Mark V "Varmint-fitter" in 22-250

[Philip]

Well, after several months out of town (WAY out of town), I got back and also got my 22-250 back.  Man, I'm excited!   

Right before leaving, I bought a near-new SVM in 22-250 from a guy and posted some "before" pics on the Nation.  I sent the barreled action to Rocky Mountain Arms for their "bearcoat" (basically a teflon finish on all metal surfaces) and sent the stock to B&C to be refinished in their "desert" pattern.  I wanted the rifle to match the Outfitter that my wife bought me last year--thus, the name "Varmint-fitter".    

I think I got a pretty good deal on the upgrades: the stock was only $40 since B&C gave me a military discount, and the teflon work was $200 (which included shipping).  BTW, RMA is the vendor which the Weatherby Custom Shop uses for their teflon work, and I would have paid $400 if I had it done through Weatherby.

So I couldn't wait to get home, re-assemble my rifle, and SHOOT it.  After mounting a VX-3 6.5-20 x 50 (TMR reticle) on Talley bases and rings and adding a Harris bi-pod, I finally made it to the range this afternoon.  Well, after zeroing at 100 yds, I only had time to shoot two groups (all Winchester factory rounds):

55 gr. SP @ .93"
50 gr. BT @ .82"

In both groups, the first two rounds were touching and the third moved out a bit.  There's some performance-oriented tweaking I'd like to do eventually, but overall I'm pleased with the accuracy. 

Now it's time to back out to 400-500 yds and put this TMR reticle to work!









And a few of the "before" pics . . .



   

[terminator]

Chaplin Kramer:I am glad you are safely back.You have a great looking rig there that looks to be a great shooter.I only wish it were mine. .I am still thinking of a 22  250 someday.That will be a great centerfire to start your son out with someday.

[Oregon Jim]

That is really sweet! It looks great!

[ballistic]

Chaplainkramer, glad your back and thanks for your service. Thats a nice looking setup you got there. Are you going to reload? That could possibly get that flyer out of your group.
Roger, you should get yourself a 22.250, there a cool fast little caliber, and fun to shoot.

[dubyam]

Glad you're back safely, Chaplain!  That Varmintfitter is a great looking rig, for sure.

Thanks again for your service, sir.

[Philip]

Made my second trip to the range with the Varmint-fitter today--man it was HOT!  I was mainly trying to:

(1) figure out my bullet drop for ranges out to 400 yards and

(2) determine what my hold-overs would be with the TMR reticle--I prefer to zero at 100 and then use the TMR for all holdovers starting at 200. (I generally don't dial-in on a target when I'm hunting, so why do it at the range?)

Since the scope isn't first-focal plane, then I'm sticking with 20x from 200 yards and out.

I was using the factory 55 gr SPs again

At 400 yards, my drop was 21" and I was able to shoot a 3.5" group (which was pretty much in keeping with my results at 100 yards from this weekend).  The 400 yard hold-over at 20x was 1.5 mils.   

The wind was enough to affect the bullet, but not terribly so.  There was plenty of mirage at 400 yards, but not so that it hindered my sight picture, etc.

I've still got a lot of shooting to do in order to get this thing "fully mission capable," but I feel like I'm heading in the right direction.

After I generally get my "hold overs" out to 500 yards figured out, then I'm going to look at a few performance-oriented tweaks to bring my groups down in size. 

Any thoughts or suggestions? 

[zonie]

Chaplain that is a very nice looking rifle and the 6.5 x 20 made it even nicer.  So what are your plans for the rifle ?  Target shooting, long range varmits or all of the above ?    I could sure put it to use over here on a few prairie dogs  . 

[Philip]

This is an "all of the above" rifle.  I've always admired the guys who can put a bullet on a far-away target with precision and consistency.  I've never spent a lot of time doing that myself, so this--to me--is a great rifle for working on all of the long-range fundamentals.  Plus, it's going to be a great hunting rifle--I've got several end uses in mind for this thing.