I'm thinking about buying one of these 11-TPH rifles mainly for fun and shooting coyotes and jackrabbits.
How good of a chance is there the rifle will be a GREAT shooter?
With the 1:9" twist can I shoot bullets that will get me to 600-700 yards well?
Does anyone want to but the Nikon scope with the goofy predator reticle from me?
Should I get something else?
I want a tack-driver. Anything less and I will be disappointed, really. Am I expecting to much?
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600-700 seams like a little bit of a stretch for a 223. I would think maybe 400yds for game. Go out farther for target.
If you reload, I would go with something a touch faster, like a 22-250( would not cost much more per round reloaded).
I am sure someone with more knowledge than me will chime in.
I do reload, and I'm talking only of shooting milk jugs or steel targets at 600-700 yards which we already do with our other centerfire rifles. Just looking for adv opinion on the rifle's capability.Quote:
Originally Posted by adammiddagh
.22-250 does in fact cost much more to reload for me because I already have a nice collection of .223 brass and you're looking at 1.5-2x the powder burned in the 250.
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Anyone have one of these???
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Don't they make it with a 1in9 and also 1in7 which will shoot heavy bullets for distance. The 1in9 will be pushing it with less than a 80 grain bullet. You can still do well with a 75/77 grain match bullet or equivalent.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...pszwvkxudt.jpg
Something is missing here...
Can anyone tell me what it is?
Man you got to scratch that itch you have for sure lolQuote:
Originally Posted by FiveInADime
Have you considered a hog hunter in 223? it is also a 1-9 twist
77 sie bullets should do ok 75 amax maybe 80gr no
Jack
Just an FYI: I sold the Nikon 3-9x40 scope and rings that came on my Savage 6.5 Creedmoor for $210 to a guy locally, and it had the predator reticle. Also had some bites on other forums trying to sell it...some folks like them, so it should sell.
Really? I threw the scope and rings onto my 12g because j had nothing better to do with it and assumed it was worthless. Guess I'm pulling that off to sell
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I bought the Trophy Predator Hunter but my NICS got delayed :(.Quote:
Originally Posted by JW
Just waiting for tomorrow to pick it up.
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Let us know how it shoots. I need something to compete with my cousin and his remi 700 r5 .223 (which shoots lights out after I bed and pillared a BDL stock for him).
If I can't shoot 1/2" or better with handloads at 100 yards a) I'll be very disappointed b) I'll be biding my time until I can order a Criterion barrel in .223AI to replace the factory barrel along with figuring out if I need a stock to make it shoot better.Quote:
Originally Posted by tufrthnails
Most of my guns shoot sub-MOA with some load I've found. And none of them shoot MOA with factory loads.
This is supposed to be a gun that I'm going to shoot A LOT because honestly I don't get my money's worth out of my other guns.
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I'm curious why you went with the Predator hunter instead of the trophy hunter if you are going to swap the barrel and stock anyways? I'm getting consistent .500" to .750" 100 yard groups out of my .270 win with just a boyds stock swap that I installed pillars and bedded the action. I get groups that fall in the .400" range as well, but the norm is 1/2" to 3/4" with hand loads, but with 150gr hornady interlocks from the factory it will shoot in the 1" range consistently.
I only plan on a new barrel I'd the gun doesn't shoot as is.Quote:
Originally Posted by tufrthnails
I like the medium weight barrel and the camo stock. If I get a new barrel I'll get a light varmint contour 24", most likely but hopefully I don't have to. I always liked the 10 Predator but I didn't like the price much. I know that sounds silly when I'm willing to spend more on a barrel later if this doesn't work out but hopefully it does.
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Oh okay no that makes sense I was just curious. I suspect you will be pretty happy with the factory barrel. Both my savage barrels want to be shot dirty. Right around 190 rds I have to decopper it then refoul it. The other is to new not sure how long it is going to shoot before it needs decoppered.
Ready for the range. I've got the +10/-10 shims installed for a net of +16 MOA of elevation. I'm glad I got high rings, the scope bell is about .150" from the barrel and I get a good cheek weld prone, sitting, and offhand.
Scope center is ~1.9" above the bore-axis.
I've got:
- 69gr SMK FGMM
- Hornady Match 75gr BTHP
- Hornady 55gr SP
Hopefully this will give me an idea where to start with hand-loading.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psw7at4hib.jpg
I'm really excited to shoot this rig. Cross your fingers for me, guys.
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That thing is pretty slick looking out of the box! How is the stiffness of the forend of that stock. It looks to be floated a lot better then my TH came from the factory.
It's not stiff by any means. But it is GENEROUSLY free-floated and the tang area is also floated. The trigger also feels like it is set at about 2lbs judging by my other rifles set around 2lbs.Quote:
Originally Posted by tufrthnails
I don't know if I could use a bipod and really load it up, but there is about 1/8" of space under the barrel and a good 1/32 on either side.
