gotta send my APS rifle back

[Ridge Runner]

coues,
mine is a rem 700 LH, fluted lilja #8, 9 twist finished at 30", all sets in a richards thumbhole varminter laminate. with the 6.5x20x50 mark 4 and loaded it weighs 15 pounds.
RR

 

[Coues Sniper]

coues,
mine is a rem 700 LH, fluted lilja #8, 9 twist finished at 30", all sets in a richards thumbhole varminter laminate. with the 6.5x20x50 mark 4 and loaded it weighs 15 pounds.
RR

Very nice! Thanks RR.

 

[magicofmt]

Yep Ridge Runner, my 270 AM just wasn't enough, so now I have a 338 AM too, for the looooong range stuff. Great shooting!!!

 

[tillroot1]

well recovering the accubond isn't gonna happen, while hanging the deer I found an exit wound in the wolly part of the flank, about nickel sized so even at that low of velocity the accubonds still expand some.
RR

VERY,VERY NICE!!! good job, what a great looking rifle, I am a lefty too, that is just so cool.
Ron Tilley

 

[Ridge Runner]

thanks all for the kind words, before I go any farther I would like to say that this rifle is by far the most accurate, and least temperamental rifle I have ever had in my hands.
I have rifles built by mark Bansner, Ray Romain, Jim Clark jr, tim lewis (Ithink thats his name) and a few other smiths and though they are great rifles, they are not in the same class as the APS.
And kirby gives us 1/2 the credit!

Well anyways, took 2 newbie guys to shooting past 200 yards last sat. they were absolutely amazed that they whacked a couple does at 575 yards and watched the impacts through the scope. they had never in they're hunting carreers saw deer actualy hammered to the ground like those were, they asked why there was such a big difference in my rifle and other rifles they had saw deer shot with, so I hadta level with them, told them it was kirby allen joo joo, this witch doctor from montana who builds rifles, and casts a spell on them that ensures a lifetime of death and destruction on anything its pointed at. think they believed me!!!!
RR

 

[jeff 300]

I've said it once and I'll say it again Kirby builds some fine shooting rifle.

I had two of my hunter out this year that hunt with me every year. One of the guys had never shot over 100-125 yards in his life and just started hunting 5 years ago. He likes to ride with me and hunt out of the truck so he get more more game that way. He started out by shooting a hog at 258yrd and could not get over how eze it was. I told him i would get him a shot at deer with the edge before he left. well next up was a big boar hog (400#big) at 395yrd he told me there's no way I'm going to hit that hog it's to far and if i do it's going to run off. i said just put it where you want it and let it fly it's just a hog. So now his new long range record is 395yrd and he up jumping around like kid at in a candy store. he said this gun is unbelievable. After we picked his friend up all i could here about for the rest of the day and night was all you have to do is point this gun at them and they fall over dead this thing is a canon and the sure you made that kind of shot speech from his friend.
the next day we pull up on a fence line and there's this buck eating. he said can i shoot that one i said if that the one you want lets get a little closer. he said let me shoot it from here with the canon (OK)
well one shot and 498yrd later there a dead buck on the ground and two guys jumping around like kids in a candy shop and one of them yelling I TOLD YOU ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS POINT THIS CANON AT THEM AND THEY FALL OVER TOLD YOU.
So if Kirby doesn't thinks his rifle are just a little above average and want to give half the credit to use. I HAVE TO SAY THINK AGAIN!!! Here's a guy that has never shot this gun are at any thing over 100-125yrd and shoot three times at two hogs and one deer from 258,395,and 498yrs and there three dead animals on the ground What gave this guy half the credit????????????

KIRBY BUILDS ONE HELL OF A RIFLE THAT'S WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's a pic of the guy and his buck he's the one on the right.

 

[Fiftydriver]

Thanks for the kind words but I still believe that a good rifle will only take you so far.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Fourteen deer in three years!!! It people like you who keep the rest of us humble. Dam, I hate being humble.

I stand corrected bob, the rifle has taken 17 deer in 3 complete seasons!
RR

 

[redsnow]

RR, that's one (17 I'd say) impressive shot, good deal. I wanted to ask you a couple questions about the shot/rifle. I know the rifle is fairly heavy but what trigger & pull are you shooting?

And you said you were up 20+ MOA, do you have custom rings?, or does the scope have that much adjustment? At what range is it zeroed?

I know you've had the rifle at least 3 seasons, knowing what you know now, if you had a choice, would you rather have a different scope/reticle? And thanks for letting me handle your gun, that's a very nice machine.

