Range Report First time shooting a bolt gun

[Juddg]

Well I recently put together my rifle. It's a savage model 10 fcp-sr in 6.5 creedmoor. I have an athlon Argos scope 6-24.

I went to cabelas an bought the cheapest 6.5 I could find to sight in(140 grn hornady American gunner)

I have shot pistols but never rifles for accuracy other than a .22. So I am completely green to all things rifle.

I started out by running a 300 ft steel tape. Then I set up at the 50 yard mark and took my bolt out an boresighted it, then got my crosshairs to match. Once I was on the bull at 50(took 2 shots, I was right at the bottoms so 1/2" low of dead center) I pushed back to 100 yards.

I fired a shot an seen I was on target. I was 1" low and 1/2" right. So I decided to pick a spot an shoot a 3 shot group to confirm that my first shot was correct.

Now i I know my results are not impressive by everyone's standard/ability but I was pretty happy for my first 3 shots ever with a rifle at 100 yards. Center to center is exactly 1". I don't have a bipod or a rear bag or a shooting mat. So I used a 5.11 sling bag as my bipod, a sweater as my rear bag an 2 pallets for my mat. It wasn't the best but it worked. My budget is spent, but I am hopI got to get a bipod, shooting sock, and mat for Christmas. For now I'all be using 2 pillows an a beach towel

The far left shot is my third shot an I knew before I seen it I pulled some to the left so that's on me. I know this rifle will shoot sub moa with this ammo, which makes me really happy because I can get it locally for 1.13 a round an probly cheaper online.

I would have shot more but my buddy who I was shooting with had his rings come loose at fifty an he wasn't able to shoot his rifle so he was ready to get home. Now I'm at home ready to clean but I don't have a rod that is that long, I do have the Otis kit with the wire that will reach. Is that okay or should I wait to barrow my buddy's coated cleaning rod?

I just wanted to post post this up to share
my results an to say thanks to this community for all the help so far. Truly greatful to you guys!

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[LOBO]

It sounds like you are doing just fine! Congrats!

 

[Muddydogz]

I have the same rifle and scope set-up. Two things you should get are a bore guide and a good cleaning rod. DO NOT TRY TO PUSH A ROD THROUGH WITHOUT A BORE GUIDE. Especially if you are new to cleaning rifles. When I picked mine up, the first thing g I did was to run some patches through it with a bore guide. During my once over of the rifle I noticed that the action screws were loose. I torqued them to 62 in/lbs per savage specs and headed over to my shooting range. Right away it was shooting 1/2 moa at 100 yds. A lot of guys don't like the stock and I must agree it isn't the best but, when you are on a budget you take what you can get. With time I will put it in a chasis. I haven't been shooting long range for very long but have no problem hitting targets out at 800 yards with this set-up.

 

[VegasHKShooter]

Sounds like you're at least off to a start. Two things to look for right away are 1) a Harris bi-pod, and 2) a rear bag. Those rwo things are not expensive at all, and will really get you going towards a consistent experience. The Harris bi-pod is a great entry level pod, and shouldn't run you over $100. I use TAB Gear bags sold by Mile High. They aren't expensive either, I think $25 or so. For that money you'll have two of the basic tools you need. Shoot off them always, at first. This way you'll start to build consistent position. Then you can work on building natural point of aim, breathing, and trigger control.
Number one....have fun. Try not to get discouraged. Some days will be better than others while you are learning. Consistency is key in this game.

Bolt guns, by in large, are more forgiving and probably an easier platform for learning. Upgrade SLOW. Make sure you're upgrading something that makes a real difference. Avoid the temptation to chase every newest and shiniest.

Great to see new shooters ter s get into the game.

There is a ton of of useful info here on The Hide.

 

[Fursniper]

I love your story, good for you. Shows how much you can do with not much more than a desire to shoot. Too many of us get caught up in the never ending equipment race. Shoot what you got!

 

[OG10]

The 2 most important things you can do now are shoot it , and shoot it some more....Two quick ways for a diy set of bags use a large ziplock bag with minute rice wrap it in a t- shirt, bam front bag, get a small ziplock bag fill it with rice put it in a old sock, bam rear bag. Very cost effective but have served me well in the past.

 

[J!m]

And don't forget the value of dry firing. Get in position. Get used to relaxing your body. Control your breathing. Squeeze the trigger. I was told the trigger break should be a "surprise" and by that, it means DONT anticipate the trigger break and recoil. That will cause you to pull shots. If you dry fire a lot, it helps. A lot. You can get some snap caps if you want- my Dad was old school and always feared breaking a firing pin dry firing but I haven't heard of that happening in 30-odd years... But having five snap caps in the magazine can help you with learning to tend your brass, good magazine loading technique etc.

Most important is to have fun. But remember you can put a great driver in a crappy car and see some spectacular driving. The same is true for the rifle. A great rifleman behind any rifle is going to put on a hell-of-a-show. Having the "best" rifle in the world won't make you a better shot- you need to put in the trigger time, dry and live.

You may want to consider a log book. That's not often discussed with new shooters, but like that far left shot you KNOW you pulled- get it in the log book. Learn from it. That will make you a great shooter.

 

[Juddg]

Thanks for all the replies guys! So round 2 of shooting went good. I kept having groups that looked similiar to this first 2 rounds almost in the same hole an then the 3rd round would be pulled a little left.

I did order a bipod. Although I’ll admit I went with a one called a tip top. It has a tilt an pan feature that seemed really nice, and it had great reviews. I just got it in the mail yesterday so I can’t say for sure how it will hold up. But it feels very high quality (comparable to a Harris I had on a 10/22). But time will tell. I got a 9-13” an I am afraid that may be to tall but I’ll see next time I go shoot.

As for a Rear bag, I just found a diy one using a sock an some air soft bb’s.

Again, right now my budget is super tight. I buy used an build whatever I can lol.

Im hoping for Christmas I can get a Hornady lock n load reloading kit(but just gotta see what’s left after the wife an kidddos are taken care of) But for the time being I have some hornady American shooter and I just picked up a box of Hornady black. It’s sells at academy for $20 a box. Really hoping my rifle likes it, if it does that willl be my go to until I can start reloading.

group pic below

http://i579.photobucket.com/albums/ss232/JuddG/AAE3BAA9-3BC3-4E86-899E-CFD0B4390F0D.jpg

 

[J!m]

My bags are used shot bags with play sand in them from Home Depot...