Well, I THOUGHT it was going to be GREAT.
Went to the "State Range" near my house, nobody else there at first besides the State employee, except 2 young guys shooting, believe it or not, a stock M44 and a 91/30 in an ATI stock! We even traded some ammo, because they had some Polish I wanted to try.
I started off firing 5 shots at 100 with my "control" stock M38 with the surplus Albanian. From a bench, but just resting on my shooting bag. Ended up with about a 4.5" loose group, centered about 10" high, 6" right of the bull. But by the end of the day I PROBABLY would have been happy with it....
Then I "half-@ssed" boresighted the Scout, and touched off 5 rounds of Surplus at 100. I didn't have a spotting scope, and couldn't see holes through my binocs, but since it felt so good, I shot 5 more before "going down."
NOTHING on paper!
Boresighted it AGAIN, CAREFULLY. And 5 more...NOTHING.
So I move to 25 yds with another target. The old guy tending the range then took an interest in me and offered to "spot."
At 25, the first shot hit about 9" high, and about 8" Right. Fired another just to be sure, and it hit less than 1/2" from the first! (I'm thinking, MOA!)
Crank it in about 40 clicks down and left. touch two off, and it's now 4" high and right. But again, 1/2" apart.
Crank in about 30 more left and down, touch off two more, and again 1/2" apart, RIGHT on the center line about 3" high. Cranked one 10 clicks down, and (This is where I started to get a bad feeling) Put two more INTO ONE HOLE, touching one of the OTHER two.
THAT 4 shot group is IMPRESSIVE. I felt like stopping there, and CLAIMING it was a hundred But WHY did it not move with the extra clicks?
The old guy is telling me "That will probably be right ON at 100!" and I'm telling him, no right on at 25 should be a LITTLE high at 100, that will be way high, and he argues with me, so I decide to not argue, and move back to 100, at least I'm on paper.
First 5 shots are into about 4", about 11 " high, but in line, at least WINDAGE is OK. But a 4" group!!!???
This is when the guy offered a rifle rest, I DIDN'T know they had them! HE brings out of the shed a wood cradle, and some sand bags, and NOW I'm in business...so I THINK.
I crank in the adjustments, get it all steady, and crank off another 2 groups of 5...
The GOOD news is the now 6" groups are "roughly" centered...
From a BETTER rest?!?! This is when I checked the mount...and it's LOOSE.
Dig out the allen wrenches, tighten it down, try again. THIS time, I get about a 4" group, but about 4 " high and right! Adjust it, (now more people are showing up to shoot, so less time to go down, I NEED a spotting scope!) fire two 5 shot groups, ONE is right on, about 3 1/2", the OTHER on another target is about 5" and strung vertically in a line.
Check the mount, it's LOOSE! Crap.
Tighten it again, decide to try the Polish stuff, ANOTHER 4" group, about 3" high, which is where I WANT it to be, but another 5 Albanian, and 6". strung out! You guessed it, LOOSE.
So I decide to tighten it, REALLY crank it down this time, and try three rounds of the "expensive stuff," Winchester 180 gr FMJ. First, I was REALLY surprised at the RECOIL. I guess I've HEARD that bullet weight makes the MOST difference, but I NEVER figured you'd FEEL 30 grains difference! But I did! In fact, I had been shooting with my right elbow resting on the concrete bench, and that FIRST round hurt like HE!!. But the RO called "clear" so I got to check it right after I fired it.
The GOOD news is it was the BEST group of the day. 2" exactly, center to center, MEASURED, but centered exactly 3" LOW, but slightly to the left of the center line.
So now I'm happy again, and the NEXT time I crank in some elevation, shoot 10 rounds of surplus, at two different targetsand I end up with TWO different 8" groups!
Tighten it down. try the Winchester next, and I get ANOTHER 3 shot 2 " group, but about 5" LEFT! What's WORSE, is I tighten the mount, and cranked in windage, but went the WRONG WAY and fire TWO more three shot groups, one is OFF PAPER, the other now 8" left, with two into 2", and one "flyer" if you want to call it that. Wasting the GOOD stuff!
