catblaster.375
"My rifle is custom from the ground up: M70 action, HS aluminum bedded stock, 26" HEAVY stainless bull barrel, custom muzzle brake, Teflon finish, trigger job(3lbs NO CREEP). I wish I new the twist rate. I have a Mueller 3-10x44(in my opinion the perfect sniper scope) on it right now. Shoots a 1" group at 300yrds with good ammo."
Excuse me but you have a Corvette and you're asking what retreads will give the best road racing performance? Unless you can find some M118 or Special Ball at a gunshow (It will not be "cheap" BTW) I would recommend you do not consider surplus 7.62 ammo in your rifle. The odds of you finding any that will be "cheap but accurate" are slim to none with "slim" being gone. You will be very frustrated at 600+ yards with surplus ammo, more than likely dissappointed at any range. Also these types of rifles have a 5,000 round or so life of really sniper quality accuracy. To shoot up 20% of it with surplus ammo is a waste. Assuming you don't currently reload? I suggest you start.
Take the money you would spend on the surplus ammo and get the following from Midway;
Lee classic Loader in .308
Lee priming tool set up for .308
Neck chamfering tool
Loading block
Powder funnel
200 R-P .308 brass
4 MTM 50 round cartridge boxes
500 Sierra 175 gr Match King Bullets
MTM Sportmans Dry Box
From the local gunshop get;
2 lbs of H4895
500 WLR Primers
From a local harware store get;
medium size plastic headed mallet
#0000 steel wool (used to clean the outside of the case necks after they have been fired and before sizing. Used to lightly clean any other grit off the cases. Wipe the cases off with a clean paper towel after using the steel wool)
If the Lee loader doesn't come with a 2.8 CC powder scoop get one from Lee.
All the above will fit in the MTM Sportmans Dry Box (a little larger than a large ammo can) and can easily be stored in a closet or cabinet.
Read the instructions that come with the Lee loader. Follow the instructions with the exception of priming; use the hand priming tool for that. Chamfer the case mouths after sizing, it only has to be done once. Use a large mouth clean coffee cup to put the H4895 powder in. Run the scoop through it as the directions say. Remember, consistancy counts. The 2.8 CC scoop will throw right at 40 gr of the H4985. In the R-P cases (equivelent in volume to M118 cases) that 40 gr of H4895 under the 175 gr MK (seated to 2.82" over all lenght) will run right at 2550 fps or so out of your rifle. Accuracy will be excellent out to 1,000 yards.
I doubt the above equipment, minus componants, will cost much more than the 1,000 rounds of surplus ammo. With the primers, powder, cases and MK bullets you will have 500 rounds of very good shooting. fter you shoot that up you you will then have the equipment and fire formed brass to continue to load excellent quality ammo for that fine rifle.
"I dont need it to shoot into one hole at 300 yards just the best that surplus can do. It also needs to be able to shoot minute of coyote."
Surplus will not do that and it will most often not put a coyote down. It will kill them but they will go a long way before they die. The data card with the Lee loader will give varmint load combinations. I suggest the Nosler 125 BT, the Sierra 125 SP or the Speer 130 HP for coyote in the .308.
"I am also gonna pick up some talon tracers for fun. anyone had expirience with tracers?"
Yes I have, use them for marking targets for MGs or bigger guns in a militsry context. They usually have a zero all their own and are not accurate. For sniper use they work better in theory and fiction than in practice. They can be "fun" in certain guns but in a high quality barrel like yours I wouldn't consider them fun, just a waste.
The above comments are made to assist you to get the best out of what appears to be a very fine rifle. The rifle is yours however, to do with as you please. I think you will enjoy it more with quality ammunition (you'll have more "fun" with one hit at 600 yards with your quality reloads vs five misses with cheap surplus) and may even get into reloading to better enjoy the sport of shooting.
Larry Gibson
