SWshooter

Isn't it funny that the better a rifle shoots the better it looks.

The TRS-1 seems to be doing well. I've put about a hundred rounds through it and it is holding up just fine. I like the reticle, it is finer than a lot of mildots. It has a click you can feel at the 10x setting where you would use the mil scale. The illuminated reticle works well and has a good range of adjustment including a night vision setting. The side focus is easy to use and the range markings are close enough to use as a range finder if necessary. I highly recommend the side focus, it is much more convenient than the objective focus.

I shot the new trigger yesterday. It still has a little creep in it. My groups didn't show much improvement but I'm still learning the trigger. Had a couple oops where the trigger broke before I was ready. Met an old service rifle shooter on the range and he advised to put a little JB bore paste on the contact surfaces and excercise the heck out of it. I did that today and it seems to be breaking creep free now. I'll try it on the range tomorrow.

Here are some pics of my bench set up. The near rifle is my LR-308 resting on an old Hoppe's rest with a flat bag and a contoured bag under the butt. The far rifle is a Ruger 1022M rebarreled with a Butler Creek barrel to 17HMR and a Hogue stock. It's resting on a Caldwell rest with a contour bag and a bunny ear bag under the butt. Closer view of the 17HMR. This is a view of the firing line on the 100 yard range. What looks like sand is just sun on the grass, It was a really bright sunny day.

I have the Midway drag bag for my LR-308 too. I took the shroud off the end as I don't expect to actually be dragging it anywhere. The only thing I don't like is there is no place to really store magazines.

In presses I use a Lee turret press, I like the removable turrets. My heavy press is a RCBS Rockchucker. I installed a Hornady Lock-N-Load adapter and have all my dies for the Rockchucker installed in Lock-N-Load bushings, this is amazingly handy as it only takes a couple seconds to change dies. I use mostly new WW brass, and I like WW primers too. I used Lyman powder measures for years, but lately I bought a couple RCBS measures and I like them better. I still use a Hornady beam balance scale and double check it with a little Lee scale that is surprisingly accurate, if you can read the vernier scale.

How did you make outr with your reloads? I was at the range today and shot some 150 gr Horn BTSP, and some 180 gr Horn SP flat base. Haven't found the magic load yet, but I bought a 250 pack of Nosler 168 gr match HP today and have great expectations. ;)

The order of preference of powders in 308 match loads seems to be Varget, H or IMR-4895, 4064, and 3031. 3031 is a little fast, but if your rifle likes it, it should be fine. The most accurate loads aren't usually at the top of the velocity curve anyway. I used to load a lot of 3031 years ago, but not any lately. I'm not sure why. I use a lot of H-4895 as it seems to be the universal powder, good for almost anything. I load 30-30, 30-40, 30-06, 35 Rem, and 350 Rem Mag with it, and it does good for all. I don't have to keep so many different powders that way.

One thing I noticed with mine, it seems to put everything to the same poi. I've shot 150's,165's,180's, and 190's and they would probably all stay in a 6" circle at 100 yds. I shot a 10 shot group with 180 gr Horn. SP today at a fairly quick pace and the group was 3.3" extreme spread. That's plenty good enough for 300 yd white tail hunting. I picked up a box of Nosler 168 gr match HP today and I'm hoping for some better groups than I've been getting with hunting bullets.

Desert Storm was my war, by that time I gave up the 60 for a tank, though the tank was just about as hard on the knees and back as bein' a grunt. I was never particularly impressed with the 60. It is too fragile a design, and the rate of fire is too slow. The 240 is a much better weapon, and anything based on it.

I just took off my Leupy and put on a new Millett TRS-1. It seems to be a decent scope for the price. The only trouble I've had is the clicks seem to be closer to 1/2" than the stated 1/4". I never really liked tactical knobs on a field gun, but these have a lock on them so they shouldn't get accidently out of adjustment.

I spent some time humpin' a 60 and 300 rds ammo plus the full field pack. I'm pretty sure I could have been replaced with a jackass, a monkey and a large bunch of bananas. I have the bad knees and bad back to prove it. I'm more into light rifles now, something less than 10 lbs ready to rock n' roll.

What kind of rifle was that? I thought about getting a fifty but without a good long range, 600 yds or so, it's not worth having one.

