STOMP442

Call Jim Briggs at Northland Shooters supply and he can tell you all about the system and what you need to get off the ground. He also carries all the barrels and tools for the job. A one stop shop and he is very knowledgeable and helpful. 1-763-682-4296

Another option to have the best of both worlds and skip some of the cost associated with a smith is to do a Remage project. Pre chambered and threaded barrels are available for around $350 and all the head spacing and fitting can be done by you. In all honesty having a smith do all the work to true up the action, chamber and thread, headspace and bed the stock not to mention buy the barrel you are probably more than 3/4 of the way to a Sendero or long range hunter. Cut out the middle man and do it yourself. Just my thoughts.

^^This^^ While the 140gr will remain much flatter than the heavier bullets out quite a ways the wind drift is nearly identical at about 450 yards; with the 168's having the clear advantage beyond that point. Wind drift is the name of the game, the less you have the more likely you are to hit what you aim at.

First off get one these. These are the handiest things to have around. http://www.sinclairintl.com/reloading-equipment/measuring-tools/bullet-comparators/sinclair-hex-style-bullet-comparators-prod34262.aspx This is how I do it for my rifles. First I seat the bullet long in the case and chamber into the rifle forcing the bullet into the lands and into the case. When looking at the bullet after ejecting the case you should be able to see some shiny square marks on the bullet. This is where the bullet engaged the rifling. I take some steel wool to the bullet and buff out the shiny marks and just bump the bullet a bit back into the case using the seating die in the press and chamber in the rifle again and check for shiny marks. I do this until I can just barely see where the bullet is touching by just leaving a single shiny line on the bullet. I then use the Hex Nut comparator and record my measurement to the ogive. I don't like my bullets at the lands or jammed so I will usually subtract .025" and use this number as my seating depth. Once in awhile a bullet will prefer to be in the lands but in my experience .025" off seems to be the sweet spot and still allow magazine feeding.

I have always found Bergers load data a bit anemic, if you weren't having any pressure signs I would work up in half grain increments to see if the groups would tighten up even more. Sounds to me like it's on the verge of an accuracy node. Hodgdons data lists 73.5gr max load with a 162 Amax.

The ol 250-3000 gets my vote. A 115 Berger at 2800 plus is more than enough for just about anything in Arizona with less recoil than a .243. My nephew has used his to take elk no problem and I have taken deer at 663 yards with mine. Awesome caliber for youth.

Or get Ruger to Weaver adapters.

Burris signature zee rings. The scope will be correctly aligned with no need to lap and they will not leave scope marks at all. They also have the ability to change inserts to give more elevation adjustment if needed.

Who said anything about ethics? I don't care what you hunt deer with. If you shoot them with a .338 Lapua or .50BMg more power to you. Thats not my particular cup O tea but to each their own. All I simply said was that I disagree with your statement that a .30 cal is more lethal on a poor shot. All I said is that there is more to it than that and that may not always be the case.

Not sure I agree with this statement. Poor shot placement is poor shot placement regardless of the caliber used. There is more that comes into play than just cartridge size when a poor shot is made. Bullet construction and performance has just as much to do with it than anything. The .300WSM may deliver more energy at point of impact but depending on shot location and the bullet used it may deliver most of that energy into the dirt behind the animal rather than into it. Take for example gut shooting a deer with a 300wm at 400 yards with a solid bullet that pokes straight through and making that same shot with a .243 using a bullet like the Berger vld that fragments and dumps energy and shrapnel into the guts and surrounding organs and tissue. Chances are the deer will die either way but how quickly and humanely may very considerably. Im not saying one bullet or cartridge is better than the other I am just simply saying there is more to consider than .065" of bullet diameter.Gut shoot a deer with a .243 and then do the same with a .338 lapua and tell me it doesn't make a difference. Without getting "ethics" involved. Everyone has made a poor shot at one time or another in their life. A big gun might waste some meat, but it's a lot less wasted meat than if the animal gets away If you require a .338 Lapua to hunt 85 pound deer with you have more problems than I care to tackle in this thread. If we used your method of thinking why don't we all hunt with grenade launchers that way we don't even have to actually hit the animal just get close and there might be a piece big enough to drag back to camp.

Also check that the test rifle criteria is the same. One load may have been done in a 26" barrel and another in a 22" barrel.

Not sure I agree with this statement. Poor shot placement is poor shot placement regardless of the caliber used. There is more that comes into play than just cartridge size when a poor shot is made. Bullet construction and performance has just as much to do with it than anything. The .300WSM may deliver more energy at point of impact but depending on shot location and the bullet used it may deliver most of that energy into the dirt behind the animal rather than into it. Take for example gut shooting a deer with a 300wm at 400 yards with a solid bullet that pokes straight through and making that same shot with a .243 using a bullet like the Berger vld that fragments and dumps energy and shrapnel into the guts and surrounding organs and tissue. Chances are the deer will die either way but how quickly and humanely may very considerably. Im not saying one bullet or cartridge is better than the other I am just simply saying there is more to consider than .065" of bullet diameter.

I vote scope as well because I wouldn't trust that Vortex as far as I could throw it. If you are going to spend the money on glass I wouldn't waste it on a Vortex.

Looks pretty sweet and a lot of features for a really good price point.

41-43gr of one of the 4350s is generally where they like it. What model of rifle did you end up with?

Hornady Unique is also a good one. $1.99 / Tub and they last years. I do a ton of reloading and I have been using a tub for three years now and it's only half gone. Great stuff.

Since you are going with the 6.5-284 I would really look into the slower burning powders like H1000 & Retumbo to get the most out of the cartridge and push the 140 class bullets to the 2950+ mark. The slower burning powders will also aid in barrel life but as long as you don't shoot long strings of fire all the time the barrel should last a good long while.

How would you use them for that? Just curious. Easy. Just cut and file to fit your stock. First I drill out the screw holes in the stock with a 3/8" drill then place the arrow in the hole flush against the bottom metal or what have you and mark the arrow where it needs to be cut off. Cut the arrow with a small pipe cutter and file to fit flush with the bottom of the action inlet. I then remove material around the arrow shaft and cut groves for the bedding material and glass bed the piece of arrow in place with the action for a perfect snug fit every time. With pillars installed you can never overtighten the action screws or compress the stock material. Works like a champ.

I called my Credit card company Friday evening and they told me I had a pending charge from Game and Fish but it never posted to my account until this morning. Its possible if people did get hit today they may not know until the next or following business day unless they call and ask. Since mine was hit Friday afternoon I had to wait the weekend until it finally showed on the account. Just trying to give you guys hope.

How much you want for a few? They work great as pillars for bedding rifles.

For the most energy possible shoot the heaviest grain bullet your gun likes. The 168 or 180s should work fine though.

If you wanted to stick with a Berger they have just recently released a new 130gr Hybrid tactical bullet specifically designed for feeding and shooting from an AR. http://www.bergerbullets.com/new-65-130gr-ar-hybrid-otm-tactical/

If it shot better with the 130's why not try the 140's. Since the barrel seems to be picky I would start with a 140 or 142 Sierra Match King with a nice tangent ogive to avoid the sometimes finicky Berger seating depths and magazine constraints. If the bullets in the green box don't shoot then you got a problem somewhere for sure.

May think about the creedmoor out of the AR platform as that is what it was designed for. Ballistically identical to the 260 but able to fit the magazines better.

No need to break the bank these work amazingly well and pack up nice. These have never left me wanting for more power and the optical clarity is amazing. They can be found online for around $1300 of you look around. http://www.steiner-optics.com/binoculars/military/m2080-military-20x80