To all,

This last weekend I headed out to my range to do the final check and zero with my XP-100 in 338 WSM before the big game season started on Sunday.

The only diffence in the load I used this year was that I switched to a moly coated 180 gr Ballistic Tip. Average velocity was 2977 fps, about 40 fps higher then with the non coated bullet (also with a new lot of powder.)

I shot four three shot groups at 100 yards to get my +3" impact at that range. The largest group of those four was .82" with the other three in the .4" to .6" range. This little cannon has always impressed me.

I decided I wanted to check the drop chart that was taped to the scope from last fall just to see if the coated bullet would effeect things down range.

I fired three rounds at 400 yards and went up to look at the group. Last years load printed 16.3" low at 400 yards but these three rounds landed in a sub three inch cluster that was roughly 12.5" low.

Again I was very happy so I headed back to the house to rework the drop chart with the new data and velocity.

When I got home, to my great horror, I noticed a crack all the way around the top of the grip where the web of the hand rests. Looking closer I noticed that the crack ran nearly from the left side of the trigger, all the way behind the grip and up to the right side just behind the trigger.

When I had the handgun built three years ago, before I started my own smithing shop, I instructed the smith to reinforce the area in the scope where the trigger counter ballance was to prevent a failure in this area. Unfortunately, this was not done and the stock cracked in the exact area where I wanted it reinforced.

The top of the grip is basically hollow in this area and not very strong. Luckily, I caught it before it broke though and will be able to fix it.

I already ran a piece of tempered 3/8" threaded 4140 throught the entire length of the grip as well as anchoring three smaller 1/8" threaded supports(two rear and one forward of the large support.

THe hole in the grip is roughly 1.25" long and a bit over 3/4" wide and a bit over 1" deep. with all the anchors steel bedded into the grip, I left all of them extending nearly to the top of the hole. Then worked steel bedding compound all around them and finally covering them totally.

Then the stock was carefully placed in a vise to press the crack together so that it can hardly be seen. In a few days I will refinish the stock and give it a good coating of sand sealer fallowed by a nice satin matte finish.

If you are using a would stock on an XP that generates alot of recoil energy, make sure that the area hollowed out for the trigger counter ballance is beefed up. I do not even use the counter ballance so if the void would have been totally filled with steel bed with the anchor support through the grip, this would never have happened.

Just something to think about. I do not want you to end up like me with a great big game handcannon setting on the work bench in pieces when it should be out harvesting game.

It will be up and running by this weekend so it isn't a big deal. Sometimes it pays off to be able to do your own smithing.

Just a heads up for you fellow XP shooters, watch those heavy kickers in wood stocks, even laminates like mine.

Also, Muzzle brakes do not save stocks, my 338 has a huge Holland Quick Discharge break on it. She kicks less then my 7mm BR by a long shot, still the energy recieved by the stock is just as severe as without the brake.

Good Shooting and hunting!!!

50

Hey 50, thks. for the info. Have you ever gone out beyond 400 with that rig??

Sscoyote,

This last summer, I was doing alot of extreme range varmint hunting with a couple specialized long range rifles. I though it would be pretty neat to get into the 500 yard club with a handgun so I sighted the 338 WSM in at 550 yards and headed out for a hunt.

With the rifles we seldom set up on anything under 700 yards and by the end of the summer, nothing closer then 1000 yards was attempted.

One day though we did set up in the 500-600 range so I could try my handgun and my partners had a couple "lighter" long range rifles they wanted to try at these middle ranges as they were unreliable at the extreme range stuff.

On paper, the 338 WSM will hold moa to at least 600 yards, at least on average. That is in good shooting conditions, i.e. cool and low wind. If the wind picks up the 180 gr .338" Ballistic Tips really do not do all that well but in the calm they are flat out accurate.

On the hunt where we were targeting rock chucks, it was very difficult to get good targeting because of the low powered 2-7 Burris. Most often I would find the chuck in the spotting scope, remember the rock it was on and line the XP up on the top of that rock where the target was sitting.

