A work in progress......
Grandad wrote dozens of papers, and I am in the middle of sorting them out into chronological order of events.
Watch this space.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Eagle Drag bag
The Eagle Drag Bag is yet another product that has amazed me with it's quality. Eagle really knows how to put Cordura together into a functional AND good looking piece of gear.
There are two external pockets which are large, covering over three quarters of the length of the bag. There are also numerous attachment points on the front of the case for cam or for strapping on extra pockets. Two strong seatbelt-type material handles are excellent for portage, and very comfortable on the hands.
Both of the external pockets have two compression straps inside, which can be used to store items seperate from you rifle and scope. They both have zip closures, and are as weather-proof as Cordura can be. however, there is no padding from outside impact, so bear that in mind when deciding what to carry in there. The rear pocket also has a angled zip to access another storage area in its lid, which could easily be filled with a sheet of foam for padding.
The nose of the drag-bag is covered by a hood, that serves to keep out any debris that would otherwise be continually forced into the zip and nose section, which would rapidly cause wear and tear. Dragging hooks, there are two of them, are made from heavy duty seatbelt-type material. Very strong, yet soft to the touch.
On the inside, there is heaps of padding and space for rifles with large optics fitted and a pocket that runs the full length of the bag is designed to take a solid cleaning rod. Two compression straps hold the rifle firmly in place. The zip also has an external cover, which has plenty of press studs to keep the weather out.
A thick weather-guard runs the whole length of the zip, and a pouch with three press-studs will take two full factory boxes of .308 ammunition.
The back of the bag is heavily reinforced with strips running along the area where the bag will drag on the ground. This area also houses the back-pack setup, which stows away when not in use. This has been really well thought out, and even has a Velcro access point to assist with tucking it all in neatly. You can also reverse the strap setup, so you can carry the bag as a back-pack, muzzle up or muzzle down.
My Remington 700 Tactical with 20" barrel is fairly short (40" overall length), but you can see form this pic that there is plenty of room for longer barrels, and although I don't have my scope fitted in this pic, you can also see the room available for optics. Plenty!
Overall, this a great piece of gear, and I am very happy with my purchase.
My Eagle Drag Bag was purchased from Warrior Gear, and delivered to Australia in five days. Great customer service.
There are two external pockets which are large, covering over three quarters of the length of the bag. There are also numerous attachment points on the front of the case for cam or for strapping on extra pockets. Two strong seatbelt-type material handles are excellent for portage, and very comfortable on the hands.
Both of the external pockets have two compression straps inside, which can be used to store items seperate from you rifle and scope. They both have zip closures, and are as weather-proof as Cordura can be. however, there is no padding from outside impact, so bear that in mind when deciding what to carry in there. The rear pocket also has a angled zip to access another storage area in its lid, which could easily be filled with a sheet of foam for padding.
The nose of the drag-bag is covered by a hood, that serves to keep out any debris that would otherwise be continually forced into the zip and nose section, which would rapidly cause wear and tear. Dragging hooks, there are two of them, are made from heavy duty seatbelt-type material. Very strong, yet soft to the touch.
On the inside, there is heaps of padding and space for rifles with large optics fitted and a pocket that runs the full length of the bag is designed to take a solid cleaning rod. Two compression straps hold the rifle firmly in place. The zip also has an external cover, which has plenty of press studs to keep the weather out. 
A thick weather-guard runs the whole length of the zip, and a pouch with three press-studs will take two full factory boxes of .308 ammunition.
The back of the bag is heavily reinforced with strips running along the area where the bag will drag on the ground. This area also houses the back-pack setup, which stows away when not in use. This has been really well thought out, and even has a Velcro access point to assist with tucking it all in neatly. You can also reverse the strap setup, so you can carry the bag as a back-pack, muzzle up or muzzle down.
My Remington 700 Tactical with 20" barrel is fairly short (40" overall length), but you can see form this pic that there is plenty of room for longer barrels, and although I don't have my scope fitted in this pic, you can also see the room available for optics. Plenty!Overall, this a great piece of gear, and I am very happy with my purchase.
My Eagle Drag Bag was purchased from Warrior Gear, and delivered to Australia in five days. Great customer service.
