In terms of “Feel” SAR wins. It is a more rounded grip and feels more natural, like a monkey paw grabbing a tree branch. The CZ97 is more of a flatter grip. The grips are wider, not thicker per sey. So there is more distance from the webbing of your thumb to the Slide Release on the 97 than the K2. This flatter design may help with keeping the barrel from moving side to side a little better. When shooting both back to back, the 97 wins, but I think some of that is due to the Fiber Optic sights. The think aluminum grips on the 97 would help a bit on the long reach to the slide lock, but honestly makes the 97 feel more like a sheet of steel and is not comfortable for me to shoot. Maybe they put the thin grips on to help it be more carryable or whatever, I much prefer the bigger wood or rubber grips. The K2 grip shape is hard to beat and it holds 14 rounds stock and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Well, that was humbling… many reasons to underperform and so I did that quite well.
Uhhhhhhh – I could have done better on that one for sure but it sure was freaking fun!
The biggest weakness that could have been avoided was practice on barricades and moving positions, so I will be working on that for sure. This pic sums it up basically.
Poverty pony brings up the rear. Still better than riding the couch. Custom bags are now on the build list. I wanted to run a match and see some other bags in use to decide which way to go. I think I have a plan.
The guys at AP were top notch and the facility is amazing LR gem of the state. It’s located in Carbon Hill Alabama.
I found this on top of the hill. Nice keepsake, Should have taken a pic with brass in hand.
I grew up in the woods not far away so it was great to travel the country roads from my childhood once again. New phone and funky google maps got me lost only to come across the very spot we used to stop and get boiled peanuts on the way to Grandma’s house. I still remember the rickety old “Nut Shak” on the side of the highway and how they cooked up the good stuff (peanuts and pork rinds) in giant feeding buckets over open coals and dipping your “hot” bag of peanuts right in front of you for a couple of actual greenbacks. I used to trick my dad driving when he asked for more peanuts I’d just give him the hulls of mine in a new bag and pass them to the front seat and he’d get mad and swerve and say “No, I paid for them peanuts I want some more”.
I met some great folks and had a great time, despite my poor performance. I think my squad members were more concerned with my score than I was. After a spring break full of computer ticket work, I was just glad to get out in the sun and run some.
Stage 8 – Thank goodness they gave us target size and distances!
Just like the layers, and Pharmaceutical companies… Disclaimers First:
Overweight buffer – Gun was ejecting brass, but not picking up the rounds in the mag, so I had to run my AR like a bolt gun on top of everything else. I believe this was mainly due to me changing the buffer spring and buffer recently. When confirming zero earlier in the week during a very quick range trip, I tried adjusting the SA gas block, but still no dice. So I think it is a buffer thing.
Under Bagged – I watched people stream to the store to buy $$$ bags before the shoot. They do work well, but I’m weird and like to run my own, so I just took the old Jean bag with sand, and a Crown Royal bag with plastic BBs. I am looking into making my own waxed cotton bags in the near future, thus the snub of the high dollar bags (I’m pretty sure they sold out anyway). I felt the most comfortable shooting on the Prone stage where I used my backpack as a support bag and the sandbag as a tailbag.
No Bipod – one shooter just plainly said he couldn’t believe I was running with no bi-pod. I told him I usually just shoot of bags (on the bench) so that’s mostly why.
Skills – I really need to practice barricade positions and changes under the clock. There were many times I thought to myself (duh, why didn’t I just do it like that, it is much more stable). I have a spot to practice that stuff but its so far away I normally spend my time on the long range bench targets working on load development or groups.
MOA not Mils – This was a constant topic of humor. As a beginner focused match, the other guys were very helpful and willing to help the turd pull up the back of the pack with wind calls and holds, but they were all in MILS not MOA! I see targets in inches, and that’s how my brain works, so most of that data was ignored while shooting, but after the stage I would figure if I was about right or not. Besides, with everyone running different calibers how much do you want to depend on them anyway. I still see this as a plus, or at least a double edged topic. For if you rely on others wind holds how good can you really become. There was a stage where I didn’t figure ANY wind at 700 yards and yeah that was a big miss. After that I just generally guesstimated wind holds based on my previous experience with that rifle and round.
Rucking too much stuff – I took Full backpack with typical range repair toolbag, ammo, clothes, cliffbars. A small tripod stool, shot up and repaired (mostly functioning) BOG deathgrip tripod, Thrift Store Special Sandbag, water, and rain jacket, and rifle. It was a lot of stuff to huck around. I should have left the deathgrip in the car, as it was never used and there were PLENTY of nice tripod/spotting setups to take a quick look at the targets between stages. I felt like Charlie Sheen in Platoon when he was going on his first mission – “your packing too much stuff, I’ll carry it for you… this time,”. I blame the boy-scouts for that one.
With all of the above disclaimers, it is now time to report what DID work out well, or well enough to try using it again. To sum it up would be (scope, dope, stool):
All Holds No dialing from 100-1000 (and maybe a little more)All holds, No dialing…High Velocity Laminated Dope card. Ammo nerds only.
