37XC Build

[Rocketmandb]

Finally got out to the range to run some groups to try and zero in on a good load. It was warmer today and I picked up roughly 20 fps over my ladder results at a similar load. I ran 5 shots at each 118.2 and 118.8 gr of h1000 and 6 in the middle at 118.5.

The 118.2 and 118.8 groups were flat out bad. The 118.5 group... well...

My concern here is that the other two loads surrounding this one were all over the place, and I have a hard time believing this one sitting in the middle magically got this good when they were so bad. I'll be validating this with 20 rounds or so on my next range trip, but I'll not be holding my breath waiting for a repeat.

The group size also sucked - not sure I'd be able to pull it in with seating depth, but I won't worry about that until (and if) I validate SD over a lot more rounds.

I'll likely also try a lower charge next time and try to get it back down to the 3050 fps range.

 

[babyguppy]

Rocket - glad you were finally able to get to the range, makes for a great day

Two questions
1) How long is your barrel? I reread the thread and I couldn't find it (curious)
2) Question - on the Tubbs site , they show

36inch barrel CE 352gr MTAC 3165ft/s with 119.5gr H1000.​

Out of curiosity, did you go up a grain to see if you were getting pressure or does your barrel like the 3050 fps with the 353s​

link

 

[Rocketmandb]

Rocket - glad you were finally able to get to the range, makes for a great day

Two questions
1) How long is your barrel? I reread the thread and I couldn't find it (curious)
2) Question - on the Tubbs site , they show

36inch barrel CE 352gr MTAC 3165ft/s with 119.5gr H1000.​

Out of curiosity, did you go up a grain to see if you were getting pressure or does your barrel like the 3050 fps with the 353s​

link

Mine is 31" - I needed to be at least somewhat practical. I can't imagine lugging around a 36" barrel, much less finding a case for one.

On the Tubb data and related:

- 119.5 is approaching pressure for me. I went up to above 120 and started getting pressure. These were hitting at well above 3100.
- I'm guessing 119.5, I'd get right around 3100 or a little higher.
- I'm still trying to find what the barrel likes

 

[Rocketmandb]

I think I'm finally zeroing in on a load. The 118.5gr H1000 load that I got those good SDs above seems to be working out. I might drop it a tenth of a grain or so to make up for seating depth.

Speaking of which...

I was speaking with the guys at Straight Jacket Armory about my to-be-delivered shorty 308 and the conversation turned to the 37XC and seating depth. The key piece of info was to run monos at .120"+. I did a little testing today from 110 to 130 off at .005" increments. .125" wasn't bad, .130" was sub 1/2 moa. Next time out, I'll validate against 118.4 and .130" off, and also take it out to .135", .140", and .145" off and see how those do.

 

[disky1]

I think I'm finally zeroing in on a load. The 118.5gr H1000 load that I got those good SDs above seems to be working out. I might drop it a tenth of a grain or so to make up for seating depth.

Speaking of which...

I was speaking with the guys at Straight Jacket Armory about my to-be-delivered shorty 308 and the conversation turned to the 37XC and seating depth. The key piece of info was to run monos at .120"+. I did a little testing today from 110 to 130 off at .005" increments. .125" wasn't bad, .130" was sub 1/2 moa. Next time out, I'll validate against 118.4 and .130" off, and also take it out to .135", .140", and .145" off and see how those do.

Have you been out again yet? Im still waiting to hear!

Im sure there is a few of us.
I had the 375 enabelr out. 390gr atip at 2932fps. 10es.

 

[Rocketmandb]

Have you been out again yet? Im still waiting to hear!

Im sure there is a few of us.
I had the 375 enabelr out. 390gr atip at 2932fps. 10es.

I'm heading out on the 4th - I've got the private range for 4 hours. Just been too busy with work to get out.