And now I go to tighten the mount...and the DAMM set screw STRIPS...
Well, my day was over...EXCEPT for watching the poor guy next to me get BEAT UP, by his "lightweight" Savage in .300WSM! He told me he's shot TONS of rifles, owns a .300 mag, 30-06, and a .270, but this one is his "Recoil King!" And there was NO doubt, he was getting KNOCKED AROUND! But he let me check his last 3 shot group through his scope (GOSH that rifle was LIGHT!) and it was about 1.5", a little high and right. He said he was happy, and going to call it a DAY.
Anyway, here is the critique...
I THINK the "Scout Mount" LER scope set-up has promise. It handles well, and just might be FASTER than a conventional set-up. And you can use both eyes open, which would be GREAT for hunting. BUT...
At least this NC Star mount DOES "shoot loose." I've heard other similar ones like the B-Square do too, so I DO NOT recommend it on a Mosin Nagant.
I'm going to play with mine, MAYBE I can drill/tap bigger holes, and MAYBE drill one more on either side, but I'm NOT too thrilled with the idea the screws are threaded into the ALUMINUM and not steel. I think THAT is the problem. When all is said and done, I MAY have to go to a "custom" mount made of steel like that one guy did in the link I posted.
I COULD live with 2" groups the Winchesters (which are actually Sellior and Bellot) gave me, IF I could get them CONSISTANTLY.
Oh well, back to the drawing board. And it WAS "fun," kinda...you know what they say about "a bad day at the range..." I COULD have been at work!
With a sore shoulder... I WISH I could tell you the "stock" recoiled more than the ATI sybthetic, but with only 5 through the stock M38, and the 60 or so rounds through the synthetic, I honestly DON'T remember....but I DO know the 180 grainers HURT after 50 or so "light ball" surplus that I really didn't even FEEL.
Went to the "State Range" near my house, nobody else there at first besides the State employee, except 2 young guys shooting, believe it or not, a stock M44 and a 91/30 in an ATI stock! We even traded some ammo, because they had some Polish I wanted to try.
I started off firing 5 shots at 100 with my "control" stock M38 with the surplus Albanian. From a bench, but just resting on my shooting bag. Ended up with about a 4.5" loose group, centered about 10" high, 6" right of the bull. But by the end of the day I PROBABLY would have been happy with it....
Then I "half-@ssed" boresighted the Scout, and touched off 5 rounds of Surplus at 100. I didn't have a spotting scope, and couldn't see holes through my binocs, but since it felt so good, I shot 5 more before "going down."
NOTHING on paper!
Boresighted it AGAIN, CAREFULLY. And 5 more...NOTHING.
So I move to 25 yds with another target. The old guy tending the range then took an interest in me and offered to "spot."
At 25, the first shot hit about 9" high, and about 8" Right. Fired another just to be sure, and it hit less than 1/2" from the first! (I'm thinking, MOA!)
Crank it in about 40 clicks down and left. touch two off, and it's now 4" high and right. But again, 1/2" apart.
Crank in about 30 more left and down, touch off two more, and again 1/2" apart, RIGHT on the center line about 3" high. Cranked one 10 clicks down, and (This is where I started to get a bad feeling) Put two more INTO ONE HOLE, touching one of the OTHER two.
THAT 4 shot group is IMPRESSIVE. I felt like stopping there, and CLAIMING it was a hundred But WHY did it not move with the extra clicks?
The old guy is telling me "That will probably be right ON at 100!" and I'm telling him, no right on at 25 should be a LITTLE high at 100, that will be way high, and he argues with me, so I decide to not argue, and move back to 100, at least I'm on paper.
First 5 shots are into about 4", about 11 " high, but in line, at least WINDAGE is OK. But a 4" group!!!???
