"SHOOTING EXPERIMENT WITH SAVAGE RIFLES"

Its an hour drive for me to get to the Illinois State Rifle Range. When I pulled through the gate at 7:00 am , the temperature was 10 degrees. I'm crazy (no), just wanted to try an experiment. I brought with me two very accurate Savage Rifles model 12LRPV in 22-250 and model 93BTVS in 22 mag. The ammo's I brought with work the best in these two rifles. Remington 50gr. V-max boat tail and CCI 40gr. JHP. I wanted to see how these two Savage rifles would do in extreme cold weather.

On top of my two layers of clothes , I also wore a pair of insulated coveralls and a pair of Danner 800 gram insulated boots (to me Danner are the best boots made). I knew I'd have a problem with my hands, from having been frost bitten so many times.

I setup two targets at 100 meters, then setup the shooting bench. Now the wind was at 15-20 mph, but there is a high burm around the 100 meter range that helps with the wind. Its now 8:00 am and time to start. (I should tell you that last night I coated both barrels with Darryl Hollands barrel break-in). The first rifle was the 22-250. After five shots I was surprised group size was good but left of aiming point by 1 inch and low. Next the 22 mag. Group size was 1 1/2 inch and 2 inches low. I shot two more five shot groups with each rifle. I had to shoot between wind gusts. I could not keep my hands warm, so all this shooting was done at a fast pace. Group size stayed about the same.

What did I figure out from this experiment? When the weather is warm, you won't be in a hurry and your groups will be a lot smaller. Both Savage rifles worked great. Also, my wife thinks I'm crazy.

Always be safe. Shoot well and know whats behind your target.

"SAVAGE MODEL 93BTVS"

In my previous writings about Savage Rifles you know I think they are the best production rifles made. So several weeks back I was in my favorite gun shop (Blythes in Griffith Indiana) when I found this new Savage model 93BTVS in 22 magnum, with a thumb hole laminated stock, 21" stainless heavy barrel, accu trigger, and scope bases. You guessed right "sold".

At home I took the stock off and gave it a good cleaning and barrel scrub. There were some burrs in the barrel channel on the stock which were easily fixed with a good sanding and then a light coat of wax. After reassembling, I applied a good coat of Darrel Hollands barrel break-in fluid(great stuff). Then I mounted a Nikon 2-7x32 hardwoods green hd camo Nikoplex scope. It looked good on the Savage.

Then off to Illinois State Rifle Assc. I met my buddy's at the 100 meter range and setup a target at 50 meters. I only brought 2 brands of 22 mag ammo, CCI Maxi-mag TMJ 40 grain and Winchester super-x FMJ 40 grain. Started with the CCI ammo, first shot was left and low. By the fourth shot I was dead on. The next five shots were the same. After letting the rifle cool , I gave it a good cleaning and had some coffee. I then switched to the Winchester ammo which did not shoot well in the Savage. Enough for today.

A week has gone by and its off to the range again. I got there at 7:00 a.m. and found two of my buddy's were there already. We setup targets, got out the gear and had coffee. At 8:00 a.m. we started shooting. Had to re-zero in at 100 meters. This Savage shot three real good groups, so good in fact that I am sending the target to Savage. If you want a great 22 mag, you can't beat this Savage.

As always, be safe and know whats behind your target.

"RUGER SP101 REVOLVER"

Self and home protection, I always say use what you are most comfortable with. My wife is a very good shooter, with both rifle and pistol but not a big fan of the auto loading pistol. Her home/carry gun is a Ruger SP101 model KSP-331X 38 spec/357mag with 3.06" barrel, fixed sights and weight 27oz. I say fixed sights but the right sight is a integral notch. I did change the front sight to a night sight, which shows up great in total darkness. My wife's chosen ammo is Federal 38spec + p 129 grams and at 7 to 50ft this ammo and her keen eye do a great job with a revolver with no real right sight.

This Ruger SP101 is built strong and very reliable. Its all stainless steel and easy to clean. If your looking for something comfortable to shoot, with no slides to pull and no magazines to load, then try the SP101. My wife loves it.

Always be safe. Practice often and teach a young person gun safety and how to shoot.

"HENRY BIG BOY"

The Henry, a great looking American made lever action, with a historic look. Model H006 in 44mag, solid brass receiver, 20" octagonal barrel, semi-buck horn r/sight, a brass bead f/sight, tubular magazine, and American walnut stock with a brass barrel band.

