An omnicockup of a day.

Today I had a plan, appointment in the morning, go to my local BASC office to get a skull measured, then collect my new 270 rifle.
After collecting it, stick on the scope, zero with cheap ammo, then run through the 10 lead free home loads in a ladder to get sorted to go stalking tomorrow.

It all went pear shaped when I was an hour late for the first appointment as I had it in my head it was 11:50 not 10:50, then off to BASC where it was measured, but he advised a 2nd opinion before issuing the medal as it was very borderline.

Next off to get my rifle, it was in the wrong colour stock, but I knew that already.

Mount my scope, get my ammo out and alongside the cheap factory 270, I've got my 308 lead free handloads.

All up a bit of a crappy day, (but the medal may make up for the wait)

But the rifle did a 1 inch group with poor technique and cheap ammo, so handloads should improve on that.

 

[Klenchblaize]

So when does the green stock arrive?

K

 

[Eddie P]

So when does the green stock arrive?

K

When I get the spray paint on it.

 

[Dickie]

Well some say you should give the barrel a good clean between lead free and normal ammo

 

[Eddie P]

Well some say you should give the barrel a good clean between lead free and normal ammo

I've not noticed a problem with pereguin VLR4s in 308.
My scenars are under 0.5moa and the VLR4s are about 0.75 on a good day.
That's with a Bartlein 5r barrel

 

[Griff254]

Best laid plans and all that eh?

Fingers crossed on the medal.

 

[wytonpjs]

Bit like my Sunday when, 4 hours before planning to set off stalking (after having watched the Monza F1) I accidentally drilled into my Land Rover’s radiator Of course it’s not just one radiator, but a “pack” of 3 with an automatic transmission fluid cooler on the back FFS Having quickly Googled the work required to actually change the radiators and then the COST, I set off to collect some K-seal from the Europarts depot some miles away and whilst there, asked did they have any repair putty that might work.

Cargo Quicksteel

New radiators tubes are aluminium now and that is not solderable. The nick on the “tube” edge was approx 1mm x 4mm so I squashed it as flat as I could, careful dug out the surround foil heat fins, hot air gun dried it and de greased. A pea shape of Steel Weld was pummelled until it was uniform in colour and judiciously rammed into the gap above and below the nick. Off to watch the F1 - great race

A hour and a half later, I’m dressed in the stalking kit, rifle and dogs loaded, running the engine up to temperature and bu@@er me, it’s holding. Ok - go for it and I set off down the M4 for the 70 mile journey into Wiltshire to the ground. Horrendous rain, stupid witless drivers hazarding others with their speed and impatience and the mother of all thunderstorms to boot - watching a lightning fork seemingly strike the motorway ahead was unnerving

I’m relieved to say the “repair” held and it made the return journey after an unsuccessful but great stalk - so many fallow and roe but none that were shootable

I’m beginning to think having become a state pensioner earlier this year there are days when in all honesty I shouldn’t pick up power tools or do anything with “consequences”. Shades of brain willing but apt to make careless mistakes like the OP. Hopefully such days will remain few and far in between because this stalking malarkey is I think keeping me “alive” but boy, when it does go wrong……..

 

[GlennUK]

Bit like my Sunday when, 4 hours before planning to set off stalking (after having watched the Monza F1) I accidentally drilled into my Land Rover’s radiator Of course it’s not just one radiator, but a “pack” of 3 with an automatic transmission fluid cooler on the back FFS Having quickly Googled the work required to actually change the radiators and then the COST, I set off to collect some K-seal from the Europarts depot some miles away and whilst there, asked did they have any repair putty that might work.

Cargo Quicksteel

New radiators tubes are aluminium now and that is not solderable. The nick on the “tube” edge was approx 1mm x 4mm so I squashed it as flat as I could, careful dug out the surround foil heat fins, hot air gun dried it and de greased. A pea shape of Steel Weld was pummelled until it was uniform in colour and judiciously rammed into the gap above and below the nick. Off to watch the F1 - great race

A hour and a half later, I’m dressed in the stalking kit, rifle and dogs loaded, running the engine up to temperature and bu@@er me, it’s holding. Ok - go for it and I set off down the M4 for the 70 mile journey into Wiltshire to the ground. Horrendous rain, stupid witless drivers hazarding others with their speed and impatience and the mother of all thunderstorms to boot - watching a lightning fork seemingly strike the motorway ahead was unnerving

I’m relieved to say the “repair” held and it made the return journey after an unsuccessful but great stalk - so many fallow and roe but none that were shootable

I’m beginning to think having become a state pensioner earlier this year there are days when in all honesty I shouldn’t pick up power tools or do anything with “consequences”. Shades of brain willing but apt to make careless mistakes like the OP. Hopefully such days will remain few and far in between because this stalking malarkey is I think keeping me “alive” but boy, when it does go wrong……..

got to ask, how did you manage to drill a hole in the radiators? Trying to work out what function a power drill has near them.

 

[wytonpjs]

got to ask, how did you manage to drill a hole in the radiators? Trying to work out what function a power drill has near them.

You know that old saying - seemed like a good idea at the time…… I recently fitted a winch inside the front bumper and a lot of my stalking involves driving over mature grassland - at this time of the year the grass is over bonnet height. An unwelcome consequence of this is that grass seeds collect in the space before the radiator and an unforeseen consequence of my winch feed cable routing inside that space was that it was creating a seed collection facility blanking off a large section of rad.

Sooooooo I was drilling a hole in the top shroud to tie wrap the trunked cables out of the way when, in my stupidity the edge of the drill caught one of the fins. Thankfully near the top but as the Al is so soft the drill skinned the edge and a slow trickle ran out down the rad.

What’s the old saying: measure twice, cut once! This instance - check twice before drilling - I was millimetres the wrong side and in too much of a hurry

 

[Eddie P]

Best laid plans and all that eh?

Fingers crossed on the medal.

The final measurement has taken place and it's gone platinum!

 

[25 Sharps]

Well some say you should give the barrel a good clean between lead free and normal ammo

They would be wrong though!

You’re already running copper down the barrel with the bullet jackets….

It’s the other way around, you should clean the barrel for best accuracy when switching from copper (including jackets) to cast lead

 

[Eddie P]

So when does the green stock arrive?

K

Now painted!