at the range today...

[stronghold]

i was able to get my new 6920 out to the range today for zeroing. after getting my sights semi dialed in (could maybe be better?), i was getting most shots within an 8-10" group with the irons at 200m. this is the first time i've ever shot past 100yds. is this reasonable?

i had one "light hammer strike" where pulled the trigger and nothing but "click". dropped the mag, cleared the chamber and the round looked as if it had only been hand cycled. no more indent in the primer than any other live ejected round.

my other question is regarding the trigger. it seems a bit "gritty". not overly long and breaks nice, just gritty. will this smooth up with break in? a friend had his rock river standard a2 along and the difference was night and day.

overall i think things went pretty well. any suggestions?

thanks

[bkb0000]

I had an LMT trig that was so gravelly it actually functioned as a two-stage. i took 220 grit to it and another trig- a RRA NM- and both went from grit to skating-rink.

your light strike doesn't sound like a light hammer strike.. light strikes usually dimple the primer. sounds like the BCG wasn't fully charged. did that happen after a manual charge (i.e., first round of the magazine)? your hammer most likely hit the carrier shroud, rather than the firing pin.

what kind of ammo you use/how many rounds?

[stronghold]

honestly can't remember if it was after a manual charge or not. i was using prvi m193. ran just under 100rds (buddy shot a few of my prvi in his RRA).

is there an easy way you can describe which area of the trigger you sanded?

and how about the groups? what do you guys typically shoot at 200yds?

i just re-read the IBSZ and will be re-zeroing per these instructions.

[bkb0000]

honestly can't remember if it was after a manual charge or not. i was using prvi m193. ran just under 100rds (buddy shot a few of my prvi in his RRA).

is there an easy way you can describe which area of the trigger you sanded?

and how about the groups? what do you guys typically shoot at 200yds?

i just re-read the IBSZ and will be re-zeroing per these instructions.

your groups are gonna depend on your shooting ability. sounds like you're shooting well enough to pass a BRM qualification. that colt of yours is capable of 2"-4" groups at 200m with that ammo.

if you're interested in learning the basics of marksmanship, there's good articles on the net.

I'll post a couple pictures of my triggers.

[Alpha Sierra]

i was getting most shots within an 8-10" group with the irons at 200m. this is the first time i've ever shot past 100yds. is this reasonable?

If you did that prone or sitting, 4 to 5 MOA is pretty reasonable for a new shooter. If you did that from a bench, you got some work to do.

As a point of reference, the 10 ring on the NRA Highpower Rifle 200 yard target is 2 MOA (~ 4") in diameter. Any decent highpower shooter will shoot all 10s from prone or sitting, and all 10s with high X count (the X ring is 1 MOA) with a shooting coat.

[RogerinTPA]

If this wasn't bench supported shooting, or prone with a tight sling, you should try it. Take your time and don't rush the shots, with 1-3 minutes per shot. It takes time to get that perfect site picture while using good trigger control and breathing. The term BRASS (Breath, Relax, Aim, Slack, Squeeze) is critical for that perfect shot.

[stronghold]

most of the shots were from a bench. maybe the last 20 shots were prone, no sling use. the groups from prone were best and were the last fired of the day. not sure how that adds up. i'll be doing some reading on marksmanship in the next few days before my next trip to the range. i've never had any sort of training and have been shooting mostly pistols and shotguns up to this point. the BRASS acronym helps. any other suggestions or links to good reading are appreciated.

another question...is the difference between the prvi and wolf or barnaul that big? being that the russian steel cased stuff is cheaper, i was thinking of maybe using that for a while until i gain some proficiency.

[bkb0000]

This is most likely what your trigger looks like (minus disconnector)
http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/3/l_baeec38a641e4e6cb2ed1b85895d8a23.jpg
Here's the other one I did, just for S&G
http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/5/l_f1ccb2c639e4491cb8000d5c950d9aba.jpg

[bkb0000]

another question...is the difference between the prvi and wolf or barnaul that big? being that the russian steel cased stuff is cheaper, i was thinking of maybe using that for a while until i gain some proficiency.

well now you're talkin about the difference between two chamberings.. prvi is 5.56 (isn't it?). wolf is .223, and will behave different, and not as well in your colt.

personally, I'd rather not have to wonder if my shitty groups are because i suck or because my ammo sucks. get the wolf to put holes in things, but get "quality" ammo to work on marksmanship. the prvi should be fine for that, for now.

