The Road Less Traveled: MOSSBERG Varmint Predator · The Road Less Traveled: MOSSBERG Varmint...

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Ruger’s NEW 77/357 Magnum! Krieghoff Semprio Slide Action! The Road Less Traveled: MOSSBERG Varmint Predator July 2012 No. 263 $5.99 U.S./Canada Display until 8/11/2012 Printed in USA Ugly’s Only Skin Deep: Mosin- Nagant Redux!

Transcript of The Road Less Traveled: MOSSBERG Varmint Predator · The Road Less Traveled: MOSSBERG Varmint...

Page 1: The Road Less Traveled: MOSSBERG Varmint Predator · The Road Less Traveled: MOSSBERG Varmint Predator July 2012 No. 263 $5.99 U.S ... Finnish Mosin-Nagants Some credit is due. Mike

Ruger’s NEW 77/357 Magnum!

Krieghoff Semprio Slide Action!

The Road Less Traveled:MOSSBERG

VarmintPredator

July 2012 No. 263

$5.99 U.S./CanadaDisplay until 8/11/2012 Printed in USA7 25274 01240 4

0 7

$5.99

Ugly’s OnlySkin Deep:

Mosin-NagantRedux!

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SSppoorrtitinngg FiFirrearearmmss JJooururnnal al

Page 44 . . .

July 2012Volume 44, Number 4

ISSN 0162-3593Issue No. 263

4 Rifle 263www.riflemagazine.com Background Photo: © 2012 Vic Schendel

16 Skinner Sights Mostly Long Guns - Brian Pearce

20 .204 Ruger Classic Cartridges - John Haviland

24 Shrapnel’s Sighting-In Day Down Range - Mike Venturino

28 Lessons from the Old School You can take the boy out of Germany . . . Terry Wieland

36 Hunting Rifle Triggers Options and Observations John Barsness

44 Semprio Krieghoff in the 21st Century Chub Eastman

50 Mossberg Varmint Predator An Unusual Approach to a Small Game Rifle Stan Trzoniec

56 Russian and Finnish Mosin- Nagants Some credit is due. Mike Venturino

64 Ruger’s 77/44 and 77/357 Magnum Rifles Field Worthy Bolt Actions Brian Pearce

8 The 6.5 Creedmoor Spotting Scope - Dave Scovill

12 Replacement Triggers for Bolt Guns Light Gunsmithing - Gil Sengel

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Page 16 . . .

Page 56 . . .

Background Photo: © 2012 Vic Schendel Rifle 263www.riflemagazine.com6

Issue No. 263 July 2012

SSppoorrtitinngg FiFirrearearmmss JJooururnnalal

Publisher/President – Don Polacek

Publishing Consultant – Mark Harris

Editor in Chief – Dave Scovill

Associate Editor – Lee J. Hoots

Managing Editor – Roberta Scovill

Assisting Editor – Al Miller

Senior Art Director – Gerald Hudson

Production Director – Becky Pinkley

Contributing Editors

AdvertisingAdvertising Director - Stefanie Ramsey

[email protected]

Advertising Representative - Tom [email protected]

Advertising Information: 1-800-899-7810

CirculationCirculation Manager – Luree McCann

[email protected]

Subscription Information: 1-800-899-7810www.riflemagazine.com

Rifle® (ISSN 0162-3583) is published bimonthly with oneannual special edition by Polacek Publishing Corporation,dba Wolfe Publishing Company (Don Polacek, President),2180 Gulfstream, Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301. (Alsopublisher of Handloader® magazine.) Telephone (928) 445-7810. Periodical Postage paid at Prescott, Arizona, and ad-ditional mailing offices. Subscription prices: U.S.possessions – single issue, $5.99; 7 issues, $19.97; 14 is-sues, $36. Foreign and Canada – single issue, $5.99; 7 is-sues $26; 14 issues, $48. Please allow 8-10 weeks for firstissue. Advertising rates furnished on request. All rightsreserved.

Change of address: Please give six weeks notice. Send both the old and new address, plus mailing label ifpossible, to Circulation Department, Rifle® Magazine,2180 Gulfstream, Suite A, Prescott, Arizona 86301. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rifle®, 2180Gulfstream, Suite A, Prescott, Arizona 86301.