 

[Rocketmandb]

I went out today, but screwed up my seating depth tests. But the rest went ok. Things I did:

- I opened up the powder about a week prior to load and put it in a 45% humidity-controlled cabinet. This slowed the powder down a bit. I can alter the humidity down a little, but not sure I want to.
- I also lowered the powder charge slightly to 118.4
- Temp warmed up from 76 to low 90s during the 4 hours I was there, so that likely contributed a bit to higher SDs than desired. A few of the later rounds went into the 3060s.
- These three together gave me an average velocity of about 3050 and an SD of 7.7,over about 20 rounds, which is slightly more than I'd like.
- I broke a target at the range (strap ripped off), so there's that

 

[Rocketmandb]

Another range report:

- I dropped the charge weight on my "Champion" charge from 118.4 gr to 118.3. At 118.4 I had a few that jumped up in velocity last go. It was a little cooler today, and with the lower charge weight/temp, everything stayed tight in the 3050 fps range.
- SDs were 6.2 fps over 30 rounds, which I'm quite happy with.
- I tested a few additional charge weights (4-shot groups). One at 119.1 gr got me 3080 fps with a 3 fps ES. Not sure it's worth doing more load development there as I'm getting good results at 3050ish fps.
- I, correctly this time, tested additional seating depths, starting at .130 off and going out at .003" increments. The image below shows results. Note that I still had open dots from my last test board, so I just reused it. The .130 is N, O = .133, P = .136, etc.

I have to admit that the .133 surprised me. I'm thinking that either something was off with me on that group, or something was off with the ammo. It doesn't make sense that .130 would be an extended hole, and .136 would be a single hole, and .133 sucks so bad. I'll be retesting there.

EDIT: I fired 70 rounds today. I likely won't be doing that many again

EDIT 2: I also took it out to 1300 yards and had some success there. I have to say, however, that the solids are tougher to self spot than jacketed - even on my Berger 230s with my 300 PRC. I missed two hits that were high on the target and didn't see because the target didn't move and the mark was slight. I'm considering on my next barrel for this going down to either a 33XC or a 338 LM Improved so I can use a jacketed bullet (Berger 300) - and get an arbor press seater.

 

[babyguppy]

Another range report:

- I dropped the charge weight on my "Champion" charge from 118.4 gr to 118.3. At 118.4 I had a few that jumped up in velocity last go. It was a little cooler today, and with the lower charge weight/temp, everything stayed tight in the 3050 fps range.
- SDs were 6.2 fps over 30 rounds, which I'm quite happy with.
- I tested a few additional charge weights (4-shot groups). One at 119.1 gr got me 3080 fps with a 3 fps ES. Not sure it's worth doing more load development there as I'm getting good results at 3050ish fps.
- I, correctly this time, tested additional seating depths, starting at .130 off and going out at .003" increments. The image below shows results. Note that I still had open dots from my last test board, so I just reused it. The .130 is N, O = .133, P = .136, etc.

I have to admit that the .133 surprised me. I'm thinking that either something was off with me on that group, or something was off with the ammo. It doesn't make sense that .130 would be an extended hole, and .136 would be a single hole, and .133 sucks so bad. I'll be retesting there.

View attachment 7968052

EDIT: I fired 70 rounds today. I likely won't be doing that many again

EDIT 2: I also took it out to 1300 yards and had some success there. I have to say, however, that the solids are tougher to self spot than jacketed - even on my Berger 230s with my 300 PRC. I missed two hits that were high on the target and didn't see because the target didn't move and the mark was slight. I'm considering on my next barrel for this going down to either a 33XC or a 338 LM Improved so I can use a jacketed bullet (Berger 300) - and get an arbor press seater.

love the Detail, thanks for taking the time to post.
questions
I'm with you on the question of target 'O' ; 'N' at .130 and 'P' at .136 .....

Edit - when you shoot your string, do you cool between each shot? or shoot 3 and then let barrel cool? (Hopefully you didn't already answer this in a previous post that I might of missed)

Edit 2 - have you bought a camera/video to put on your 1300 - 1500 yard shots? .. example, longshot 1 mile video system, or whatever... This might help you on your spot; since you can rewind and look for the misses near hits
I use a spotter and an apple iPhone to record. works great except for high mirage, granted you have to wait for the scope to quit moving before hitting record, lol. Sometimes, you can see the bullet trace (which is cool as hell).

