First shots with my new SVD

I bought my self a new rifle. I was going to buy DPMS AR10 or S&W mp10, but when I was at the gunstore I saw something beautiful. An original SVD Dragunov, stock condition! The last time when I have seen and fired Dragunov was in the army. Best part is the price only half of the S&W mp10! Decicion was made, I can buy AR10 rifles anytime but original Dragunov's, maybe never!

Detailed review gomes later, I also bought some wolf 7,65*54R ammo and headed to range. I was trilled! There was also Russian scope PO 4x24 with the rifle.

  

First shots were off the target, but then I sights to the A4 papertarget. Wolf ammo performed nicely 4 shots were in 3cm group and one flyer 5cm off the group! nicely done with cheapest ammo what you can find!

How to make a "puukko"

My father made me a nice christmas preset, DIY "Puukko" set. It had a my fathers handmade blade, handle, two brass somethings( I dont know what they are called in english), leather and wood for shealt.

The blade is forged of high garbon steel wich is mixed with crome and vanadium. In Finland its called "hopeateräs" (silversteel) becouse of its bright color. It is corrosive steel material but with right hardening and tempature treatment you get blade with extreame sharpness and toughness.

Assembleng a scandinavian style puukko is quite simple you just burn a hole with your blade trough your wooden handle. Then put some glue your brass things(still I dont know what they are called) and your wooden handle and hammer them together.

Now all you need is little sanding and some Danish Oil to have new nice puukko.

To make a new shealt you need leather, two needles and waxed thread. I have posted an article of making revolver holster, princible is same, wet leather is mold to the shape you want. Blade is protected by wooden cover wich allso gives the shealt its looks when you mold your leather. I did a tratitional "tommy" style shealt.

 

Handloads for STI 223 part 2

I wisited a local gunsmith to buy bullets to find good load for 300m. Unfortunalety there were only 75gr Hormady bullets, I was looking for 69gr but I guess that will be OK. STI has a 1-8" twisting so it would work, how ever 16" barrel would not give much speed. Anyway I was curious to find out how accurate it will be.

Lapua 55gr fmj and Hormady 75gr

Vihtavuori reloading manual gives powder values for N135 and N140, I have some recollection that N140 + 223 rem with 16" barrel = flamethrower so I did two different loads with N135.

.223 load No. 2

case = S&B Bulk full sized
primer = Federal No. 205
bullet = Hormady 75gr BTHP
powder = N135 23,0gr & 23,5gr
lenght = 57,4mm

I had problem with Lee .223 bullet seating dye, it gaves hormady hallow point bullet visible dent. After reloading I tried a Hormady .222 rem bullet seating dye, that worked well. Also with Lee dye the handloads jammed in the PMAG magasine when cartridge lenght was 57,4mm. This problem did not occur with Hormady dye when cartridge lenght was same. I might have to redo these handloads becouse there were some flyers.

Lee leaves a dent in the hollow point

Shooting conditions were below avarage, -7.5 C snowing and 2-4 m/s wind 180 degree.

10 shot groupings=

23,0gr =38mmx41mm

23,5gr =52mmx42mm

second 10 shot group

AR testing

I went 100m range today. Weather was gloydy -6c and little wind 20 degrees mayby 2-4 m/s.

First I shot PMC 55gr 10 shots midle of the target. Then I shot 40 handloads with Lapua 55gr FMJ and N133 powder in four different places. There were 4 differend powder loads 23gr(9 clock) 23,5gr (12 clock) 24gr (3 clock) and 24,5gr (6 clock). I did 5 shot goups from 23gr to 24,5gr, then I marked the hits and then fired another 5 shot groups in the same spots.

AR load no. 1

Case = S&B bulk full sized
Primer = Federal No. 204
Bullet = Lapua 55gr fmj S382
Powder = N133
Lenght = 54,0 mm

Notes: the 24,5gr load is vihtavuori manuals maxinum load and it is almost full case.

Smallest 10 shot group is 24gr with 42mm diameter, thats under 1,5 MOA pretty desent for fast shooting. In 23,5gr group are two massive flyers, my magazine must hit the taple while shooting. PMC is the cheapest 223  ammo without steel core in finland, but the accuracy is over 2 MOA with STI sporting rifle(some ranges forbittens using bullet with steel core). The Lapua 55gr fmj would be very nice for hunting and under 150m, but I still need more heavyer bullet for knucking down steel plates at 300m. I have plenty of Lapua 55gr FMJ and vihtavuori N133 powder in storage, I guess I now know what to do with them.

