Wado II's Range Report

[Wado II]

Just when you thought it couldn't get more boring. I brought out another short barreled rifle' a Model 98 Turkish Mauser action Remington Sendero barreled .308 Winchester. Barrel is a twelve twist that started out on a Remington rifle I believe it was a 300 Win Mag. I bought the action and the barrel from Kenneth Eller a long time ago and between me and Dwight Marshall in Refugio we glued it together into what it is. The action was cracked so I had it welded back did lots of truing on the bolt and I did my first bolt handle forging I usually cut them off and had them tig welded. Dwight cut the barrel off at the chamber end rethreaded it for the Mauser and chambered it for .308 I forget the headspace it's fairly short and the chamber is tight. The barrel finished out at 18.5" and is threaded 5/8x24 for a muzzle device. I found using once shot Lake City LR brass would sometimes be too large to chamber even after resizing them twice. I had to make a no go gauge to sort the brass to use it. I never had new commercial brass for .308 always used range brass I finally broke down and got some Lapua and Hornady. Have about a thousand Lake City I probably won't use. I also found if the Lake City wouldn't chamber the primer pockets were blown out machine guns are tough on brass. Anyway, I had it in a military stock I shaped up then put it in a Boyds thumbhole and had a friend of mines dad glass bed it. He liked doing that stuff and I was way happy for him to do it He did a good job used Marine Tex made it solid. Some of you guys might have known him we called him Coach Boehm he coached all over Texas retired in Victoria.
Only bullets I had loaded were some 155 Berger VLD Target and some 150 grain Winchester Power Points. I killed a deer with one of the Power Points maybe another one or a pig I don't remember it's been a while. Heck, I didn't shoot it for several years after it was glass bedded never got to tell Coach how it shot he's gone now. The PP's were dated 2015 the Bergers were from 2021 or 2022 in Lapua brass the others in old Federal brass. A couple split the necks after firing no telling how many times they had been loaded.
I started with a really clean barrel I used JB bore paste and Wipe Out no carbon ring and little copper left. All groups were shot with a SRT suppressor attached at 100 yards. First shots were scattering a bit pretty normal for the Power Points I shot two five round groups and recorded velocities then removed the Magnetospeed bayonet. Top targets were first then I dropped down below the corresponding loads and shot for groups with just the suppressor screwed on. Bergers tightened up the Power Points were hanging in there then one went south. The brass was pretty smudged that's when I discovered the split neck and found a second one of the old brass. Lapua looked brand new. I compared the Berger book velocity for that 155 grain bullet and their max load of 44.6 grains yields 2764 fps my load of 44 grains is average of 2590 fps, quite slower for only .6 grains. I'm not too upset with the Power Points they never shot too good kind of crude bullets but expand at low velocities. I decided to adjust the scope and the sun went behind some clouds so I shot a final five shot group with the bergers. Took my time and knocked out a .500 group. Barrel needed a little fouling I have shot some pretty good groups with this thing but not with Power Points.

[Wado II]

I shot this target three years ago. Center target was the first three with Berger 155 VLD Target same stuff I shot yesterday. First time the rifle had been out of storage when we moved here I was going to sight it in for shooting pigs. When I first shot yesterday the scope was where I left it. Had a shift to the right when I adjusted it yesterday I moved it six clicks left and didn't touch the elevation.

[KWeber]

you ever load 100gr for 243? deer wacker...

[Wado II]

I am working my way up to the heavier bullets. I think I have what I want for the light fast stuff. I have some bullets up to 105 grain but this short slow barrel might not spin them fast enough. The short barrel is making this hard to load for that single shot I had was very accurate with 95 grain bullets until it gave up. I still don't know why it quit shooting I still have it I might bring it out one day and give it another chance.

[Wado II]

Putting together the last range session I shot today. Did some seating depth tests and a couple of heavier loads 95-100 grain stuff. I got the 87 grain Berger VLD Hunting bullets where they need to be and I have a new load for the 95 grain Bergers I just haven't shot it yet maybe tomorrow weather permitting. Sure wish somebody would make new springs for the trigger in the Stevens 334 I found replacement magazines but only three rounders are available the fives sold out quick.

[Wado II]

Lets see if I can make sense of this. I'm tired of messing with the chronograph some of these loads speeds have been previously recorded at a different bullet seating depths it shouldn't change much going longer or shorter the 90 grain Speer load is new I estimated the velocity from Speers data just subtracted 100 fps for the shorter barrel. It shot a crazy group these are flat base bullets everything else I have shot are boat tails. They might not be suitable for this rifle but I got them super cheap too bad if they don't work out.
Top left and bottom left targets were shot with the same bullet & powder charge and brass & primer the bottom bullet was seated .005 deeper in the neck only difference. The group tightened up some everything still shooting about an inch and a half low from my aim point. I like seeing the two touching I am going to try that load again seating the bullet a little deeper the pro's usually do a seating test in .003" increments I went .005 on the first one.
Moving on to the 87 grain Bergers top target on the right. I had been shooting these in all the velocity testing using Bergers cartridge overall lengths from their reloading book they were way off of the riflings this load I set the bullets approximately .010 from jam length for starters. Most stuff I read about Berger bullets is they are more accurate closer to the riflings apparently this is true. Shot number four went high most likely shooter error or maybe brass inconsistency or something else with my handloading technique. Four shots went into a .244 group the wild one made it .741.
I decided at this time to try and center the shots and adjust the scope before the last attempt bottom right. I think these just shoot terrible for some reason. First two were low the rest were high like shooting two groups unless the scopes turrets adjustment mechanism has some movement and the recoil bounced the crosshairs a couple of tenths. It's a Vortex scope when I shoot it again and it shoots high more than likely it was the scope settling in that's not saying much for Vortex . That's about an inch shift from the bottom two shots. Their scopes in this price range usually are pretty precise. I used to tap the dial a couple of times with a quarter on the old scopes when I adjusted them to get them to move maybe I needed to give this one a good pounding.