CZ 550 Varmint 308 Range Report

[MASTARBLASTER]

Eternal Vigilance Is The Cost......

MASTARBLASTAR
Well, people say there are camps (wuch as WMDs in Iraq..)..but there aren't. Its a bit different. Those guys live in normal towns or villages as normal citizens, and aid the cross-border terrorists by providing logistics and shelter..anyways, the point has been understood by the Armed forces, and they have taken matter in their own good hands. If it isn't controlled, it could go south for the government.

coolbox,
I continued to follow the breaking news on BBC about the Lahore bombing and heard a statement by the Prime Minister of Pakistan who declared that such terrorist attacks whether in Belgium or Lahore are "evil" and are in fact attacks against humanity. I AGREE WITH THIS VIEW.The suffering tones broadcast on the radio among the grieving mothers is palpable and imparts a lingering sense of indignation at the loss of innocent lives, particularly in light of what appears to be a targeted attack against children. The Lahore bombing was at a playground, reportedly.

For some reason in this thread , weeks before this tragic event in Pakistan, I had written an impromptu statement declaring the view that WE who love LIBERTY will apply all available force to defeat and destroy terrorist strongholds in this land. It is to be expected that other nations take the same view or continue to suffer devastating consequences......

 

[coolbox]

coolbox,
I continued to follow the breaking news on BBC about the Lahore bombing and heard a statement by the Prime Minister of Pakistan who declared that such terrorist attacks whether in Belgium or Lahore are "evil" and are in fact attacks against humanity. I AGREE WITH THIS VIEW.The suffering tones broadcast on the radio among the grieving mothers is palpable and imparts a lingering sense of indignation at the loss of innocent lives, particularly in light of what appears to be a targeted attack against children. The Lahore bombing was at a playground, reportedly.

For some reason in this thread , weeks before this tragic event in Pakistan, I had written an impromptu statement declaring the view that WE who love LIBERTY will apply all available force to defeat and destroy terrorist strongholds in this land. It is to be expected that other nations take the same view or continue to suffer devastating consequences......

MASTARBLASTER

The Brussles and Lahore incidents are tragic, saddening and cowardly. Words can never describe the loss and suffering. We have had attacks on schools and universities by terrorists in the past, targeting children and youth. This was in line with that trend.
Just last week we caught a spy from neighboring country, and he has been confessing on evil and terror deeds planned for destabilization our country.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1248254/ar...s-to-target-pakistani-ports-security-official

http://www.dawn.com/news/1248417/re...lling-for-probe-into-raw-presence-in-chabahar

I hope I am not violating any forum rules here, if I am, mods may kindly edit my post.


Back to shooting, I still need a few sessions with the 175smk locally available here. I am not exactly sure how much my rifle likes that load. It comes out at avg of 2640-50fps from 26" barrel. I did shoot a sub MOA group in my only trial at 200meters (218 yards), but I need more sessions at all distances. The 800mtr shooting last reported was with this load. I could have been lucky at 800mtrs, I don't know yet. I need more confidence in the setup.

 

[I6turbo]

coolbox,

Great shooting, great report, and interesting on all fronts subject-matter wise. Thanks for posting.

Are you still using the 14x scope? For me, that relative low magnification would likely add a considerable percentage to the longer-range group sizes.

 

[coolbox]

I6turbo
Thank you.
Yes I am using 14x scope, but set at 10X. We have a temperature range of 30 (86F) Celsius and up, generally about 95F, and any higher magnification than 10X gives a serious mirage. 10X was absolute max I could go with when shooting 600 or beyond, the last time. Maybe the glass is not as cool as that of the Schmidt & Bender, Kahles and Nightforce NXS the other guys were using.
I will try a higher magnification next time. Do we need to adjust parallax when changing magnification?

 

[MASTARBLASTER]

coolbox,
First in order is extended a hearty congratulations on your first place finish in a recent shooting match, winning with a relatively new set up in your hands, the CZ550 Varmint in 308.( I too have had my eyes on a CZ550 with the Kevlar stock that features the full length aluminum bedding .) The shooting community here on the HIGH ROAD provides a readily accessible and vast wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to firearms and are quick to offer wise help.

I have read all of the posts and note that you began shooting with mil surp type ball ammo and another member quickly chimed in and advised a specific type ammo 175gr HPBT match ammo that would improve your groups considerably IIRC. When you started using such a load, your groups tightened up both quickly and dramatically as pictured. Certainly, you could have reached such an ammo choice by trial and error on your own. My high admiration for the HR is that I can read and learn from others who have been there and done that so as to avoid my own errors .

