11-15-2010, 11:58 AM
Update on my rifle. It came in the mail and I picked it up at the dealer. I then went through over a months worth of buyers remorse. I just didn't fall in love with it when I opened it up. I realized I like the traditional hunting rifle look with the blued barrel and walnut stock and this one has more of a modern look. I came pretty close to selling it on gunbroker and getting a CZ 550 or a T/C Icon, but I decided to suck it up and keep it. My Dad got me a Nikon Monarch 3-12x 42mm scope which I really like. Here is the total package hanging on the wall: http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0cf20.../ry%3D400/
As far as shooting and accuracy goes, I've had a realization. The type of shooting that people claim to be able to do on the internet is not going to be happening for me, no matter what gun I use. On shooting forums everyone is shooting .5 MOA, 5 shots touching at 100 yds, 1inch groups at 200 yds, etc, and it's real easy to get sucked in and think you can too. Honestly, I think the majority of them are full of shit. When you are actually sitting behind the scope and trying to hold steady at 200 yards, you realize just how far that is. 300 yards is ridiculously far, on 12 power the crosshairs are dancing all over the place. The reality is that I got (and paid for...) way more gun than I will need. Yes, the gun may be able to shoot half inch groups, but as it stands right now, I definitely am not... I would say I'm more of a 1.5 to 2 inch shooter at 100 yards, and I could be doing that with half as much as I spent.
And you know what? 2 inch groups is good efrigginough. I don't need to compete with a bunch of internet gun geeks. I've been out shooting a few times and this weekend I made 2 shots at 350 yards which could qualify as a "very dead deer" sized group. That's all I need. There is a field at my parents cabin that has a 300-350 yard spot where there are deer all the time at dusk. That means a full freezer every year, which will make me a very happy gun owner. 8)
There are many lessons I learned during this whole gun buying fiasco:
I won't buy a gun until I have actually held it, or one of the same make and model, in my hands and at my shoulder.
Wait a couple weeks before pushing the "buy" button on something this expensive. Then, before pushing, wait again...
Be careful of specialty forum talk. People on the internet exaggerate, lie and make mountains of molehills. (Yeah, I know. Duh...)
There is a reason the cutoff for military snipers is 1 MOA - it's really friggin hard to do.
As far as shooting and accuracy goes, I've had a realization. The type of shooting that people claim to be able to do on the internet is not going to be happening for me, no matter what gun I use. On shooting forums everyone is shooting .5 MOA, 5 shots touching at 100 yds, 1inch groups at 200 yds, etc, and it's real easy to get sucked in and think you can too. Honestly, I think the majority of them are full of shit. When you are actually sitting behind the scope and trying to hold steady at 200 yards, you realize just how far that is. 300 yards is ridiculously far, on 12 power the crosshairs are dancing all over the place. The reality is that I got (and paid for...) way more gun than I will need. Yes, the gun may be able to shoot half inch groups, but as it stands right now, I definitely am not... I would say I'm more of a 1.5 to 2 inch shooter at 100 yards, and I could be doing that with half as much as I spent.
And you know what? 2 inch groups is good efrigginough. I don't need to compete with a bunch of internet gun geeks. I've been out shooting a few times and this weekend I made 2 shots at 350 yards which could qualify as a "very dead deer" sized group. That's all I need. There is a field at my parents cabin that has a 300-350 yard spot where there are deer all the time at dusk. That means a full freezer every year, which will make me a very happy gun owner. 8)
There are many lessons I learned during this whole gun buying fiasco:
I won't buy a gun until I have actually held it, or one of the same make and model, in my hands and at my shoulder.
Wait a couple weeks before pushing the "buy" button on something this expensive. Then, before pushing, wait again...
Be careful of specialty forum talk. People on the internet exaggerate, lie and make mountains of molehills. (Yeah, I know. Duh...)
There is a reason the cutoff for military snipers is 1 MOA - it's really friggin hard to do.