Hardigg - Storm Case
I recently purchased two of the iM3200 (one black and one OD), and as soon as I opened the packages I was impressed.These cases are extremely well made and the design has no fault that I have yet discovered.
The case body is extremely durable. I am 87kg and I can stand on the centre of the lid of the empty case without concern for damaging it. It barely even flexes under my weight. 
The hinges are very strong and the iM3200 has four of them, being made from a thick metal rod that slides into the mouldings of the case itself. The rods are approximately 8mm thick.
The foam inserts (four of them) are firm but easily cut to suit your individual equipment application. There is an egg-shell foam lid-liner, two 45mm thick panels, and one thin panel (10mm) that lines the bottom. 100% custom-design it, just as YOU like it!
The six latches are strong, yet easy to open, with the press-to-release button on each one. There is one latch at each end, and four on the front. They have never opened accidentally, and I have never skinned a knuckle on them. Great design!
The carry-handles are soft-coated, yet still tough, allowing for better grip than plastic. There are two handles, with one allowing for normal carriage, the other on the end of the case for use when wheeling the case on it built-in wheels. 
The wheels themselves are very tough and silent running. Both handles fold and 'Click' in to the body of the case, so as to be out of the way when not in use.
I have found that the iM3200 is perfect in size for my 20” Barrelled Rem700 Tactical, which is 40” overall. This leaves me a full 2” of padding at each end. Any longer barrel and you will need to consider the iM3300. 
There is room in the case for areas to be cut out for; rifle and scope, bolt (removed from action) bipod (removed from stock), rolled-up sling, full-length cleaning rod, and I still have room to spare with generous areas between items.I highly recommend Storm cases to anyone that wishes to properly protect their equipment and I will certainly be buying more Storm cases as the need arises.
My Storm cases were purchased from Warrior Gear.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
New Rifle Build
I've recently built up a Remington model 700 Tactical in .308.
I've been ordering heaps of bits and pieces, and parting out a fair bit of cash lately, but I am starting to get there. I asked around, but eventually got a good deal of advice from the Sniper's Hide forum. Lots of experience in there, and some really helpful people. I soon found out how much more expensive it is to buy most things in Australia compared to the United States, so the international mail system has been getting a workout. I got quite a few good recommendations on different items, and I really would have been stuck without them. Thanks guys.
The Rifle
Started out as a plain Remington 700 Tactical and I tell you what, Remington sure spare no expense when it comes to packaging! A cheap and nasty cardboard box, with some pieces of foam chucked in for good measure and 'protection'.
I bought the rifle locally, despite the high cost (almost double RRP in the U.S) as it is a P.I.T.A to import firearms into Australia.
So here she is. Remington model 700 Tactical in .308 calibre with Hogue overmold stock and a 20" barrel, which has a nice heavy profile. I fitted her with a Harris bipod, which is the S-BRM 6"-9" notched-leg model.
Bipod purchased from Triad Tactical.
I also fitted a Pod-Loc, which is an essential addition to the Harris. It makes it easier to tighten the adjusting screw that adds tension to the swivel mechanism. You can have it completely loose, to swivel freely, or lock it up tight, with no movement at all! The Harris has two sling attachment points, with one at the rear of the bipod mount, and one that is part of the piece that grips the sling-swivel.
Pod-loc purchased from Bauer Arms.
The Hogue overmold stock is good as far as I can tell so far. It's a little flexible in the forend, for my liking, which I only really noticed when I fitted the bipod, so I'm going to bed the rifle (which I was going to do anyway), but with about 2mm of extra height at the front end of the stock. That'll give me all the clearance I need to keep that stout little barrel 'floated'. At least until I get my AICS stock.
The Eagle stock-pack was the next addition. A neat little pack, with storage for five .308 rounds (or similar size) on the outside, and a zip compartment, and a soft cheek pad, which ensures a good cheek-weld. Eagle products are very well made and the stock-pack was easy to fit, with three 'Velcro' adjustable tabs that wrap around the stock, and another adjustable strap that wraps around the butt pad. Once tightened up, very secure. It is well worth putting on, and removing again for those minor adjustments, to keep the adjustable straps tidy.
