This is about 14 miles below Bethel Alaska just off the Kuskokwim River, just out of my wife's Village of Napakiak. The bluff in the background is the lower end of a plateau that extends upriver for a considerable distance, here it is roughly 50 feet high.

Shooting table is two pieces of 0.750" plywood glued together with pipe couplings welded to 1/4" steel plates. I used 2" pipe.

The rifle on the bags is my Guild Mauser in 9x57 Mauser, made August 24, 1924. The hideously expensive original Kynoch ammunition clocked 2163, 2145 and the last was a click-boom at 2113 feet per second with the 245 grain softs. And they all hit 8 inches high at 50 yards. Hmmmm.... Other rifle is FN-FAL which shoots groups the size of a quarter at 100 yards with Remington 150 grain Core-Lokt ammo.

When there is no range around...carry one with you.

I was sighting in to go out to look for caribou. I really wanted to use the 9x57 as it oozes mystique something fierce, but I believe I need to file down the rear sight. Before I do that, I need to find some real 9x57mm cases and load a bunch of rounds to duplicate original ballistics. And when it isn't so cold: I had to use my snowmachine goggles when taking a shot as the wind would instantly make my eyes water.

.........Nitro .,., I can relate to your set up tho my bench isn,t nearly so nice .........Did you have to wait for the right cloud cover so the chronograph would work ??? I did ...If it was sunny it wouldn,t take a reading , and if raining it would get alot of errors ............A good flat cloud cover works well here .....,What sno go is that ??? It looks like the kind of machine I,m after ........It looks like you had alot of fun

The ceiling that day was about 2,000 feet with 100% overcast. It is tough to drive on these days as the snow is the same color as the clouds so you have no visual reference as to where you are, and it is no fun when you drive right into a snowdrift because you can't see it.

I always use the white plastic things that come with the Chrony so my readings don't error. Oh, I use a couple of the toe warmers taped together around the battery to keep it warm so the machine will even work.

You know...where I am during the summer, everything in the photo would sink into the tundra about a foot it is so soft. But now, it is all like concrete.

The machine is a 2007 Arctic Cat BearCat 570 fan-cooled. At 1016 miles the upper chaincase bearing failed, and at 1050 miles the key that drives the speedo failed.

......Nitro ,., sorry to get off topic but do you recomend the 570 Bear Cat .,., Do you know if anyone does well with the Skandic Tundra LT ., ??? I,m trying to decide between these 2 machines ,., So far there are 2 for the Bear Cat and none for the SkiDoo ..???

Those skandics are real workhorses. The wide track skandic will go almost anywhere!

Nitro, can sympathize with you, pretty much what I to do when I go out to sight in. I hook up my tobaggan to my BearCat 570 and take off with my chrono. Bummer to hear your upper bearing went out, lack of oil? My chaincase is still running strong right at 7000 miles, no problem with the jack shaft either. Just the speedo key once as mentioned on another post-chewed up my left axle bearing.

Tryed an attempt with gumboot on the reliability of the BearCat but Caveat Emptor-no machine is perfect but I can guarantee you I would not buy a Tundra-period.

That 9x57 would be something on caribou, be interesting to see what kind of meat damage that caliber would do. I suspect it would do much less than the venerable .06 and more like the .338-06 with a 225 grainer.

I too suspect that FN to be a .308 and with 150 grainers you hit them in the wrong spot it damages a tremendous amount of meat- me being a meat hunter I stick to the .243 and 100grn Partitions, darn fine thungerstick for caribou.

oh well, nice picture and a fine machine you got there along with the guild gun that I can't see up close.

let us know how you fared.

regards,

I have the wide track skandic I really like it but it dose burn lots of gas. I think I may get a tundra skandic just for putting around the lake at the cabin and save the wide track for big jobs.
My brother has a 9x57 that my fathers great grand uncle brout back from ww1. I allways liked that round but that rifle has seen better day's

The photo makes me homesick. I've been outside most of the winter but I'm counting down the days and will be back in AK in 9 days.

I've had the same problems with my chronograph. I never get good readings on sunny days. I like a nice stratus layer when I'm shooting. Those are the days when theres no wind ether.
I used to like flying on those calm days but this time of year on skis you need the sun on the snow so the shadow will show the wind drifts. I tore a gear leg off my cub once on one of those days and spent 3 days near lake Iliamna in December waiting on parts.

...........Another off topic ? what lenses work best for distinguishing snow features in these conditions ??? Thanks ...

off the topic surely...........my guess is nothing. I too travel in these types of conditions reg. and it is difficult to say the least. On the flip side when light becomes intense as is now Polarized is the best to see thru. I use glacier glasses polarized and with prescription.

Nitroman
What is the secret on the FN?
A friend of mine has a match barreled FN-FAL that was sapposed to be a shooter but won't hit the target past 100 yds.
Any ideas?

I do not know why the bearing failed. When I purchased the machine from Anchorage Suzuki Arctic Cat, I checked it out once here. Everything was fine until around 1000 miles I noticed the upper seal leaking. Then the bearing failed. I think the speedo key went due to the grease being a little thick at -32*F. I used a piece of aluminum and filed it square to fit into the axle. Works fine now and it won't break like the OEM ones.

Me and the wife looked at SkiDoo before going with the 'Cat. The SkiDoo is everything it should be, but heavy. Get it stuck and you won't be a happy camper. I wish I had that 24" wide track though. The 550 fan will be geared super low to pull that machine around. I can get 70mph out of mine, but it is unstable above 50mph due to air piling up underneath the belly, which begins lifting the machine. An odd sensation. I ordered the sway bar kit to help with tippiness. I too only get 10 miles per gallon, and will add a Holtzman ATACC to see if this will help.