WHAT???

Takes an awful lot of concentration to shoot good 20 rd groups. It's hard enough to shoot good 5 rd groups. I have to admit the more I shoot mine the more I like it. You're going to find yourself spending a lot of money on accessories shortly, if I'm any judge of character anyway.

Someone posted that their rifle weighed 10 1/2 lbs (LR-308 w/24 bull barrel). I thought that was kinda light as thats what mine weighed with the scope mounted after I had the barrel recontoured. They are good shooters, but too heavy for a general purpose rifle. Unless you keep a bench in your pocket. A 20" medium or light contour barrel would be much more user friendly if your planning to walk around with it much. It's too bad the 308 heats up so fast, one 20 round mag will make a light barrel hot enough to brand you.

That is a great picture, really pretty country. Looks a lot like the country around here before it built up some. Hard to find a place to hunt chucks anymore. Seems like there's a new house in the middle of every field I used to hunt in.

Olean is about an hours drive from me. I've worked there quite a bit and I am familiar with Franklinville and the surrounding area too. I worked as a service tech for about 13 years covering the whole Jamestown, Buffalo, Erie area. I became a union electrition about 10 years ago and we cover pretty much the same area.

The key to good craftsmanship is patience. When you find yourself getting irritated or frustrated walk away and take a break. After trouble shooting electronic systems for 30 years or so, I've found the biggest advantage I have over the new guys is I'm just a lot more patient than they are.

While Bill's trigger work is a vast improvement to the stock trigger, if your planning on doing much bench work, I'm afraid your just going to have to buy a really good trigger. I just finished installing a Jard 2 lb single stage in my LR-308.

I just finished installing a Jard single stage 2 lb trigger in my LR-308. I'm waiting for the locktite to set. A couple observations. The instructions aren't very good. They say to apply locktite to all the screws and then start adjusting, but the locktite sets before you are finished, making adjusting very difficult. you might want to install the trigger and then carefully remove the screws counting the turns, apply the locktite then return to the preset position. The over travel screw is under the hammer making it impossible to adjust with the hammer in the receiver. I took the hammer spring off and used a close fitting pin punch to install and remove the hammer while slowly adjusting the over travel screw. That way you don't have to fight the J spring putting the hammer in and out. The sear engagement screw uses the grip screw hole and the suggested 7/8 turn is too much and leaves the trigger creepy, you will probably want to experiment with it to find a setting that is creep free yet safe. The short screw they give you to install the grip was too short for my after market grip and I ended up using the screw that came with the grip. I thought the engagement surfaces were pretty rough for a target trigger, If you have the right stones you might want to polish the sear and the disconnector before installation to save a lot of break in. When first installed my trigger pull was light but with a lot of creep. I backed off the sear engagement screw a little at a time testing to make sure the hammer wouldn't jar off. Then I started cocking the hammer by hand and pulling the trigger and after about 50-100 cycles it smoothed out and became almost creepless. I think with use it will get even better. I'll try to shoot it tomorrow and give a range report.

I'm curious as to the purpose of the build, bench gun, match rifle, varmint etc.

If you have a scale, I'm curious as to what it weighs. Have you shot it yet?

I don't think so, I live in Jamestown NY which is really close to Erie PA, about a 45 minute drive. You'd have to do a little map work and see how far out of your way it would be. I drove to Mass. one time and would not want to do it again as it is the full length of NYS east to west. If your ever in Erie though, that would be an easy drive.

I have a love hate relationship with bipods, especially on varmint guns. I have one Harris bipod that has been on and off, on and off, on and off the same guns. I hate it when I'm walking around and it looks ugly, but I shoot better, especially the long shots, with it. I've been looking at the swiveling Harris units, especially the longer ones you could use while sitting, but they are kinda pricey and I'd rather spend the money on a trigger right now. As I get older I find my guns keep getting lighter and lighter, so I am loath to add anything not absolutely necessary. My LR-308 weighs about ten and a half lbs.after some trimming, but I would remove another two lbs if I could. Unfortunately I can't figure out how to do it except trim the barrel back 8" to 16". I am not a fan of 16" barreled 308's however, too much muzzle blast and too much velocity loss. I keep hoping someone will come out with a titanium bolt carrier, not that I could afford it, that should get rid of at least a pound.