Indeed, I am quite conscientious about forum rules and aim to respect and uphold them at all times. Nevertheless, my sense of humanity that extends beyond national borders and the noted synchronicity of writing my previous posts while listening to the BBC on radio at the very hour late Sunday when news reports came in of the terrorist attack in Lahore compelled me to comment. Yet in a principled view such posts are encompassed within the total history of firearms development, because at a certain line in the sand, the arms, of armed forces are the means that both men and nations apply to establish and protect said principles.

Somewhere among my books is a very interesting article on the history of firearms in Pakistan. The article appeared in a gun magazine and I intend to post a few pages when I put my hands on the magazine as a sort of mutual
cultural exchange in accord with this thread. You on the one hand posted informative posts on firearms policies and practices in Pakistan, both comprehensive yet concise in consideration of the subject.

I appreciate being informed about firearm policies in other nations and when I read about such restrictions, it makes me hold more sacred the Constitutional rights in my own country and my state in particular.

coolbox posted :

Yes, we do have some warring factions and terrorists, and some drug/human trafficking gangs (that you mostly see on media!!), that do not abide by any laws and own guns without any licensing. Thats why we need our own war against terror. Trust me, that is not the true image of Pakistan. We are just like any other people, families and all.


WAR ON TERROR
I think I should mention a bit of detail here. Over last 2 years, the Armed forces have gone hard against terrorists that have been carrying out anti-state activities. Terror related incidents have been on a high since the Afghan war, and our country has been impacted the most. Attacks on air-bases, airports, schools (there was even a small bomb explosion 200 yards from my daughter's school 3 years ago, and I had to rush to pick her up, armed with my CZ75 Shadow). However, regardless of what the politicians or media try, the civilians are behind the Armed forces on this, and want to get done with the war on terror. The last 8 to 10 months have been much peaceful, regardless of what the media shows.

GUN AVAILABILITY
Since the nuclear tests in May '98, we have been embargoed, and weapons from EU or US can almost not be had here, unless they are under a defense contract, or in limited import quantities. Rifles are next to impossible to get.

In handguns we have Taurus, Zastava, Turkish (Sarsilmaz, Canik etc). CZ75/Dan Wesson was available from 2010 through 2014. Import is now halted, perhaps due to some government policy.
We do occasionally get Glocks (17, 19, 26), Sig 226 (different variants including X series), Beretta 92, etc etc.

_____________________________________________________________

Hatred is the vice of narrow souls; they feed it with all their littlenesses, and make it the pretext of base tyrannies - Balzac

The motto of chivalry is also the motto of wisdom ; to serve all, but love only one. - Balzac

I choose to interpret the words and motto above by Balzac as the love of my country........MASTARBLASTER

 

[coolbox]

MASTARBLASTER
Thank you for the detailed post, and the concern over the attacks in Lahore. Sometimes, on forums and other social media, people tend to forget that the majority of population in any country is based on a family structure, complete with women, kids and elderly.

I have to admit I am not sure how accurate is the 175gr HPBT consistently in my rifle, compared to m80 ball. I was shooting .55 to .8 MOA consistently with the ball ammo at 200mtrs, when I did my part, and occasionally at 600mtrs. When I didn't, I got 2MOA groups, but I would put that to my own errors. I have not shot the 175gr as much as yet. I intend to find out in next few sessions. We do have a monthly match at our range this Sunday, but that is hardly a spot to do any research. I hope to shoot some more of this at distances from 200mtrs to 600mtrs to find that out. I myself need to be more consistent with the some aspects of rifle shooting, cheek weld and pressure, shoulder pressure, grip pressure etc.

 

[Damon555]

Man....that gun is accurate! You are hitting the center of the circle, square or triangle every time! How to you do it? ;p

 

[coolbox]

800 mtrs(875 yards)


We had another monthly club match, vaguely based on F class rules. 5 shots at 600 mtrs (656 yards) and 5 at 800 mtrs (875 yards).

I shot a shade under (13") 2MOA at 600mtrs, and (15") 1.64MOA at 800mtrs. Stood 3rd overall, and still pretty happy as the top two are considered among the best long range shooters. I was shooting about 6-9" (0.9-1.5MOA) groups in practice at 600mtrs, so this was more or less my shooting errors, and perhaps some wind. The wind was from 7 to 16mph, gusting to 21mph. Very frenetic.



