First try at Stickledown

[rox]

Military surplus is cheap crap, almost exclusively. Don't bother with it - yes it's cheap but if it won't hit a barn door

That rather depends on your definition of 'surplus' and 'barn door'. Reasonable RG (even 144gr) will knock the middle out of an NRA target at 900 yards all day long in the right hands. Until a shooter is holding less than about a 1½ to 2 minutes elevation group, spending twice as much on ammo that is capable of ½ a minute or less is rather pointless.

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[shugie]

HPS or the Bisley issue RWS both work well however you are always going to struggle slightly with a shorter barrel, having said that I shoot to 1000 with a 24" barrel in 7,62x51

My Steyr, so I am told, not having measured it, has a 28" barrel, is that up for 1000 yds. Bloke shooting next to me had a Sako with a 28" barrel and seemed to get consistently better results, although he did have a Nightforce scope which cost more than my rifle.

Is the "Bisley issue" the stuff the armoury sells? Might see what Fultons have on my next visit as well then.

[rox]

My Steyr, so I am told, not having measured it, has a 28" barrel, is that up for 1000 yds.

28" will be fine. Barrel lengths like 20" or 24" might need either more ooomph or more efficient bullets than you get with surplus (or even some factory ammo) for 1000 yards and beyond, but you shouldn't have any problem as far as your barrel length goes.

Is the "Bisley issue" the stuff the armoury sells?

Yes, this is the RUAG/RWS product available from the Range Office/Armoury, which is also the 'issued' ammo to TR competitors in the Imperial. It is excellent as factory ammo goes, but costs around 93 or 95p.

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[Mr_Logic]

Military surplus is cheap crap, almost exclusively. Don't bother with it - yes it's cheap but if it won't hit a barn door

That rather depends on your definition of 'surplus' and 'barn door'. Reasonable RG (even 144gr) will knock the middle out of an NRA target at 900 yards all day long in the right hands. Until a shooter is holding less than about a 1½ to 2 minutes elevation group, spending twice as much on ammo that is capable of ½ a minute or less is rather pointless.

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I don't agree. How do you know if you can achieve the standard or not, if the rifle can't?

[HeatherW762]

My Steyr, so I am told, not having measured it, has a 28" barrel, is that up for 1000 yds.

28" will be fine. Barrel lengths like 20" or 24" might need either more ooomph or more efficient bullets than you get with surplus (or even some factory ammo) for 1000 yards and beyond, but you shouldn't have any problem as far as your barrel length goes.

Is the "Bisley issue" the stuff the armoury sells?

Yes, this is the RUAG/RWS product available from the Range Office/Armoury, which is also the 'issued' ammo to TR competitors in the Imperial. It is excellent as factory ammo goes, but costs around 93 or 95p.

..

The S&B that the range office sells at 55p is very good for practice. We use it for the NRASC and rarely get complaints.

Heather

[HeatherW762]

This might help with understanding scoring:

The range office used to have these for the markers with the radio codes on the back - worth an ask next time you are in.

Heather

[rox]

Military surplus is cheap crap, almost exclusively. Don't bother with it - yes it's cheap but if it won't hit a barn door

That rather depends on your definition of 'surplus' and 'barn door'. Reasonable RG (even 144gr) will knock the middle out of an NRA target at 900 yards all day long in the right hands. Until a shooter is holding less than about a 1½ to 2 minutes elevation group, spending twice as much on ammo that is capable of ½ a minute or less is rather pointless.

..

I don't agree. How do you know if you can achieve the standard or not, if the rifle can't?

I’m not sure where or why any doubt as to the capability of the rifle has come into this (although it would be easily verified), but the suggestion that in order to progress from getting 3 shots *in the black* you need the best ammo money can buy is one of the most bizarre things I've ever heard told to anyone starting long range or any other type of shooting. I’m glad my coach didn’t tell me to buy Tenex when I started shooting; I still use Club, and there's only one variable between me and a possible: me. I’m sure Shugie has enough information now to decide whether he should go and buy RUAG (and that NightForce scope?) in order to conquer the inner ring, or find a happy medium to develop his skills and technique without needlessly breaking the bank, then maybe by the time he actually *needs* super-duper ammo he can make it himself for the cost of the milsurp. Of course, if money is no object and you are happy to spend twice as much without impacting the amount of time you'll spend shooting, then go ahead. I think it's an unnecessary waste of money; clearly Mr_Logic doesn't.

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[Ovenpaa]

I spent a happy Sunday afternoon on Stickledown 1000 yards point last year with Eagernoskills, a shot out Accuracy International 24" plus 16X ' scope and amongst other things a few boxes of Danish machine gun ammunition at well under a tenner a box of 50. He comfortably held the 5 ring and better on a TR target for the majority of the time. The two of us spent all afternoon giggling like school girls as we shot anything I could find in my range bag.

[ratters]

Bisley was very busy because it is the smallbore meeting. I have just got back, having come 18th in the NSRA/Eley final and a decent shoot,587 ex 600, on the electronic targets in the Lord Roberts Centre. The temperature on Sat. and Sunday made it sweaty work in a shooting jacket!

[Mr_Logic]

I don't think you'll find anyone said the requirement is 'the best ammo money can buy' - let's get the story right please.

I have shot various milsurp but always in 5.56. It has never shot better than about 3" at 100 yards. That's not good enough for anything much.

There is, however, a big gulf between 'the finest ammo money can buy', and the cheapest, nastiest stuff on Earth. Decent ammo is always worth having, but there's decent, and then there's the best on the planet.

I've spent a lot of time trying to do things on a budget, and it simply doesn't work, if you're after good accuracy. If you want to play, it's fine, but I'm past the stage of enjoying shooting simply because something goes bang.