 

[Ridge Runner]

RR, that's one (17 I'd say) impressive shot, good deal. I wanted to ask you a couple questions about the shot/rifle. I know the rifle is fairly heavy but what trigger & pull are you shooting?

And you said you were up 20+ MOA, do you have custom rings?, or does the scope have that much adjustment? At what range is it zeroed?

I know you've had the rifle at least 3 seasons, knowing what you know now, if you had a choice, would you rather have a different scope/reticle? And thanks for letting me handle your gun, that's a very nice machine.

Tim,
The rifle has the factory 700 trigger tuned by FiftyDriver on this forum, breaks like a glass rod at just about 2# or a hair more.
The mark 4 has about 35 MOA up/down from center, I have burris ETR rings, and ken ferrel 2 pc 20 MOA bases. with my standard 300 yard zero the erector tube is situated so I' have about 50 MOA of up from zero, so actualy with the 25.5 moa of up to make the 1350 yd zero the adjustments were just above the mechanical center of the erector tube.

The scope that is on the rifle now is the second scope thats been on it in 3 years, I started out with an XOTIC 4x16x56. The scope was pretty good for the money, tracks true, turrets are bullet proof, but the side focus went whacko 1/2 way through my second season, I sent it back for repair and to make due I put the leupold mark 4, M1 TMR 6.5x20x50 on it, just couldn't bring myself to remove it after I got the XOTIC back.
As far as reticles, I like the plain fine plex, for dialing up it can't be beat, but the TMR and other reticles based on mil-dots are handy for measuring the spread of a bucks rack, thats all I use them for.
RR

 

[redsnow]

James, I looked through one of my catalogs last eve here at work, looks like I'd better get a 2nd job. Otherwise I'll be living in a cardboard box under the bridge. But I've got a b-day coming up before long.

One reason I asked about your scope, back 20 some years ago I bought a couple VXIII 6.5X20's and I hunted with them 2 or 3 seasons. Honestly I killed a few critters that I wouldn't have with less magnification, I also missed a couple that I should have had, because it seemed I always had them cranked up on 18 or 20X, when 3X would have been better. Ridge to ridge they were nice for finding antlers and picking shooting lanes through the tree tops, etc, but up close I couldn't get off a shot, most of the time. Didn't take long to figure out they're not much good for stalking/offhand shots. The next one I got was a straight 24X and have it on a varmint gun, better optics than the variables IMO.

Let me ask where you shot from? (the 1350yd shot) I'm not real familiar with the east side of the mtn, if I had to guess I'd say you were in the powerline. You were on Denzel & Jim's place, right?

 

[Ridge Runner]

Yes, I was 30 yards from denzils shop, the deer was just inside the fence of the 40 acre field just under the top of the mountain due north from denzils house. about 200 yards from the camper on top the mountain.
I ranged a spot in the field about 150 yards short of the deer, it was the max for my leica 1200, 1218 yards, being on the place alot I knew about how much farther the deer were, to be sure I used a couple spotter shots before the rifle was turned on the deer. saw the bullet impact the deer through the scope, and called it a bad hit, but she took a couple steps and layed down.
When all was said and done I had the scope adjusted for 1350 yards according to exbal, which has been right on the last 2 years.

As far as optics go, I also have a couple 6.5x20 variXIII's, they are not the scope that the 30mm Mark 4's are, the Mark 4's aren't the best you can buy but they are much better than the examples of the variXIII's that I have which is a few. and the 30MM tubed loopys have alot more adjustment. I had no trouble seeing the hair fly off the deer as the bullet impacted at .78 of a mile
RR

 

[redsnow]

James, Ok, you've answered about all my questions. Denzil, should have known that. I'm still curious about what type of weather station you have, and I've been reading about Exbal. an impressive machine. I'm sure you realized this, but the other evening when you stopped in, you were telling me stuff over my head, I soaked in a bunch of it, and I've searched here to answer some of my ?'s. The more I think about that shot and all the little things that went into it, the more I'm amazed. I know how the wind swirls around in those coves/hollows. One day when you're shooting, I'd like to come over and watch. Or, I've got a couple places where we can shoot.

I'll start a new thread in the "starting out" section, soon as I decide which rifle I want to switch to long range. Then maybe I can get input on the stuff I need and don't need. I'm realistic, and know that you and lots of others here will get me pointed in the right direction. Thanks.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Tim
I use a kestrel 2500, gives me wind speed, bar pressure, temp and altitude, but if you know your station pressure (bar pressure where your at) then altitude is a moot point. I mostly just look at my lacrosse watch and get the bar pressure from it, enter that into exbal and leave the altitude at zero.
RR