So, another XLR class finished up yesterday. Due to some last minute cancellations, we had 5 rather than 8, but no matter. Walt's new target design for the calibration ranges worked perfectly. The 3 section hanging plate system provided a little more width and made it easy to see impact all the way to 2000m and know if you were in the top, center or bottom third instantly.
We had 4 338LM's and 1 300NM shooting a variety of loads. Two factory rifles (AI AX and an FN Ballista) and 3 custom rigs with 1 S&B, 2 Nightforce, 1 Vortex and 1 US Optics for scopes. Everything performed fairly well, though we did have our share of issues. The USO scope proved recalcitrant to unlock the elevation knob so the scale could be slipped to zero. That finally got sorted out overnight on day 1. All the scopes tracked very well, as established by laser tracking. We had an odd issue on day 3 where 1 Nightforce scope, when nearly topped out at 2000m began delivering reversed elevation (apparently). We made 3 corrections of .5 mil up, getting lower impacts each time. Running it back down to zero and getting back on the 1900m target was no problem though. Very odd, I've never seen that before. When you get these lens systems near the edges, strange things sometimes happen.
FFS was used by 4 shooters, with an AB Kestrel as backup for 2 and primary for 1 shooter. As usual, FFS performed very well. The AB Kestrels provided good solutions, though not without some extra effort. As a standalone unit, the user interface makes it very difficult to operate. There are lots of menus and button presses required to get anything done. I highly advise users to get the desktop package so they can manage profiles on a full size screen and keyboard. I have a 5700 and BT dongle onsite, so I can help getting you connected if need be. The unit can be coupled with the Bushnell Conx rangefinder, but it is not adequate for the targets used in this class. I've not yet had a Sig 2400 unit onsite, so I cannot say if it would be good enough. The Vector IV and Leica 10x Geovid worked perfectly well.
Please do not bother with 250gr factory ammo in the 338LM. It is really only good to 1400m. You MAY be able to hand load it with good success, but I advise running the Hornady 285's or any of the 300gr bullets instead of any conventional 250. The 300 NM performed just fine with 250's, hand loaded naturally and running at about 3000fps.
John Baker from TACOMHQ was in the class, using the 300NM with an innovative barrel system. The barrel is basically sleeved in an Aluminum rod having longitudinal holes for cooling. It increases stiffness with little weight and cools VERY quick. It performed well and is very interesting. It is 2" in diameter though, so getting it into a stock may be an issue.
John also brought a Charlie TARAC, a device which can add elevation to your scope by use of a mirror system mounted in front of the scope. Elevation travel is a big issue for ELR. Most scopes max out at 25 to 30 mils of total usable travel. Getting a 100 yard zero then moving to 2K puts you near the edges of the lenses and that's not optimum. Extreme slope in the base makes near zero impossible and places the ocular in a difficult position to get properly setup behind the rifle. Adjustable bases have the same positioning problem, and getting the precision required in the adjustment is VERY hard to do. John's approach is to simply shift the image a specific amount using a precisely configured mirror system ahead of the objective. So, now I can have a 'normal' slope and zero, and when the scope it nearly topped out I can attach the TARAC, dial back down 15, 20 or 30+ mils and go back to dialing elevation beyond that. Very clever. John was kind enough to leave a unit here for testing and use during class, so I'll be working with it here and will report back. I should have it sorted out well before the September class (I plan to take it to Ko2m) so it will be available for clients in that class.
We had 4 338LM's and 1 300NM shooting a variety of loads. Two factory rifles (AI AX and an FN Ballista) and 3 custom rigs with 1 S&B, 2 Nightforce, 1 Vortex and 1 US Optics for scopes. Everything performed fairly well, though we did have our share of issues. The USO scope proved recalcitrant to unlock the elevation knob so the scale could be slipped to zero. That finally got sorted out overnight on day 1. All the scopes tracked very well, as established by laser tracking. We had an odd issue on day 3 where 1 Nightforce scope, when nearly topped out at 2000m began delivering reversed elevation (apparently). We made 3 corrections of .5 mil up, getting lower impacts each time. Running it back down to zero and getting back on the 1900m target was no problem though. Very odd, I've never seen that before. When you get these lens systems near the edges, strange things sometimes happen.
FFS was used by 4 shooters, with an AB Kestrel as backup for 2 and primary for 1 shooter. As usual, FFS performed very well. The AB Kestrels provided good solutions, though not without some extra effort. As a standalone unit, the user interface makes it very difficult to operate. There are lots of menus and button presses required to get anything done. I highly advise users to get the desktop package so they can manage profiles on a full size screen and keyboard. I have a 5700 and BT dongle onsite, so I can help getting you connected if need be. The unit can be coupled with the Bushnell Conx rangefinder, but it is not adequate for the targets used in this class. I've not yet had a Sig 2400 unit onsite, so I cannot say if it would be good enough. The Vector IV and Leica 10x Geovid worked perfectly well.
Please do not bother with 250gr factory ammo in the 338LM. It is really only good to 1400m. You MAY be able to hand load it with good success, but I advise running the Hornady 285's or any of the 300gr bullets instead of any conventional 250. The 300 NM performed just fine with 250's, hand loaded naturally and running at about 3000fps.
John Baker from TACOMHQ was in the class, using the 300NM with an innovative barrel system. The barrel is basically sleeved in an Aluminum rod having longitudinal holes for cooling. It increases stiffness with little weight and cools VERY quick. It performed well and is very interesting. It is 2" in diameter though, so getting it into a stock may be an issue.
John also brought a Charlie TARAC, a device which can add elevation to your scope by use of a mirror system mounted in front of the scope. Elevation travel is a big issue for ELR. Most scopes max out at 25 to 30 mils of total usable travel. Getting a 100 yard zero then moving to 2K puts you near the edges of the lenses and that's not optimum. Extreme slope in the base makes near zero impossible and places the ocular in a difficult position to get properly setup behind the rifle. Adjustable bases have the same positioning problem, and getting the precision required in the adjustment is VERY hard to do. John's approach is to simply shift the image a specific amount using a precisely configured mirror system ahead of the objective. So, now I can have a 'normal' slope and zero, and when the scope it nearly topped out I can attach the TARAC, dial back down 15, 20 or 30+ mils and go back to dialing elevation beyond that. Very clever. John was kind enough to leave a unit here for testing and use during class, so I'll be working with it here and will report back. I should have it sorted out well before the September class (I plan to take it to Ko2m) so it will be available for clients in that class.
