Author Topic: The 700 SPS 243 is all ready to go!!!!!!!!!!!! (Read 1667 times)

DalesCarpentry · « **on:** November 24, 2007, 09:02:23 AM »

I went out today and sighted my 243 SPS with 100 grain Winchester Super X Power Points. There were 5 other guys there at the range with me. I just bore sighted with looking down the bore and centering it on the target at 100 yards. I had some left over Hornady 58 grain VMax from Groundhog season. I used them to get on paper at 100 yards. I just put a new scope on this rifle for deer season. I put a Bushnell 4x12x40 Sportsman on it. Well my first shot was 2'' high and 6'' right. With this being a cheaper scope I wondered how close the 1/4'' clicks were going to be. I have to say they are right on because I went 24 clicks left and it was dead center of the target. This is where I blew the other shooters minds. I fired 2 more shots the first of the 2 went almost in the same hole as the first. It made the hole just a little oblong. The 3rd shot was less than a 1/4'' away. These guys said boy that rifle really shoots huh. I said yes and told them about the groups I shot here this summer that measured 7/8'' at 300 yards. They asked if they were hand loads and I told them that they weren't and they said that is some incredible shooting for factory loads. I then tried the Winchester 100 grain rounds at 100 yards. Here is the strange thing. At 100 yards they were shooting about an inch higher than the 58 grain. You would think that they would shoot lower but didn't. I then shot the target at 200 yards and was 1'' high and 1'' right. I have it dialed in now at 200 yards and should be about 7'' low at 300 yards. I don't plan on shooting anything further than that because the energy of the round drops below 1,000 lbs past that. Anyways I hope to get my first deer on Monday. Dale

quickdtoo · « **Reply #1 on:** November 24, 2007, 09:24:49 AM »

Good luck Dale, all that's left to do is make some meat!!!

(And take a new pic for your signature line!!

)

Tim

dw06 · « **Reply #2 on:** November 24, 2007, 12:04:49 PM »

Sounds like you are ready.Good luck Dale,and get a nice one!

longwinters · « **Reply #3 on:** November 24, 2007, 05:04:13 PM »

Yep, all that should be left to do is show us the pics, tell us the story and decide what recipes to use for that fresh meat you are going to collect. Good luck.

Long

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #4 on:** November 24, 2007, 05:09:32 PM »

Thanks guy's I sure hope so. I just got the camera ready a few minutes ago. Dale

Foggy · « **Reply #5 on:** November 24, 2007, 05:21:43 PM »

Dale
Good luck to you Buddy. Remember don't touch that power ring the last thing the forum need now is one more sad story about spastic scopes and deer that don't follow the rules and nobody loves me.

You be safe make meat and post pictures I'am looking forward to it

Foggy

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #6 on:** November 24, 2007, 05:30:03 PM »

The guy I am going with is also a member of this forum. I have to drive 72 miles to get to his place but he says there are a lot of deer there. He also knows where they are and their patterns. He seems to think the best thing to do is at first light go out behind his house. He says there is a field out there and the other hunters comming into the woods will drive them down to that field. Sounds good to me hope it works. Dale

quickdtoo · « **Reply #7 on:** November 24, 2007, 05:43:23 PM »

Dale, just remember, broadside shots, just behind the shoulder, no shoulder shots, please.

Good luck,

Tim

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #8 on:** November 25, 2007, 05:02:37 AM »

I have been looking around on the net this morning for the proper shot placement on Deer. Here is a pretty good link on such. http://www.rubsnscrapes.com/Articles/shot_placement_anatomy.php I just want to be sure that if given the opportunity I can make the clean shot for a humane kill. This especially holds true seeing as I am using the 243. I will keep my shots under 300 yards because the energy of the bullet drops off below 1,000 lbs much past that. I am very confodent of shots out that far. I have killed many Groundhogs way past that this summer. I have even shot a few Crows out past 300 yards. So if given the chance I am sure I can put some meat in the frezzer. Dale

teddy12b · « **Reply #9 on:** November 25, 2007, 05:09:44 AM »

I never would have guessed that an SPS would be that accurate out of the box. Did you do anything to it? You've got yourself a real nice rifle, good luck hunting!

