My adventures with Record-1-308 - the progenitor of SV-98 sniper rifle

[PMB27]

Last year I acquired an used Record-1-308 sport rifle - the gun is 20 years old, with some faults - the front and rear iron sights are missing, there are some scratches on the wood, no original documents and accessories. But the bore is in a very good condition so I decided to buy it and have some fun at the range.
It took me some time to get familiar with it, mount a scope ( the rifle has 11mm top rail so the 22 Weaver adapter was needed ), find out what cartridge suits the barrel best.
Since the Record-1 is the progenitor of SV-98 sniper rifle I decidet to mount on it a PS-07 scope, designed for SV-98. It is not an easy scope to use, especially for benchrest like type shooting.
I've tested my Record-1-308 at few local shooting competitions at 200m and once at 300m. During the year I took part in 5 such competitions.
At the last one - last Saturday - I managed to shoot a 5-shot group with a size of 0.81 MOA and, despite the "dot" of the PS-07 scope covering the target in practice, I placed it more or less where it should be. It was the first 5-shots series and I am very pleased with it. In the second series it was a bit more spread out to 1.13 MOA, but overall I still got the best result by points ( and with 0,81 MOA by size ) at 200m in 5 starts in my club competitions so far.

Herewith you can find my shooting progress at 100m, 200m and 300m for 5-shot groups.

 

[towerofpower93]

Very cool. I picked up one of the side mounted PKS-07-01B scopes to get a little more magnification on my SVD compared to the 4x PSO-1, but the lack of a useable reticle to make corrections on the fly actually made it more difficult to use it in DMR matches. I was also this close to getting one of the SV-98 rifles when they were imported a decade ago, but then my mind got the best of me and I realized I'd never use it, so I let it pass.

 

[PMB27]

Only after 4 months I managed to go with my Record-1 to the shooting range again. Slight but a progress has been made since then ( no training or shooting in between - the rifle hasn't changed, so I'm the one who improves - good for me .
I was able to get the 5-shot group size at 300 meters below 1 MOA
My new personal best - 0,94 MOA at 300m. ( the previous was 1,09 MOA )

Factory ammo - Lithuanian GGG with Nosler bullet 168 gr HPBT

 

[Winchester M70 Van Orden]

It looks great !

A more or less rare Rifle-model gets tangible..

By the way: the GGG .308 Win. 10,9 gr/168 gr Nosler-Match-Round makes also a good first impression in my rifle

A Muzzle Velocity of 821 m/s resp. 2`693 f/s.

What about a Viewthrough of your scope, please ?

 

[PMB27]

The reticle of PS-07 scope is the tricky part - the aiming dot has a size of 0-00,2 thousandth of radian, which at 300 meters is 60mm, while the diameter of the "9" ring of the target I was shooting at is 39 mm. So the target centre - black ring of the "9" - the only visible at 300 m reference point by which I should aim was fully covered by the aiming dot That was tricky.
But I like the PS-07 anyway and it will stay on the rifle.

The photo was taken with a phone, with a view through the curtain in the window, so the view seems blurry, but in fact it is quite clear. The distance to the building in the photo is 100m.

 

[Winchester M70 Van Orden]

Good post, PMB27. Fine, all your pics

Now its imageable, this reticle... A truly own style.. The targetcenter isn't always"easy"targetable



They're many quite different efforts to solve that...

Best regards

 

[Winchester M70 Van Orden]

So different target-pics..

 

[Winchester M70 Van Orden]

Only after 4 months I managed to go with my Record-1 to the shooting range again. Slight but a progress has been made since then ( no training or shooting in between - the rifle hasn't changed, so I'm the one who improves - good for me .
I was able to get the 5-shot group size at 300 meters below 1 MOA
My new personal best - 0,94 MOA at 300m. ( the previous was 1,09 MOA )
View attachment 8374462
Factory ammo - Lithuanian GGG with Nosler bullet 168 gr HPBT

This GGG-Load is the only ammo you tried out im your Record 1 so far ?

