Long Range Rifle 1 & 2

LRR 1 - Day 1

Afternoon:
- Zero rifles to 100 yards - course passage will require a first-shot cold-bore 100-yard hit in a 1" square (don't hit, don't pass). Repeated shots at 11 man-sized (some partial) targets at unknown distances up to 700 yards.

Steyr Scout performance:
- Prior to class, standard-mounted a 10x variable scope using gen-ew-wine Steyr high rings (forward-mounted 2.5x scope simply not suitable for precision long distance work).
- Instructor expressed concern about the SS's potential overheating problems.
- After zeroing, attempted longer distance as test. Apparently, after ~30 shots in short order, barrel may have unacceptably warped upwards from overheating (not really sure).
- Given time to cool, and longer time between shots, achieved first or near-first (user error) round hits on man-sized targets at unknown ranges up to ~600 yards.
- Discovered Leupold Mk III scope, as mounted, does not have adequate available vertical elevation range after 100 yd zeroing. Presented severe problem when hitting farthest (~700 yd) target, as scope needed to come up 33 MOA but only has 27 MOA available, and thick non-center reticle lines badly obscured target. Very annoying after paying $240 for real Steyr rings; ordered self-correcting Burris Signature (Max?) rings with inserts for ~$40; will see if latter arrives in time to correct problem (before I have to give up on SS and switch to a loaner).

LRR 1 - Day 2

Steyr Scout performance:
- Ran fine in general
- Notice distinct tendancy for SS muzzle to "bounce" left about 6" (when prone) after each shot, quite possibly from light weight (maybe user error), disrupting rapid follow-up shots.

LRR 1 - Day 3

Note:
- Class is lucky - wind & weather has been mostly favorable all week...although fog did make LRR-1 test interesting at times ("Give me target width!" "Can't see the target!" "Uh...ok...um...er...18.5 MOA elevation...send!" DING! "Got it!")

Steyr Scout performance:
- Performed satisfactorily: hit all 11 targets (bonus included) but one on first shot, followed up on second attempt fine.
- Instructor (Rod Ryan) expressed pleasant surprise that SS performed as well as heavy-barrel "sniper" rifles under course conditions.
- Did notice lesser muzzle velocity from SS's 19" barrel than partner's 26" barrel: using same ammo and same elevation correction on same 710 yard target, SS hit target while partner apparently shot over target (concluded after numerous attempts on target).
- After test, replaced Steyr high rings (standard mounted, not forward) with Burris Zee rings with +0.020" rear-ring insert to squeeze another ~20 MOA out of the Leupold Vari-X III scope, which was maxing out at elevation required for ~750 yards. Extra elevation should now be adequate for 1200 yard shots; may add another 0.010" insert if necessary. Burris Zee rings are clearly of inferior quality, but do permit inserts and should perform satisfactorilly in course; if +0.020" insert works, I'll have the Steyr rings lapped for a 20 MOA slope.

LRR 2 - Day 1

Afternoon:
- Mostly same set of targets, from different angle some 150+ yards farther out. Shooting through/over trees for some targets.
- One shot for each student at 500+ yards at a small knock-down target.

Note:
- Armor-steel targets are very satisfying - they make a great DING, even hundreds of yards distance.
- As I had trouble maintaining strong, tight firing discipline (extra-necessary for tight long-distance groups), instructor Danny provided good, focused individual attention, and perfected the cure by placing a fist-sized rock at my elbow and threatened to actually beat me with it if I failed proper follow-through and verbalizations - very effective.
- This being my 6th annual week-long gun course, I notice near-burnout tends to set in on Thursday. Fridays tend to be a significant improvement.
- Drinking large amounts of fluids at once leads to some discomfort when lying on one's stomach for an extended period (1+ hours) with such stresses. Better to drink small amounts over a long period, perhaps a few sips after completing each target.