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #10 on:** November 25, 2007, 05:18:15 AM »

No the only thing I did to it was polish the bore real well with Flitz. Here is a picture of one of my 300 yard targets. The 3 shot group measures 7/8'' using Hornady 58 grain VMax ammo.

Dale

mnmoosehunter · « **Reply #11 on:** November 25, 2007, 06:19:27 AM »

Hey Dale...

For shot placement with a firearm.... I almost always go for the boiler room and have yet to lose a deer. Only on a very rare occasion will I even consider anything different. In fact, only two of my deer were ever harvested without going for the vitals. One was a close range neck shot with a .44mag revolver. This doe dropped in her tracks. The other was a cull buck, spine shot from a tree stand with a bow. Although successful, this was one shot I would like to take back if I only could. This was a BAD choice on my part.

I try to think in 3D when drawing down on game. I think to myself... where's the heart and how do I get there? As ethical hunters, we owe it to the game we're after to delivery an accurate shot for a humane harvest. Equipment set up is only part of it. Your rifle is a true shooter, no doubt about that. The rest is up to you.

I'll be leaving in about a half hour for an evening hunt on a new area we have access to. Saw good numbers yesterday, but nothing in range of the .50 smoke pole. With the winds we're having today, and with all the hammering they've faced through rifle season, they probably won't be moving until close to sun down. But you can't fill the freezer while sitting on the couch...

Good luck to ya, buddy!!! Stay safe and I hope you enjoy a successful hunt!!!

Dan

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #12 on:** November 25, 2007, 08:58:58 AM »

Well guy's I am off to meet my hunting partner. I will be spending the night there. I will let you guy's know how things go tomorrow night when I get home. Dale

teddy12b · « **Reply #13 on:** November 25, 2007, 10:53:05 AM »

Good luck! You know you won't have any excuses for missed shots now.

Spanky · « **Reply #14 on:** November 25, 2007, 01:19:40 PM »

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you buddy!!

Good luck Dale, it's your year!!

Spanky

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #15 on:** November 26, 2007, 10:53:41 AM »

Well I did not get one today. I did get very wet and cold though. It rained here all day and we called it a day pretty early on account of the rain. We did see one doe this morning. He popped out into the field we were in. May be 40 yards away. He ran straight for the road. We did not fire on it because of the road. Oh well better luck next time. Dale

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #16 on:** November 26, 2007, 11:29:12 AM »

Another thing that happened today was I was checking out my partners Rem.7600 in the 270. That is what he is hunting with. The trigger on it is probably the worst I have ever felt. It was mushy with a ton of creep. I find it hard to believe these rifles leave the factory like this. Dale

Graybeard · « **Reply #17 on:** November 26, 2007, 11:30:52 AM »

Doe=she.

Buck=he.

Real hunters brave the weather and don't let it affect how long they stay afield.

Me I'm a wooze and don't even go on rainy days anymore.

Long years ago I decided I do this for fun not food so if it's not fun I don't do it.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #18 on:** November 26, 2007, 11:34:16 AM »

I'm gettin like Bill, it's not as easy to spend the day hunting in the rain, but when I was your age Dale, I hunted rain or shine, daylight to dusk, here in Washington on the wet side, you won't get to hunt much if you don't go prepared to hunt in the rain.

Tim

DalesCarpentry · « **Reply #19 on:** November 26, 2007, 11:37:07 AM »

Quote from: Graybeard on November 26, 2007, 11:30:52 AM

Doe=she.

Buck=he.

Real hunters brave the weather and don't let it affect how long they stay afield.

Me I'm a wooze and don't even go on rainy days anymore. Long years ago I decided I do this for fun not food so if it's not fun I don't do it.

GB consider me a wooze then. All I know I stood out there in the pouring down rain for hours and was drenched to the bone. I was very cold when I came in. Dale

teddy12b · « **Reply #20 on:** November 26, 2007, 12:47:25 PM »

That's exactly why I have a packable rain jacket and rain pants in my backpack when I go hunting. If it wasn't for that stuff I wouldn't need the backpack. I do agree that there is something about being cold, wet and miserable that takes the fun out of hunting. My rain gear is only intended to keep me dry in light rain, if it gets bad, I'm going to bed.