Edit 3 - thinking about this, yea, unless you're shooting against a chalk wall, that solid would still be hard as hell to see, (unless your hitting steel).
last final thought - I vote 33Xc on your next barrel, since all you have to do is to neck down the brass from the 37XC

 

[Rocketmandb]

love the Detail, thanks for taking the time to post. questions
I'm with you on the question of target 'N' at .133 and 'P' at .136 ..... Do you think 'O' could of been off? maybe they were tightening with N.. O was an off load, and P shows the (damn near 1 hole) results?

N was .130 (my current "champion" seating depth) - all the rest were challengers with O being .133, etc. - I doubt I would be that far off on all three shots, so my current assumption is that it was something to do with the case/load.

My biggest issue with this rifle right now is that I don't have, and can't economically get, a seater die for an arbor press, so I can't tell if the seating force is consistent. LE Wilson makes one for the 33XC - and they make a FL bushing sizer for 33XC too - but nothing for the 37XC, and the bullet size for the 37 precludes modifying the seater for the 33. I can get a custom seater from Warner, but it's like $800.

Also, my current bushing is sizing down the neck too much. The mandrel is really working the brass when I open it back up. I talked to David Tubb this week and they are going to polish down the inside of a bushing to try and get me another .001" or so. My concern here is that because of the force I need to use with the mandrel, I'm deforming the brass lengthwise when I use it. I'll be playing with that this week to see what's happening.

Edit - have you bought a camera/video to put on your 1300 - 1500 yard shots? .. example, longshot 1 mile video system, or whatever.. This might help you on your spot; since you can rewind and look for the misses near hits

I've considered it. A guy I went shooting with like 6 months ago had a Long Shot. It was very cool, easy to set up, etc. I just have so much frikkin' equipment to take already, between targets, rifles, spotting equipment, etc., that I'm not sure I want to spend $800 to bring more.

 

[babyguppy]

You already dipped your toe... go ahead, finish jumping in
edit - how'd you shoot your strings, 3 at a time, or 1 let it cool, 2, let it cool, 3 , let it cool? just curious.
I know my FPS tend to vary just a tad, as the barrel heats up and I leave the round in the chamber for a bit.

 

[Rocketmandb]

You already dipped your toe... go ahead, finish jumping in
edit - how'd you shoot your strings, 3 at a time, or 1 let it cool, 2, let it cool, 3 , let it cool? just curious.
I know my FPS tend to vary just a tad, as the barrel heats up and I leave the round in the chamber for a bit.

I got the barrel warm with a few rounds then fired strings with a short wait in between to let some barrel cooling happen.

 

[disky1]

Of course its up to you. But I wouldnt be worried about the 'O'load seating depth.

The difference in that could be simply the bullet leaving the barrel a millisecond different and at 'bad point' in the barrels harmonics.

Load 10 at 118.3gr .130
Load 10 at 118.3gr .136

Load 10.at 119.1gr .130
Load 10 at 119.1gr .136


Shoot all ten of each batch over the chrono into the same target.
Get some proper es and sd numbers based off 10 bullets instead of 3.

Foul your barrel first with 2 or 3 rounds. Then shoot all 10. Wait for gun to cool. Shoot next group.

At the end of this you will see one load stand out. Pick it and your done. Quit fu*king with it!


I picked the load for my 375 enabler in like 50 rounds. Did really well out to 2800m also!


If you dont like solids. I have 375 atips and they are great. The splash is huge also. 1 in 8 barrel and they are fine.

 

[Rocketmandb]

If you dont like solids. I have 375 atips and they are great. The splash is huge also. 1 in 8 barrel and they are fine.

What velocity are you shooting them at?

 

[disky1]

2923fps

 

[Rocketmandb]

2923fps

I'm going to start using them - see post below

 

[Rocketmandb]

Set a new personal best range for me today when I took my 37XC out to 2504 yards.

- Unfortunately, my load was not working well - velocity was all over the map.
- I was self spotting - I didn't expect it to be easy, but it was insanely difficult. Especially because...
- I had a tough time getting the range and I needed to walk out a hefty distance and get two ranges then guestimate. That put me well off on my initial guess (2400). Getting that first spotted miss was a royal pain.
- You can't spot hits with solids. I'm kind of over them for this sort of distance. Note the tiny mark below - this is a 1/4" AR500 target (33" square). It didn't move. I might get a 3/16" target made. A Long Shot target cam may also be in the cards. I just don't want even more gear...
- Wind was 7 mph and variable. Even though it was low, the variability in direction played hell with the wind call
- I hit one out of 30 - but given the factors acting against me, I'll take it! (And the one hit was dead center )
- I validated the range after the fact using the GPS in my Jeep. I need a handheld...

