Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote

[nealm66]

One of the many things im still working on is shooting off bipods. Especially with high recoil off a hard surface. I'm getting close though it's not been consistently good. Trying different techniques and thinking I have it but still working on perfection. Definitely none of the techniques I've found on the internet has really worked and don't see anyone ever shooting something with a decent amount of recoil in any of the videos. I had to send a scope back that didn't enjoy the bounce of an unbraked weatherby off bipods. Ill be helping a friend get his 6.5 prc dialed in off bipods pretty soon and it should be another opportunity to learn although it's not too bad of recoil

 

[74honker]

Don't feel bad, I always shoot better off of bags or a good rest than I do with a bipod. I've tried alot of different techniques also.

 

[nealm66]

I think I'm definitely onto something and if it proves to work repeatedly I will definitely share. I shot off bipods at a 600 bench match and did pretty good but the gun has very little recoil. Still, group was really close to normal and I used this technique I'm messing with. I like shooting off bipods. So handy and quick. Be nice to have a reliable technique

 

[74honker]

Please do. I mean I can hit what I'm aiming at but just can't get good groups. I started with a harris with no luck. I recently picked up a magpul on a too good to pass up deal and to me it's way more stable and easier to lean into but I haven't shot with it yet.

 

[APDDSN0864]

Please do. I mean I can hit what I'm aiming at but just can't get good groups. I started with a harris with no luck. I recently picked up a magpul on a too good to pass up deal and to me it's way more stable and easier to lean into but I haven't shot with it yet.

Attached bipods, such as the Harris, have given me fits in the past trying to shoot accurately with them.
My worst bipod experience was with a box-stock Ruger Ranch Rifle in 5.56. I was in a big hurry to get it sighted in and threw on a short Harris bipod.
Talk about frustrating!
Every shot went into it's own group. Target looked like I was patterning buckshot!
Between the flexible stock and the flex in the bipod, the rifle was bouncing all over the place.
I now shoot off of shooting sticks a lot and it took me a while to get that technique down pat, but I finally did it.

Ed

 

[nealm66]

Yup. I definitely think I have it figured out but before I get crucified for bad information, I'm going to make certain lol! I'm still busting out 40-50 hour work weeks but I get 3 days off. Pretty sure I'm going to compete tomorrow at a local with my 300 prc just for kicks. No bipod's though because I messed up the sling stud trying to get it out. Thinking Tuesday I'll be working with a friends 6.5 prc with bipod's though and should give good information

 

[DSheetz]

I missed a shot one morning . The new guy said here let me show you how it's done and proceeded to rest his barrel on the shooting sticks that he had been issued . I smiled and said ok I will watch and learn . nealm is your sling stud threaded into a nut in your forearm ? I like to put a little preload on my sticks and if I'm using bipods preload them also but for the most part in the field I am still old school and us my body as a shooting platform the way Uncle Sam taught me and the way I have shot the most , sitting and using my knee and elbow . But then I don't shoot compatibly with anyone but the coyote .

 

[DSheetz]

For me if the stock has any flex in it and the bipods flex it enough to make any contact with the barrel it became way frustrating Have your shooting friend set up with your rifle take a dollar bill and run it down your barrel to see if it makes it from front to back freely . If not mark the spots and remove the offending material . On my lite weight barrels bipods don't work well as I have a pad in the stock for the barrel to rest on near the for end a kind of preload of the barrel to make it vibrate and have the same movement repeatably .