Remington 700 police handloads part 1

After I taked part in beertrophy match I wanted to improve long range accuracy with my remington. I have owned remington for few years and shot some handloads with it. However my reloading diarys are gone and I had to started it again in excel.

I remembered that Sierra Match 168gr gave some resorts with vihtavuori N150 and I had primed lapua cells in the storage so I started with that.

First load:

Load number: 1

Case: Lapua

Primer: unknow

Powder: N150 43gr

Bullet: Sierra Match 168gr

Loading length: 73mm

Load number: 2

Case: Lapua

Primer: unknow

Powder: N150 43,5gr

Bullet: Sierra Match 168gr

Loading length: 73mm

I reloaded 20 rounds each load and headed to the 300 meter range. This time shooting conditions were quite difficult. It was snowing and there were about 5 km/h wind in 45 degrees of angel. I was shooting prone with dipod and large sandbag in rear.

Here is my 10 round groupings:

Load number 1: 90mm x 140mm and 120x150

Load number 2: 70x150 (one flyer) and 90x110

For the record, I have some problems shooting prone with dipods. The gun powerfully "jumps" left when recoiling. Load number 2 gives more stable goupings, so I will try 44gr load also.

10 shots at 300m 70mm hight and 150mm wide

Olutmalja kisa "beertrhophy match" Kuopio

I havent writen in a long time in my blog for personal reasons. But now I decidet to start writing in english mainly from my shooting hoppys for edducational reasons :) My text will have lots of miss spells and I'm not going to correct them so I can follow my progress.


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Leupold Mark 4 3,5-10x TMR

  I participate in "beertrhophy match" with my remington police 308 win. Match rules are simple, 30 shots at 300 meters and smallest gouping wins. participate feed is beer six-pack and winner takes it all. Shooting methods are free, but benchrest equipments are forbidden, dipod are OK and small rear bag is also OK. Shooting time is 1 hour.

My reloading diarys are gone and I haven done that for a while, so I bought Lapua Trainer whit 8g bullets for the job.

My offical shooting score was 181 mm, not as good I hoped. If you take out my 3 flyers the grouping should have been about 130 mm. Weather was eccelent, no wind at all and tempature 0 cecius. Alltogether beertrhophy is an eccelent shooting competition and it gives you an idea what kind of accuracy you realy can achieve whit you, your rifle and your ammo

Final score

Simple Leather Holster for a Revolver

One day I wathed a punsh of leather holster vidoes on YouTube, so I wanted to do my own version of a simple DIY holster. I did it same way as I would do traditional shield for "puukko", only wet leather rapped around the gun/knife and one long and tight stich.


Once you have figured out what kind of holster you want, start tracing your gun on paper and transfer it to leather. Its better to leave extra leather every direction to make stiching more easyer. Final cutting will be done after stiching and couple hours of drying

Gun traced to leather

Before moistening the leather with water you have to prepear you gun first. Be able to take the gun off the holster I clued a woden stick behind the front sight. Leather also shrinks a lot when drying, to get a suitable fitting between holster and gun I wrap the gun in thin plastig. 

Stiching started of the widest part

 I shoaked the leather in water for a while. Moisted leather tranforms to streatshing material and its now easy to stich and shape. Stiching I use waxed thead, two needles and a punsh. First I punch a hole in both leathers, then pull both needles trought the same hole a cross each other. In beginning I start first stich in second hole, then come back the first hole and after that continue normally. In the end come back two stich holes and just cut the thread.

Stiching finished

After couple hours of drying it's time for finishing. Cut the final shape of the holster, push the final gun forms in leather and make decorations or initials to the leather. Half dry leather adapts figures easily.

Leather cutted and guns figure pressed to the leather

Holser become nice looking and tight. You cant cock the hammer becouse sylinder wont rotate, but still gun is easy to take off wrom the holster. There is also a snapper behind hammer to keep gun firmly in place.

Leather oiled

After all, totall cost of my new holster was 15€ and about 4 hours of work. But if I do it again, it would be half that time.