As always I did my usual new gun cleaning routine with an extra barrel scrub. Henry makes cleaning easy. Just swing the lever down, remove the lever screw, then remove the lever. Next pull the bolt out. Now look into the receiver and you'll see the ejector. Remove the ejector(I use a tweezers because I have big hands).

Now off to the range (Illinois State Rifle Assoc). Set a target at 50 meters. I had three boxes of 44mag ammo, 200gr jhp, 240gr sjsp both Fiocchi, and a box of 300gr castcore by Federal. I like loading the tubular magazine, I am not a fan of pushing one round into another. After shooting ten rounds, I have to tell you, the lever action is as smooth as glass, just great. So after shooting another twenty-five rounds, I can say accuracy was very good. Then I moved to 100 meters. Everything about the Henry was great, fit, finish, reliability and accuracy. Buy one you'll love it. If I could change anything on this Henry, I would ask for the old guy option (marble target sights in the rear and big glow red dot up front.

As always, be safe and know whats behind your target.

"308 REMINGTON 700 VARMINT"

In my last writing I said I would tell you about this Remington 700 Varmint with synthetic stock in 308 with a 26" heavy barrel. Bought it at Blythes Sport Store. I immediately took the rifle to the late great Fuzzy Anderson. My friend and the best gunsmith I know. I've written about Fuzzy before. He is missed by many. After Fuzzy and I talked, he asked what I wanted to do with this rifle? My reply was varmint hunt in Montana. We decided to blue print the rifle. The following are the changes made to the rifle. Re cut chamber, lugs lapped, muzzle re cut, trigger tuned to 1 1/2 pounds, and broke like glass. The bedding job is beautiful and the barrel is free floated all the way back.

On this great looking rifle I mounted a plus 20 moa base and a Leupold Mark 4 3.5-10x40 LR/T M1 scope with a mil-dot reticle. This 700 also wears a black leather military sling.

The only problem with this rifle is (and I say this jokingly) it only likes one ammo, Remington 168 gr. boat tail hollow point match. Over the years I have tried many other brands, only one comes close to the Remington and that is Federal Gold Match 175 gr. The Remington is the best at all distances. Between 100 and 700 plus yards this 700 rifle has taken out a large amount of prairie dogs.

I know if you've read some of my older writings your going to ask. Is this Remington more accurate than the Savages I write about? My answer is no. The Savage rifles are out of the box accurate with no work done to them. Remington was setup by the best gunsmith I know. Every time I shoot this rifle, I remember an old friend. Thank you Fuzzy.

As always, shoot safe and teach a youngster to hunt and shoot safe.

More to come.

"REMINGTON 700'S"

I should have written about these two 700's a while back. One has a laminated stock, the other is synthetic. Both are blued 308's with 26" heavy barrels. They were both bought new from Blyth's Sport Shop 11 years ago. First I will tell you about the laminated 700. It was never taken out of the box. I sent it to Arnold Arms Co in Arlington, Wa. (they have since closed their doors, what a shame). If you ever see one of there rifles in a gun shop, buy it. You can't go wrong. I sent my rifle to them to be fully accurized. This process includes cryogenic treatment of barreled action, receiver trued, bolt lugs lapped, recoil lug surface ground, muzzled crown lapped, chamber re cut, head space checked, trigger tuned and set (3 lbs little heavy for me), and the action bedded. Fit, finish, all work is perfect. Its a real beauty. Mounted on this 700 is a Leupold 4.5 x 14-40 mil dot with target knobs.

I don't know how many thousands of rounds have been put through this rifle over its little life span. All parts are original. It still looks as good as the day I bought it. It can still shoot a 1 inch group at 200 yards, if I do my part. How does this rifle shoot so well? Is it because of the way Arnold Arms set it up? I think so. They took a good production rifle, and made it perfect. I am not even sure if a factory custom shop can setup a rifle that good.

A rifle like this is like your best old friend. Someone you trust and enjoy being with.

Always shoot safe and know your surroundings.