 

[nealm66]

So my 300 prc is the Christensen arms mesa long range and I guess it's a carbon fiber stock? I think they just used bedding compound to hold the nut for the sling stud. I'll probably try to fix it someday. I've got another 300 prc coming and will be my first build from scratch so it will probably be on the back burner for a while. Definitely a good candidate for trying my bipod method

 

[nealm66]

My friends rifle is a browning long range something or other. I did load work up for him but used a front rest and bag. He called the other day and was wanting some more help getting it dialed in off the bipods. I texted him yesterday but haven't heard back. Brownings are a little tricky with that cut out but I got it 4 shots inside an inch at 200 with 53 Atips. He goes over to Montana to a buddies and does some long range plinking but he's pretty new to shooting

 

[DSheetz]

I'm sure glad I got out yesterday when the weather was nice . I went out on a friends ranch and listened to the meadow larks and just spent some time looking around . I found some bob cat tracks she had kittens with her . a few swift fox tracks and a couple of coyote pairs tracks . It was a little breezy and around 3 it started cooling off from 75 . The temp dropped fast and the clouds rolled in today we have snow and winds of up to 60 mph gusts . the temp is only 30 at this time . Calling coyote that have set up a home range should be fun now . Howls should be pretty effective on them because they aren't interested in sharing the denning site with outside coyote . I don't want to use aggressive howls now just want to ask if anyone is home , let them tell my if they are and come ask me to leave . I also don't want to be close enough to a den so that they don't want to go out at a few hundred yards and try to lure me away from it by standing and barking with short howls . I have often in the past had them get in an obvious place , show themselves and challenge me like a bird will to get me away from the den . Yup I did fall for it once or twice early in my learning . Now you can do some tracking and listening for them so that you keep a good distance from the den and have them come to you . Then after the adults are taken care of track back and find the den . So many times when they first answer your interrogation calls they will get on a rise just a short distance from the den to talk to you . If you haven't heard them before you start calling that will tell you a good place to start looking for their tracks to let you know where they have their pups hidden .

 

[DSheetz]

This is the time of the year that it was so important for me to be targeting specific coyote because they were causing problems . I often did more listening and tracking then calling with the problem animals letting them tell me where to call them from . Often I listened from before day break till around 8:00 am so that I knew where my best chance of calling the adults in were .

 

[DSheetz]

Sling swivel studs are kind of interesting . The ones that are designed to be used in the butt of the stock have more of a wood screw thread . But they also have a pretty white plastic washer that comes with them . It's not just to make it look better it's also there for a reason it compresses , allows you to position the hole in the stud so the sling swivel lines up correctly on the rifle stock while not compressing the wood of the stock and helps the stud not get loose in the stock . The stud for the front of the stock has the white plastic washer for the same reason but they normally have bolt threads that screw into a nut imbedded in the stock . On wooden stocks and fiberglass stocks that I've seen they use a drill bit that is a step drill bit to make the correct size hole for the nut . The nut has a smooth end and one with splines on the side of it that are designed to be press fit into the stock material . The drill bit is the size of the smooth end but has a pilot drill that the swivel stud will pass through . I use a longer bolt of the right size to line the stud nut up with the hole smooth end inserted into the hole first then a punch that is large enough to hammer the nuts splines into the stock deep enough that it is below the stock material and won't touch the barrel . I haven't needed to glue them in to a stock when first installed but have in older stocks and just use a good two part epoxy glue , a lot of release agent on the stud threads then use the stud to hold the nut in place while the glue sets . After the glue sets I assemble the stud as I normally would with the plastic washer if I feel the need to use a thread locker it would be finger nail polish as I can take it apart and it cleans off of the threads when I have the need to . On wooden stocks with the rear stud that gets loose I like a good two part epoxy in the hole a lot of release agent on the threads assemble it and line it up correctly and let it cure . There are other ways that may be better for you to use this is just what I figured out for me .

 

[DSheetz]

I have seen some really nice tight fitting dowels used in wooden stocks . Some of them are of a totally different color and accent the wood well . Has any one done that type of wood work ? I have done some plugs in oak furniture and such and am wondering if anyone here would be interested in explaining the procedure of it here for us that don't want to do it to a stock but would like to know how it's done that makes it fit and look so nicely . Is it a stepped hole do you use an end mill type of drill bit or is it a two part job with a dowl then an inlay on the top of it ?