The pocket, while big enough for it's designed purpose, is not oversized at all. A tug cord on the zip makes for easy operation, and the non-slip, soft cheek pad is a nice touch.
Eagle stock-pack purchased from Triad Tactical.
Next thing to fit, was a T.I.S (Tactical Intervention Specialists) Quick-cuff sling. Great piece of gear, and the Talon M-24 Heavy Duty quick-release swivels are very well made, and strong. The sling attaches to the rear sling swivel on the rifle-stock, and the front swivel, I attached to the front Harris attaching point, but as the Pod-loc folds away once set, you could easily use the rear one. It's up to you.
T.I.S Quick-cuff sling purchased from Triad Tactical.
The Scope
The scope of choice for me, was the Leupold Mark 4 3.5-10X40 LR/T. Once again, advice from the guys on the Snipers Hide and previous experience with Leupold helped me narrow my selection down to this one. After a long wait due to short supply, the scope arrived and I was like a kid at Christmas.
Unpacking the box, there were a few extra bits and pieces that I wasn't expecting. In addition to the 7.62/.308 Win 168grn elevation turret, two extra elevation turrets were included, one marked out for 5.56mm 55grn and one for .300 Win Mag 190grn. Flip-up lens covers, a lense cloth, allen key, and instruction manuals for the scope and for the TMR reticle.
The model that I selected, model #60015, has M3 Windage and Elevation knobs. The M3 knobs are 1 MOA for Elevation and 1/2 MOA for Windage. As stated before, the Elevation knobs are also marked for come-ups for ranges from 100 out to 1000yards. Once you zero it, you re-adjust the position of the turret to indicate zero, and the scope does the rest, after of course you estimate the range.
This is where the TMR reticle comes in. It is set up with fine hash-marks which indicate precise incriments in Milliradians, which can be used to estimate the range to a target of a known size. See future blog on the use of TMR reticle.
The model #60015 also comes with an Illuminated Reticle. The Reticle is only Illuminated in the TMR section, at the centre of the cross-hairs, where the hash-marks are. This function can be turned on or off, and the intensity of the Illumination can be altered by means of the dial on the eyepiece. There are 11 brightness settings, and if the Illumination is switched off, the Reticle appears all black.
The optical clarity is as good as I have seen, and is not truly depicted with my limited photography experience. I know there are higher priced scopes with reputations for better clarity and extra features, they are two to three times the price of this scope, and I am quite happy with the clarity and quality of my Leupold.
The Rings and Base
I think that one of the worst mistakes you could make when building a precision rifle, is to cut costs on mounts and rings for the scope. A very significant part of the scope's accuracy will come from the connection between reciever and scope, so you need to use quality parts.
I selected Seekins Precision to link the two major components together. The base is one-piece Billet Aluminium alloy, with 20 MOA, and the rings are 30mm six-screw low (.823), also Billet Aluminium alloy. There are two torx-head screws to hold the ring onto the base, instead of the usual single cross-bolt, and the torx-head tuck away nicely, leaving no sharp edges to snag in a drag-bag or on clothing etc. Seekins products are guaranteed for life.
The workmanship on these components is great, with good strong anodising and sharp, precise construction. There are 15 slots in the picatinny rail, and the screws are torx-head, allowing for a good snug fit to the receiver. The base has a generous recoil-lug built in, to keep the stress on the receiver itself, rather than the mounting screws.
Each of the rings, which are manufactured as a matched pair, have six torx-head screws to hold the scope in place. These are designed for heavy recoiling .50BMG and .338 Lapua rifles and therefore should easily stand up to anything my .308 can throw at them. Once again, the precision of the Seekins product is nothing short of awesome. Very tight manufacturing tolerances must be in place, and credit should be given to the manufacturer. Seekins Precision. I have fully torqued these rings to the scope, and then removed them for adjustment, and not one single ring mark was evident.
To add a little extra protection to the scope and mount area, my mate gave me a BlackHawk scope cover, with muzzle/crown protector. Another good piece of kit, with plenty of adjustments possible due to numerous straps that are shortened or lengthened to suit different scope height, width and length and also adjustable for rifles with longer barrels.