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Looks like a good candidate for the Alum arrow or lamp rod stiffening job.
Same stock that came on my 6.5 Creedmoor. It was good enough to shoot 0.7 MOA at 500 yards on steel using a bipod to lightly load it, but as mentioned before it will flex a good bit when you get firm with it and the sides of the channel will contact. I thought about fiddling around and firming up mine but just the B&C M40 route. Good looking setup for sure!!
Learned some valuable info today.
- Vortex scopes are terribly overrated in the glass department. My scope was not clear at all at 24X. Adjustments were dead nuts, however.
- My Savage can shoot *really well with FGMM 69gr SMK *2"-3" with Hornady 55gr SP * Ok 1"-1.5" with Hornady Match 75gr HPBT.
- Gotta be fouled good before it'll shoot
- I think it's gonna be a real fun gun for me
- I don't think I need a barrel or a stock
Half of the 69smk below; the other two groups had 1 flyer each but were around the same as these discounting the flyers.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...pskxojnbrs.jpg
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psb24buzn5.jpg
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Looks like a great starting point.
That's a bold statement to try and cover all vortex scopes in terms of being overrated. Sounds like a prime time to use their awesome customer service??
X2 My cousins PST is super clear all the way out to 24x. Sure makes 800 yards look awful close!Quote:
Originally Posted by md7989
Sorry for the hyperbole. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, I just wasn't impressed glass-wise. Maybe Vortex coatings just don't match my eyes very well because I was underwhelmed buy a pair of Vortex Viper HD binos (15x50mm) that the owner thought was awesome. We were looking at two different binoculars on tripod that day on an elk hunt. The other was a Nikon 16x56mm Monarch 5 and I much preferred them.Quote:
Originally Posted by md7989
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Good points. I too will admit I wasn't impressed with the Viper 6-24x44 that I got on sale for $329 earlier this year from Midway. The glass just didn't seem to be there either so I sold it locally. However, the glass on my Viper PST 4-16x50 EBR-1 MRAD has been excellent for the price I paid ($550 from EuroOptic).Quote:
Originally Posted by FiveInADime
I will give Monarch 5s credit where credit is due...also an excellent piece for the price point
Once you get a 100 or so rounds down the barrel it should shrink those groups up a bit.
I have a 204R in a model 11 trophy hunter. With ammo it likes It shoots about .5 MOA. I have been working on reloading but can't beat Hornady super performance 32 Gr ammo yet. Starting on Sierra 39 Gr stuff next outing. Replaced the original 3-9 Nikon with a 4-12 I swapped from a Tikka 223 had
I just went out and stretched the legs of my .223 today.
I really have to say that this is the best gun/scope-purchase I've ever made.
We hauled a target stand with a metal drip pan hanging in it and a milk jug out to 600-yards this morning and let some bullets fly. We couldn't hear the bullets hitting the drip pan like I thought we would but the dirt splash behind it let us know we were hitting it. Then my buddy took a few shots at the milk jug and missed. I could see he was hitting high so I dialed 1 MOA down and when I shot I was below the target. So, I dialed back to my original solution and held 1MOA for left-to-right wind and BAM. Drilled the milk-jug dead center. This was with Australian Outback 69gr SMK factory loads, btw.
I have my .223 Forster Bench-Rest dies on standby with a bunch of 68gr Hornady HPBT bullets and Varget. I'll probably load up some 75gr Hornady HPBT and 77gr SMK once I get rolling just to experiment.
I've got a bunch of ADI brass now, has anyone ever loaded it?
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My 1x9 223 shoots/stabilizes the hornady 75 bthp very well. I seat mine close to the lands and use ar-comp. Excellent 300 yard load
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Not a 223 but I just bought an 11 predator hunter with a medium contour barrel. Off bags out of the box with Winchester varmint X factory loads I put the first 4 shots out of the rifle into the same hole,so these rifles can shoot.
My dimensions both print half moa with my handmade loads.
I've never seen a savage,even an axis not print 1/2moa with load development
The only other Savage I've ever shot was my mom's .243 in a birch stock. It wasn't a great shooter but it was old, old.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryfulman
All the modern Savage rifles I've seen at the range were shooting good groups. I figured if mine wasn't a shooter I was just going to do a CBI barrel in .223AI with a 1:8" twist. Glad I didn't have to do that and it's shooting factory ammo easily sub-moa so I have no doubt I will be able to drive tacks with hand-loads.
I'm setting up an 8" gong at my shooting spot at 600 yards so I don't have to walk out as much. It's kind of a let-down how easy it was to accomplish my goal of "milk-jug at 600-yards", lol. I'll have to push it out to 700 now. Shooting at 2000ft elevation helps.
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Glad to hear you got it figured out.Quote:
Originally Posted by FiveInADime