I did not score on any chucks but there were several that know what a 338 WSM sounds like when it lands within a couple inches of it.

I did take some shots out to a bit over 800 yards with the 338 on targets large enough to get a good hold on. Once the proper hold was figured out, hitting a roughly 24" diameter rock was relatively simple at a range of 812 yards.

Impact at that range is noticable but not dramatic, I think the new 225 gr Accubond driven to around 2700-2750 fps may prove better for longer range shooting.

To be honest, I will be building a new long range XP here this winter once I get my lathe moved into my new shop. I have not yet finalized the round to be used yet but the 6.5 WSM is looking pretty interesting.

Good Shooting!!!

50

50, Went out last week with afriend who'll be using my 6.5-284 XP for a cow elk this 4th season here in So. CO. We were shooting a 19X36" piece of 1/4" steel from about 350-970 yds. I'm using the 3-12X Burris with Ballistic Plex reticle which i'd zero'd via Exbal ballistics program. The load i'm using was giving me some problems with virgin Norma brass delivering .006-.008 runout on the neck (visibly wobbling), and consequently not too accurate. But i needed to fireform it so I thought why not let him practice some. I established a magnification of around 5X for a conservative maximum point blank range of around 300 or 350 (can't remember now)using the upper post to x-hair for optical ranging purposes for the 19" target. After that I established a mag. of 11.5 to allow almost perfect 100 yd. zero's for the reticle to 700 yds. I also established an optical ranging system for the reticle at that mag. We walked out and set up to begin shooting from both sitting and laying out to around 450 then laying out to as far as we could hit it to try to simulate field conditions as much as possible. We had a group size about 12X18" for 90% of the shots, and the optical ranging was pretty close out to 970 yds. After 700, i ran in clicks using the lower post as a zero. I misread the printout Exbal had calculated, and only put 50 clicks in. When we finally got on target we had 101 clicks (when i finally dbl. checked Exbal the correct calculation told me 103 clicks)I tell ya' i just love running the math, and watching it work in the field (that is, when i'm working right in the field). I think it's the most fascinating shooting related thing i've ever done.

Can't wait to hear about your 6.5. Man what a neat project.

[ 10-29-2003, 09:17: Message edited by: sscoyote ]

Sscoyote,

Sounds like some good shooting on your part, I really need to get me a couple of those big Burris 3-12's.

Wish they would come out with something like a 4.5-14 with a 40 to 42mm objective for those of us who want to stretch things out a bit, probably never happen though.

I'm suprised your Norma brass had such poor run outs, even for virigins. Personally I do not care for Norma brass because it can tend to be a bit soft, but the quality is usually second to very few.

What brand of dies are you using for the 6.5-284? I have a customer who is waiting for me to build him a long range varmint/deer rig on the 6.5-284 with a Lilja blank.

Anyway, good shooting and good luck on your big game season.

50

50 that 6.5-284 used to be sort of an improved .260 Rem. rifle that XP Hunter had. He sold it to me and it finally became what it is today. The die was an old .308 Wilson neck bushing die that was reamed for the Imp. .260, then my 6.5-284 by Greg Tannel. if i need to bump shoulders I've got a std. Redding FL 6.5-284 Win. die.

You know, i've been thinking about this scope problem lately, and i'm thinking about a straight 15X conversion by Wally Siebert similar to what Ernie did with his 20X conversion from the Leupold 36X. I wish there was someone out there that would take a higher power Leupold variable, and convert it to LER, but i don't think there is. Nobody will fool around with them due to the sloppy internal tolerances of the variables-- what a shame-- it sure could provide a niche for the long-range pistolero. I guess there's just not enuf of us out there. You know i've got a buddy of mine that's shooting a muzzle-breaked XP .243 AI. He's using a Leu. 4.5-14X, and hasn't had any problems. I'm going to be building a big 6mm of sorts soon for coyotes, and i think i'm going to go that route.