Overall, I am happy with the setup I have come up with, and while it may be similar to many others out there, this one is mine, and it should provide me with many years of good accurate shooting for a short barrelled Tactical Rifle, out to about 800 metres. The 20" barrel loses a little muzzle velocity with it's shortened length, so it can only keep projectiles above supersonic speed to that range, however the stiff nature of such a short, solid tube gives inherent accuracy that I'm looking forward to testing.
The Range
Down to Little River, and the sighting-in process begins. There was a bit more wind than I was hoping for, so a fair bit of tape was needed on the targets to hold them firm. I had 'bore-sighted' the rifle prior to getting to the range, so I set up a nice large targets at 50 yards, just to get her 'on-paper', I checked the view through the bore again, and I started up.
Turns out, my bore-sighting was spot on, I'm going with luck, well before I claim talent :-), and the first three round group was near enough to zero. I put an old box of Winchester SuperX through her, and did a bronze brush between each of the first three rounds, then in between the following three round groups, as the rifle is brand new and I felt that this was adequate 'break-in'.
I changed targets to a grouping-style target, which I got from the Storm Tactical website. While still at 50 yards, I put a few more groups on paper, and while the groups are decievingly small, I knew that they would get bigger further out.
With a bit more than a box of the cheap Winchester gone, I moved the target out to 100 yards and began to test it out with various newer Hunting loads. I had Remington 150grn Core Lokt PSP, Federal 180grn Power Shok SP, Winchester 150grn XP3 and the top of the range, Federal 180grn Vital Shok with Barnes projectile. I've written in pencil on the paper, which ammo was which, and this accounts for the best groupings of the day with Hunting ammo. Two groups of an inch, one of .8 and one of .55. Couldn't recreate that one though.
I had selected some high quality Target loads, being Federal 168grn Gold Medal Match. Two things I noticed straight up; 1) I had to adjust for low shots from the Hunting loads and 2) This ammo is accurate. The groups shown here are my best for the day, and by the way, the squares on the target pages are not actually one inch. The dollar coin is one inch. The three groups here are about .75, .75 and .8 of an inch.
The rifle is complete for now, and I'm very happy with it. It's not bedded yet, and apart from the addons, like bi-pod and sling etc, it's factory. I've placed an order for a McMillan A-5 stock, and Badger Ordnance bottom metal, so once that gets here, we'll finish her off completely.
Can't talk now...........got some shooting to do. :-)
I've been ordering heaps of bits and pieces, and parting out a fair bit of cash lately, but I am starting to get there. I asked around, but eventually got a good deal of advice from the Sniper's Hide forum. Lots of experience in there, and some really helpful people. I soon found out how much more expensive it is to buy most things in Australia compared to the United States, so the international mail system has been getting a workout. I got quite a few good recommendations on different items, and I really would have been stuck without them. Thanks guys.
The Rifle
Started out as a plain Remington 700 Tactical and I tell you what, Remington sure spare no expense when it comes to packaging! A cheap and nasty cardboard box, with some pieces of foam chucked in for good measure and 'protection'.I bought the rifle locally, despite the high cost (almost double RRP in the U.S) as it is a P.I.T.A to import firearms into Australia.
So here she is. Remington model 700 Tactical in .308 calibre with Hogue overmold stock and a 20" barrel, which has a nice heavy profile. I fitted her with a Harris bipod, which is the S-BRM 6"-9" notched-leg model.Bipod purchased from Triad Tactical.
I also fitted a Pod-Loc, which is an essential addition to the Harris. It makes it easier to tighten the adjusting screw that adds tension to the swivel mechanism. You can have it completely loose, to swivel freely, or lock it up tight, with no movement at all! The Harris has two sling attachment points, with one at the rear of the bipod mount, and one that is part of the piece that grips the sling-swivel.Pod-loc purchased from Bauer Arms.
The Hogue overmold stock is good as far as I can tell so far. It's a little flexible in the forend, for my liking, which I only really noticed when I fitted the bipod, so I'm going to bed the rifle (which I was going to do anyway), but with about 2mm of extra height at the front end of the stock. That'll give me all the clearance I need to keep that stout little barrel 'floated'. At least until I get my AICS stock.