Canadian returns: PM #40612608. Pitney Bowes, P.O.Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2.

Wolfe Publishing Co.2180 Gulfstream, Ste. APrescott, AZ 86301Tel: (928) 445-7810 Fax: (928) 778-5124© Polacek Publishing Corporation

John Haviland Ron Spomer Brian Pearce Stan TrzoniecClair Rees Mike VenturinoGil Sengel Ken Waters

Terry Wieland

Publisher of Rifle® is not responsible for mishaps ofany nature that might occur from use of publishedloading data or from recommendations by any mem-ber of The Staff. No part of this publication may be re-produced without written permission from thepublisher. All authors are contracted under work forhire. Publisher retains all copyrights upon paymentfor all manuscripts. Although all possible care is ex-ercised, the publisher cannot accept responsibility forlost or mutilated manuscripts.

72 What’s New in the Marketplace Inside Product News - Clair Rees

82 The Dubious Quest for Cartridge Efficiency Walnut Hill - Terry Wieland

On the cover . . .Mossberg’s new bolt-action Varmint Predator features an AR-15magazine and will feed both .223 Remington and 5.56mm NATOammunition; this one is topped off with a big Leupold variablescope. Photo by Stan Trzoniec.

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Rifle 26316 www.riflemagazine.com

In August 2010, Andy Larssonpurchased Skinner Sights and

immediately began improving andexpanding the product line. Theyare primarily aperture or peep designs that are fully adjustableand are offered in stainless steel,carbon (blue) steel and brass, whilefront sights are a square post Patridge Sourdough style. The designs, and there are many, arestrong, simple, lightweight andwell thought out. They are pre-cisely machined from bar stock,making them suitable for hunt-ing, harsh field conditions, precisetarget work, speed shooting andplinking.

Andy Larsson shot NRA IndoorOpen Sectionals (Bullseye), win-ning the National Championshipin 1998. He also won the MontanaState Bullseye Indoor Champion -ship for seven years. He workedas a gunsmith, building customcompetition guns, and is currentlyan active cowboy action com -petitor. Obviously, Larsson is ashooter first and thus knows howsights should perform, adjust andhow they should look.

I am always amazed at the num-ber of shooters who don’t under-stand the value of quality aperture

sights. Among those who grew upshooting rimfire rifles with factoryissued open notch and semi-buck-horn sights, then graduated toscope sights, I often hear com-ments like: “I just never felt com-fortable with and neither do Iknow how to aim aperture sights.”Or, “I grew up with open sightsand never bothered with aperturesights.” Regardless of the reason,if riflemen are not using an aper-ture sight, particularly on guns de-signed for steel sights, they couldbe missing out.

Aperture advantages include con-sistent light around the aimingpoint of the front sight, which al-lows the shooter to duplicate thesight picture and hold, regardlessof the position of the sun. By com-parison, open iron notch sightswill reflect the sun from whateverangle, which can change how theshooter “sees” that sight and canresult in aiming point and bulletimpact changes. (For the record,not all open sights are createdequal, with well-designed exam-ples still being good choices underthe right conditions and with theright set of eyes.) Savvy huntersappreciate that aperture sights aresuitable for those early-morningor last-of-daylight shots due to thegenerous amount of light aroundthe front sight and through theaperture, especially larger-hole ver-sions. We might say that they offeressentially 100 percent light trans-mission. Depending on shootingapplications, the aperture size canbe changed to best accommodatehunting circumstances, targets oreven individual eyes. Aging or im-perfect eyes that suffer from see-ing fuzzy or blurred traditional rear

MOSTLY LONG GUNS by Brian Pearce • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SKINNER SIGHTS

The Skinner Marlin 1895/336 aperture sight is adjustable for windageand elevation. Front sight blades are available in either blue or brass. A variety of aperture sizes are available that can be installed in justseconds.

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Rifle 26318 www.riflemagazine.com

notch sights will also naturallycenter the front sight in the middleof the aperture, and groups will betight – at least if the shooter andgun are capable.

