Ok, guys, get ready to drool

Range report, 1903-A3

Today, being the first day since I got this thing that a: the weather is decent, b: I'm not at work and c: I had time, I took it out to try at 100 yards. To refresh your memory of which I speak,














Yeah, it's kind of washed out. January, low sun, no helping it. That white thing over the rear sight is bacause of the angle; I was getting a LOT of glare into the sight, so I taped a piece of target paper up as a shade. Which worked very well. Wind was a bit gusty, too.

I tried this with both the Korean M2 ball which works so well in my M1, and- having gotten myself some for Christmas- some Greek ball I ordered from CMP. Both hit at the same point of aim so far as I can tell, and gave pretty much identical accuracy.

I fired about 40 rounds total, and saved three targets. Some were not in the 'bragging' category, but that went away when I made the sight shade. Which gave me this:















The group on the left was the first three, I checked them through the scope, adjusted windage, and shot the next two. Adjusted, then fired the next target, lower three first, then the next two:















Note that while I strung the first three vertically, the horizontal dispersion is damn near zero.
Which made me very happy. This rifle, with standard ball, will shoot minute of angle or better; not sometimes, but every time when the guy shooting it does his part. I'm really tempted to get some match bullets and work on some loads, for it and the M1 both. And I need to find a place with a longer range, I'd really like to try this at 200 & 300.

I'm saving this target for last because, though I like it, I can't repeat it. Not so far, at least. This is right after I made the sunshade, and it's three shots. The first and third are the one hole at the left:














Honest and for true, I swear it! The second wasn't a surprise, I thought I'd pulled it. After the third I used the spotting scope, and couldn't figure out where the third round went, so I walked down and checked it. That hole is just slightly out of round, which flat amazed me.

Not bad for a rifle built in 1943.