Valdada 16X Fixed scope: 100-1000 ALL HOLDS, NO DIALING and 600yd zero. I freaking love this scope. If I had to dial like the other guys on top of my gun nit running like a semi-I would have been much worse off. I shot the first three stages with the parallax set at 100yds (from zero range). After that I just set it at the first target of each stage and went with it. The glass is very clear, I could see boils roll around at 1100 yards and read the weeds at 1k. Before each stage I would just remember my holds for the target and adjust as needed on the second shot. I ran out of time on every stage, but I count that mostly to having to come off scope to rack a round. I held on to my Dope card like it was Willy Wonka’s golden ticket. When this gun runs, target transitions are fast. There was one time I had to laugh out loud because one guy said “zoom out, you’ll see it”… I also got to peek through a variety of spotting setups, which was great. One shooter told me that he just uses 15x binoculars to preview/spot and then leaves his scope at 15x “99 % of the time”. That way your are previewing the targets with the same “mental picture” as you will be using when you are actually running the gun. That piece of info alone was worth the trip and the match and it’s tricks like that make the match worth it. It also confirmed that I made the right decision to spend the $$$ on a fixed power with great glass. Actually
The bullet and hand loads did work well enough that I don’t think it limited me. I spent a lot of time in load development and dope on the long range and brass prep and such and the consistency and accuracy did show up when the other elements were at bay. The last stage was 600 and 650 targets so I got to just hold “mostly zero” on those targets and was able to score a few hits to end the day. I was running my KANG MATCH rounds: 105 Berger VLDs at 2650 over LL with Starline converted brass. There was one other guy in my group running a Grendel and he did pretty well. We discussed the rounds and agreed that 800 and in, it is a very capable round. Past that you really have to do your part to make hits. I think the better rifle to actually compete in this match would be the 6.5CM bolt gun, but hey I wanted a personal challenge and I certainly got it.
The small tripod stool was excellent last minute “ohh I’ll grab that too” addition. With it I was able to setup under and among the spotters and save my legs while eating cliff bars and hot dogs. Assuming I can use other shooters gear to spot, I’ll happily take the small stool tripod over the big old BOG deathgrip.
I used my bag of gear as opposed to a bipod to shoot the prone stage. I made only 1 hit at 800 on that stage but was able to spot some splashes close to the 900/1k target. Took a couple of shots at the 1100 but ran out of time on the 12. With this Glass I was able to spot shots of the other shooters on that stage.
Other notations:
Drive a freaking truck! Not a low slung tiny sports car! I had that little red Miata PACKED to the gills with crap. My BOG legs are shot up and wont compress properly, and won’t even fit in the trunk so it had to ride along side in the passenger seat where I brushed it every time I went into 5th or Reverse. When I got to the match, I found out that we had to drive even farther into the boonies to get to the course. I smartly hitched a ride with another shooter to the actual range and yeah after the first hill and mudhole I realized there is NO way the Miata would have ever made it. I longed for my ’78 Bronco, but thanks to Former Vice President Joe Biden’s energy policy, that is not happening. Plus the sidepipes get annoying after an hour or so.
Pizza make a great dinner on the cheap, but make sure you bring paper plates unless you prefer cold pizza for breakfast.
Get there for open range day (the Friday before the match) – I didn’t and that would have certainly helped. I packet the Pokemon rifle (300PRC with IveyTron setup) and made up 27 198 PVA solids to maybe try to shoot, but all that was for not because I worked Friday.
Was talking with some shooters before the match and was ecstatic to learn he was shooting a Garand at 1200 on the open range day – FUDDRUNNER! I told him how I modified my IHC for more accurate bench shooting and he told me how he uses his flat front sight to hold for wind. His friend was shooting a bold 30-06 in the match too! I happily supported his fuddery….. and they loved my Patton Hoodie.
There was some discussion about how some powders may not be the fastest, but being off about a grain made no difference in the groups, where as the more finicky powders would throw your group if you are off .2 gr.
If you ever want to check out legit glass before you buy, check out a long range match. There were very nice spotting units along the hillside
Just ordered some of this brass, min qty is 250, I only need 150 so selling 1000 pieces to help recoup the costs. Factory new. Large Rifle Primer. Shipping should go in USPS priority box to Continental US for $7. Call or txt 334-two thirty three – 3682 or email themobilemaster@hotmail.com for details.
I had a couple of recent range trips with some ridiculously long 22 pistols. A couple of weeks ago I shot the Ruger Scoped Black Grand Mamaba out to 200yds. This past weekend we piled up a mess of other Rugers as well and shot them at the 50yd berm. Targets were a mix of clays, a plastic self healer and 3 brand new bright red Calloway golf balls. I scored them along with a nice white golf glove at the golf Range the day before.
Anyway, we had a blast, but in my haste, I forgot to mount another scope on the Black Grand Mamba (the Valdada went back on another rifle). So, we got to the range and dang if we didn’t just Joe Dirt that pistol and sight right down the full pic rail that was mounted on top. Just line the edges at the muzzle up and have at it. The amazing light weight, superb trigger, and long sight radius make this thing a runner. I may run it at speed steel like this for the fun of it.