With reasonable practice, sightacquisition and target align mentcan be incredibly fast, making aper-tures a great choice for brush andtimber hunting, dangerous gameand similar applications. Theydon’t fog, there is no parallax, theyrarely break and are lightweight.In spite of their being popular on leverguns and traditional-typefirearms, they are also a greatchoice for bolt-action rifles.

The aperture or peep sight shouldbe looked through (not at), withthe focus being on the front sight

and target. The eye will naturallycenter the front sight in the aper-ture. To the beginner, this mayleave an ungoverned feeling, butafter nailing a few targets, con -fidence will grow. Perhaps the placeto begin is to mount an apertureon a .22 rimfire and shoot it in volume until confidence is estab-lished.

In visiting the NRA WhittingtonCenter located in Raton, New Mex-ico, several years back with threeof my young sons, I took the op-portunity to help them developtheir rifle skills. My nine-year-oldtook a particular liking to a Brown-ing Model 1885 Traditional HunterLow Wall .45 Colt that is factoryfitted with a tang-mounted aper-ture rear sight. Using handloads,he was soon ringing steel targetsat 200 and 300 yards with severalperfect 10-shot strings. Naturally,he was small enough that he couldnot hold the rifle steadily offhand,but rather used a rest. Nonethe-less, it shows how even a beginnereasily learns how to align andscore with aperture sights.

If there is still some doubt of just how effective aperture sightsare, consider the many outstand-ing shooting feats performed bythe U.S. military (and foreign mil-itaries) for generations and with avariety of firearms. Aperture sightsare still being used today on AR-15/M16 rifles and others. Or per-haps study the accuracy levels oftoday’s black powder cartridgecompetitors at 500 yards and be-yond, and check out the groupsobtained by the U.S.A. Olympicteams.

Samples of Skinner Sights wereinstalled on two Marlin lever-actionrifles, a Model 1894CB .357 Mag-num and a Model 444. They are of fine quality, featuring precisemachining and are of a simple,proven design. For the .444 Mar-lin, the standard blued steel ver-sion of the Model 1895/ 336 sightwas chosen, with a stainless steelversion of the Marlin 1894 sightbeing installed on the .357 Mag-num. The 1895/336 sight mounts

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July-August 2012 19www.riflemagazine.com

on the two rear top-of-receiverscrew holes, while the 1894 sightinstalls using the two middle screwholes. (Some versions, such as the Skinner Alaskan, use both theforward and rear screw holes,while the ultralight Low Pro usesa single screw hole.) The two abovesights are priced at $59.

Windage adjustments are accom-plished by loosening the hex screwjust forward of the aperture andthen drifting the sight (dovetailedinto the sight base) left or right as needed and tighten. For eleva-tion adjustments, loosen the hexscrew located to the right, thenturn the sight counterclockwise toelevate or clockwise to lower, thentighten the hex screw.

Another feature of the SkinnerSight is interchangeable apertures.With no aperture installed, therear sight becomes the popularGhost Ring with a .200-inch holediameter. This Ghost Ring featuresinternal threads, so aperture ringsare quickly screwed in, with holesize options including .040 inch (forfine precision shooting in good

The Skinner Sight Low Pro is in -expensive, lightweight and onlyrequires a single tapped hole toinstall, as seen here on a MarlinModel 1894 .44 Magnum.

light), .070 inch (medium), .096inch (standard size), .125 inch(large) and .155 inch (x-large),with the latter two being espe-cially good for timber or dim-lighthunting. There is no single perfectaperture size, with extras beingavailable at a minimal cost. Hav-ing multiple hole size options onhand will add to the versatility ofthe sight and rifle.

Skinner sights are handsome andseem to flow with the firearm.While I tend to favor plain blacksights, the stainless and brass ver-sions are distinguished looking,particularly on a blued gun. A plainblack aperture (for correct sightpicture) was factory installed onthe stainless sight.

