A Shooter

[Rick Mulhern]

I can no longer sit and cast/load/roll bullets for hours like I could a couple of years back. Time catches up with everyone....eventually, so it's much easier/faster for me to reload SP cartridges today than the BPCR stuff that I have done for quite a while. Do I enjoy it as much as the BP rifles? I will have to admit to a YES! I started out in SP and I guess I shall end with it. Over the years I saw this day coming and while I was making good $$$$$ I had a couple of LR rifles put together by Jon Beanland out in Gould, Oklahoma; one a 6.5x47 Lapua and the other a standard 30/06. Both rifles are HAMMERS! I've shot both back to 1400 yards here on my place and both exceed my expectations...by a long way! Here's a 15 round group I fired from 1000 yards a while back with the 6.5:

https://flic.kr/p/o1SNFM

Here's the rifle:

https://flic.kr/p/9uELn3

I have to get a grin on my face when I read or hear someone make a comment about the 30/06 being an old and worn out cartridge! With the powders and bullets that we have available today IMO the 30/06 is still the best all-around .30 caliber cartridge ever introduced by mankind! I used it when I was a teenager hunting deer and after entering the service and getting my hands on a National Match M1 Garand with Star air-guaged barrel....I appreciated it's accuracy even moreso! The rifle pictured below was also made up by Jon Beanland. I shoot 185 gr. VLD bullets through it using H4350 powder and F210M primers and it is very accurate out to 1400 yards. 1000 yards isn't much of a contest!

https://flic.kr/p/zA9SB3