Steyr Scout performance:
- Zeroed newly-installed Burris Zee rings with ~20 MOA spacer. Zeroed fine (allowing for user error), giving 47 MOA available elevation (plus 14 MOA down). $43 plus overnight shipping rescued the SS for LRR-2.
- As I was having trouble getting tight zeros, instructor Irv fired a couple tight shots and remarked at how strongly the SS kicks compared to other "sniper" .308s, and frankly wondered how I was managing to survive firing well over a hundred rounds a day with it over six days. (This being my only .308 ever, I don't know better.) Note that scout rifles are not intended for prolonged repeated firing or extreme precision follow-up shots, so heavier recoil is acceptable.
- The high mounting of the Leupold Vari-X III inhibits a really good cheek-stock weld.
- No apparent overheating problems when firing 60 precision rounds in an hour in notable heat at the 800+ yard range. Instructors continue to express amazement that the pinky-width barrel shows no problems under heat & stress.
- Feeding single rounds could be better: cannot just drop in a round and push bolt forward (bangs nose of bullet against some flat surface), round must either be manually partially inserted into the chamber or pressed into magazine and fed from there. For each target I typically feed rounds from the magazine, then reload after the target (or during lulls between shots) by pressing rounds in through the ejection port.
- Long bipod legs work pretty well on natural ground surface, with the narrow legs settling in deep. Double sandbags under stock are usually needed; extended toe on stock is particularly good for raising back end with sandbags for low targets.

Responses to emailed questions:

> how many rounds between cleaning, what lubricant and where, etc. My
> bolt seems to really start dragging after as few as 10 rounds and
> require cleaning.

Lead instructor Rod Ryan strongly advocates not cleaning the bore, on the theory that such cleaning significantly alters the next cold-bore shot (a legitimate concern for a professional sniper). To back this up, his primary rifle has not had a bore cleaning in 35,000 rounds (and his groups are getting tighter - go figure). At second morning of classes, he asked how many students had, after hearing his bore-cleaning speil, indeed cleaned their barrel the night before...and mildly chewed out the half that had. Rod _does_ clean the chamber to perfection, but notes that if you reach the lands & groves you might as well do the bore as the next shot is thrown off anyway. If you do clean the bore, fire 3+ fouling shots. The theory is that most of your shots are from a dirty bore...so why change the bore to an unusual state for that critical cold-bore shot?

Personally (being a bit of a slacker) I don't clean my SS more than every several hundred rounds, and do so with basic Hoppes #9 and Hoppes oil. After roughly 500 rounds, my bolt shows virtually no hint of dragging.

> I found the same problem that you did with elevation
> on making 1000 yard shots. I installed Chandler's mounts

I'll have to look into these one-piece sloped mount/ring.

> At the ranges you are shooting I wouldn't try it unless I put a better
> scope on the rifle.

Neither would I. As long-distance precision work is certainly outside the "general purpose" range, I'm using a Leupold Vari-X III 10x variable scope with a mil-dot reticle for this course. While this deviates from the "scout rifle" concept, it does so with just a scope swap and quick re-zeroing. I intend to store the 10x scope in the rifle's case for just such an easy change; the scoutscope is going back on shortly after I return home, and the 10x mildot scope swapped in only for deliberate use.

LRR 2 - Day 2

Afternoon:
- 100 yard cold-bore shot.
- Extended informal (and very valuable) rangeside chat with head instructor.
- Supported sitting & standing shots up to 700 yards.
- Unsupported sitting & standing shots up to 700 yards.
- Holdover shots up to 400+ yards (no dialing in corrections).
- Speed drills, ranging from on-cue paired-shooter shots to coordinated class fire to run-and-shoot in- & out-side 2-story building.

Notes:
- Went through 200+ rounds today.
- Burris Zee rings apparently settled during yesterday's ~170 rounds, resulting in point of aim drifting down 2 MOA and right 1 MOA. Very annoying, as course test includes single cold-bore small-target pass-or-fail shot. Being a cold-bore issue, there is no time to properly zero the scope and gather even a slight cold-bore history.
- Learned much more about SM Sniper 1 course via instructors and prior students. Physically demanding, no guarantee of passage. Instructors believe in stress and physical punishments (as in moving big rocks, not as in harm) as a necessary instruction aid (about time someone did, esp. with the military moving away from it).
- One-minute scopes are more convenient than quarter-minute (or third-minute, in the case of our German-Italian student) scopes. Having to keep cranking the turret multiple revolutions is annoying, slow, and sometimes dedrimentally confusing (sucks to keep missing a target, only to find the scope is set a full 15-MOA-turn off). Better to have a one-turn turret which is totally clear and settable with a single spin
(make partial-MOA corrections with holdoff).
- The German-Italian student ("I live to shoot") speaks very little English, yet is passing the course just fine with a little extra attention from the instructors. Heck, he's out-shooting the rest of us.

