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PGM Ultima Ratio 308w . first impressions

OHHHHHH,that is for sure a nice set of twins You got there :) me like !!

Thank you :) Just need to decide upon which day to meet now :) What is your experience with the Lapua Subsonic round? It's pretty obvious that they won't stabilize from my rifle at 110 yards, at least when the weather is cold. Barrel is 41cm with 1-8". Yesterday it was almost boring shooting small sprigs at 50 yards!
 
Wish you warmer weather! Have you tried 168gn smk?

Not yet! It's not my favorite bullet - but i do have Hornady 168gr Match bullets - and they seems to work very well - but again I have only tried one load of 43,5gr Norma N11 behind all the different bullets, except for 49,5gr N550 and the Berger 155gr match amd 155gr Scenar - so there is a lot of load development to do. I have som 175gr Berger Match bullets laying around and some 220gr SMK for subsonic loads. Will try out the 175gr. combined with N550 powder. I use the Palma cases and CCI small rifle magnum primers.
 
Hoi, my AW shoots Lapua 200gr sub ammo in one ragges hole at 120 yards. 16" barrel and 1-9 twist.
Thank you :) Just need to decide upon which day to meet now :) What is your experience with the Lapua Subsonic round? It's pretty obvious that they won't stabilize from my rifle at 110 yards, at least when the weather is cold. Barrel is 41cm with 1-8". Yesterday it was almost boring shooting small sprigs at 50 yards!
 
thanks for the info - do you remember what kind of temperature the day you shoot with the Lapua sub ammo? It was about -5c when I shoot mine at 110 yards, but on tuesday it was alot warmer weather, however I regret not having tried the rifle at more than 50 yards on this tuesday. Well have to go back some other day and give it another try. It was very windy and alot of old snow so I did'nt care for crawling out to 110 yards

I remember that the bullet holes at 110 yards indicated unstable bullets and with a faster twist compared to your AW this does'nt makes sense to me :)
 
Hi, wheater was sunny ,but chill. about +6 ?+ and holes in paper are just the same shooting 7.62Nato,ore Lapua Sub.
thanks for the info - do you remember what kind of temperature the day you shoot with the Lapua sub ammo? It was about -5c when I shoot mine at 110 yards, but on tuesday it was alot warmer weather, however I regret not having tried the rifle at more than 50 yards on this tuesday. Well have to go back some other day and give it another try. It was very windy and alot of old snow so I did'nt care for crawling out to 110 yards

I remember that the bullet holes at 110 yards indicated unstable bullets and with a faster twist compared to your AW this does'nt makes sense to me :)
 
Ok maybe the cold weather is a crucial factor with this kind of ammo? how many mil's between the impact of the Nato ammo and Lapua sub ammo?

Anyway PGM told me before I shoot the Lapua sub ammo that i was not as good as the 200gr RUAG sub ammo, which in turn was much inferior to the 240gr RUAG sub ammo when it comes to accuracy out of the PGM UR
 
Nato round and lapua sub,differs in 3 MIL 110 yards. approx.
Ok maybe the cold weather is a crucial factor with this kind of ammo? how many mil's between the impact of the Nato ammo and Lapua sub ammo?

Anyway PGM told me before I shoot the Lapua sub ammo that i was not as good as the 200gr RUAG sub ammo, which in turn was much inferior to the 240gr RUAG sub ammo when it comes to accuracy out of the PGM UR
 
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Trying out some subsonic loads using the original lapua 200gr subsonic bullet, tin-star powder and federal magnum primers in Lapua cases. Measuring speed and sd, 20 rounds with 10,9 gr powder gave me a mean speed of 322m/s and a SD = 2m/s.

Consistently each shot that went low as seen in the pictures had a lower speed of 316-317m/s!!!

The range is 120yards.

Shooting the rifle with the suppressed barrel unit and these loads was great fun:)

The load produced better results and was more consistent in my rifle compare to the original factory subsonic load from Lapua:)
 
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Up in the hills hunting for grouse. Thanks to T.A.B. gear it was possible to carry the 18lbs rifle all day long!!!

