Ordered new 7mm-08

[firstshot]

I finally got around to calling Grices today and ordered the special run 7600 7mm-08. I sure hope this thing shoots at least as well as my Rem 700 Mtn LSS 7mm-08!!!!

 

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

[coyote trapper1928]

 Did they have that rifle in stock?

[PA-Joe]

Generally speaking, pumps do not shoot as good as a bolt!

[Siskiyou]

firstshot:  congratulation on purchasing a fine rifle.  The M7600 and M760 noted for their fine accuracy.  No need to glassbed the stock on them to produce bulls eyes.

What are your plans regarding a scope?

 

[NHNATIVE]

PA-Joe,
   Generally speaking, guns kill. Big deal.  Generalities are for liberals. The best bolts will out shoot most of the best pumps every time. The best hunters in the US know the value of a pump rifle. Have you grouped your gun with a cold clean barrel. It makes a difference. My own personal pump that shoots 2 inch, 5 shot groups at 100, yards regardless of conditions,  will put every first bullet into the same hole at 100 yards, istn't that what matters. Shoot what you want, we're all hunters and until proven otherwise I'm in your corner. But, if you hunt in the northern part of the northeast, you will have a neon sign in your hands saying flatlander, or outofstater with a boltgune. If thats ok with you, it's ok with me.
NHNative

[firstshot]

Did they have that rifle in stock?

coyote trapper

They are still in the process of being manufactured.  Grice said delivery would be sometime in December.

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

[firstshot]

firstshot:  congratulation on purchasing a fine rifle.  The M7600 and M760 noted for their fine accuracy.  No need to glassbed the stock on them to produce bulls eyes.

What are your plans regarding a scope?

I'm going to scope it with either a Leupold w/Boone & Crocket reticle or a Burris with Ballistic Plex reticle.  I currently have a 3-9x40 Burris BPlex on my Mtn LSS, but may go with a 2-7x on this rifle.

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

[Siskiyou]

Sounds like good optic options.  I have a 2x7 on one of my rifles and it has worked out fine.

[firstshot]

Siskiyou

The bullet drop compensating scopes are great in my book.  I hunt the woods a lot where shots are 100 Yds or less and most times you are threading the shot through brush.  BDC scopes allow you to sight in dead on at 100 yds using the main cross hairs and then use the other aim points for 200, 300 Yds, etc. for the longer shots.  Being able to sight in dead on at 100 ( vs 2" or 3" high as many do) is a big benefit when threading shots through the brush and you still have long range shot capability (200,300,400Yds) if you need it.

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!!

[nabob]

Congrats on your new shootin' iron. I have a 7600 in 35 Whelen that is a fine shooter, sub MOA with the right ammo. I'm sure yours will be as well. People that run them down oftentimes haven't even shot them.

I was interested in your choice of scope. I like the idea of being able to hold the crosshairs on the target without compensating for distance. The problem for me is estimating the distance. Also, is the scope reticle somehow sensitive to what you shoot? I mean that a bullet fired from a 45/70 has a much different drop at 200 yards than a bullet fired from a 30-06, just for an example. How does the scope know how much lower in the scope the 200 yard reticle needs to be without first knowing what you are shooting? 

[firstshot]

nabob

Here is a link to the main Burris "Ballistic Blex" page. http://www.burrisoptics.com/reticles.html and a link to the Ballistic Plex Techincal Notes page which explains all about it.  http://www.burrisoptics.com/pdf/BALLPLEX.pdf  Be sure to check out the 5 different ways to calibrate the scope to your specific load.

Basically the reticle is set for the "Average" trajectory for either "Standard" calibers for which you sight in at 100 Yds or "Magnum" calibers for which you sight in at 200 Yds.

For "Standard" calibers, sighted in dead on at 100 Yds, the different aim points in the reticle are set for the following bullet drops
100 Yds.....0.0"
200 Yds.....-3.1"
300 Yds.....-13.5"
400 Yds.....-30.1"
500 Yds.....-55.3"

The simpelest way to "tune" the BPlex to your sepcific load is to simply adjust your 100Yd sight in.  For example, shooting a 35 Whelen with a 225 Grn Nosler Partition at 2,450 muzzle velocity you would sight in 1" high at 100Yds to achieve the following.

Yards........BPlex.......Actual Drop......Difference
100 Yds.....0.0"..........+1.0"............+1.0"
200 Yds.....-3.1".........-2.94"...........+0.16"
300 Yds.....-13.5".......-14.9"...........-1.44"
400 Yds.....-30.1".......-37.0"...........-6.92"
500 Yds.....-55.3".......-70.9"...........-15.63"

The same 35 Whelen load sighted in dead on at 100 Yds would be 2" low (vs -5.12") at 200Yds and 4.71" (vs -18.2") low at 300 Yds using the appropriate aim points.

If you hand load, you can also play with different velocities and/or use different bullets with differenc ballistic coefficients to "tune" your load as closely as possible to the preset BPlex drop rates.

For my 7mm-08 I've worked up several different loads that match very closely with the BPlex drop rates.  For example, with a 145Grn Speer HotCor at 2,800 FPS muzzle velocity sighted in dead on at 100 Yds, I'm -0.25" @ 200Yds, +0.58" @ 300 Yds, +0.74" @ 400 Yds and +1.33" @ 500 Yds using the appropriate aim points.  The 100, 200, & 300 Yd actual impact points have been validated at the range.  I doubt I'll ever see a shot greater than 300 Yds here in Arkansas and I probably wouldn't take it if I did, so I haven't bothered to verify actual impact points at 400 & 500 Yds.

One thing to keep in mind is that the BPlex reticle is calibrated for the highest magnification, so it you use a lower magnigication your impact points will be different.  I don't see this as a problem as if I'm shooting 200 Yds or more I will be using the highest magnification anyway.

By the way, Leupold also makes a "bullet drop compensating" scope reticle called the "Boone & Crocket".

Hope this helps.

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!

[Siskiyou]

I put a 4X Weaver on my M760 with Weaver's ranger-finder reticle.  Always imaged lining up a buck between the two crosshairs, but in real life if the buck was within a 100-150 yards I just put the crosshairs on the deer and pulled the trigger.  I let the flat shooting .270 do the rest.

But when spotting deer across large clearcut blocks I did take advantage of the ranger-finder reticle.  I have retired the old scope because it was made before nitrogen to prevent fogging.  I may have to rescan

[nabob]

I very much appreciate the information and the time you took to ed-u-macate me!! Thanks!!! Looks like a new scope might be in my future.

[Dave in WV]

I've had the same rifle from Grice for three seasons now. My son ordered it for me. I put a Leupold VX2 1x4 with a German #4 reticle installled by Premier Reticle. My son sent me an after market trigger spring that lightens the pull weight. Mine is a good shooter. I use an Uncle Mike's barrel band sling swivel because IMO the type that mounts on the forend puts too much stress on it. I load 140gr Rem Core-Lokts over 46gr of H4350.

[firstshot]

Grice called today and said the special orders were in.....at least the 7mm-08's are.  Didn't think to ask about the others.  At any rate, my 7600 7mm-08 will ship out tomorrow and I should have it in the woods hunting this weekend.

Can't wait!!!!!

firstshot
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Make your first shot count!