Took a mental health day

[pmclaine]

If I am shooting a modern sporting rifle its like shooting pistol - take it to the range, fire my rounds, it goes home and gets dumped in the safe.

Shooting vintage is a bit more involved and I like to take a day. Today was one of those days.



I was testing a few loads one of the better performing was 57 grns of RL19 under a 168 Nosler CC. COAL = 3.3



Since January all I have shot is a Giessele trigger. It was a big difference going to the 1.3 SN M1903A1 trigger but that is no excuse this gun/ammo combo outclasses me. I really respect what the guys using these as service rifles were capable of in their day.

[dkmatthews]

I love those mental health days with my Krags and M1903s. The feeling of history just washes through me.

[Allen Humphrey]

Those are good days aren't they? Forces you to put everything else aside for a while and concentrate on just one thing.

Nice to see a mat, no bags, and a micrometer! A half left and a half down and that is a 98. Good shooting!

[Jim in Salt Lake]

I was playing with Reloder 19 last summer for the first time. I really liked it and my rifles did, too. I'm going to keep playing with it once I find some more. What a nice range you have, it's giving me a bad case of Spring Fever.

[pmclaine]

Those are good days aren't they? Forces you to put everything else aside for a while and concentrate on just one thing.

Nice to see a mat, no bags, and a micrometer! A half left and a half down and that is a 98. Good shooting!

For many a shooter prone at 200 equals a clean but for me not so much.

I got better results with 4064 at 48 grains and Varget looks good at 46.5 - Im just discovering on my own what everyone else often recommends.

I really have been spoiled by my Giessele trigger in the modern sporting rifle. I never noticed it before but each ounce of pressure on my 03 trigger is a new experience. It pulls through the first stage. At the second stage stop I get a "roll" over a "bump" the bolt handle lifts slightly and I can see the cocking knob move toward the rear than I hit what I describe as a third stage pull to fire the rifle. I noted that probably 1 round of five from the magazine doesnt hit "the bump" and will fire with continued pressure but the pressure on the trigger seems excessive.

Its a clean rifle. I think it was someones shooter before I took over caretaking as evidenced by a reverse safety and a polished WL3 bolt.

I could probably improve things with a little polishing but thats not my day job.