2025 Talladega D-Day Matches

Below are the 600 yard scores shot on the NRA Mid Range Target since I installed the CBI barrel.  The orange line is a running average of the last five 10 shot groups. It initially improved after break in, plateaued at an average score of 95 then dropped off.  This only shows the 600 yard groups, I also shot about twenty 10 shot groups at 300 yds, total round count now at 590.   

To be competitive in the Vintage Sniper Match, 300 yd scores need to be 100 and 600 yard scores 97 and higher.  

The bore is a bit larger on the LW barrel, a 0.3040- pin gage enters the muzzle.

This barrel requires machining of the breeching shoulder to correctly index. Had to take off 0.0158” which gave me a 14 deg “under turn” in the hand tight position. I decided to go with a bit less underturn this time.  Took about a 70 lb pull on the 12 inch action wrench to index the barrel, threads were coated with anti seize compound, so would have been a fair bit higher if dry. 

The LW barrel comes in the white, I sanded the outer surfaces and applied Birchwood Casey Perma Blue. Came out nice. 

Headspace is a bit shy of the 0.064 GO gage, the bolt handle is about 0.07” from contacting the action body butt socket.  I’ve never encountered rims that as thick as 0.064.  I’m shooting PPU brass which has rims that are 0.060 - 0.062 and they freely chamber and bolt fully locks. This is with a #1 bolt head. 

Rifle is now all assembled and ready for break in and test shooting. Crossing my fingers…

Pretty barrel, shame it has to be covered up with the hand guards.

This is a RH twist barrel, so there would be no tendency for bullet torque trying to unscrew the barrel, I didn’t see a reason that 100+ foot lbs of torque was necessary to shoot accurately and keep the barrel from loosening. 

A .3040- diameter pin gage enters the muzzle, 0.3045- does not. A bit larger than I expected. 4 groove barrel, looks like the lands are a bit narrower than the grooves.   Grooves are supposedly 0.314 but I’ve not slugged the bore yet. 

LW did a very good job on the throat, barely any visible reaming marks.  

Throat length is good too, a 174 gr SMK seated to 3.07” OAL jumps 0.06” to reach the lands.  A 174 gr Hornady .312 BTHP Match bullet contacts the lands at 3.072”, so these bullets probably need to be seated to 3.05” OAL. 

Borescope photo showing origin of the rifling. 

Had all the shooting gear packed in the truck, about to pull out of the driveway to make the 1.5 Hour trip to the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park (TMP). Something told me to check the TMP Calendar on the website, so pulled out my phone and took a look….RANGE CLOSED. Crap. Was looking forward to testing out the new Lothar Walther barrel on the BSA No. 4 Mk I (T) I installed last weekend. Range is closed for two weeks for the Police and Fire Games. 

So, sent a text to my bud Steve, the smith that turned the barrel breeching shoulder back on my last two barrel installs, he lives about an hour away and has his own range. He’s got a bench in his shop and shoots out the window. That will do, tho was hoping to shoot the rifle out to 600 yds today. 

Set up a SR-1 target at 100 yds to do the initial sighting in and barrel break-in. The throat in this rifle is obviously hand lapped, no visible reamer marks with the borescope. 

I first bore-sighted the rifle to get it lined up on the target. I then adjust the scope to the desired POA (bottom of black for a 6 O’Clock hold.  It took 8 clicks (minutes) of right windage and no change in elevation setting (aligned with the 100 yd range index mark on elevation drum.  This method has always worked for me and usually gets the first shot “in the black”.

First shot from the rifle was a 10, at 12:30. Lowered the elevation one click then fired 5 more shots, 4 of which landed in the X ring. I cleaned the bore with Bore Tech Eliminator after the third and sixth shot. Not much copper at all. 

Took that target down and put up a SR-21 target, this is a SR 300 yd Target reduced to 100 yds, so 50% smaller score rings.  Took one sighter, then fired a 10 shot group.  7 of the 10 shots landed in the 3/4” diameter X ring.  Group was right at 1.0” (1 MOA). 

I won’t pass any judgment on this barrel just yet, not until I shoot it at 300 and 600 yds, but initial indications are promising. 

Incidentally, the load is:

PPU Case, neck sized

WLR Primer

40.3 gr Varget

174 gr Sierra MatchKing

3.07” Cartridge Overall Length

Chrono Data:

Temp - 85 deg

Humidity - 75%

MV = 2352 fps

ES = 47 fps

SD = 15 fps

Velocity is about 65 fps slower than the CBI barrel.