Quick little steel match

[Eric Johanen]

Nine or ten shooter's and one on-looker who when offered a chance for a few shots took advantage and had a enjoyable new experience. Running the open barrel sights is really a lot of fun and some pretty good work can be one with them. Best work is on a target somewhat wider that your front blade to aid in centering it up. Targets at the same width or smaller than your blade make it pretty tough and result in close misses (unless you have a 20 year old's eyes!) Love this rifle for hunting....accurate, light weight and with a sling, doesn't get much better! The 73.0 grain load with 1.5 OE using the Accurate 51-465 shoots pretty good. If one is looking for a bullet for modern bore dimensions, this one is really worth looking at. I sort them by weight and pan lube as cast. Can be seated out or with all lube groves covered and shoots well in both applications. I do prefer the BACO 511-500 FN for hunting as the large meplat really puts the hit on whitetails and my ranges are all under 150 yards. Have to finalize my load for the 44-77 and then get it zeroed for 200. Then it will be out banging steel! Only open iron sights on that one too. Do not feel disadvantaged fielding a rifle so equipped as you are not really competing with the target sight crowd, you are teaching yourself every time you are out with one. Currently 400 yards seems to be my limit but I have not had the opportunity to work with them at longer distance. Does feel pretty good when your spotter says "good shot, right in the heart/lung area time after time!