"SAVAGE SHOTGUN"

I've written about Savage Rifles before, so you know I think they are the best stock rifle made. When I went looking for a good shotgun you know Savage was my choice. It is a model 210F Camo Slug Warrior, bolt action 24" Button rifled barrel, 3" chamber, two round magazine, and a one-piece scope mount (included). Weight is 7.5 pounds, plus an over sized bolt handle and swivel studs. I then bore sighted, cleaned and lubed the barrel. I removed the stock, cleaned and lubed the rest of the shotgun. After putting it back together I mounted a Nikon 2-7x32 Team Realtree Camo scope in steel rings. Before going to the range, I treated the barrel with Darry Hollands break-in fluid. I use this in all my firearms old or new. Great stuff.

Now off to the range. I set a target at 50 meters. I brought three brands of slugs to try, Federal 2 3/4" Barnes Expander 3/4 oz, Fiocchi 2 3/4 " 1 oz Exacta Aero slug and Federal Fusion 2 3/4" 3/4 oz. At 50 meters the Fiocchi made big holes in the 7 ring. I moved to 100 meters. After taking a few shots, making some scope adjustments, I was on the 10 ring. Federal Fusion shot best, three shots touching. Federal Barnes came in second, 3 shots close but not touching. Fiocchi shot 5 inches low, but a good grouping. All my shooting was from a bag off the bench.

My mission was to see how accurate this Savage shotgun was. I've seen Varmint rifles that don't shoot as well. They also make this shotgun in a 20 gauge, probably easier on the shoulder. I'll let you know if I try one. Thanks Savage.

Always shoot safe. Remember you can't call a round back.

RUGER # IV

My wife loves single shot Ruger # 1's. She has a 1B stainless in 30-06 and a 1V stainless in 22-250. Her newest is a 223 with a great looking wood stock and a blued heavy barrel. On a Ruger # 1 after a good barrel scrubbing and lubing, I take apart the breech block , ejector, ejector rolles, breech arm, and links, clean and lube all parts and reassemble. I've done this so many times, its now becomes an easy process. Ruger # 1's come with scope mounting blocks and 1" rings, so all you need is the scope. I mounted a Leupold VXIII 3.5-10x40 mil-dot with target style windage and elevation knobs. I then treated the barrel with Darrel Hollands break-in fluid.

We are off to the range (Ill State Rifle Assoc). With our Dog-gone Good shooting bag on the bench and a target set at 50 meters, my wife was ready to zero at 50. We brought along a mix of 223 ammo. Federal Gold match 77 grain Sierra matchking, Remington 62 grain H.P. match, American Eagle 55 grain FMJ boat tail and Fiocchi 77 grain matchking. On her third shot my sharp shooter wife was in the bulls eye and smiling at me. Now lets see what she can do at 100 meters. American Eagle was over the target. The other three ammos were doing around 2 inch groups. This was a new rifle, and she was letting me clean the barrel after each shot. I thought the new #1 was performing well and my lovely wife was still smiling. Now lets move to 200 meters. She had only shot 25 rounds with her new rifle when I asked my wife if she was nervous. Her response was a big "No". At 200 meters she only used the Federal, Remington, and Fiocchi ammo. Shooting three shot groups with each ammo, all were great. The Federal turned in the best group 1 1/2 inch.

Needless to say, her smile was ear to ear. That rifle is a keeper. I would like to see Ruger extend the length of the strut and keep the forearm off the barrel. All in all the Ruger # 1's are great.

Have fun and always shoot safe. Why not take you son or daughter shooting.

"CLARK CUSTOM"

Every rifleman should have a few 22 rifles in his collection, as I do. Mine are a CZ-452 with 16" barrel and two Ruger 10/22's. One of the 10/22's has a Clark 16 1/4" Walther bull barrel and shoots sub moa's. I decided to add to my collection by getting a Ruger 77/22 from Clark Custom. This 22 has a 16 1/4" Walther match bull barrel, a trigger job with over travel stop, crisp 1.5 to 2.0 pound pull, and reliability package. The only extra I wanted was the extended magazine release. It took about three and a half months for this 22 to arrive, but let me just say it was worth the wait. Fit and finish, the best I have ever seen. The trigger is perfect. Accuracy is sub moa.

After a good cleaning, I mounted a Sightron 3x12x42 mil-dot scope which I already had. These are great scopes. Off to the range. I want to mention, I did do a one shot then clean for ten shots, while I zeroed the scope at 50 meters. Now shooting for accuracy I used SK-Jagd high velocity 22HP and Lapua 22 Speed Ace. At 50 meters they both shoot 1/2" groups. Now I moved the new target which were 1" red dots to 100 meters. At that distance the SK-Jagd shot less than an inch . The Lapua was 1" with two flyer's, my mistake.