This is when the guy offered a rifle rest, I DIDN'T know they had them! HE brings out of the shed a wood cradle, and some sand bags, and NOW I'm in business...so I THINK.
I crank in the adjustments, get it all steady, and crank off another 2 groups of 5...
The GOOD news is the now 6" groups are "roughly" centered...
From a BETTER rest?!?! This is when I checked the mount...and it's LOOSE.
Dig out the allen wrenches, tighten it down, try again. THIS time, I get about a 4" group, but about 4 " high and right! Adjust it, (now more people are showing up to shoot, so less time to go down, I NEED a spotting scope!) fire two 5 shot groups, ONE is right on, about 3 1/2", the OTHER on another target is about 5" and strung vertically in a line.
Check the mount, it's LOOSE! Crap.
Tighten it again, decide to try the Polish stuff, ANOTHER 4" group, about 3" high, which is where I WANT it to be, but another 5 Albanian, and 6". strung out! You guessed it, LOOSE.
So I decide to tighten it, REALLY crank it down this time, and try three rounds of the "expensive stuff," Winchester 180 gr FMJ. First, I was REALLY surprised at the RECOIL. I guess I've HEARD that bullet weight makes the MOST difference, but I NEVER figured you'd FEEL 30 grains difference! But I did! In fact, I had been shooting with my right elbow resting on the concrete bench, and that FIRST round hurt like HE!!. But the RO called "clear" so I got to check it right after I fired it.
The GOOD news is it was the BEST group of the day. 2" exactly, center to center, MEASURED, but centered exactly 3" LOW, but slightly to the left of the center line.
So now I'm happy again, and the NEXT time I crank in some elevation, shoot 10 rounds of surplus, at two different targetsand I end up with TWO different 8" groups!
Tighten it down. try the Winchester next, and I get ANOTHER 3 shot 2 " group, but about 5" LEFT! What's WORSE, is I tighten the mount, and cranked in windage, but went the WRONG WAY and fire TWO more three shot groups, one is OFF PAPER, the other now 8" left, with two into 2", and one "flyer" if you want to call it that. Wasting the GOOD stuff!
And now I go to tighten the mount...and the DAMM set screw STRIPS...
Well, my day was over...EXCEPT for watching the poor guy next to me get BEAT UP, by his "lightweight" Savage in .300WSM! He told me he's shot TONS of rifles, owns a .300 mag, 30-06, and a .270, but this one is his "Recoil King!" And there was NO doubt, he was getting KNOCKED AROUND! But he let me check his last 3 shot group through his scope (GOSH that rifle was LIGHT!) and it was about 1.5", a little high and right. He said he was happy, and going to call it a DAY.
Anyway, here is the critique...
I THINK the "Scout Mount" LER scope set-up has promise. It handles well, and just might be FASTER than a conventional set-up. And you can use both eyes open, which would be GREAT for hunting. BUT...
At least this NC Star mount DOES "shoot loose." I've heard other similar ones like the B-Square do too, so I DO NOT recommend it on a Mosin Nagant.
I'm going to play with mine, MAYBE I can drill/tap bigger holes, and MAYBE drill one more on either side, but I'm NOT too thrilled with the idea the screws are threaded into the ALUMINUM and not steel. I think THAT is the problem. When all is said and done, I MAY have to go to a "custom" mount made of steel like that one guy did in the link I posted.
I COULD live with 2" groups the Winchesters (which are actually Sellior and Bellot) gave me, IF I could get them CONSISTANTLY.
Oh well, back to the drawing board. And it WAS "fun," kinda...you know what they say about "a bad day at the range..." I COULD have been at work!
With a sore shoulder... I WISH I could tell you the "stock" recoiled more than the ATI sybthetic, but with only 5 through the stock M38, and the 60 or so rounds through the synthetic, I honestly DON'T remember....but I DO know the 180 grainers HURT after 50 or so "light ball" surplus that I really didn't even FEEL.