I am using Smith goggles with a special order Gold coated Solex lens that only allows 7% of visible light to pass through, you'll have to order it off their website www.smithoptics.com. They are Polarized. Blue tints work well to distinguish terrain features, but I have found in the flat light during overcast the only way to travel is slowly and carefully. I keep it under 20mph. You can easily drive over a bluff and never know until the front of the machine is falling out from under you. This happened to a fellow I know, the machine rolled over onto him and he spent the night trapped. He was in such a position, he simply could not move. He was spotted the next day by passenger aircraft and rescued by villagers downriver.

The FN is .308, and I agree it would tear up alot of meat, but I have nothing else until I get some reloads put together for my Guild 8x60S. I guess I could try the Barnes X 150 grainers to see if they'd work.

quote:

Originally posted by Akshooter:
Nitroman
What is the secret on the FN?
A friend of mine has a match barreled FN-FAL that was sapposed to be a shooter but won't hit the target past 100 yds.
Any ideas?

I would check to make sure the barrel is correctly timed using parallel rods.

1. You'll need to go to an auto parts store and purchase two 36" pieces of the steel brake-line. I found most stores will keep a display with various lengths and diameters. Mine are 3/16" O.D. Cut one of the flared ends off, and balance the tube until you can find the exact center. Now mark it with a marker.
(it goes without saying you need to make sure the tubes are perfectly straight with no bends in them)

2. Place rifle in a rest, remove the handguards, dust cover and bolt carrier.

3. Insert one tube through the handguard retaining screw-hole in the gas-block. MAKE SURE you have it balanced perfectly so one side is not lower than the other. It takes some "feel" to get it there.

4. Place the second tube across the receiver flats in front of the rear sight. Make sure the tube is centered on the flats by looking at your mark on the tube.

5. Walk back about 10-15 feet, squat down and look at the tubes, are they parallel? If not, re-check to make sure both tubes are centered, is still not parallel then the barrel is mis-timed. It only takes 0.001" off TDC to be off 1" at 100 yards. If it is mis-timed, PM me and I will give you contact info for two of the best FAL 'smiths in the U.S. who'll get it straightened out.

Nitroman
Thanks I'll get on the FN when I get home.

Beautiful rifle, Nitroman!

Jeff

Ok, so this goes way off topic of AK shooting and snogo portable ranges but...

In addition to checking sight alignment on the FN, which is not a bad idea:
Check the hinge pin tightness. I've had one that was very worn and needed replaced.
If iron sights, check the tightness of the rear sightbase, and how much wiggle room there is between the upper and lower reciever. Unless you have parts to swap out, send it out to a smith to have it worked on. It wouldn't hurt to try a different rear sight to see if it improves the situation.
If scoped, check on the tighness of the scope base, as well as every bloody screw that attaches.
Check the headspace with the extractor out of the bolt. I've run across a couple FALs that someone put together with long long heaspacing. Not enough to blow brass, but enough to make me not fire them until I replaced the locking lug.

Mine, while not a benchrest shooter, will hold 2 inches or less at 100, depending on what's loaded in the magazines. They work so well that I'm building 2 more as soon as I can scrounge up the upper recievers.

Nitroman,
Did you find any bou? I'm looking at going this weekend.

JeffAK, Thank you. I really like it and want to take some game with it. I wish it could talk and tell me its history. I bought it four years ago off AuctionArms for $465.0 + shipping. It was in bad shape when I got it, but I had the time so I went slowly with bringing it back to life. I was able to get four boxes of ammo, one Kynoch and three DWM two years ago for $150 + postage (for 40 rounds). I never want to do that again, but hey, I needed the original ammo to find the ballistics so I could load safely. The owner of CH-4D at www.ch4d.com (I buy all my dies from them), sent me copies of two original Kynoch ammunition blueprints spelling out all the details and dimensions. Is that over-the-top or what?!

What Kelson said. I don't know why this one does so well, it started out an Imbel receiver, Steyr barrel, DSA para lower and internals, DSA sand cut para bolt and carrier, DSA furniture and scope mount, Inch charging handle and Australian Inch mag release, Moses flash suppressor and a Rhineland wood carrying handle.
I bought this rifle from someone at www.gunthings.com originally. Then installed the DSA para kit. It is tight, and that may be the reason it shoots so well as everything is new.

Kusko: last Thursday the Kewthluk boys took some of the herd so they ran down Quinhagak way. On Saturday they were about 15 miles East of the Eek trail, so they should be back up around Three-Step now. I didn't go out due to the blizzard warnings.

Are you living in Napakiak now? I'm headed out on Sunday for a look see.

No sir. Still up here on Ptarmigan St. in Bethel.

Ptarmigan St.......you must be my neighbor.

Why did you go so far south to site in when there are a hundred decent places closer?

How close are you to the dumpsters at the intersection of Ptarmigan and 1st Road?

Closer? I...uhhhh....where? Sandpits are closed because of Kasayulie. I just want someplace with a backstop.

I'm very close to those dumpsters.

If you head north from those dumpsters about 3 miles, you'll find a great backstop. It's part of a dry lake in the summer. You could always go up to the bluffs by Tobunguluk. Of course, there is the bluffs on the way to Tobunguluk. I could probably name a dozen more closer than 14 miles down river.