The Eagle stock-pack was the next addition. A neat little pack, with storage for five .308 rounds (or similar size) on the outside, and a zip compartment, and a soft cheek pad, which ensures a good cheek-weld. Eagle products are very well made and the stock-pack was easy to fit, with three 'Velcro' adjustable tabs that wrap around the stock, and another adjustable strap that wraps around the butt pad. Once tightened up, very secure. It is well worth putting on, and removing again for those minor adjustments, to keep the adjustable straps tidy.
The pocket, while big enough for it's designed purpose, is not oversized at all. A tug cord on the zip makes for easy operation, and the non-slip, soft cheek pad is a nice touch.Eagle stock-pack purchased from Triad Tactical.
Next thing to fit, was a T.I.S (Tactical Intervention Specialists) Quick-cuff sling. Great piece of gear, and the Talon M-24 Heavy Duty quick-release swivels are very well made, and strong. The sling attaches to the rear sling swivel on the rifle-stock, and the front swivel, I attached to the front Harris attaching point, but as the Pod-loc folds away once set, you could easily use the rear one. It's up to you.T.I.S Quick-cuff sling purchased from Triad Tactical.
The Scope
The scope of choice for me, was the Leupold Mark 4 3.5-10X40 LR/T. Once again, advice from the guys on the Snipers Hide and previous experience with Leupold helped me narrow my selection down to this one. After a long wait due to short supply, the scope arrived and I was like a kid at Christmas.
Unpacking the box, there were a few extra bits and pieces that I wasn't expecting. In addition to the 7.62/.308 Win 168grn elevation turret, two extra elevation turrets were included, one marked out for 5.56mm 55grn and one for .300 Win Mag 190grn. Flip-up lens covers, a lense cloth, allen key, and instruction manuals for the scope and for the TMR reticle.
The model that I selected, model #60015, has M3 Windage and Elevation knobs. The M3 knobs are 1 MOA for Elevation and 1/2 MOA for Windage. As stated before, the Elevation knobs are also marked for come-ups for ranges from 100 out to 1000yards. Once you zero it, you re-adjust the position of the turret to indicate zero, and the scope does the rest, after of course you estimate the range.
This is where the TMR reticle comes in. It is set up with fine hash-marks which indicate precise incriments in Milliradians, which can be used to estimate the range to a target of a known size. See future blog on the use of TMR reticle.
The model #60015 also comes with an Illuminated Reticle. The Reticle is only Illuminated in the TMR section, at the centre of the cross-hairs, where the hash-marks are. This function can be turned on or off, and the intensity of the Illumination can be altered by means of the dial on the eyepiece. There are 11 brightness settings, and if the Illumination is switched off, the Reticle appears all black.
The optical clarity is as good as I have seen, and is not truly depicted with my limited photography experience. I know there are higher priced scopes with reputations for better clarity and extra features, they are two to three times the price of this scope, and I am quite happy with the clarity and quality of my Leupold.The Rings and Base
I think that one of the worst mistakes you could make when building a precision rifle, is to cut costs on mounts and rings for the scope. A very significant part of the scope's accuracy will come from the connection between reciever and scope, so you need to use quality parts.
I selected Seekins Precision to link the two major components together. The base is one-piece Billet Aluminium alloy, with 20 MOA, and the rings are 30mm six-screw low (.823), also Billet Aluminium alloy. There are two torx-head screws to hold the ring onto the base, instead of the usual single cross-bolt, and the torx-head tuck away nicely, leaving no sharp edges to snag in a drag-bag or on clothing etc. Seekins products are guaranteed for life.
The workmanship on these components is great, with good strong anodising and sharp, precise construction. There are 15 slots in the picatinny rail, and the screws are torx-head, allowing for a good snug fit to the receiver. The base has a generous recoil-lug built in, to keep the stress on the receiver itself, rather than the mounting screws.
Each of the rings, which are manufactured as a matched pair, have six torx-head screws to hold the scope in place. These are designed for heavy recoiling .50BMG and .338 Lapua rifles and therefore should easily stand up to anything my .308 can throw at them. Once again, the precision of the Seekins product is nothing short of awesome. Very tight manufacturing tolerances must be in place, and credit should be given to the manufacturer. Seekins Precision. I have fully torqued these rings to the scope, and then removed them for adjustment, and not one single ring mark was evident.
