UPDATE: the match was cancelled due to the Corps needing to do some work in the impact area so unfortunately I have nothing to report. jt 05-01-17
I have a 600x3 mid range match coming up on the 28th at Camp Pendleton. I used to shoot my 03A3 but the group in charge of the range say 30-06 is now verboten on that range. I've tried a couple of other rifles just to see how they'd do. This time I'm going to see how my '98 US Krag rifle fares. I'll keep you posted as to how well she does. She's dead on at 100 so I'm hoping we'll do well together. I'll be shooting Hornady 168 grain A Max's.
Rifle made in '98 but refitted with 1902 sight. Hopefully these 62YO eyes and peep sight get along with each other.
Jon

You can, by the rules, enlarge that peep if it helps.  Won't help with my right eye vision. 

I found the Sgt. Peep woefully small at 0.04".  So I installed a spare 1902 sight that I didn't mind altering and enlarged the peep to 0.07".  That's about as big as I could go without damaging the plate.  It made a WORLD of difference in sight picture!!!  Bear in mind that you'll also need to enlarge the notch.  Otherwise, you'll be looking at the notch through the peep.  I used a set of wire gauge drills to accomplish the task, and then used a tiny rotary file in my Dremell to carefully clean up the hole and edges (remember, a twist drill does not make around hole). 

Update. New date is June 17th. Hopefully it'll fly this time. I'll keep you posted.
Jon

Good luck!

Vic

Can't wait to hear how the Krag does at 600!  Mine is pretty good at 200...

Only thing I've ever shot at that distance was my M1A.  I actually did better at 600 than I did at the nearer distances, of course in different positions.  That was back about 1990 in a Ohio Rifle and Pistol Association match in the early spring.

I used to shoot the 600 match with my 03A3 but for some reason the 30-06 is no longer allowed on that range so I need to find some thing that doesn't have the over penetration or range.
Forgot to mention, the rifle is an 1898 with the 1901 sight.
Jon

Good luck! I'm excited to see how it goes!

T minus 20 hrs and counting. Looks like the match is a go for tomorrow. I'll post the results tomorrow eve if I'm not too wiped out. Sunday at the latest. Mind you, I'm only going to report on the Krag's performance, not the match results. No one needs to know how poorly I performed. I never place or even show, but have a good time losing any way. I only compete against mineself.
Jon

Good luck, and have fun!

Well the match went off without any hitches. The Krag shot ok, I think. Nothing to write home about but she worked fine all things considered. I didn't really know what to expect so I don't know whether to be elated or bury my head in shame. Bottom line, each string was 20 rounds prone, slow fire with a possible of 200-20. I shot her in 2 of the 3 strings. First string we shot a 99-1. Second string was a 85-0, but by then the wind was blowing at a good clip at 90* to line of flight. A lot of the shots were landing short of the target or wide due to the wind. I was using the "V" notch as target acquisition with the peep was proving difficult at best.
I was shooting the Hornady A Max 168 gr bullet over 38.0 grs of IMR4895. I'm thinking the bearing surface of the bullet, combined with the boat tail probably isn't the ideal bullet for the rifle. There's another match next month on the 29th. I'm going to try a heavier, longer bullet in the 200 gr range and see if that helps any. I certainly can't do any worse.
Maybe I'm just expecting too much of the old gal. She certainly was quite the conversation piece mixed in amongst all the modern black rifles and F class shooters.
Jon 

Good job with the two strings that did go well!

I think you'll get much better accuracy at those long distances with the 220 gr.  Although probably fine at 100 or 200 at the lower velocities, I think that lighter bullet would be too prone to wind and atmospheric conditions at longer distances... where as the 220 gr has sufficient mass to not be as affected.  The bullet will have a much more arched trajectory, but it was actually designed to take advantage of that, so...

psteinmayer wrote on Jun 21^st, 2017 at 1:35am:

. . . I think that lighter bullet would be too prone to wind and atmospheric conditions at longer distances... where as the 220 gr has sufficient mass to not be as affected. . .

I disagree, Paul. The 168 A-Max has a much higher BC and can be safely driven about 500 fps faster than the 220 RN. Consequently, the wind deflection for the 220 at 600 yards is more than double what we'd get with the 168. Do the calculations and you'll see the difference. (To make matters worse, the 220 RN starting at 2000 fps goes transonic well before 600 yards - not good for stability.)

MJ - consider the Hornady 178 ELD, with a bit more bearing surface and BC than the 168. Might be safe with the same 38 gr. 4895 load, but please observe usual precautions when changing bullets. (Back off, work up.) IMR4350 probably a better choice.

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Thank you, gentlemen, for the replies. I'll have to see if I can find the Hornady 178's at my LGS. I'm going to try some 220's as well. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Thank you again.
I'll keep you all posted. Next match July 29th.
Jon

Thank you all for the feedback. Para, thanks for the wind deflection chart--most useful. I picked up some 178 ELD's and IMR4350 yesterday to try at the match next month. As always, I'll keep you posted.
Jon

Parashooter wrote on Jun 21^st, 2017 at 3:13am:

I disagree, Paul. The 168 A-Max has a much higher BC and can be safely driven about 500 fps faster than the 220 RN. Consequently, the wind deflection for the 220 at 600 yards is more than double what we'd get with the 168. Do the calculations and you'll see the difference. (To make matters worse, the 220 RN starting at 2000 fps goes transonic well before 600 yards - not good for stability.)

Now that I've read your reply Para....  I think to myself - "What the heck am I thinking?"  LOL  As usual, you're the voice of reason when some of us go as squirrely as a undersized bullet in a badly worn bore!  But, in truth, I was thinking more in terms of very light bullets (like 110 gr, etc.), but I think your logic still applies.  Sometimes, I gotta take a step back and re-think things!

A few more wind deflections to contemplate. Note the difference between the 220 Sierra MK and the Hornady RN at the same velocity. Google "ballistic lag time" to learn why.

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Noting that at 200yds, the difference between the various spitzer bullets is negligible.

Match update;
AGAIN, the Corps has cancelled our match. Seems they'll be working on the fire breaks in the impact area. Damn. I was looking forward to trying a new load.
Jon

Match rescheduled for this coming Sunday, August 6th.
Jon

Shot the 600 yard match yesterday. Used IMR4350 and Hornady 178 gr ELD bullets. Each string of fire had a possible of 200-20. My first string was a 104-1. Second string was a 127-0. It was a slight improvement over the 150 gr bullets and IMR4895 I used last time. I used online load data from the Nosler site. In their testing, IMR4350 was the most accurate powder tested. 42.0 grains was their most accurate load so I went with it. It only has a velocity of 2190 fps. A tad bit slow for 600 yards perhaps? Their max load is 46.0 grs of IMR4350 at a velocity of 2460 fps. Maybe I need to try a higher velocity for the longer range. What say you? We were using standard MR-1 targets. Maybe I'm just expecting too much from the old gal. Every shot however, would have hit a man-sized target.
Thanks.
Jon

A score of 127 means your average shot is a 6. The MR 6-ring is 8 MOA. Check your load benchrest at 100 yards. If it's producing better than 8 MOA there, the problem is your shooting and wind estimation, not the load or rifle.

The 2190 fps load should be adequate to stay supersonic to 600 yards but you should be working up a load that groups well from the bench in your rifle, rather than trusting the "most accurate load" suggestion from Nosler (which was undoubtedly developed with a different bullet and rifle - and may just reflect the load producing the lowest velocity deviation in their testing).

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