The standard front sight bladesmeasure .074 inch wide, feature a serrated face and are designed to work with common 3⁄8-inchdovetails. Different heights areavailable to help with regulation;however, sometimes filing is theperfect way to obtain the exact orcorrect height. For Marlin lever-guns requiring a front sight base,Skinner offers these too. The postSourdough Patridge-style frontsight results in an excellent sightpicture for a variety shooting ap-plications, including target andhunting.

Skinner sights are available for avariety of firearms and applica-tions. In addition to an especiallytrim sight for Ruger No. 1s, whichhas recently become available,many additional rifle sights are inthe development stages that willinclude bolt rifles, etc. Prices forthe rear sight range from $37 to$135, while front sights range

from $14 to $20. Formore information con-tact Skinner Sights atPO Box 404, St. Igna -tius MT 59865; or visitonline at: www.skinnersights.com.

Skinner offers a Tacticalsight for Marlin lever-guns that features earsfor protection duringharsh use and abuse.

R

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MOSSBERGVarmintPredatorStan Trzoniec

With the onslaughtof AR rifles, it wasonly a matter oftime before more

traditional sporting rifles wouldinclude some AR parts and tech-nology. We see one of these com-ponents in the new MossbergVarmint Predator (MVP) bolt-action rifle.

Rifle 26350 www.riflemagazine.com

The MVP is a novelapproach to a varmintrifle with an AR-15type magazine andlaminated stock. Thisone is outfitted with aLeupold scope with a50mm objective lens.

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the wellwithout hesi-

tation, and removalwas just as easy.

Since the action does not havea fully integrated box magazine,there is no follower, so the bolt hasbeen redesigned to strip rounds inan orderly and fail safe manner. Asa result, engineers reinvented thebolt, if you will. From the outsideof the rifle, it looks quite normal,except for its spiral fluting thatseems to be the rage these days.Pulling the bolt out of the rifle,twin-locking lugs follow suit – stillokay. There is a traditional plunger-type ejector working in concertwith a rugged, sliding extractor,and the bolt is swept back for con-venience and topped off with acheckered knob.

Looking closer, however, we seea small part of the bolt that dropsdown from the bolt face when it isremoved from the action. In orderfor everything to work as it shouldfrom this type of magazine, engi-neers designed a “cartridge pusher”to work in unison with the AR-15magazine. I made up some dummyrounds, loaded 10 in the magazineand worked the bolt back and forthfor 30 cycles without any balkingor malfunctions. Not that you willhave to worry about charging wood-chucks, but it’s nice to know therifle will work flawlessly in thefield. When the magazine is empty,the bolt will not follow into thebreech as this “pusher” hits the topof the magazine preventing itstravel forward. To close the bolt,

For thededicated var -

mint shooter whowants more bangs for the

buck, the big feature of this rifleis the adaption of the classic, high-volume, AR-15 type magazine. Nolonger are you strapped to a mag-azine full (five) of .223 Remingtonammunition. With the MVP, the skyis the limit in higher-capacity mag-azines. Based on the Mossberg 4x4 rifle, this new version was de-signed not only for small gamehunters, but for long-range com-petitive shooters as well.

While some will wonder what’sthe big deal about a rifle that usesAR-15 magazines, there is plenty ofdesign work behind it. For one,there is no floorplate, so the actionhad to be redesigned to take thisnew feature. That includes a newmagazine guide, complete with allthe trimmings to include a latch tohold the magazine in place, not tomention a redesigned stock for allto function correctly. Once themagazine is pushed into the rifle,you hear a resounding click, indi-cating it is in place and secure. Torelease it, grab the magazine withyour left hand while pulling backon the release just forward andtopside of the magazine. As a sidenote, the magazine followed into

AnUnusual

Approachto a SmallGame Rifle

July-August 2012 51www.riflemagazine.com

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Rifle 26352 www.riflemagazine.com

MOSSBERGVarmintPredator

The action accommodates the 5.56mm NATO and.223 Remington.

The grip and forend feature stippling, broken by rib-bons and surrounded by a border.

Left, the safety is on the right sidebehind the checkered bolt handle.Below, the AR-15 type magazinerelease is forward of the magazine;pulling it to the rear releases themagazine for reloading.

either push down on the magazinefollower or remove the magazinecompletely.