To add a little extra protection to the scope and mount area, my mate gave me a BlackHawk scope cover, with muzzle/crown protector. Another good piece of kit, with plenty of adjustments possible due to numerous straps that are shortened or lengthened to suit different scope height, width and length and also adjustable for rifles with longer barrels.
Overall, I am happy with the setup I have come up with, and while it may be similar to many others out there, this one is mine, and it should provide me with many years of good accurate shooting for a short barrelled Tactical Rifle, out to about 800 metres. The 20" barrel loses a little muzzle velocity with it's shortened length, so it can only keep projectiles above supersonic speed to that range, however the stiff nature of such a short, solid tube gives inherent accuracy that I'm looking forward to testing.The Range
Down to Little River, and the sighting-in process begins. There was a bit more wind than I was hoping for, so a fair bit of tape was needed on the targets to hold them firm. I had 'bore-sighted' the rifle prior to getting to the range, so I set up a nice large targets at 50 yards, just to get her 'on-paper', I checked the view through the bore again, and I started up.
Turns out, my bore-sighting was spot on, I'm going with luck, well before I claim talent :-), and the first three round group was near enough to zero. I put an old box of Winchester SuperX through her, and did a bronze brush between each of the first three rounds, then in between the following three round groups, as the rifle is brand new and I felt that this was adequate 'break-in'.
I changed targets to a grouping-style target, which I got from the Storm Tactical website. While still at 50 yards, I put a few more groups on paper, and while the groups are decievingly small, I knew that they would get bigger further out. 
With a bit more than a box of the cheap Winchester gone, I moved the target out to 100 yards and began to test it out with various newer Hunting loads. I had Remington 150grn Core Lokt PSP, Federal 180grn Power Shok SP, Winchester 150grn XP3 and the top of the range, Federal 180grn Vital Shok with Barnes projectile. I've written in pencil on the paper, which ammo was which, and this accounts for the best groupings of the day with Hunting ammo. Two groups of an inch, one of .8 and one of .55. Couldn't recreate that one though.
I had selected some high quality Target loads, being Federal 168grn Gold Medal Match. Two things I noticed straight up; 1) I had to adjust for low shots from the Hunting loads and 2) This ammo is accurate. The groups shown here are my best for the day, and by the way, the squares on the target pages are not actually one inch. The dollar coin is one inch. The three groups here are about .75, .75 and .8 of an inch.The rifle is complete for now, and I'm very happy with it. It's not bedded yet, and apart from the addons, like bi-pod and sling etc, it's factory. I've placed an order for a McMillan A-5 stock, and Badger Ordnance bottom metal, so once that gets here, we'll finish her off completely.
Can't talk now...........got some shooting to do. :-)
Grandad's Stories
I am starting to transcribe a heap of stories that my Grandad wrote for me, over a period of about ten years, onto this blog.
These stories are his real-life accounts of his childhood, his military service in World War II when he served with the Australian Army, and the years after the War.
He also used to write down heaps of jokes, some good, some not so good, but they always make me laugh.
It's up to you to filter out the 'tall-tales', but his sense of humour is great. You should be able to pick out the truths from the, ahhhhhh, 'not-so-truths'.......
More to follow......
These stories are his real-life accounts of his childhood, his military service in World War II when he served with the Australian Army, and the years after the War.
He also used to write down heaps of jokes, some good, some not so good, but they always make me laugh.
It's up to you to filter out the 'tall-tales', but his sense of humour is great. You should be able to pick out the truths from the, ahhhhhh, 'not-so-truths'.......
More to follow......
Archer's blog
Hi guys,
Well, I've decided to set up a blog.
No particular reason, I guess it's a bit like doing a facebook page, or myspace or whatever, but it's a bit more personal, and it's MINE!
We'll see how often I update it, and if I end up keeping it or not. Only time will tell.
Archer.
Well, I've decided to set up a blog.
No particular reason, I guess it's a bit like doing a facebook page, or myspace or whatever, but it's a bit more personal, and it's MINE!
We'll see how often I update it, and if I end up keeping it or not. Only time will tell.
Archer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
