New guy needs help

[powereng]

I’m looking for a little direction here, so bare with me.

Below are pictures of my 1903 Springfield rifle. I know to some of you that “sporterizing” a classic American military firearm like the 1903 is grounds for hanging, but I swear to you that I purchased the gun this way, back in 1988 when I was 13 years old. I will admit that I did have the trigger changed out and the bolt handle machined down so I could replace the cheap scope that came with the gun when I was a kid. The barrel and action are set in a Fajen stock, the trigger is a Timmey Featherweight set at 5lbs, and the scope is a Burris Fullfield II 3-9 x 40mm with Ballistic Plex Recticle. Based on the roll marks on the barrel, I’m going to assume the gun was manufactured in May of 1938. I’ve tried lots of different ammo, but have pretty much settled on Federal Gold Medal Match with 168gr SMK BTHP bullets.

So I’ve now been practicing with this gun now for a solid two years. When I started I figured I’d practice with a “budget” gun and scope, before spending high dollar on a more precision rig. So here’s my dilemma. In two years and about 300 rounds later my accuracy at 100yds with this rifle has not improved. I guess I need someone to tell me if I’m wasting my time with this rifle or I need to keep practicing. Basically, am I asking too much out of an outdated rifle platform and cheap scope?


Below are my targets from my range session today. Trust me, I’m NOT bragging. What I would like is some feedback. Please tell me if you see something I’m missing.

So you know, I’m was shooting from a bench with Harris bi-pod and a rear sand bag for elevation control. Today's weather was sunny and 70 degrees, with little or no wind. Shots at 100yds were shot using 7x magnification and shots at 200yds were shot at 9x magnification. FYI for the first three targes, the square are .75 inches, the last target the squares are .5 inches.

100 yard shots:

Cold bore = first three shots. Made scope adjustment and continued shooting.

To seperate groups.

200 yard shots:

Used scopes Ballistic Plex to compensate for bullet drop.

Thanks for any feedback. Powereng

 

[doc76251]

Re: New guy needs help

I won't bang on you for having a sporterized 03 especially if you bought it that way. What you do have is a fair to middlin' deer rifle in a hunting stock which does not lend itself well to prone shooting.

The vertical that you are seeing probably isn't from your loads but more than likely from your "jaw weld". The comb of the buttstock is not tall enough for you to get behind the scope with any consistency. The scope is also a bit high but that may be secondary to the bolt throw.

Looking a the SN, you have a 1918 rifle w/ a 1938 barrel.

The lock time on a 1903 is FOREEEEVER so each twitch in your position is magnified 100X and any error in position doubles that.

If the scope holds still it should not be an issue unless the parallax is off (*which could also give you the above groups).

Is it too much to ask of an old war horse, No. In that configuration, Yes.

Lower the scope, build a cheek riser and see if it comes together a bit. If it does, you have a keeper that can teach you many things about your position. If it does not, well you still have a nice deer rifle.

Cheers,

Doc

 

[powereng]

Re: New guy needs help

Thanks Doc.

Two questions. First, what do you mean by "lock time". I've never heard that term before. Second, can you go into more detail on parallax and the affect on my groups.

You are right about the bolt throw. The original scope on the rifle was mounted via a set of see thru rings to clear the bolt handle. I replaced the see thru rings and had the bolt handle machined down to accommodate the scope I have on the rifle now. Not great, but better than before.

I will see about finding a cheek riser.

Thanks you so much for your help.

 

[Joop]

Re: New guy needs help

I'm kind of a C&R nut, but I won't hold it against you for owning a sporter. It is what it is.

In addition to Doc's great advice, I would also suggest checking the action screws. It's very possible that they're not tight, or not properly tightened (try tightening the front first, rear first, both together, etc. and see if it changes). What I'm seeing in the targets are that a lot of your shots want to group in the same spot, but there are others that would appear as flyers, yet are together by themselves ("mini-groups" of two, for example). This could very well be a hold or parallax issue, but it's also very common in rifles where the action is not properly tightened in the stock. I've see it in Springfields, Enfields, Mausers and Mosins, just to name a few.

For sure, you want to acknowledge the issues that Doc mentioned, but check the screws, too. Experiment with them. Also, be sure that they're not bottoming out before they are completely tight. If they are, you may need to shim or bed the action, or use washers on the screws. From what I can see, this rifle has great potential and you're probably only a couple small tweaks away from solving your problems.

My .02

John

ETA: I forgot to ask; is the action bedded and is the barrel floating?

 

[johnsobr]

Re: New guy needs help

Basically, lock time is the amount of time it takes for the firing pin to strike the primer after it has been released by you pulling the trigger. Long lock times cause more time for the rifle to be moved after you have pulled the trigger. Inconsistant hand positioning and failing to pull the trigger straight back would in theory be magnified more than a rifle with a short lock time.

 

[doc76251]

Re: New guy needs help

Powereng,

Lots of good advice here and all should be investigated as it costs nothing but ammo and logical thought.

On the cheek rest thing I find foam from exercise mats (ISO mat) and duct tape work well but any high density closed cell foam is a good choice. It may not be pretty but it's pretty doggone effective. If this turns out to be the answer you can investigate pretty things to go with that stock.

Be careful not to build the sides up as you increase height as this will push your face off to the side. Make sure you can get the bolt out after you build it so that you don't have to rebuild each time. On the same thought you may wish to consider incorporating a piece of 3/4" PVC pipe into the build. This lets you stick a cleaning rod through

and adds solid height for little weight.

Lock time as was explained above is simply the time from trigger break to primer hit. When you cock the 03 you will see the "cocking knob" move back about 3/8". On modern rifles it moves back less than 3/16". It's pretty easy to see that it takes more time to go 3/8" as opposed to 3/16" it also induces movement into the platform which is never preferred.

Parallax has to do with the association of the lenses in the scope, the cross hairs and the target. Your scope doesn't appear to have an adjustable parallax so you may have what you have. When behind the rifle with the scope pointed at a target WITHOUT TOUCHING THE RIFLE move your head around behind the scope. If the cross hair moves around on the target you are not parallax free. On an adjustable scope you would change the parallax for the range you are at to get the cross hair to stand still. On a fixed parallax scope your only option is to move the TARGET until the cross hairs stop moving. Bring a friend and give him the bolt when he walks down range as you are aiming the rifle at him. Other wise it will be a long day of walking back and forth for you.

Food for thought and enjoy playing with it.

Cheers,

Doc