I wouldn’t say that would be the most accurate, but it was surprisingly able to make the 4″ self healer dance at 50 yds plenty good enough. The thing feels like a paper wand its so light. Shooting it standing freehanded was perhaps my favorite and I may just leave it that way and try the rifle scopes on something else (the 10″ bull barrel) perhaps.
We shot the Bond pistol and slabside too. The Bond Pistol is a MkII with gold bolt and trigger all iron sights. Another bonus is that we got to just mow through some random assortment of ammo that I had been testing – I’m trying to thin the variance and get more bulk. Anyway, I have a lot of cleaning to do but man I love these Ruger .22 pistols.
So, I got bored and made a new video about new(to me) old CZ97B Safety model. I got some video editing practice. Digg the 97s (CZ FuddRunner) – it was a great day!
The trigger action and shape of the older one has the slight nod, but the newer model has better sights and LOK grips(upgrade). You can see typical accuracy of 230 RN Reloads at 50 yds. Not the best shooting but I love the self healing targets on the dirt berm – you get instant feedback. Round 1 is standing and Round 2 are benched and bagged.
We all have things to work on… I try to be the person to at least think those words when disposition comes along. I’m starting to feel really great about breaking bad habits. In particular for today is You Tube…
So I started up Rumble and what do you know one of the first things I search for is 6ARC and nothing … dang, then “6mm ARC” and boom!, I’m rewarded with a great video from last month fresh on top of the stack so I clicky it…
Its a video about a budget build AR with a goal of 1k yds. Hooked. It happens, they walk it out from 100 to 1k and ring constant dings on target. Then the spotter pulls up and does the same with his. Dueling 6mm ARCs. Sweet. Great success! I think the total was $1350. Amazing. I was proud to be the first to comment. Here is the link.
The scene is changing. More people are tired of being censored (in our case guns specifically which is my current top hobby…) and thus I’m just going to make a pointed effort to just not watch YouTube. I’m sure there will be specific instances, Photoshop tricks, fixing old cars. I have not missed FB at all and I’m hoping YT falls to the same category eventually. I also do think that as more SM emerges people will move more toward managing their own content/servers/sites and just embed whatever they can in actual web pages. If the Video host censors or you want to change, your content structure is still there, just change the embed to the next provider as needed.
I have also posted my very first video on Rumble, Embedded below, it’s not much just a quick mag dump at 300, but we will see how they roll and prepare for more…
Notes: Watching Tim Pool’s show with the CEO of Rumble was what turned me. Currently they are Canada based but are moving to FL this year. If they don’t move to the US and support 2A vids I will leave period and find the next. So its up to you Rumble. Remember even Google started out with the “don’t be evil” mantra…
With the BYOK Kit, you have everything needed to build a full lower. A donor frame/stock lower is no longer needed. Just build lower and pick upper of your choice.
The machining and fit and finish are top quality. The fit is TIGHT. I’ve built a few older Rugers and this was still a bit of a challenge. It was a fun project. The internals used the Volquartsen sear, but the TK trigger. A few tips:
when putting in the safety and setting the hammer, you have to pull the trigger to allow the trigger bar to go down and then into the slot on the sear. Before I was pushing down like mad trying to get the hammer seated but it just wouldn’t go.
Put in the set screw into the trigger before installing, it will make it easier.
I still prefer the Volquartsen triggershoe.
the extended mag button is plastic, not metal, I will most likely make a metal replacement.
the extended safety is very good, better than expected.
Are you interested in Roadbikes and Race Pistols? Do you want some practice with a favorite 2A folder and see how it packs on your new Mountianbike? Come pack it and run it. Here is the contact form for upcoming training rides and possible local friendly competitions. Basically I need a draft partner(right now its […]
So, I got bored and made a new video about new(to me) old CZ97B Safety model.I got some video editing practice. Digg the 97s (CZ FuddRunner) – it was a great day! The trigger action and shape of the older one has the slight nod, but the newer model has better sights and LOK grips(upgrade). […]
We all have things to work on… I try to be the person to at least think those words when disposition comes along. I’m starting to feel really great about breaking bad habits. In particular for today is You Tube… So I started up Rumble and what do you know one of the first things […]
Disclaimer: do your own research and use common sense when reloading. I am not responsible for your results. Don’t try this at home or at home office either… Here are the steps that worked for me. I wouldn’t even attempt this without a great annealer. That thing is worth its weight in brass. Scope footage: […]
Executive Summary – it was windy, I learned a LOT about wind today. So windy in fact many of the more experienced shooters had issues with the wind. There was “supposed” to be an option for 1250 yds, but that was nixed due to wind. I have shot this gun 6ARC and ammo at 1k […]
Ive been looing forward to this test for a while and finally made it to the range to make it happen. The goal was to test High Velocity match ammo @200 and see if I could have a 50yd(or 100yd) zero and use BDC reticle out to 200yds. The Rig: Ruger Mk 4 lower gutted […]