Rifle: CZ 550 Varmint 308Win, Leupold vx3 4.5-14x40mm, varmint reticle
Distance: 600/800 Mtrs (656/875 yards)
Technique: Prone, front fixed rest, rear sand bag rest.
Ammo: 175gr HPBT factory ammo









Some idea of wind

http://vid938.photobucket.com/album...ults 2016/VID-20160403-WA0005_zpsqwmfrxad.mp4

http://vid938.photobucket.com/album...ults 2016/VID-20160403-WA0004_zpsfzdnqcsx.mp4

I need to know what is causing the low and left shots in particular. Had those in practice as well. Sometimes, also low and right.

Additionally, I got a message from a top shooter in the country, who holds the current national 800mtr record. He just could not comprehend how could a CZ550 Varmint, a hunting rifle, keep up with the Dolphins and M24s and so on. That too with a 14x hunting scope, set at 10X, compared to Kahles 624i, Schmidt & Bender PMII, Nightforce etc. All I could convey back was I was still making errors, and the rifle/scope/ammo can do much more.

 

[MattB]

Congrats! That is some good shooting. The variation is most likely due to the wind. A slight headwind could cause the low left shots.

 

[ifit]

Nice shooting

 

[coolbox]

Thanks MattB and ifit.
The other shooters (m24 shooter at 800 and Dolphin shooter at both 600 & 800) out shot me. I need to work on my technique and skills.

 

[stubbicatt]

Coolbox, all other things the same, usually low and high are a result of erratic velocities, that or a headwind or tailwind gust. Your 800 meter target the "waterline" is pretty consistent, just that your sight setting was a bit low.

If I were to guess the 600 meter target, you didn't preload the bipod on the two low shots, assuming it is the same ammo you were using at 800.

Regards,
Stubb

 

[coolbox]

Stubb
Thank you for feedback.
I was using same ammo, but no bipod. I was shooting the rifle off a front rest. So i could not 'load' in that sense.

 

[coolbox]

600 meters/656 yards

8-14mph winds, and spotting was not possible. We had to cease fire and get the targets marked.
I was getting group sizes of 10-12" with LC M80 ball at 600 meters. (1.75-2 MOA). Two shots would be within 2-3", and third would be a flyer, either high or low by 7-8". I would put that down to shooter error.
I got myself a fresh target, and shot the 175 SMK. I think I did my part right, as the group shows below. The sighter shot (marked as 1) was to ensure I was almost on after having shot the M80 previously. The shots marked as 2 are my 3 shot group.




Rifle: CZ 550 Varmint 308Win, Leupold vx3 4.5-14x40mm, varmint reticle
Distance: 600Mtrs (656 yards)
Technique: Prone, front fixed rest, rear sand bag rest.
Ammo: 175gr HPBT factory ammo











Group measured from back of the target.







Group Size
The 3 shot group was exactly 3" center to center. Equates to 0.44 MOA.

 

[coolbox]

By the way, I found this in the stock. What could it be? Factory attempt at bedding?

 

[stubbicatt]

Coolbox looks like the factory bedded the recoil lug. Just my view of things, but I can think of no reason to remove the action from the stock. Before reassembly I would be sure to coat the parts of the action and barrel which reside below the wood line with a thin application of an automotive paste wax, and don't remove it. It will "rustproof" your metal.

Do you have the proper torque specifications for the action screws? It may take you several rounds for the action to mate up properly with the stock before you attain the accuracy you have come to enjoy. Again, if it were mine I would not remove it from the stock again.

 

[coolbox]

Stubbicatt
I needed to remove it to adjust the trigger. It was creepy 4 lbs, I have it down to 3.25 lbs with almost no pre-travel.
I don't have torque wrench. I will arrange one asap.
I shot this group about 30 rounds after I made the adjustment.

 

[stubbicatt]

Well then! Glad I am wrong!

 

[coolbox]

I hope it stays that way for this case!
Is it important to torque the screws properly, or just getting them real tight good enough?

I still need to be more consistent with the basics (cheek weld, shoulder pressure).
I was getting group sizes of 10-12" with LC M80 ball at 600 meters. (1.75-2 MOA). Two shots would be within 2-3", and third would be a flyer, either high or low by 7-8". I would put that down to shooter error. But could it be a stock issue?
If it is not a stock issue, then what could be causing the vertical stringing?