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Saiga 223 Range Report 75gr


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Well, after a long time experimenting with different brands and weights to see what shoots well out of my Saiga... it's come down to Wolf Gold 75gr Match. It also likes Rem 77gr Premier Match, but at almost $30 a box versus $12 for Wolf Gold... screw that.

 

I've tried pretty much everything from as low as 40gr varmint rounds (which I love the giant fire ball that comes out :devil: ), all types of 55gr with the exception of Wolf as some are bimetal or steel core and that's a no-no at the range I go to, to Black Hills in the 60s. They all faired about 2-4" groups at 50 yards and I figured 100 wasn't going to be much better. I've tried Wolf 75gr before as part of the experimenting process... so this time, it was more the official sighting in.

 

 

Setup:

~85*, winds blowing 10-20mph from left to right of target, firing from the bench with front and rear bags, 3x9 Tasco on UTG mount, barrel... hot, 100 yards, five shot group.

 

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I don't have a caliper, but they're pretty much 2" and 1.5". These are the only two targets I kept, but all the others were pretty much consistent. I wondered all day whether my barrel was 1:7, but after having cleaned the rifle I took my cleaning rod, wrapped some electrical tape around it to measure the twist. As it turns out, it's 1:9... the actual length as measured was 1:9.5 ... so go figure. I'm wondering how much more the groups would close if it were less windy today.

 

So the moral of the story being... if your gun doesn't like 55s, keep experimenting until you find the right load. 'Cept now, I've ended up with a whole bunch of plinking ammo! :rolleyes:

 

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Edited by Neurosis
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Thanks for the info. The guys in another thread said that SAIGA told RAAC that their twist was 1:10. So it seems you've confirmed this.

 

Quick noob question. What hand guard is that? Did you have to go with the Dinzag retainer to get that to work? Thanks.

 

It's the ATI strikeforce one and yes, you'd need a lower handguard retainer for it as well as an AKM gas tube with retainers.

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Actually, the handguard is Tapco. It was their Fusion line which I believe is discontinued and is replaced by the Interfuse. The Interfuse is pretty nice as it has an upper pic rail integrated into it. There was some slight grinding I needed to do the the Fusion lower half to get it to slide into place and yes, you will need Dinzag's hg retainer and new gas tube.

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Actually, the handguard is Tapco. It was their Fusion line which I believe is discontinued and is replaced by the Interfuse. The Interfuse is pretty nice as it has an upper pic rail integrated into it. There was some slight grinding I needed to do the the Fusion lower half to get it to slide into place and yes, you will need Dinzag's hg retainer and new gas tube.

 

ah, my bad, thank you.

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Nothing productive to add here, but Souls at Zero is one of my top 5 favorite cd's.

I do enjoy their punk/metal phase... but I thought "A Sun that Never Sets" was awesome and the DVD was great too, their newer stuff after that... I'm still trying to warm up to it. I've really gotten into Steve von Till's solo project, different departure but great stuff.

Edited by Neurosis
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I've tried pretty much everything from as low as 40gr varmint rounds (which I love the giant fire ball that comes out :devil: ), all types of 55gr with the exception of Wolf as some are bimetal or steel core and that's a no-no at the range I go to, to Black Hills in the 60s. They all faired about 2-4" groups at 50 yards and I figured 100 wasn't going to be much better. I've tried Wolf 75gr before as part of the experimenting process... so this time, it was more the official sighting in.

Good for you, Sir! In my experience, the best thing to do with ANY rifle is to try as many different factory loads as possible, as soon as possible, to see what the rifle likes. If you load your own, it helps narrow things down. If you don't reload, it tells you what you need to buy, to maximize performance.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

;>)

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Nothing productive to add here, but Souls at Zero is one of my top 5 favorite cd's.

I do enjoy their punk/metal phase... but I thought "A Sun that Never Sets" was awesome and the DVD was great too, their newer stuff after that... I'm still trying to warm up to it. I've really gotten into Steve von Till's solo project, different departure but great stuff.

 

Ehhh, after Times of Grace, they kinda lost me. But I regularly rock out on everything from Pain of Mind to Times of Grace.

 

First show I ever saw was Neurosis, when they had just released Through Silver in Blood. I was 13.

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Was this .223 rifle an EAA import of the Russian American Armory import? The EAA had, (I heard) heavier barrels and better accuracy.

 

It's an export from Denny's Guns in Kansas City... :haha:

 

K, you made me go look... it's got RAAC Scottsburg, IN on the side. Other than that, I got no idea.

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