OK, back from my first outing with the new Sportster. Nice day, very hot (91 degrees), very little wind. I was using Federal 17 grain V-Shock cartridges, and a Simmons 3-9x40mm scope. I set up my targets at 50 yards, and got my scope close to zero, but not quite where I want it. The first twenty rounds I shot, I cleaned the barrel after each shot (man, those Federal rounds are dirty!), as is my standard barrel break-in routine. I also paused for several seconds between shots to allow the barrel to cool, but with the sun beating down today, it never really got cool at all.
I have to say that, even right out of the box, this gun is a lot more accurate than I am. I put a bipod on the forearm, but I did not have a sandbag for the buttstock to help support the rifle. No matter how hard I tried, it seemed that every third shot, I had a flier. The first two rounds in each group were tight (in two cases, very tight, as you will see), but the third shot always seemed to take off on me.
Here are my last four groups:
Not too hard to pick out the flinch on this one
This one was a bit better, but still a big jump
The next to last group, two shots in the same hole!
My last group, again, two shots in the same hole, and getting really close to where I want it.
The last five rounds I shot were at .410 shotshells I had placed on the 50 yard post... five shells, five shots, and it was amazing watching those shells take off! Like I said before, I certainly cannot complain with this level of performance on my first outing, with less than 50 rounds through the rifle. From what I understand, the gun should tighten up a bit after it has been broken in, but this one seems nigh perfect as is. The problems on these groups was all me, and I could tell as soon as I shot which ones would be off. I am really glad I found this site, and got the H&R.
