I am new to ARs, just got a Seekins SP10 in 6.5 CM. Love rifle so far thru 17 shots. First day out was very windy blowing targets over repeatedly So cut session short. My hope was to have factory ammo shooting 3 shot groups under 1” at 100 yds primarily for deer hunting. Looks like that’s not gonna be a problem with 3 different factory loads under 1”; 1 as small as 9/16” group. I have been looking around this forum seeing some amazing groups. Some are custom rifles with high dollar components and hand load ammo. Some are factory ammo. There are rifles shooting 5 and 10 shot groups very small (0.3-0.4” groups). All my life I have assumed (incorrectly) that a bolt action rifle would shoot better than a gas gun. Now for bench rest shooters that may still be true. But for everything else like PRS, hunting, general target shooting, it seems the AR10 platform really is not limiting when it comes to accuracy and precision. My hat is off to the people whose technique is so repeatable to have tight 5 and 10 shot groups. Focus, nerves, good trigger control and good eyesight are all required to repeat like this. Touché
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I also make sure I don't over do the coffee prior to shooting for precision. Lol
Shooting gas guns consistently is the challenge. Much easier to regularly shoot small groups with a bolt gun. Gas guns, especially AR10s that have more reciprocating mass, require a firmer hold and attention to technique IMO. That is part of the challenge and fun of shooting semiautos!
Agree 100% with what ToKeepAndBear said ; big bore has guns are a new game .
Especially shorter barrels - without a firm hand they will bounce all over the place .
Not punishing recoil - just a different recoil impulse and lots of bolt mass and movement.
To the OP sounds like you’ve got this well in hand with your initial 17 rounds .
Especially shorter barrels - without a firm hand they will bounce all over the place .
Not punishing recoil - just a different recoil impulse and lots of bolt mass and movement.
To the OP sounds like you’ve got this well in hand with your initial 17 rounds .
I got a heavy barrel Seekins. 0.85” OD at muzzle (6.5 CM). No recoil, at least compared to my REM 700 300 WM. The REM 700 has a Varmint barrel (0.83” at muzzle) and is 26” long. The Seekins is 22”. My SP 10 with 28 oz Nightforce NXS scope, Magpul QD sling and 10 round mag with 5 rounds in it weighs 14.3 lbs. The REM 700 weighs 11.6 lbs. When you have the short action 6.5 CM round, a gas gun and weighs 2.7 lbs more, there is minimal recoil. I feel like I’m cheating. And the Timney trigger on the SP10 is excellent. I look forward to getting a couple hundred rounds thru this rifle. I have some grandkids that want to start shooting and this rifle is gonna be perfect. We shoot from a bench at some property I have and our permanent deer stands all have shooting rails and sandbags.
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Got my first deer with the rifle last night from same stand. Nice doe, 140 yds. She was moving and hit kinda high above shoulder but got the job done. Just mounted scope last Friday and sighted rifle in same day. In S.C. the last day of season is Jan 1. So got first deer 3 days after mounting scope. Hornady 140 ELDM.
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5 shot group of 140gr ELDM out of my 14.5" 6.5 LMT after probably 3,500 rds through the barrel (including some full-auto)
I could say recoil is a state of mind....well depending on what kind of mind you have! I have a cbi 22" 11t m118 chambered AR10 rifle length gas system that has very little felt recoil using m80 ammo (pmc bronze 147gr fmj). I also shoot ppu 180 soft points and it's just as soft. Get any AR setup correctly and all goes so well. I haven't tested accuracy on paper yet, but so far nothing has run away (hoggs).
My SP10 has a Timney trigger from factory set at 3 lbs that feels great. Now my REM 700 (300 win mag) factory trigger felt horrible. I put a Timney Calvin Elite in it (set at 2.5 lbs) and my group sizes were cut in half.
Mine in .243 win hovers around 1moa. It was put together with parts as cheap as I could find. The scope could be the only exception, but even that has nothing to brag about. Have spent time to tinker it though.
Will switch to better bullet. Currently loading with the cheapest 75gr speer varmint bullets. It goes fast but also loses speed fast. It goes transonic right after 500yd. As sensitive to cross wind as 5.56. 100gr spbt should do better.
Will switch to better bullet. Currently loading with the cheapest 75gr speer varmint bullets. It goes fast but also loses speed fast. It goes transonic right after 500yd. As sensitive to cross wind as 5.56. 100gr spbt should do better.