 

[6.5SH]

Set a new personal best range for me today when I took my 37XC out to 2504 yards.

- Unfortunately, my load was not working well - velocity was all over the map.
- I was self spotting - I didn't expect it to be easy, but it was insanely difficult. Especially because...
- I had a tough time getting the range and I needed to walk out a hefty distance and get two ranges then guestimate. That put me well off on my initial guess (2400). Getting that first spotted miss was a royal pain.
- You can't spot hits with solids. I'm kind of over them for this sort of distance. Note the tiny mark below - this is a 1/4" AR500 target (33" square). It didn't move. I might get a 3/16" target made. A Long Shot target cam may also be in the cards. I just don't want even more gear...
- Wind was 7 mph and variable. Even though it was low, the variability in direction played hell with the wind call
- I hit one out of 30 - but given the factors acting against me, I'll take it! (And the one hit was dead center )
- I validated the range after the fact using the GPS in my Jeep. I need a handheld...

View attachment 7998535
View attachment 7998536
View attachment 7998537

Find the bullet from your impact?

 

[Rocketmandb]

Find the bullet from your impact?

The only thing I found was what looked like a copper "shaving" - it was about an inch long and shaped like a wishbone. I'm not sure it was from my shot, but it was still very shiny, and the area just opened up after being closed for 6 months of fire season.

 

[disky1]

Set a new personal best range for me today when I took my 37XC out to 2504 yards.

- Unfortunately, my load was not working well - velocity was all over the map.
- I was self spotting - I didn't expect it to be easy, but it was insanely difficult. Especially because...
- I had a tough time getting the range and I needed to walk out a hefty distance and get two ranges then guestimate. That put me well off on my initial guess (2400). Getting that first spotted miss was a royal pain.
- You can't spot hits with solids. I'm kind of over them for this sort of distance. Note the tiny mark below - this is a 1/4" AR500 target (33" square). It didn't move. I might get a 3/16" target made. A Long Shot target cam may also be in the cards. I just don't want even more gear...
- Wind was 7 mph and variable. Even though it was low, the variability in direction played hell with the wind call
- I hit one out of 30 - but given the factors acting against me, I'll take it! (And the one hit was dead center )
- I validated the range after the fact using the GPS in my Jeep.

You need to get a spotter! Although your shooting spot looks good. I bet the wind is nuts there. With the small rolling hills no wonder you only got one hit!!
Switching to a-tips may help you to see splash. Mine put up a plume of dust when its dry.

 

[Rocketmandb]

You need to get a spotter!

Yeah, this was a somewhat impromptu trip and none of the folks I shoot with could make it.

Although your shooting spot looks good. I bet the wind is nuts there. With the small rolling hills no wonder you only got one hit!!
Switching to a-tips may help you to see splash. Mine put up a plume of dust when its dry.

This area is really interesting. In the image below, I've pointed out the target and another area that's about a mile out. You can see the difference in the soil makeup. The target is against a more typical dirt hill, while the white areas are made up of a different mineral. I shot a few shots at rocks at the ~mile spot, and it's incredibly easy to spot. Then, just about a half mile away, the composition is totally different. Heck, the white stuff is just about 100 yards to the right of the target.

Of course, the target access is the other part of the equation. There is absolutely no way to get to either of those areas. There's a fence line just to the right of the target.

As to the wind, this whole area is tough. As a matter of fact, the best shot I ever made was about 5 miles south of this spot. Wind was about 20 mph and gusty. I was shooting my 6 BRA at a 5 inch target at 1000 yards. I was trying to read the wind - I had communicated my wind hold for a certain condition and my spotter felt that condition was there and said, "send it!" Seeing that little target spin all over the place was oh so rewarding.

