Finally got my Hog Hunter .223 put together.
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Well gang,
I just wanted to take a few minutes to thank all of the members here who gave me sound advice (or not so sound as it might have been once or twice :) ) regarding the Hog Hunter.
I was able to order one and, having traded off a recoil monster that I just can't handle any more, I got this one for less than 2 bills out of pocket. The scope is a Vortex 4-12-42. I ordered a Burris 2 piece steel pic base from Midway and MGW QD rings from Amazon. I was able to get it all put together yesterday and took it to the range today for initial trials.
For test ammo at the range I took an assortment of some rounds I had on hand. First up were Tula steel cased 55gr .223. This round didn't shoot too bad but, after about 6 rounds, the chamber started grabbing the steel cases and I had to use a little piece of wood to hammer the bolt open. I was worried at first that it was a load pressure issue but it was just the cases around the neck. I did a cleaning job on the chamber again and them started shooting them again. Next time went two round before it stuck. That ended any chance of ever putting the Tula in this rifle again.
With the concerns that it might be a pressure issue causing the stick, I decided to give some surplus M193 a try. Just to see if it would stick as it has in other .223 platforms I've owned. I quickly discovered that, not only, did they not stick, this rifle really likes them. Absolutely no signs of stress on the brass. No sticking whatsoever and the accuracy was actually quite good running around 1/2MOA. I did notice that in 12 rounds that I tried 3 failed to fire. Not sure if it is an ammo issue or a light strike or something. The primers all had solid hits and I actually went 3 strikes on each of them. All other surplus rounds went without a hitch and performed nicely.
Last up was the load I'm planning to Raccoon hunt with. It's the Fiocchi 55gr V-Max load. This load ran absolutely smooth through the cycle and grouped better than I am really capable. I killed a coon with it out of my KelTec SU16c this weekend and the performance was devastating to the feeder raider in question.
Overall, I'm quite impressed with this rifle as it is. The factory Tupperware stock is not bedded but it still maintains full free float of the barrel when on my bipod. The factory irons were decent although set 10 inches high and 6 right from the factory. Adjusting was fine. The MGW QD rings remounted the scope after playing with the factory sights. They were acceptable but not perfect. Zero shifted down 2 inches but was otherwise spot on.
I think I will eventually replace the stock with something that feels a bit more solid in hand. A 6'2" and 235, I have been known to carry some pretty heavy gear long distances in the field. None the less, weight will still be, somewhat, of an issue for a rifle I'm planning to carry afield for pig, varmints and the occasional whitetail. I think I may try out the Fusion 62gr load that is offered if I decide to shoot a whitetail with it. I'm also thinking that this is probably a good platform for me to become a reloader on . It appears solid, accurate enough and it low cost enough in case I really mess up.
Thanks for reading,
Doc
