I won’t go back and rehash detail info on the gun, only to say that it really is compact, a great little gun, and I am sure it will remain one of my favorites. Even though the Compact is a little on the stubby side, I installed a 12X Simmon’s AETEC with 44mm objective glass. I was waiting for an opportunity to use one.
The total weight for the gun is 8lbs 9 oz with scope, sling, replacement steel trigger guard and grip cap. Pretty hefty for a gun with a 20″ barrel and a straight cut stock. The gun alone is under 7 lbs and could have remained under 8 with an appropriately smaller scope.
I’d been putting off getting the gun up to the range and shooting through a chronograph. I figured the result would be a modest level of accuracy and a significant drop in MV from a 24″ barreled .243. Fortunately, as is frequently the case, I was wrong on both counts. The little Winchester was easy to shoot with the scope cranked up to max, or down to down to minimal magnification. At 5 lbs, the trigger is a little heavy, the bolt is just a little tight, both problems chalked up to conditions consistent with a new gun.
These are the first 6 shots out of the gun. After bore sighting I fired the single shot at the lower left. A small adjustment (over and up), I fired 2 shots, then a 3 shot group.
For the balance of the session it was .300″ – .400″ three shot groups. Two light IMR 7828 loads with 80 grain spitzers yielded 2940 fps and 3068 fps, with very little deviation from shot to shot.
I could have pushed it a bit further, but 3,050 + fps out of a short 20″ barreled gun seemed to give up very little to the 24″ Remington used for the other loads on the .243 data page. I’m going to spend more time with 7828 when I get some free time. It’s slow powder and usually marginal in my 7mm Mag with heavy bullets, but just about right for the .338-378. Can’t say why it worked well in the .243, but it appears to be accurate, fast and no signs of excessive pressure. If I get close to 3,000 fps with a 100 grain bullet…
Lock Stock & Barrel gets a face lift
Online hunting and reloading suppliers seem to have jumped out ahead of a lot of industries in hitting e-commerce on the Internet. Maybe it’s the direct mail experience that helped them to get organized quickly, but for whatever reason they are out there and doing a good job.
Two of the early sites have recently gone through an overhaul and are now on the next generation.Lock Stock & Barrel – Valentine Nebraska has always had a clean site, but the new one is better organized, faster to navigate, and it’s easy to make changes as you go along. More than the site, they seem to be very good at inventory management and order fulfillment. It’s nice to get an order acknowledgement, shortly after purchasing a diverse selection of products, that states all items are in stock and shipping on the same day. They’ve been my powder supply since California became the home of the $23 pound of powder.
Thanks
Joe
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