 

[PMB27]

I've tested several cartridges. My first visit with Record-1 to the range was in January 2023 - I came across terrible weather, sleet, with very quick condensation of moisture on the lenses of the sight and the spotting scope - open, outdoor range - hands froze instantly - despite that I decided to give it a try, but shoot only small groups of 3 rounds.
Those groups at 100m ( Hornady 168grs BTHP, GGG 168grs Nosler, GGG 190grs Sierra ) are not so good but taking into account that it was the first time I shoot this rifle and the weather conditions I consider it a good initial test which led me to the choice of GGG 168 Nosler HPBT - quite good group size - 0,72 MOA, lower price than GGG 190grs with Sierra bullet, with slightly better group size than GGG 190 Sierra ( 0,72 vs 0,75 ). That is why now I shoot with GGG 168grs Nosler.

Other factory ammo – S&B 147grs FMJ, S&B 175grs HPBT, PMC 147grs FMJ gave > 1 MOA group.

But I've tested also my own "home, hand made" ammo, manufactured with the use of Lee Loader and the hammer
It gave a 5-shots group at 100m with the size of 0,85 MOA - bullet: Hornady ELD-M 178grs, gunpowder - Czech Lovex 73.6 ( 41,15 grs ), primer LR Fiocchi, OAL : 72,25 mm.
I've already posted the photo of that group but herewith please find it again with the proper description :
100m, reloaded ammo ( Lee Loader + hammer ):

 

[Winchester M70 Van Orden]

It looks great

Yes, I see you did already quite a lot of shooting, PMB27

What about the "classic" 168 gr-Federal "Gold Medal"-Match, Norma "Diamond Line"-Match, Lapua "Scenar"-Match-Rounds ?
They are well known everywhere, I got the impression.

I've no idea how the offerings in Poland are today... ?

 

[Winchester M70 Van Orden]

What about this rounds in PL, please ?
Hmm ?

 

[PMB27]

Lapua with Scenar bullets is available, but quite expensive, Scenar bullets are available for reloading. Norma and Federal ammo with 168 gr match bullets you posted I haven't found in the offer of the firearms and ammo stores, where I buy ammo - just for your knowlegde please find an example of the .308 ammo offer, to check what is available in Poland - https://www.luska.pl/category/amunicja-kulowa-308-win

 

[Winchester M70 Van Orden]

That's it.. I see PMB27 Lapua is well represented, but Norma and Federal not as much... Unfortunately.

I would have expected that especially the reference-Cartridge Federal "Gold Medal"-Match 168 gr would be available also in Poland - like it is in many other important countries. Poland is such a country IMHO, therefore

https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/federal-308-168gr-vs-175gr-accuracy.172065/

More later.

BR

 

[PMB27]

Today's trip to the shooting range and two very good news

First - I managed to get a 0,54 MOA group of 5-shots ( new personal best ) at 100 meters.

Second - it is my own - home made ammo - bullet : Nosler CC HPBT 168gr, powder : Lovex 73.6 - 43 gr, primer : Fiocchi LR, case : S&B.
[ I did not change settings of the scope - they were from the previous shooting at 200 m - that's why the POI is 2 MOA higher than POA ].

So I think the Nosler CC 168gr HPBT is my sweet bullet. I do not know my sweet load yet - I just reloaded only 5 cartridges based on the calculations of the GRT program with a charge of -15% from the maximum pressure.

 

[Winchester M70 Van Orden]

Great looking, PMB27

You reached one goal of reloading. Fine !

 

[Winchester M70 Van Orden]

I wonder what does the other GGG 168 gr-Loading with Sierras MK-projectile achieve ?

The so-called "sister"-load ...

 

[Winchester M70 Van Orden]

Did you use any bullets heavier than 175 gr - f.e. - Lapua 185 gr in your Record 1-308, PMB 27 ?