 

[Rocketmandb]

In my last trip out, the amount I had to dial in on the scope caused the rear of the scope to be higher than my cheek rest could adequately accommodate. Remember that I'm using the March Genesis which has the entire tube move when you dial. The more you dial in, the more the front end lowers and the back end goes up.

Considering that this was 2500 yards and I have desires to take this to go to 3k+, it was a situation I needed to rectify.

I called McMillan and asked them if they have longer posts, but they do not. Instead, I went to a local machine shop and had them fabricate a couple out of 3/8" stainless. They are .75" longer and tapped a 10-24 female thread in the top. I got a couple long set screws to act as the posts.

 

[babyguppy]

@Rocketmandb - I was/still am considering the Genesis.
Question - how much does the rear of the scope cause you to have to continually adjust your cheek rest. If you go from 600 to 2500, do you need to move your cheek rest?
Note to McMillian - maybe you guys should sell some extra-long cheek posts - cut to fit. I think most of us own a sawz all or grinder. This would be a huge time saver rather than trying to run down a 'local' machinist.

 

[Rocketmandb]

Question - how much does the rear of the scope cause you to have to continually adjust your cheek rest. If you go from 600 to 2500, do you need to move your cheek rest?

Prior to my last trip where I took it to 2500, I had only dialed like 8 mil. At that amount, it was very similar to when I zeroed it. Still, at the zero mark, the cheek riser was maxed out in how high it would go. I maybe had 5/16 to 3/8" of the posts engaged in the locking mechanism. At 2500, I had dialed in about 25 mil and I was down to slightly less than 1/4" of the post engaged. It was not enough, and occasionally the cheek riser would come out.

The posts cost me $60. The funny thing is that when I was talking to the guy at the machine shop over the phone, he sort of sheepishly told me the price, as if I'd balk at it. I told him it would be fine

 

[Allthewatts]

How's the 37XC going still? I'm curious if it takes off at all as a viable option for ELR.

 

[Rocketmandb]

How's the 37XC going still? I'm curious if it takes off at all as a viable option for ELR.

Going well, but I'm not overly happy with shooting solids. I just got 600 A Tips that I'll be doing some load dev with in the next couple weeks.

Overall, I love the caliber, but am not happy with availability/quality of ancillary items like dies, etc.

 

[6.5SH]

Going well, but I'm not overly happy with shooting solids. I just got 600 A Tips that I'll be doing some load dev with in the next couple weeks.

Overall, I love the caliber, but am not happy with availability/quality of ancillary items like dies, etc.

The Tubb dies not meeting your needs?

 

[Allthewatts]

Going well, but I'm not overly happy with shooting solids. I just got 600 A Tips that I'll be doing some load dev with in the next couple weeks.

Overall, I love the caliber, but am not happy with availability/quality of ancillary items like dies, etc.

That's often what makes or breaks a caliber.

What's the dislike on the solids for you?

 

[Rocketmandb]

The Tubb dies not meeting your needs?

The sizing die works fine, but I like to size the bushing against the mandrel so when I use the mandrel, it engages the least amount possible. This minimizes spring back and keeps things more consistent. There's not much I can do about that with the Tubb sizing die - one bushing size only. They were very accommodating when I called them about getting a larger bushing - they polished out the inside of an existing bushing - but it's still not quite what I'm looking for. I could change the mandrel size - though I'm not sure you can get mandrel sets for 375. I normally get the 21st Century sets, and they stop at .338. Also, I enquired about a custom die from Whidden, but they have some sort of agreement with Tubb not to make dies for the XC cartridges.

On the seating die, I REALLY want an arbor press seater. No such die unless I spend a boatload of money to get one custom made. The Tubb die works okay, but not great. The micrometer is not accurate either, which is an annoyance.

 

[Rocketmandb]

What's the dislike on the solids for you?

Solids don't have the same splash as jacketed. They tend to penetrate dirt more before giving up their energy, and they impart less energy to steel targets - at longer ranges they will simply bounce off. To put in perspective, last year I was out in BLM land with a guy who was stretching his 408 for the first time. I was shooting my 300 PRC with 230 Bergers, and he was shooting his 408 with copper solids (I forget the weight). At 1900 yards, it was easier to spot my 300's impacts than it was the 408's.