I have a 243win AR 22" 8T, but the throat is short. Win 100gr soft points touch the lands and some have engraving from them. Haven't shot it in a while due to need tuning. Bought H 75v-max, 90edl-x, 103edl-x and 105hpbt, Sierra 90fmj and 100Sbt, Barnes 85tsx, 105mb and 112mb. Haven't done any load development yet.
What specs is your 243win?
Aeroprecision 22" 6.5 Creedmoor barrel in homebuilt DPMS old school lower and upper reciever. Handload of 147 gn "Midway Seconds"....Blue squares are 1/4", heavy black corner is 1/2"...5 shots.
Which barrel are you using?
I have a factory 14.5” barrel. There aren’t many in circulation, but I managed to snag one when they first came out.
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You think it shoots smooth now, put a American Precision arms Gen3 adjustable Muzzle Brakes on it.
Have you even tuned the gas yet?
Yes, heavy gas guns can shoot if they were built right, starting with a pimp barrel.
GA Precision-built .260 Rem gasser with a 22” Bartlein pipe on DPMS receivers and BCG with 139gr Scenar hand load in 7mm-08 brass necked down, all 5rd groups:
GA Precision-built .260 Rem gasser with a 22” Bartlein pipe on DPMS receivers and BCG with 139gr Scenar hand load in 7mm-08 brass necked down, all 5rd groups:
Sighting in my scope, five shot group in the center @ 100 yards, some a-hole on a public range plugging my target with his .223 as well. POF Revolution DI, stock except for the grip with a 3-18x. Standard Hornady 150 grain FMJBT hand loads over IMR4046 and nothing fancy to be honest. Pre Giraud trimmer, neck mandrels, more expensive dies, etc...was pretty basic back then. Hell, that load even had the headspace wrong. I've done this quite a few times with that particular load and I've not found anything better. But I agree with everyone else, it's really about the person behind the gun and what sort of mood you're in that day and how much caffeine you've had. I really enjoy getting behind the POF as it's a bit more challenging than my 5.56 gas guns. With the way it's set up, it just feels like home. I don't fidget like I do with the other guns for whatever reason.
imr4064 seems to be as versatile as vargetSighting in my scope, five shot group in the center @ 100 yards, some a-hole on a public range plugging my target with his .223 as well. POF Revolution DI, stock except for the grip with a 3-18x. Standard Hornady 150 grain FMJBT hand loads over IMR4046 and nothing fancy to be honest. Pre Giraud trimmer, neck mandrels, more expensive dies, etc...was pretty basic back then. Hell, that load even had the headspace wrong. I've done this quite a few times with that particular load and I've not found anything better. But I agree with everyone else, it's really about the person behind the gun and what sort of mood you're in that day and how much caffeine you've had. I really enjoy getting behind the POF as it's a bit more challenging than my 5.56 gas guns. With the way it's set up, it just feels like home. I don't fidget like I do with the other guns for whatever reason.
I have a few decent Varget loads but for some reason 4046 always seems to work better for me with this rifle and it's 16" barrel.
My rifle is ejecting in the 300-400 o’clock direction consistently. I have shot Hornady 129s, Hornady 140 ELDM and Hornady 143 ELDX. All ejecting the same pattern. So no, I have not adjusted the gas block. I do have the Seekins ATC muzzle brake and have shot with it on, ejection pattern the same. It was very soft. However the brake got loose. I removed it. I assume I didn’t turn the timing nut with enough torque to prevent it loosening. I was concerned about yielding the threads by over-tightening it. I was turning one wrench against the other. Do people use blue loctite (242) on the threads to prevent loosening OR just tighten it harder?
Yes you can use a drop of blue Loctite, I do on all my brakes besides my Area 419 Hellfire's. I use a strap wrench on the hellfire brakes and I've never had one come loose.
Loctite blue #242 is rated for 300°F. If your expected rate of fire will exceed this temp, I would go with a higher temp rated threadlocker. Loctite makes other blue/medium strength threadlockers with higher temp ratings, like #246 (450°F) and #2422 (650°F). Of course, they're not as common and cost more.
I do the blue Loctite as well. I know that short of an apocalypse that I'm not going to heat the end of my barrel up to the temperature required to cause it to fail.
To each their own.
To each their own.