Graybeard · « **Reply #21 on:** November 26, 2007, 06:07:20 PM »

Here is the story from my friend Barry one of those REAL HUNTERS up in PA of his exploits today on the farm.

"Well the opening day is gone and all I have to show for it is a bunch of wet clothes and a soaked gun! There is 1.3 inches in the rain gauge right now! Things are some kind of muddy here now! It was a mess when I came in and put out hay for the cattle! I imagine tomorrow morning will be worse conditions! But we needed the rain to perk up the ground water with winter coming on!

I started my hunt with a orange poncho this morning but still managed to get soaked! Early in the morning I saw two small bucks come up the hillside past me! Not long after another small buck with his nose to the ground trailing them came with a small three legged doe doing her best to keep up! I believe it was the doe I saw in the three corner field late in archery!

Then I saw two more deer come up the same trail and I saw they were bucks with the first being small! I tried my hardest to put brow tines on the second but couldn't! I feel sure it was a average size eight point but just couldn't see any tines and they would probably have been small anyway!

So that was five bucks and one three legged doe! I then came in and put out hay and came down to the house for a muffin and dry clothes! Back out and it never quit raining I was moving up the hillside and saw a deer just coming over the top! I stopped and made some noise getting the gun out of the poncho and the deer heard it! Never saw what it was but the poncho was then history! Spent the rest of the day letting the clothes absorb all the moisture they wanted to!

Mike and Don both hunted! They both stayed dry in there trucks as that was a pretty good idea! Mike is having serious trouble with a wound on his one leg and can't get around very well! I told him to go back to where he thinks I always hunt as he can see there better! He did see a big racked deer going across the pasture field next to Dennys and said they got four shots at it but didn't hit it!

In the late afternoon I was down in the hollow and moving along and I am guessing the deer saw me moving! I saw two deer with one a buck and one a doe! The buck was smaller! They angled on up the hillside away from me! I immediately looked down there back trail and saw nothing! I tried checking out the buck again and then looked back and I saw this buck (no question about that one) running but out around the hill away from me! Only saw it for a second but would have taken a shot without trying to count points had he given me the opportunity! I just got a glance at his mass and was trying to get a shot at him but he was just to slippery for me! Maybe it was the extra weight of all the soaked clothes I was wearing:-)! Turth is they saw me before I saw them! So I think I saw two legal bucks and the second I'd have shot without question had I been given the opportunity!

Saw way more bucks although small than does which is not the norm but how things went! It did reach 59 according to the weather people so although it rained all day and lots of people were done before noon it was still very manageable in the woods! It was warm enough that even being soaked wasn't a hardship! But I enjoyed the couple clothes changes I made during the day! Going back out in dry clothes was spirit lifting even tho I knew I'd be soaked in short order!

Not a bad first day as I felt much better than last year on the first day! I really dislike this point thing! My day would probably have been over real early with the first buck I saw without the point thing!

The rain was interesting today! It rained hard enough to soak you and other times it would be light and fairly nice! Lots of fog would roll up the hillsides and make visibility real close and then it would clear off and you could see better! Did that several times over the morning! It would get pretty thick at times and elephants could have gone by then and never been seen:-)!

I saw several squirrels throughout the day! I guess it being warm and a all day rain they were out during the day!

Each time I came in for dry clothes I would wipe down the LW and put more stuff on it to protect it! I have already cleaned it up since the last trip out hunting this afternoon! I stayed in the woods until I couldn't see through the scope before calling it a day! I enjoyed seeing the bucks and also seeing one that I would have shot had I had the opportunity! But I still hate the point restrictions as the first one I saw would have made me very happy!"

For information purposes: Don is Barry's father-in-law and is 83 years old. Mike is a good friend of Don's and about the same age.

Barry did use a single shot even tho not an NEF. He does have some NEFs but today was using a Browning LW 243. He lives on a 200 acre farm and has to feed the cattle and dogs twice a day even on hunting days.

I can remember when I was that dedicated but it was a long time ago.