I find solids to be much tougher to spot (both hits and misses) at longer ranges. I'll be very interested to see what happens with A Tips.

 

[ForgeValley]

Going well, but I'm not overly happy with shooting solids. I just got 600 A Tips that I'll be doing some load dev with in the next couple weeks.

Overall, I love the caliber, but am not happy with availability/quality of ancillary items like dies, etc.

I'm thinking about jumping on the 37XC bandwagon. I've got the dies (from my 33xc), I've got a 375 blank, so really for the price of chambering and some brass I could have another caliber. Just trying to decide if I want to go there, most of my shooting is 2200 and in and the 33xc excels at that. I guess I fancy myself taking some two mile shots at some point.

 

[Rocketmandb]

I'm thinking about jumping on the 37XC bandwagon.

I've been thinking about going the opposite direction (down to 33XC), but I'm going to give the A Tips a try. If they work out, I'll likely stick with it and spend some $ on a custom seater.

 

[Allthewatts]

I'm curious on the BC consistancy of the 375 A-tips.
I worry their availability is why we don't see it used much in ELR.

 

[badassgunworks]

I'm curious on the BC consistancy of the 375 A-tips.
I worry their availability is why we don't see it used much in ELR.

The reason why you're not seeing it very much is because they're not as good as some of the lathe turned solids. The positive aspect is they do help with splash if you can get lucky enough to hit the Target

 

[Allthewatts]

I'd have to trade this a bit more, but I think I would take a 0.5% delta loss in bc consistancy inorder to better identify impacts.
Unspotted misses are super painful in competition.

 

[badassgunworks]

It's not just the BC. It's also the inconsistency in manufacturing from bullet to Bullet that is not seen in lathe turned solids which for the most part equates to more impacts if everything else is calculated correctly.

 

[Dan Warner]

N was .130 (my current "champion" seating depth) - all the rest were challengers with O being .133, etc. - I doubt I would be that far off on all three shots, so my current assumption is that it was something to do with the case/load.

My biggest issue with this rifle right now is that I don't have, and can't economically get, a seater die for an arbor press, so I can't tell if the seating force is consistent. LE Wilson makes one for the 33XC - and they make a FL bushing sizer for 33XC too - but nothing for the 37XC, and the bullet size for the 37 precludes modifying the seater for the 33. I can get a custom seater from Warner, but it's like $800.

Also, my current bushing is sizing down the neck too much. The mandrel is really working the brass when I open it back up. I talked to David Tubb this week and they are going to polish down the inside of a bushing to try and get me another .001" or so. My concern here is that because of the force I need to use with the mandrel, I'm deforming the brass lengthwise when I use it. I'll be playing with that this week to see what's happening.



I've considered it. A guy I went shooting with like 6 months ago had a Long Shot. It was very cool, easy to set up, etc. I just have so much frikkin' equipment to take already, between targets, rifles, spotting equipment, etc., that I'm not sure I want to spend $800 to bring more.

Our custom micrometer adjustable, arbor press style seating dies are $710.

 

[badassgunworks]

I'd have to trade this a bit more, but I think I would take a 0.5% delta loss in bc consistancy inorder to better identify impacts.
Unspotted misses are super painful in competition.

Identifying impacts is great. But if you're not consistently hitting where you're supposed to because of inconsistencies in bcsd velocity or wind. Identifying the impact will not get you on target because your next shot will be off the opposite direction or some other direction . Because of the issues.

 

[Rocketmandb]

Our custom micrometer adjustable, arbor press style seating dies are $710.

I appreciate the post - I had already landed on you as my provider, but I still need to make my final decision on whether I stick with the 37XC or move down to the 33XC.

You make custom FL bushing resizing dies too, correct?

 

[Alan Warner]

I appreciate the post - I had already landed on you as my provider, but I still need to make my final decision on whether I stick with the 37XC or move down to the 33XC.

You make custom FL bushing resizing dies too, correct?

You make custom FL bushing resizing dies too, correct?

Yes, every day.
Alan

 

[Swatdude1]

I'm thinking about jumping on the 37XC bandwagon. I've got the dies (from my 33xc), I've got a 375 blank, so really for the price of chambering and some brass I could have another caliber. Just trying to decide if I want to go there, most of my shooting is 2200 and in and the 33xc excels at that. I guess I fancy myself taking some two mile shots at some point.

