Ammo change for practise shooting.

Tikka391

Right lads,
I'm planning on getting some practise shooting done over the holidays.
I just got my new mod for the rifle so I will 're zero the scope then I want to get a good bit of practise done with the sticks and various positions.
But I don't fancy banging off a few boxes of vmax at €34.50 ish a box.
So how do ye normally go about this. Do you buy different cheaper ammo and zero to suit it, then re zero back to suit the vmax.
Also what ammo would you recommend.

Tikka. 223 tac with new hausken mod.

Many thanks.

clivej

Tikka391 wrote: »

Right lads,
I'm planning on getting some practise shooting done over the holidays.
I just got my new mod for the rifle so I will 're zero the scope then I want to get a good bit of practise done with the sticks and various positions.
But I don't fancy banging off a few boxes of vmax at €34.50 ish a box.
So how do ye normally go about this. Do you buy different cheaper ammo and zero to suit it, then re zero back to suit the vmax.
Also what ammo would you recommend.

Tikka. 223 tac with new hausken mod.

Many thanks.

American Eagle BTHP always shot the same in my CZ Varmint 223. Was bout €16-18 a box of 20.
Also Hornady steel match was very good, comes in a box of 50.
The Aquila 50 round box didn't always fire off. A few duds in the box

Tikka391

clivej wrote: »

American Eagle BTHP always shot the same in my CZ Varmint 223. Was bout €16-18 a box of 20.
Also Hornady steel match was very good, comes in a box of 50.
The Aquila 50 round box didn't always fire off. A few duds in the box

Thanks clivej

tac foley

Why not bite the bullet - so to speak - and practice with the stuff that you going to end up shooting? Shooting 'cheap stuff' is a false economy if you have to shoot your rifle back into the original zero again. Unless, of course, you know how to do the two-shot zero thing.

Tikka391

tac foley wrote: »

Why not bite the bullet - so to speak - and practice with the stuff that you going to end up shooting? Shooting 'cheap stuff' is a false economy if you have to shoot your rifle back into the original zero again. Unless, of course, you know how to do the two-shot zero thing.

Thanks tac but it's not the zeroing I'm bothered about.
I want to do a nice bit of practise shooting with sticks and different shooting positions while I have the time and you wouldn't find your self burning through a nice few boxes of bullets I suppose. So at nearly 35 quid it's a bit expensive.

Also any nice shooting practise hunts or tips with the sticks would be great.
Thanks lads.

tac foley

'kay. I concede that you might have a point. What calibre are you shooting?

Tikka391

tac foley wrote: »

'kay. I concede that you might have a point. What calibre are you shooting?

.223, thanks tac.

Wadi14

Personally I would zero with the mod with your vmax, and record that zero and set your elevation and lateral scope dials to 0. also record your scope settings,so your zeroed for vmax you can always return to that zero after zeroing for your cheaper ammo, record your new zero, but don't set your new zero to 0 on your scope, so that you will know it for future shooting, and dial back to your vmax setting when ur finished.

So you now have 2 zeros on your scope for the 2 types of ammo you most frequently will use in your rifle. your 0 dials for your best ammo and your recorded adjustment for your training ammo. As long as your zeroed and scope set to 0 you have those positions you can dial up down left right all day as long as you record .
I hope that makes so kind of sense to you

tac foley

My local gun stores sell steel-cased Hornady stuff for a lot less than that, but it might just be cheaper here in yUK than you have to pay. No chance of buying it in the North, then?

.223 REM Hornady 55gr FMJ-BT Ammunition (50 Round Pack) - Collection Only Our Price: £22.00(Inc. 20% VAT)

Tikka391

Wadi14 wrote: »

Personally I would zero with the mod with your vmax, and record that zero and set your elevation and lateral scope dials to 0. also record your scope settings,so your zeroed for vmax you can always return to that zero after zeroing for your cheaper ammo, record your new zero, but don't set your new zero to 0 on your scope, so that you will know it for future shooting, and dial back to your vmax setting when ur finished.

So you now have 2 zeros on your scope for the 2 types of ammo you most frequently will use in your rifle. your 0 dials for your best ammo and your recorded adjustment for your training ammo. As long as your zeroed and scope set to 0 you have those positions you can dial up down left right all day as long as you record .
I hope that makes so kind of sense to you

Thanks wadi, just what I was after. Thanks a mill.

Tikka391

tac foley wrote: »

My local gun stores sell steel-cased Hornady stuff for a lot less than that, but it might just be cheaper here in yUK than you have to pay. No chance of buying it in the North, then?

.223 REM Hornady 55gr FMJ-BT Ammunition (50 Round Pack) - Collection Only Our Price: £22.00(Inc. 20% VAT)

I'll certainly look into it. Didn't think much about it to be honest. Only 40 mins south of the border here.
Is there much to do 're buying up north .ie paper work.

Thanks again tac.

zeissman

A 22lr is a great thing to have for the type of practice your planning.
A new tikka T1x would be ideal.

RS98

S&B bulk pack FMJ' s work very well out of my rifle (1:12 twist) . €65 for 100 rounds.
https://outdoorsports.ie/collections/sellier-bellot/products/sellier-bellot-223-55gr-fmj
I don't know how far that is from you but they ship to your door. Think it's around €6/7 for shipping.

American eagle 55 gr FMJ is also fairly good at €14/ 20 though not as accurate as S&B (for me anyway). McBrides in Athlone sells them.
https://mcbrides.ie/collections/ammo/products/223-rem-fmj-bt-55g
He also delivers for about the same charge .

Melodeon

Just to add to what Wadi14 wrote above, I'd suggest you get hold of a selection of whatever cheap ammo your usual suppliers carry, and test with them.
Sort out a dead-on zero with your V-Max and set your scope turrets to zero.
Without adjusting the scope in any way, start shooting groups with the cheap stuff, on the same aiming point, and find out which one comes closest to the same zero as the V-Max.
Make that your preferred brand/type of practice ammo, and will require the minimum of scope adjustment between the two.

zeissman

Melodeon wrote: »

Just to add to what Wadi14 wrote above, I'd suggest you get hold of a selection of whatever cheap ammo your usual suppliers carry, and test with them.
Sort out a dead-on zero with your V-Max and set your scope turrets to zero.
Without adjusting the scope in any way, start shooting groups with the cheap stuff, on the same aiming point, and find out which one comes closest to the same zero as the V-Max.
Make that your preferred brand/type of practice ammo, and will require the minimum of scope adjustment between the two.

The thing about cheap ammo is that it has to be reasonably accurate otherwise you are wasting your time and money.

Melodeon

Yeah, I probably should have elaborated on that point.
You're looking for an acceptable compromise between cost, point-of-impact similarity to the V-Max, and group size that you can live with.

Tikka391

Hey lads thanks thanks for all the helpful advice.

Rosahane

When I had a 223 I used the Federal in the red box (can't remember if it was Vital Shock or the other one) for foxing and American Eagle for practice as you describe. The ballistic tables on the respective boxes were identical and POI showed no real difference.

yubabill

I found Hornady Steel Match 55gr FMJ marginally more accurate in my Tikka 1:8 than Hornady 55gr VMax. Same POI. Have a lot of respect for steel match, would love to get my hands on some more, seems to sell out in a flash - anybody know where to get?