life NRA Member
If dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Noise didn't seem that bad, tho I was more worried about the recoil, so maybe next time... Too, I always double up, plugs and muffs, so that helps. But both the RSO and I thot it would be a good idea for me to take the bench at the FAR end of the firing line, behind a little wall. I understand that while the muzzle brake isn't so bad for the person firing the weapon, it is a b@#$h for those next to him!
Mercury:
It's a LAR Grizzly, which is a single-shot. The whole bolt comes out, and has the buttpad on the base of it. You slide a shell onto the face of the bolt like a shellholder for your reloading press, then put the whole kit and kaboodle back into the gun. I sprung for a Nightforce scope, 5.5-22x56 as noted, illuminated mil-dot reticle, which just about cost more than the friggin' rifle! However, for something like this, Tasco just wouldn't cut it. Go to:
http://www.fcsa.org/index.html
You can learn a ton of stuff about the .50, and if you peruse the columns they have there, maybe pick up a second-hand one.
I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.--Voltaire~Secret Select Society Of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets~