Milsurp After Hours

Got to the range today. :-D

6A Cowpark ETR, Catterick Garrison Ranges, North Yorkshire high up in the Pennines. It was fine day with some snow with a 20+ MPH wind blowing from right to left across the range. Shot at 200 and 300yrds. Targets Figs 11 and 12s not the most conducive to shooting groups.

Its been raining GB moulds recently so it was time to try them out. I had loads in .303" with the Fattest 30, sized .314" and the NEI 311284 clone, sized .312", loaded for a Long Lee Volunteer, Metford rifling, over 24 gns AA 5744.

Alloy 50/50 WW/Hard cast boolits.

I had my reference round Lyman 314299 sized .314" over 24 gns AA57744 loaded for my No4T.

In 6.5 x 55 I had the 129 gn over 18.5 gns Vihtavuori N110.

All used Winchester LP primers and the .303" boolits were lubed with Lars Carnauba Red and the 6.5 with Lars 2500.

All performed well I shot 5 shot groups as thats what the monitors were set up to record.

The Long Lee was shooting 4" x 8" vertically strung groups at 200yrds, I'm sure the vertical stringing was due to me and the open notch rear sight and the nature of the target. I was very pleased with this as this was a finger in the wind load and first time out with these boolits.

The Swede was giving 6" groups at 200yrds but I'm sure I can shrink that with a bit of work.

The No4 T well it was doing its usual 2-3" groups at 200, shooting with that rifle is just too easy.

No readings at 300 as none of the loads were going fast enough to record at that distance.

Here's some pictures:

Targets from the 200yrd firing point.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... wpark9.jpg[/pic]

The control hut from the 200 yrd firing point

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... wpark8.jpg[/pic]

Joe and Damen a new shooter, he likes No 4s so must be a canny lad : )

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... park11.jpg[/pic]

Shooter ready

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... park10.jpg[/pic]

The cast of characters

No 4T

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... wpark7.jpg[/pic]

Long Lee

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... wpark5.jpg[/pic]

The Swede

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... wpark4.jpg[/pic]

Some Boolits

Fattest 30

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... wpark2.jpg[/pic]

Lyman 314299

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... wpark6.jpg[/pic]

6.5 129 gn

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... wpark3.jpg[/pic]

The ETR screen with a couple of Long Lee shots on it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/ ... wpark1.jpg[/pic]

Always like to see the photos of the trips to the range in far off places. Shows you and Joe and others are not just fair weather shooters. Cold and 20 mph wind wouldn't be my idea of a range day.

Interesting how this is another British range equiped with monitors to show you what you are hitting 200 yards down range. Nothing like that around here in my part of the US. With the expense of that technical advantage in place, it seems a little surprising to me that you don't have a roof and a shooting bench to shoot from as well. I imagine the trench in the ground is a military convention that precludes benches and overhead shelter?

The firing points go back at 100yrd intervals from 100-600yrds. Therefore the only practical place to have any shelter would be the 600 yard point.

Here all the ranges are geared for the targets to marked in the butts either electronically or manually. This infrastructure precludes fixed firing points as you can only move the firing point not the targets.

There are ranges with covered firing points such as Wedgnock the MLAGB home range and the Roberts Centre the national NSRA range along with others that don't spring to mind at the moment.

In the north of the country however we use mainly military ranges so no covered points and the trenches.

There's no such thing as bad weather Robert only inappropriate clothing

Many thanks for a great report. Another range I have fond memories of! Those trenches are quite snug and sheltered Robert, you would enjoy yourself up there.

That looks like good May weather to me

Im so disapointed I didnt go.

I went clay pidgeon shooting instead bright sunshine were I was although a little chilly.

Adam, I notice now, in the top picture, a thin black line. Must be one of the firing lines.

Guess the monitors are protected in some way from stray rounds.

Duncan, I'd imagine in a 20 mph wind on a cold day, getting down in a trench would, by contrast, be a good shelter. Only such fireing range with trenches I ever fired a weapon on was a long time ago in basic training in the Army. But.. it was July in Georgia at the time and hot and humid everywhere so comfort didn't enter into it..

Very informative,, but how did the fatter 30 do vs the traditional choice 314299 in heads up shooting?

Still too early to call?

The fatter 30s did better in the Metford rifled Long Lee than the 314299s I feel. Still I only shot 40 rds so as you say Ken a bit early to make a definitive call.

The real test bed will be the No 4T, need to get some time at Vimy with the 30 meter range, the chrono and some load development. Oh dear more shooting again.

Niner wrote:Guess the monitors are protected in some way from stray rounds.

The monitors are carried to each firing point to be used,

and plugged into a underground connection Robert.

And the buggers are heavy!

We are shooting down there next Saturday as well,

if anyone is interested i will take some pics of the targetry

system and post them up .

Joe

I took these pics when the snow thawed a bit...

http://aycu11.webshots.com/image/47330/2004005328533477098_rs.jpg[/pic]

http://aycu20.webshots.com/image/49939/2004062842722561333_rs.jpg[/pic]

http://aycu04.webshots.com/image/47003/2004029575888288041_rs.jpg[/pic]

Now I understand the setup.