 

[PMB27]

At the beginning I tried GGG 190 gr Sierra HPBT - that initial test was very rough and not very reliable beacues of just 3-shot groups, but as a result I chose Nosler 168gr because its 3-shot group was the smallest. I posted earlier targets from that test.
Here is the 190 Sierra 3-shots group

I haven't tried "the GGG sister load" with Sierra M-K 168 gr bullet and I'm affraid I'll not do it in the near future because I started cheating on Record-1 with my new love MЦ-13.

We started our love affair with the factory Soviet ammunition - Целевые патроны улучшенной кучности - at 100m a 4-shots group with the size of 0,71 MOA.

I hope that we will passionately reduce these groups even further

 

[Winchester M70 Van Orden]

That looks really impressive, especially this 190 gr GGG-Match-Group. We should say it should be possible resp."legal" to calculate the 5 Shot-Size. Then we have here a 35 mm-Group, as a result from 21:3x7. Your Record 1 uses a 12 inch-Twist, not ?

Your "second love" - your cheating - is also pretty.. . Which ammo, bullet weight was it here, please ? There are several 7,62 x54 Russian-Loads in case.. . Or is this also a .308 Win.-Chambering ?

 

[PMB27]

Recrd-1-308 has 320 mm berrel twist ≈12,5 inch.

As for МЦ-13 - it is 7,62x54r - allow me to direct you to another thread where I described my short but passionate rendez-vous with Mts-13 accompanied by factory and reloaded by me ammo - https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/super-rare-tula-mts13-1.6931538/#post-11580362
That is the result of that date

Talking about caliber I found an an intriguing fragment in the book by Ruslan Chumak - Russian rifle cartridge 7,62x54 - Русский 7,62-мм винтовочный патрон: История и эволюция - Р.Н.Чумак. The author says that there is a difference in rifling between military and sport/hunting Russian/Soviet rifles of 7,62x54R caliber and that difference is also reflected in a munition production - different diameter for military grade ammo and sport/hunting cartridges.
The difference is in riffling grooves - military barrels have deeper grooves - 0,15 mm while sport/hunting barrels have grooves 0,1 mm. In the rifling fields the diamter of the barrel is the same - 7,62 mm, in the grooves there is a difference - 7,92 mm for military grade barrel and 7,82 mm.
When I asked about that issue on the Russian firearms forum many comments were very unfavorable to R. Chumak's theory, even to accusations that he made up information about the difference in rifling between Russian/Soviet military and sport weapon.

 

[Winchester M70 Van Orden]

Oh, thanks, PMB 27..
I will read through... And answer after the break here this morning then..
Have a good Day

 

[PMB27]

Does anyone on the forum have any knowledge about Soviet/Russian additional numbering of weapons and parts? Under the serial number of my Record-1-308 there are additional markings – three digits eventually punctuated by three zeros.
On one of the Russian forums I found quite imprecise and vague information that such a marking system was used for individually manufactured weapons/parts that differed from a factory production. That reference concerned the diopter sight for the MC-13 rifle with the marking "000" which would indicate that the sight was individually manufactured with characteristics for a specific athlete.

If that explanation is true then what three zeros could indicate on my Record-1-308?

The stock of my Record-1 has different number than the rifle - 056 and also a digit "2" is stamped twice.

Different number of the stock indicates that it probably was taken from the other rifle and put together with the iron 02780021 but "000" under the iron serial number? What could be the meaning of "000"?

 

[ZG47A]

I suggest that you look up Maxim Popenker's website and flick him a message. If he does not have the answer, he will probably know the best person to ask.

 

[PMB27]

Thank you for the advice to contact Mr. Max Popenker. I sent him a message and he promised to try to find information about the "000" marking.

 

[ZG47A]

Thank you for the advice to contact Mr. Max Popenker. I sent him a message and he promised to try to find information about the "000" marking.

All good. No point acquiring knowledge unless you share it.