168gr Match and 165gr Accubond handloads will group under an inch at 100 yards in mine. IMHO The GSR will shoot like a varmint rifle if you feed it good ammo. If you feed it mil-spec ball ammo it will shoot groups like a light machine gun.
Awesome! Same twist rate as my Aero LR-308. That should group Federal GMM 175gr otm an inch or less. I'm thinking a .308 GSR will be the long gun that comes after I get a Marlin 1895SBL .45-70.
Mine shoots under an inch with W-W 150gr Power Point and about 1.5 MOA with MEN 147gr ball, but usually gets Federal 165gr Trophy Bonded...
I know I just posted a photo of this rifle a week ago, but I can't get over the way it looks and shoots. Was at the range an hour ago (this photo) and there were too many people to allow me to keep walking to my target 75 yards away and check my groupings with cheap Armscor 147gr. An old timer showed up after this picture was taken and set up a 12" steel reactive target at just over 100 yards. After talking to him a bit and voicing my frustrations, he told me to take a few shots at his target. 5 shots, 5 gongs. And this was after I already developed a sore shoulder. Definitely my favorite rifle at this point, and will lay many deer to rest in the future.
New stock for my M1a is in the trunk. Will have two nearly identically set up M1A scouts by tomorrow. Only need one more part. Gaslock nut with built in front sight attachment so I can ditch the muzzle break and install my AAC7.62SD mount.
What is the ballistic advantage to a .450 Bushmaster over a .450 Marlin or .45-70? I like the idea of the Bushmaster round in terms of an AR platform, but when it comes to a scout rifle I'm not sold on it. So someone sell me on it.
Literally the ONLY reason I'm going with it is that it is legal for deer here. It's one of the few rifle cartridges that are. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother. I'd stick with the .308, which is legal only on private land here (weird, weird rules in Indiana). In my mind, the .308 is the best all around cartridge when you factor in availability of cartridge and rifle. So I'm not unhappy with my .308, I just want to carry a Scout more often and here that mean a .450 BM on public land. I'm just stoked they now make one in .450!
So there are states that allow spear/atlatl hunting, and then there are states like Indiana... I'll just stick to residing in the commonwealth. Honestly, I can't think of a single friend of mine that uses an appropriate caliber for deer hunting. My usual hunting buddy is stalking the same thickets as I am, and toting a .300 RUM for shots that max out at 100 yards. His entire family is the same way; father shoots a .300 Weatherby Magnum, oldest sister uses a .300 WM, and youngest sister uses a .30 Hart or .40 Hart I guess just in case they see a buck at 800+ yards away, they'll be good to go.
Indiana has the best gun laws in the country while simultaneously having the worst hunting gun laws in the country. You can hunt coyote, rabbits, squirrels, etc, with ANYTHING. .50 BMG, whatever. Deer has to be certain calibers that are based on size and length. Makes zero sense. Last year, they opened up to pretty much any centerfire rifle for deer on private land, but did not open it up on public land (again, making zero sense). We are all hoping that the private land will morph into the public land as soon as some politician sees the idiocy of being able to shoot a .30-06 up in the air at a squirrel, and down from a tree stand at a coyote, but NOT down from a tree stand at a deer. On the other hand, you're completely free to walk around downtown with that .30-06 slung over your shoulder in a restaurant with no license, so there's that. Indiana also recognizes handgun carry permits from every state in the country and every country in the world, which is pretty unique.
I saw that GSR doesnt have polymer stock with 18" barrel... Do you think I will lose a lot of powder use getting a 16" barrel? Should I choose GSR: 1) 18" SS Barrel and laminate wood stock? OR 2) 16" SS Barrel and polymer stock? The scope would be probably a Vortex Razor II HD Gen II 1-6x24.
The .450 Bushmaster has zero advantage over .450 Marlin or .45-70. It's basically a remless clone of the .460S&W magnum, potent in its own right but doesn't have near the potential of those other two that fire .458" diameter rifle bullets since it fires .452" pistol and muzzleloader bullets that can't handle holding together at speeds much above 2200fps. It's only advantages are that it fits in a 5.56 length action/magazine and like @Expat said qualifies for deer hunting use in some states that don't allow bottleneck or cartridges over a certain overall length.
FWIW My GSR is a “16.5” but the guys on the Scout Forum noticed and I confirmed it’s actually 17.25”. My theory is they designed it at 16.5” and someone said “silencers are getting popular let’s add a 3/4” threaded section and screw a flash suppressor on that puppy”. I chrono’d Federal Match thru my GSR along with other bolt guns out to 24” and found less than 100 fps difference from shortest to longest. The .308 is just an efficient little beastie and guys have hunted with pistols in that caliber for years.
I have a new scout project. . . VLTOR is sending me a replacement "buffer tube" for their VLTOR stock that is currently on both of M1A scouts. The new tube is being cut down. SHORT so I just have the part that clamps into their proprietary housing. From there I am working on a way to attach a rail section to the back of it. OR drill it and tap it for the ACE side folding adapter. The limited options for a side folding M1A/M14 is lame. Well... **** IT. I am making my own. The VLTOR chassis is a perfect starting point. I shot it from the hip for ****s and grins the other day and it was fun. Being able to make it slim and fit into a compact range case is ideal.
Now available. A DVD version is coming out soon, I understand. https://www.amazon.com/Scout-Rifle-Study-History-Century/dp/1983512540