I Am Amazed. 3/4" group @ 230 yards.

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Patocazador

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I have an older bull-barrel model 77 Ruger in .25-06. My gunsmith friend fluted the barrel for me and I tried out a new long-range (for me) load with 115 Nosler partitions and IMR 4831 powder.

I taped a target to a discarded freezer 230 yards from my shooting bench and fired a 3-shot group. The group was off the paper high at 12:00. I measured it at 3/4". I was using an old B&L Balvar scope of 2 1/2-8x.

I'm so excited that I just had to share this.
No photos so you'll just have to take my word.
 
Ruger M77 Hawkeye 100 Meters: Thats a 110 Accubond load. This is a 100% stock rifle, no mods, with I think the first load I tried.
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I have an older bull-barrel model 77 Ruger in .25-06. My gunsmith friend fluted the barrel for me and I tried out a new long-range (for me) load with 115 Nosler partitions and IMR 4831 powder.

I taped a target to a discarded freezer 230 yards from my shooting bench and fired a 3-shot group. The group was off the paper high at 12:00. I measured it at 3/4". I was using an old B&L Balvar scope of 2 1/2-8x.

I'm so excited that I just had to share this.
No photos so you'll just have to take my word.
Nice shooting, i was damn proud of my 3/4" group with my .280 topped with a 3-15 zeiss. Those old balvars were no slouches for the day, but thats impressive.
 
never heard of that scope
The American made Bausch & Lomb scopes were the best of the best back in the '50's-60's (And also the most expensive, but worth it if you wanted the best.) and still compare well with today's top end scopes for clarity and brightness. Which is why collectors -and users-are paying top dollar for good specimens. I have US made B&L Balvar 8x's on a couple of my hunting rifles: one being this Weatherby .257 Mag and also a Remington 722 .257 Roberts.
DSC_0246.JPG DSC_0319 (2).JPG .
 
interesting! thanks for the info. I've heard of Bausch & Lomb, but not in a long, long time, and don't remember the balvar name. can't remember ever seeing an external adjustment one. that's pretty sweet. thanks
 
In early-mid 60’s-70’s the Bausch&Lomb Balvar was a high end scope. Made in USA.
Most of us were content with Japanese Bushnell... if we had a scope.

My first “decent” scope was a Redfield “Widefield” 3-9.
Weaver was the standard of the day. I soon gravitated to the Leupolds. Still have all but one, and regret letting it get away. (M8 3X with 2moa dot reticle).
Most have been bought used. Three sent back. Two for reticle change with “refreshing”, the other deemed unrepairable and replaced with a new scope! VariX III 1.5-5x Replaced by VX 3 1.5-5x.
Leupold even paid return shipping....
 
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20210110_205430.jpg I've got a couple old Bushnell scopes that are stamped BL in an oval on the bottom near the serial number. Was always told those have Bausch&Lomb glass. They're surprisingly clear for a cheaper scope, but not sure if it's true.

I bought a brand new M77 mk2 in .280 at BPS years ago on clearance for like $289. First 5 shot group with Hornady Custom ammo at 100 measured 3/4". Second group measured 5/8". I went and bought 2 more boxes of Hornady ammo and never attempted to load for it.
 
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The Bausch & Lomb Balvar scopes were very unique. They had no internal adjustments and were "zeroed" with adjustable mounts. Not only did this make the system extremely rugged, it mean that one could move the scope from one rifle to another without losing zero.
I have and old Balvar 4X around here some where.

35W
 
I have a goal of 5 rounds (.308) touching at 200 yards - an arbitrary goal established by the limit (200 yards) of my range. I have come very close (3 rounds touching with 2 others within 1/4” of the main group) but to date, I have not been successful.
I find that determining the cause of the small spread in such a tight group at such a distance is very hard to determine - me, the rifle, the load or the variables of all three - I would suspect the latter. I certainly understand your excitement.
 
I have a B&L Balvar 8A, purchased in the 1970s, that is shared between a Ruger #! in 300 Win Mag and a Sporterised Mauser 98 in 30-06. Due to the different actions I have a separate leaf spring for each rifle to hold the scope into the adjustable V grooves in each mount. It takes less than a minute to move the scope from one rifle to the other.

Bob
WB8NQW
 
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