408 Chey tac, 338 Lapua, Suppressor, 2650 yards...

[grit]

Brian (Tikkalover), with Shoot-Long.com, and I spent a great Saturday morning working with a couple extreme range rigs. A couple of things stood out.

Hmm. I don't see the manage attachments tab. Perhaps they'll work in a reply. Maybe someone forgot a tool in the new section.

 

[grit]

Nope. Hey Len, I can't post pics here.

 

[grit]

Thanks Len.

Here's the 408. Thor M408 with suppressor. The rifle weighed about thirty pounds. Ammo was supplied by Thor. Lathe turned, 419 grain GS solids. Wicked looking bullets.

 

[grit]

Brian is 6'2, at a guess. We were joking about him not standing straight to make the rifle look taller. A few things stood out to me:

Weight - The stability of the rifle was great. I felt I could grab the rifle and pull myself up to it. The bipod was solid, the rear mono pod was good. Although, we both preferred a rear bag.

Accuracy - I must admit I was skeptical of how the big rig would shoot. Thor states a guaranteed MOA. I figured that was pretty sloppy. I was pleased and impressed with the accuracy of the rig and ammo. The supplied BC and velocity were amazingly close. We zeroed the rifle at 500 yards. The rifle comes with a 40 Minute rail. Using the supplied BC and velocity, Brian dialed to 1050 and took a shot to check trajectory. The bullet impacted perfect vertically and half a minute left windage.

I shot a group at 1050 to see how things were grouping at range. Three quick shots impacted no more then .4 MOA apart. We shot the rifle in 500 yard increments to 2650 yards, where we ran out of vertical adjustment in the scope.

 

[grit]

Accuracy remained impressive to the mile mark. At 2000 yards, we started to see things open up a bit. Five rounds went into about 1.5 minutes. Three of the shots were spot on, and .75 minute. Two rounds went high. The cases were loaded quite hot. Bolt lift, with the yard of brass, was heavy, primers were cratered, and ejector marks were deep. It was approaching noon and 80 degrees when we got to the 2000 yard mark. The two high shots had perceived stiffer bolt lift. You can see a round on top of the Nightforce.

Cost: The Thor retails near $12,000. Loaded ammo ran $1500 per 198.

Suppressor: The suppressor was easily the highlight of the outing. I tried removing an ear plug when spotting. In no time, shooter and spotter had removed ear plugs. It was very comfortable without hearing protection. It was great to have normal conversations while shooting! Recoil reduction and muzzle blast reduction were superb. There was significantly less perceived recoil compared to the the 12 lb braked 338 Lapua.

 

[grit]

The Sako TRG was next. I liked the action. The trigger was smooth, once you got accustomed to the yard of take up. The bipod felt loose and sloppy. We tried 250 Accubonds and 300 SMK's per the customers request. We were pleased the SMK's were stable and accurate at 1k with the 12 twist barrel. We didn't bring enough to test at further yardages. Accuracy was 3/4 minute at 1,000 with Accubonds and SMK's.

 

[ShooterMedic]

Awsome write up!!!

Not only where you shooting some big toys but you were doing it of someone elses dollar? Some guys have all of the fun.
What where you guys using for a range finder?

 

[Broz]

Looks like a great day Grit. I need t get out and do some more long range shooting, and reading this is a motivator. I was surprised the 338 had a 12 twist. I guess it was with 250's in mind?

I also was currious what RF you have?

Thanks for the read.

Jeff

 

[Tikka Lover]

My client had a Vectronix PLRF-10 but forgot to bring it with him so we used the Swaro and just ranged twice. Once to 900 then drove to that spot then ranged 1100 to the rock we wanted to shoot at. It really was an ideal spot to shoot as far as the eye could see..

The Sako's come with the 12 twist in the Lapua just for that reason, to shoot the 250's.

 

[SidecarFlip]

You need a half track to haul it around and a wallet labeled 'Diebold' for the gun and ammo.

I'm not poor by any means and it's fun to read about, but I'll pass.

 

[BlackStreak]

I was also curious as to the range finders y'all were using. I've out grown my swaro's and am saving for a Vectronix Terrapin. Unless I descover something better in the mean time.

 

[sp6x6]

The new TRG'S COME 1-10

 

[alcesgigas]

In reading about the Thor--you should have been able to hear my drool hitting the floor! I want my (still unfinished) Edge to weigh thirty pounds. That's a real long shooter for sure.

 

[grit]

I favor a 12-13 lb rifle and an efficient cartridge, myself. I must say, I sure enjoyed shooting the big rig! Made me cringe to figure the cost of the mornings ammo.

I'm daydreaming about a new Vectronix myself. Gonna be a game changer! A Swaro and a GPS are doing the job for now...