2 miles is totally doable with the 33XC. With that said I have a 41XC build in the works.

 

[Allthewatts]

How do you like the 41xc? That seems like a more optimal build than the 375xc

 

[badassgunworks]

Its guna kill the velocity already not enough h20 for 375

 

[Swatdude1]

How do you like the 41xc? That seems like a more optimal build than the 375xc

Go big or go home. Still waiting on the Defiance Rebel action so can't comment yet. Have the CADEX chassis being cerakoted in Multicam now. I looked at the 37 but the 41 offered heavier bullets with better BC's (warner 505 flatline with Tubb ring) for not much extra cost. Keep in mind you will run out of scope mils faster with the 41xc but if you want to hit 2-miles you are going to need a Charlie Tarac anyway. Always wanted a .416 Barrett but the 41XC gets you close (2850fps w/ 505gr) with a waaaayyyy lower entry fee. I'm using a 1.25" Bartlein modbb 35" straight taper barrel with terminator brake. Having the barrel fluted towards the muzzle just for looks. Will most likely head back to Austin to have Chase Stroud do the load development for me and wring her out at 2 miles.

 

[Allthewatts]

From the numbers as I can tell, this seems like a great combination, with the ability to stay with a slightly smaller action and loading setup. It's a way into the heavy class, that allows you to back into the light class if needed, or vise versa here.

I'm really curious if you can even load 37/41xc in a Forster Co-ax.

 

[ForgeValley]

I had a coax when I started to load for 33xc and I don't remember the specifics, I think you could do it but required more fiddling with the bullet to get it above the case than I wanted to deal with. There may have also been a problem with the height of the die clearing the handle.

I bought a redding Ultramag and happy with it.

 

[Rocketmandb]

Took the 37XC out to the hills again today. I have to say that I still hate shooting the solids - very difficult to spot. Still, a great day to be out - 60 degrees, winds variable up to 10 mph.

37XC set up using the BipodeXT. Honestly, using this before I had the ABR was not feasible. Now, being able to adjust at the rear of the stock makes all the difference. You can also see my new custom Protektor rear bag in use for the first time. Very happy with it.

Looking back from behind the target. Normally, these hills are dry as bone and brown as [insert analogy here], but with all the rain we've had, it's super green (and this makes it more difficult to spot).

 

[Allthewatts]

Looks beautiful though!!

Are you solo on these adventures? That must make it super hard.

 

[Rocketmandb]

There is no way I could have done this solo today. Even with the target being set up against dirt, it was very difficult spotting the solids - I mean really frikkin difficult. When we took the target down, we found three nearly intact solids in the dirt slightly up slope. They simply don't impart enough energy to the dirt to create enough splash. If I was in a zombie apocalypse and was desperate for bullets, I could reload these things.

On one shot, I saw the splash about 10 feet to the right of the target and was like "wtf was that?" My spotter responded, "what are you talking about, you got a hit!"

The solid had ricocheted off the target (barely moving it), and since it was tumbling sideways, it actually kicked up dirt.

Also, setting up the BipodeXT is really better done as a two-person job. I looked through the scope, while my friend adjusted the Phoenix to get it roughly on target. Then I used the ABR for final adjustments.

 

[Allthewatts]

There is no way I could have done this solo today. Even with the target being set up against dirt, it was very difficult spotting the solids - I mean really frikkin difficult. When we took the target down, we found three nearly intact solids in the dirt slightly up slope. They simply don't impart enough energy to the dirt to create enough splash. If I was in a zombie apocalypse and was desperate for bullets, I could reload these things.

On one shot, I saw the splash about 10 feet to the right of the target and was like "wtf was that?" My spotter responded, "what are you talking about, you got a hit!"

The solid had ricocheted off the target (barely moving it), and since it was tumbling sideways, it actually kicked up dirt.

Also, setting up the BipodeXT is really better done as a two-person job. I looked through the scope, while my friend adjusted the Phoenix to get it roughly on target. Then I used the ABR for final adjustments.

Yuck, your not really selling the solids! Ha!