Steyr Scout performance:
- Students and instructors continue to express amazement at SS performance, having questioned the thin barrel, light weight and plastic stock.
- Repeatedly hit 900 yard target despite considerable prior firing. Failed hits were undoubtedly user error aggrivated by the problem of third-party rings settling.
- Renege on yesterday's bipod comment: long bipod legs are causing problems, having to considerably raise buttstock with sandbags under flat range conditions.
- Reserve magazine well should have a magazine inserted when prone, lest a poorly-placed hand get banged during recoil. Area recessed for magazine tabs can catch hand.
- Quick-release sling is nice for prone positions.
- SS sidesaddle ammo carrier is ok, but does not hold rounds firmly enough. One round fell out when carrying equipment about 100 feet (found round this morning in gravel driveway). Sidesaddle is handy to keep single-feed rounds available.
- SS shoots way better than this user.
- Instructors thought Cooper-suggested 24-oz trigger was too light.

LRR 2 - Day 3

Afternoon:
- Cold-bore shot to 500+ yards.
- Prior supported kneeling fire practice test results accepted as final results - no need for final run.
- Prone fire to 900+ yards, final test.
- Closing video:

- Venuisualian (sp?!) police sniper situation on sidewalk.
- Hostage is bloodied, perp holding her with revolver to head, finger wrapped around trigger, hammer cocked.
- Shot delivered through perp's left eye, finger relaxes off trigger, hostage saved.
- Long-distance precision shooting can be fun. It can also be vital to saving an innocent life.

Notes:
- Don't forget your earplugs. Trust me.
- Long range rifle, using mil-dot reticle, not terribly difficult but certainly does take practice.
- Staff will, for good reason, create stress with surprisingly wide variety of means. Just move on & get the job done.
- Burris Zee rings "settled" more, lowering point of impact one MOA. Discoving this during a pass-fail one-shot test (cold-bore) is frustrating. (Did pass test legitimately, but not as well as should have.)
- I had mild "Post LFI Syndrome" afterwards, likely triggered by closing video coupled with exhaustion & dehydration. Remember what's important in life, and seek it.
- Drink lots of water in small doses. Not drinking enough leads to dehydration in the hot, dry West Virginia sun. Drinking too much leads to it wanting to come back the way it came when subjected to prolonged lying on stomach.
- One rapidly discovers (after 1-2 days) what equipment is really needed. Theory quickly shrivels in the face of practice.
- When a course is based on a 100-yard-zero, don't use a 200-yard-zero. The course costs too much (~$500 plus expenses) to waste money that way.
- Reload rifle ammo _only_ if you will do it _right_. An expensive class is a bad place to discover bolt-face etching due to bad primer seating; saving pennies here is not worth losing C-bills there.

Steyr Scout performance:
- For all the nitpicking details I've complained about, it's a darn good gun.
- Kicks hard, but is entirely manageable.
- Sidesaddle lost two more rounds during short walk using African carry. (That's $2.40 lost over two days in just a few hundred yards.) Don't bother with it; buy another magazine instead.
- Steyr's high scope rings did exactly what they were designed for: holding the scope parallel with bore...which loses half the scope's elevation. Sometimes when using the answer, one realizes the wrong
question was asked. Someone (Steyr?) needs to make appropriate, quality rings sloped 20 MOA; I may have my $240 Steyr high rings lapped for that angle. Burris Zee rings are a $40 solution to a $3000 problem (i.e. works, but unreliable/inadequate).
- Due to scope ring problems, was not able to adequately investigate the SS's cold-bore performance.
- "Cooper's little rifle" performed admirably. Question now is whether I can bring myself to cammo-paint it for Sniper 1...