For years we all went throughthe dreaded hard trigger syndrome.Today, adjustable triggers seem to be the norm rather than the ex-ception, and the MVP has a greattrigger! Mossberg’s is called theLightning Bolt-Action (LBA) Ad-justable Trigger System. From thebox, it broke at a crisp 2 pounds,but for those who want alittle more pull, it is fullyadjustable via a slot-headscrew from this lowerlimit to around 7 pounds.The sliding safety leveris behind the bolt han-dle; pulling it back locksthe sear but allows theoperation of the bolt forunloading or single loading am -munition without dropping themagazine.

The receiver itself is propor-tioned to the length of the .223Remington (5.56mm NATO), is fin-ished in a matte blue and includestwin Weaver-type bases from thefactory. There is the traditionalgas relief port and the bolt release– both on the left side. A hefty re-coil lug placed behind the barrelnut measures an inch wide and al-most .25 inch thick. Mossberg has

installed twin aluminum pillarswithin a polymer-bedding block.

At this point, the 24-inch button-rifled, medium bull barrel tapersfrom a full inch to .745 inch at themuzzle and for half the barrel; flut-ing is applied for both weight sav-ings and heat dissipation. Barreltwist is quoted at one turn in9 inches for optimum per-formance in .22 caliber. Thebarrel features a target crown.

resistance, some additional weightover wood for accuracy and amatte finish on the action, whicheasily blends in. From the muzzleend, a more generous forearmmeasures over 2 inches along its

For those who might want a shorter,handier rifle, Mossberg offers one(with a slightly different stock) withan 18½-inch barrel.

The stock is profiled from graylaminated wood, offering weather

entire width. Where this part ofthe stock meets the barrel, addi-tional finger grooves are relievedinto the wood while at the sametime offering clearance for air tomove around the barrel for cool-ing. The barrel is free floating upto a point roughly an inch from the

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July-August 2012 53www.riflemagazine.com

The trigger is fully adjustable bythe slot screw highlighted here.The rifle’s trigger was tuned to 2pounds and broke without a hintof travel.

This innovative cartridge pusherslides cartridges from the maga-zine into the chamber.

SpecificationsMossberg

Varmint PredatorAction: boltStock: gray laminateCartridge tested: .223 Remington/

5.56mm NATOBarrel length: 24 inchesOverall length: 43 inchesSights: none; supplied with Weaver-type

basesWeight: 9 pounds with scope, bases,

no ammoFinish: matte blue/satin finish on stock

with stipplingMagazine: supplied, 10 round capacityOptions: MVP model with shorter 18.5-inch

barrelPrice: $649; scoped models, $796Manufacturer: O.F. Mossberg & Sons

7 Grasso AvenueNorth Haven CT 06473www.mossberg.com

stock’s forend, where there is athird bedding point. On both sidesof the forearm, three panels of

stippling are separatedwith ribbons and fin-ished off with an M inthe center section.

shooters, especially in a bench orprone position. The stock is wellfinished both inside and out andcomplimented with a live rubberpad with a black spacer and slingswivels for field carry.

The barrel stamp indicates therifle is chambered for the 5.56mm higher pressures. The most impor-

tant point, however,is that the leade isdifferent for both

cartridges. On the .223Remington, it has a SAAMI speci-fication of 0.085 inch. On the5.56mm NATO, the leade is 0.162inch, about double. In short then,when a 5.56mm NATO round ischambered in a .223 Remington,

NATO, apparently for the gener-ous amount of military ammuni-tion available today. While the .223Remington and 5.56mm NATOrounds appear identical, the 5.56mmcase has thicker walls to handle

From the barrel nut back, thestock tapers inward toward the recoil pad. The pistol grip has anearly vertical sweep to it, perfectfor those who like prone shooting.There is a palm swell for right-hand shooters, and stippling dec-orates both sides with a classyborder and ribbons. Behind thepistol grip, the stock is dished outfor a better grip on the rifle andbuttstock; a mild rendition of acheekpiece is on both sides of the stock. The bottom of the butt-stock is straight thus allowing asandbag or other device to beplaced along its length in any po-sition. Length of pull is 13 inches,which is right for most average

The MVP issold as a package with a 4-15x 50mmscope andbipod.