Finally after 9 hours walk, great fun trying out the 308w subsonic. Shot at approx 90yards through the neck. Did'nt like the sound of the bullet spinning through the air after hitting some rocks though ;-)
 
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Finally its here:) My brand new AI AW in 243w
Looking forward to do a comparison between the two:) Both are heavy solid rifles with similar purpose. Bought the AIAW for hunting and I promise it will se harsh use in extreme and adverse conditions :) The current setup of the PGM UR makes it a litlle heavier about 1kg because of the barrell profile, compared when the bipod is attached to the AIAW. The PGM is my primary target shooting and F-class rifle. Must say that the AIAW impressed me immediately being very solidly built. There are some features I like better on the AIAW compared to the PGM UR and vice versa. Actually I have gotten used to the heavy solid construction of the PGM UR bolt and it is much beafier than the AIAW bolt. The original AIAW bipod seems to be more solid and better built, but is much heavier and the PGM UR have adjustable friction and locks when pressured forward. Really looking forward to test and compare the rifles side by side on the range. The PGM's ergonomics is very good and I think I will have to get used to the AIAW.
 
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On the range today with the AI AW in 243w and the Ultima Ratio. Very wet and windy today, and only had two factory loads for the 243w - unfortunately accuracy was poor! However the UR gave impressive results with military ball-ammo using a 150gr FMj bullet, shooting five shots into ragged holes again and again! I really like this rifle, which seems to be plenty accurate with almost any load.
 
Out on the range again today, still very windy and raining. It's great to shoot two different but certainly high quality weapons side by side! The 243w is a pleasure to shoot but accuracy is poor with the factory loads. Waiting for the right reloading equipment. It's interesting to compare the two rifles, and looking at the bolts it is clear that the shorter but fatter PGM bolt has much larger locking lug area
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I like the ergonomics better on the PGM. The AI is a little less to carry and will be my hunting rifle the next season. I really like both rifles alot.

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Typical five shot 100yard group using military ball ammo with 150gr FMJ bullet. PGM rules:)
 
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Yes these are two very different designs:) the AI being more traditional. The PGM receiver (which is aluminium) is "clamped" on and fastened with several bolts through the aluminium chassis. Loosening the four bolts in front let you swap barrels in seconds. It is very beefy and solid. I think the PGM design is very accurate. The AI is also rock solid and I like the steel receiver alot.
 
Well it is a little unfair to conclude that the AI is a lighter design. The PGM i have has the heavy Intervention barrel profile, which is a massive 25mm thick profile. If you go for the lighter Commando barrel the PGM will weight in the same range as the AI. Also the bipod adds weight and removing it will further decrease weight.
 
The mags are very similar but with the AI mag you can use cartidges with longer O.A.L being 2mm longer than the PGM mag (75mm vs 73mm respectively). I like the mag release better on the PGM, which is located underside the trigger guard. Pull the knob towards you with the trigger finger and you release the mag. If it will withstand harsh field use I do not know.
 
Having studied the manuals for both rifles it is clear that they are similar in weight depending on barrel configuration. The PGM Intervention barrell is clearly the heavyweight of them all - the rifle weights in at 7390gr!!! Both the AI AW and the PGM weights around 6000 - 6500gr depending on what barrel is used. This includes the bipod on both rifles.
 
Looking at the butt-spike and folding mechanism there are some differences between the AI AW and the UR. The buttspike on the AI AW is springloaded and integrated in the stock. It has a wheel to fine adjust the height. Its alot thinner than the buttspike on the UR and appears to be more "loose" and unstable. The buttspike on the UR folds down either 45degrees or 90degrees and is very stable. Fine adjust for height by turning the buttspike. It is thick and stable enough to grab and hold if you want to push the rifle to your shoulder. In the manual it is warned against resting the AI AW on the buttspike while shooting. I'm not afraid of resting the UR rifle on the buttspike while shooting.

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The folding mechanism is rock solid on Both rifles and there is no play between the parts when locked. I like better the mechanism on the UR because it is easier in use, butt the AI AW seems to be more solid - ofcourse this is only my opinion.
 
Finally some range time again, and this winter there is no snow!
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Trying out some new loads using Scenar-L 175gr and N550 powder with ordinary Lapua brass gave som promising results, butt why is there always a nice cluster of four shots together and the fifth out:) need to sharpen my skills:)
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All five shot groups at hundred yards. Rainy and windy today. The weather has been awful the last month!