Matt.Cross

More to come, but many thanks to @98Z5V for hosting us yet again and for making sure a good time was had by all.

So we got set up on and shot pretty much as Tom described. I felt the need to set a challenge right off the bat, so I threw a cold-bore shot at the 845yd target hoping for a 1st round hit at distance. Alas, diagonal mirage in your optic at 845 means you need to account for wind, and I simply did a dead-hold. 1st shot fell just right of the target, slightly low elevation of point-of-aim. Spotted the impact, measured the offset by the reticle, fired a follow-up shot and heard the satisfying sound of the steel ringing while watching the target begin swinging. 2 rounds into the trip and I'm completely satisfied! After all, really all I wanted was to get out and test my rifle out at 800 yards and beyond. Having seen that my dope is consistent at all the distances I have shot from 100yds to 850, I'm completely satisfied with the performance of the MA TEN. It is point-of-aim accurate from 100-800yds and beyond, and demonstrably repeatable. We did repeated long fire strings throughout the day, mixed dialing and holding for both wind and elevation, at varying magnifications, and the MA TEN was on the money. The wind was fairly calm but still had to be accounted for, and that was an excellent learning experience for me.

Tom's account is pretty thorough, covers pretty much all of it, sans minor detail. I went to bed about 2:00am EST after packing and trip prep, and set my alarm to be up at 4:00 to head to the airport. Didn't get much sleep at home but the two flights to PHX span about 5 hours and that's a fair chance to get caught up on sleep, so I slept on the flights as much as possible. Arrived in PHX ~9:00am MST, picked up my guns and texted Tom details on my location. It is noteworthy that with regard to travel, this has been the most uneventful trip yet, it really worked out nicely. So we headed to the Casa De Tom's Folks to drop off my gear while we did a preliminary supply run at the Glendale Cabela's. Got to meet Tom's mom and her husband, both really awesome folks. Did our supply run and dropped by Arby's on the way back for some chow, lunch at Tom's Folks and after getting better acquainted, we loaded all the gear back into the Nissan from Hell and headed to the gear staging area at TactiCat's place. We spent the rest of the day doing gear prep, and retrieving and loading Tom's camper/gear trailer. After making a preliminary grocery run, we loaded up all the requisite coolers and took a cold beverage break. Then Tom and I teamed up to create the ultimate grilled steak concoction, with an awesome marinade of my own making, and with Tom's grilling skills coming to the fore. After a fantastic supper of steak and buttered peas with garlic, Tom headed to the shed to do some last-minute custom loads and I busied myself with trying unsuccessfully to figure out how to make a cheap sling work for my Barbie gun. Called it a night after that and headed off to bed to catch as much sleep as possible to be up and at 'em at daylight. That's pretty much where Tom's account picks up. Here's my dope sheet for the MA TEN for the weekend, straight from the Hornady online calculator. I simply rounded up all the given numbers for 500 yards and above, and this dope sheet was on the money! We also got to play with Tom's rangefinder/Kestrel combo, which was every bit as he described and then some.

I had to hide somewhere, the .300 Win Mag was stalking me, I swear.....

LOL

A little explanation goes a long way. Thank you for clarifying. We clean up our fair share of newcomers who want to be an ass right off the bat, pardon our aggressive inquiry.

Uh oh! Tom, change of plans buddy....

Keep your head on a swivel fellas, Larry has gone off his meds and started wandering the halls again....

Oh, and RUN IT WET, like 'Holy cow Batman, you can't be serious!' level lube on the BCG, and once you get the break-in done you won't need nearly so much.

More info on buffer tube/spring/buffer and where aquired please. Also, breaking the gun in with cheap ammo is bad juju. Think of the break-in as the first 3-5% of your barrel life, and ask yourself why it makes sense to condition your barrel to crap ammo only to switch to good ammo post break-in. Your components are well-picked and reputable, it seems incongruous to run E87 + 10% ethanol pump gas (cheap ammo) in your brand-new Dyno tuned turbocharged supercar. Run the GMM throughout the break-in, you're doing yourself a favor if you do.

Welcome to the forums @Sharpshooter, looks like you'll fit in just fine.

John Moses Browning is going to make you run laps in Lego sandals Sisco....

Hmmmmm, I'm starting to wonder if divorce is really as awful as everyone makes it sound.... Really really want an FNX...

I'll bet future shooters will be thrilled to know that they can expect law enforcement to form a defensive perimeter to keep anyone from running in and ending their killing spree, including SWAT cops.

He needs a fund I can make a donation to for his legal fees.

You can find a wet red crater where the rabbit was when you shot it....

I'll bring my iPad along and we can put that baby through it's paces.

That's the general idea I was trying to convey. I was by no means trying to make anyone wear a shoe that doesn't fit.

Not really, it has more to do with making things straightforward for the guy that comes along not knowing anything about the platform or how to turn a wrench. It's also not uncommon for folks who haven't yet fired their rifle to be attempting to solve problems that their particular rifle doesn't necessarily have. Trying to help someone diagnose their rifle is a difficult exercise when they've added every aftermarket component known to man before going to the range and trying to shoot it dry, and then try to blame the manufacturer for their malfunctions. The straightforward approach is actually the easiest. Buy the base platform, lube it up real well and shoot some high quality ammunition through it. Then begin addressing what is and is not desirable about the way the system functions, with as few component changes made at once as possible. Simplicity is golden on these platforms.

We need to make the target frames out of AR500 and the gongs out of 1/16 square tube stock....

I'm amazed at the speed with which it's possible to completely miss a 12" gong, and at the same time impact the 1.25" target frame with every single round. It's mind-boggling.

Tom and I stopped in a CVS one time to find a brush suitable for gun cleaning in a tight spot. Tom needed to do some 'personal shopping' so we agreed to meet up back at the checkout counter. It took forever to finally find the brush, so I arrived at the checkout just in time to see Tom pay for his stuff. I watched with great interest as the cashier bagged up a large bag of condoms, foam ear plugs, and a swimmer's nose clamp. As I was paying for my own purchases, I leaned in close and asked the cashier what was the deal and she told me: "There's only two things Tom can't stand, screaming and the smell of burning rubber!"

Well, I guess I'll go get some lime and a vacuum cleaner.

There's even a little damage done on the downrange end from time to time.....

LMAO