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Rifle 26354 www.riflemagazine.com

MOSSBERGVarmintPredator

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• Removable side plate to aid gunsmith adjustment of internal parts.• New redesigned (patent pending) push forward and pull back Garand-style safety.• New redesigned extended magazine release for easy magazine changes.• Includes an extended auto-bolt release and uses standard Ruger factory and aftermarket magazines.• Optional CST Last Shot Hold Open System for an additional $30.00.• Available in black hardcoat anodized or silver anodized.

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The first three shots out of thebarrel produced this one-holegroup with Hornady ammunition.dramatically, making the danger

of a damaged or ruptured case a real possibility. Mossberg haswisely taken the cautious routethat allows the safe use of bothcartridge lengths.

Leupold’s VX-3L 4.5-14x 50mmscope was installed in Warne rings.With its unusual scooped crescentdesign, I could use the larger 50mmobjective lens on this rifle whilestill mounting it lower.

After sighting in and firing off abox of ammunition, I decided toshoot five-shot groups rather than

the overall length of the cartridgewith the bullet seated could (de-pending on the manufacturer) con-tact the rifling prior to being fired.Chamber pressure can increase

the customary three shots. Part ofthe reason being the ambient tem-perature was around 40 degrees,which helps keep barrel heat atbay, and there was no wind. Theother part is that after placingthree shots into one hole with theHornady V-MAX and thinking Icould put two more in the samespot, I naturally “choked,” and theother two went out to the left; but I soldiered on with five-shotgroups.

After looking at the table, it seems

The barrel measures a full inchjust ahead of the barrel nut. Therecoil lug is massive and sits per-fectly within the stock forward of the bedding block.

Inside the stock is a polymer bed-ding block with aluminum pillars.

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The best five-shot group measuredapproximately .75 inch from Win-chester Silvertip ammunition.

July-August 2012 55www.riflemagazine.com

that the midweights are what thisrifle liked. With any of the 50- to 55-grain bullets, groups were an inchor below. Winchester Ballistic Sil-vertips gave the best accuracy witha .75-inch group. Anything lighteror a bit heavier and groups wentover an inch. I might say that thisrifle has plenty of potential, for as I progressed through the morn-ing, two out of the five Remington hollowpoints landed in one hole;so I think once you get serious inthe handloading department, youare going to have one accuratevarmint rifle.

The rifle performed without aflaw. Feeding was right-on withouta malfunction of any kind throughthe AR magazine. Even with a fullyloaded magazine, the rounds fedsmoothly through the cycle of load-ing and extraction and finishedwith the enthusiastic ejection ofthe cartridges to the right. On thebench, the stock was a pleasure touse. The full grip aided in gettingthe most precision out of the rifle,not to mention the crisp 2-poundtrigger pull. The straight design at

the bottom of the butt-stock was a great helpwhen using a benchrest.Moving the rifle backand forth on the rearrest afforded more con-trol with less sandbagmovement shot to shot.The well-engineered mag-azine well allowed easyinsertion and removalof the magazine, whichwill be a big help in realfield conditions.

While factory ammunition is veryaccurate, for most of my shootingat longer distances, handloadingwill certainly pay off with smallergroups. For the dedicated varmintshooter, the Mossberg VarmintPredator is going to be hard to beatwith a price point below $700.

Range TestingMossberg

Varmint Predator Rifleload velocity group(grains) (fps) (inches)

40 Hornady V-MAX 3,552 1.25050 Winchester Ballistic Silvertip 3,274 .75055 Remington Power Lokt hollowpoint 3,087 1.00055 Winchester Pointed Soft Point 3,039 .87564 Winchester Power Point Plus 2,999 1.250

Notes: All five-shot groups were fired from a rest at 100 yards. Ve-locities recorded from an Oehler Model 35P Chronograph. Ambienttemperature was 40 degrees with no wind.

J O N T R A M M E L’ SG U N S M I T H I N G

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Contact: Jon Trammel120 W. Walker, Breckenridge, TX 76424(254) 559-3455 • [email protected]

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