Butler Creek Field Test

So I had an opportunity to get out to the range yesterday, though the trip was short lived as I got exceptionally tired just from being outdoors and active more than I have in recent weeks. Even so it was rad to get back out to the lanes and run some rounds through the new rifle.

I didn't try a lot of fancy ammo. Primarily I had ventured back to DJ's and discovered some boxes of Wolf .22LR priced at under $4 per box of 50. Considering the only other store I know of to carry Wolf's (actually made by SK Jagd--click their logo to check out their page--of Germany unlike all other Wolf products) superb .22LR ammunition is Adventure Sports in Lynnwood and as much as I love throwing them my business as well, I can't see spending the over $8 on a box of the same ammo. I bought the four boxes they had available, and if they keep future boxes in stock at that price, they may well become the only store I buy ammunition from. Out of the custom 10/22 I was shooting 5 round groups through the same ragged hole with the Wolf ammo... color me impressed, especially considering the problems I found with the scope that came along with the rifle, which I'll get into in a bit.

I also picked up an ancient box of Winchester Super X... at $2 for the box it was tough to say no to, and the rounds fired through my new baby proved right on target as well, giving me about 0.5" 5 round groups, which is much better than most any Winchester has shot out of my other custom 10/22 with the factory barrel (about 0.75" inch groups typically there when using Super X). I can't complain there, either, since a portion of the problems I had shooting were operator error due to my current left sided physical limitations. While I have gotten some mobility back, I'm still fairly handicapped.

Sadly, when I tried the Aguila I've grown to love s much through the other 10/22 build, I got a single shot out before a failure to fire due to a misfeed and had to enlist the help of another club member to pry the live round out of the chamber of the rifle. It may have been a problem withe the magazine itself, since I had used the Eagle mag to chamber those rounds, but it's tough to say. Once the round was freed from the rifle, the business end had been bent all out of whack from the casing, causing the failure to fire. I will likely continue using the Aguilas with the other rifle, but not with this one.

I also ran a few boxes of American Eagle through the Ruger, and as always they proved consistent, though not consistently on target.Budget ammo just produces too many fliers for my liking, since the whole reason I shoot is to actually hit the target downrange in the spot determined by the scope reticule.

And about that scope... it's a Bushnell, and while I didn't expect a fancy scope to be sure, this one has seen some abuse. The reticule itself is barely visible when the scope is in focus, and I found that the seal on the objective lens has been compromised as all sorts of fog was getting into the thing. I'm gonna have to invest in something a bit more deserving of the rest of the rifle's features... either a newer Bushnell, since their midrange scopes are generally the bees knees, or as Simmons in the midrange. While I would love one of the rimfire Leupold scopes, those things are just far too much money for me to easily justify.