All I can say now is call Clark Custom if you want the finest, most accurate 22 ever.

Always be safe. Know whats behind your target.

More to come.

I would like to see Clark Custom put a Walther 20" bull barrel on a 223 Ruger IV. Sure would make my wife happy.

**FAMOUS QUOTE**

The most terrifying words in the English language are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." **Ronald Regan**

**LRPV SAVAGE #1**

Let me tell you about the most accurate out of the box rifle I've ever had. It's a Savage Model 12LRPV(long range precision varminter) 26" stainless ex. heavy barrel, accutrigger, aluminum bedding block chassis system in H-S precisions varmint stock, free floated barrel, right hand bolt and left hand small ejection port, chambered in 22-250 with a 1-9 twist. After a good cleaning and lubing, I mounted a Leupold VXIII 4.5x14x40 Varmint reticle scope, using Leupold rings and two piece base.

Before going to the range, I use Darrel Holland's barrel break-in fluid, two wet patches back and forth three to four times each. Then two dry patches. I use this in new or old rifles. Great stuff.

Now its time to try it out at the range for the first time. I used Tubb Final Finish bore lapping ammunition. It's easy, just follow the instructions. Shoot five rounds clean. Did this a total of four times. Now back home for a good cleaning.

A week later, back to the range with four different ammo's. Cor-bon 53-62 gr, Federal 55gr Sierra Gameking BTHP, Remington Premier Varmint 50gr v-max boat tail, and Wolf Gold. After each load I clean the barrel during cool down . I then reapply Hollands barrel break-in fluid. Results were Cor-bon 53gr DPX very good, Federal 55gr excellent, Remington 50gr v-max outstanding and Wolf Gold not up to standards. All shooting was at 1" orange dots at 100 meters on a damp overcast day with 10mph cross. Half off the 1" dot was shoot away, with no fliers using Remington ammo. I sent the target to Savage Rifles.

For me Savage Rifles are #1 in craftsmanship, accuracy and customer service. Thank you Savage.

Always be safe. You can't call back a bullet.

More to come.

A week ago, we got back from WY after some long range shooting. I had a letter waiting for me from Joe DeGrande of Savage. What I said above, is all true and more. The finest, out of the box accurate rifle, and Joe "The rifle is more accurate than me".

**RONALD REGAN QUOTE**

"If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."

"RUGER 10/22 TARGET RIFLES"

I've written about 22's before, and about how great and well built Ruger Firearms are. In my collection I have a Ruger 10/22 target semi-auto with a bull barrel and Sightron scope, shoots great. Now I also have another called the K10/22 USST, with a Red-White-Blue Laminated Barracuda stock. After doing some trading at my favorite gun store (Blythe's in Griffith In.), I got this jewel home and started to make some changes. First I took it apart and gave it a through cleaning. Then I installed a Clark Custom Deluxe Trigger Kit, Witch Includes a Hammer, Trigger, Sear and Disconnector, which was real easy to do, even for me. Next was a Clark Custom Lothar-Walther stainless 16.25 x .920 match barrel chambered with their exclusive reamer and match target crown. What a beautiful barrel. After installing the barrel, I sanded out the barrel channel on the stock. Did my own bedding job, looked great. Now I installed a 3 x 9 Nikon stainless scope. Then bore sighted. By the way, I am a slow worker so all this took me four days, but no mistakes. Also forgot to say after cleaning the new barrel, I use Darrel Hollands barrel brake-in fluid . This is a great product that I use in all my rifles and pistols.

Next, its off to the range for testing. I brought my two favorite boxes of ammo, SK Jagd high velocity 22 40gr hollow points and Lapua 22 40gr speed ace. After zeroing the rifle on a 30 degree day, I was amazed at how great this rifle shot with either ammo. Results were 1/2" groups at 50 yards and 1" groups at 100 yards. If I did my part on this no wind day, all my groups stayed small. Ruger makes a great 10/22, but that Clark barrel and the trigger work made it even better. With no failures to feed or any other problems, it was a great day. I was happy with my work.

Always be a safe shooter.

More to come on 223 and bolt action 77/22