[bkb0000]

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/29/l_65c6ac50e3a3415d923ce105522fb816.jpg

[stronghold]

if i try to polish the trigger and sear(?), is it possible to F it up? as with most other stuff i would go a little at a time and reinstall and check periodically. are angles critical?

and thanks again for all the help

[bkb0000]

if i try to polish the trigger and sear(?), is it possible to F it up? as with most other stuff i would go a little at a time and reinstall and check periodically. are angles critical?

and thanks again for all the help

if you have the stock colt trigger you're just gonna polish the botton contact on the hammer and the forward contact on the trigger. you could **** it up, but you won't. :)
use a lighter grit.. i only used 280 because it's all i had with me when i did it. thats pretty rough for "polishing," but i was careful. i don't know what new colt trigs look like- if the contacts are parkerized, just polish until the park is mostly gone. if the contacts are polished, just give it a good rub and round off maybe 2 or 3 thousands from the corners- a sheet of paper is about 3 thousands, or .003"

[RogerinTPA]

well now you're talkin about the difference between two chamberings.. prvi is 5.56 (isn't it?). wolf is .223, and will behave different, and not as well in your colt.

personally, I'd rather not have to wonder if my shitty groups are because i suck or because my ammo sucks. get the wolf to put holes in things, but get "quality" ammo to work on marksmanship. the prvi should be fine for that, for now.

Prvi is 5.56mm, there version on our M193 55gr. It shoots tighter group than the russian stuff, but not by much. I've actual shot better groups and been more accurate with wolf and barnaul than some of the other guys shooting Prvi. Concentrate on tight shot groups, regardless of ammo. Then rezero and shoot for accuracy after you find what ammo shoots well for you and you rifle. I've found out of my 6920, that the russian ammo Wolf MC 55gr, Wolf Black Box 55gr & 62 gr JHP, Barnaul (Lacquer coated) 62gr JSP, Barnaul zinc coated JSP, have been the most accurate for me. Some rifles are finicky so test fire several brands and weights and see for yourself.

[bkb0000]

hmm.. well i bought up three cases of wolf 55gr FMJ and HP back in 01 or 02, $85-$95 a case, in those days. we were getting no better than 2moa, more like 2.5 with the HP, at best. it became training and plinking ammo. i seem to recall having funky extraction problems with it- weak cycling, occasional complete failure to eject.. even in a mini14, resulting in a bent extractor when she tried to feed a round in next to a spent case that failed to extract all the way.

maybe it's improved since then. I've heard good things about the prvi, good enough that'd i'd get some if the federal brown box wasn't just a little more.

not to be insulting to anyone, but a thought just occured- isn't it odd that everyone will dog on chinese/foreign gear, but most have no problem shooting foreign ammo?

[RogerinTPA]

I haven't had any problems with wolf or barnaul after shooting 6K+. To each is own. It's not match ammo by any means. If your looking for sub 2MOA groups, your gonna have to up the ante to premium match grade ammo and up your shooting skills.


hmm.. well i bought up three cases of wolf 55gr FMJ and HP back in 01 or 02, $85-$95 a case, in those days. we were getting no better than 2moa, more like 2.5 with the HP, at best. it became training and plinking ammo. i seem to recall having funky extraction problems with it- weak cycling, occasional complete failure to eject.. even in a mini14, resulting in a bent extractor when she tried to feed a round in next to a spent case that failed to extract all the way.

maybe it's improved since then. I've heard good things about the prvi, good enough that'd i'd get some if the federal brown box wasn't just a little more.

not to be insulting to anyone, but a thought just occured- isn't it odd that everyone will dog on chinese/foreign gear, but most have no problem shooting foreign ammo?

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

if you have the stock colt trigger you're just gonna polish the botton contact on the hammer and the forward contact on the trigger. you could **** it up, but you won't. :)
use a lighter grit.. i only used 280 because it's all i had with me when i did it. thats pretty rough for "polishing," but i was careful. i don't know what new colt trigs look like- if the contacts are parkerized, just polish until the park is mostly gone. if the contacts are polished, just give it a good rub and round off maybe 2 or 3 thousands from the corners- a sheet of paper is about 3 thousands, or .003"

I think the key is the word 'Polish"! 400 grit sand paper is common in Harware stores, and can be used wet, which at least on sanding paint, gives a much smoother surface.

[TomMcC]

I'm no expert, but before I pulled the trigger mech. out of my new Colt, I would make sure it was lubed a bit, maybe put some Brownells action lube ( moly based grease ) on the sear and shoot it more.

As for shooting tighter groups, the other fellas are right. I learned how important trigger control is for shrinking my rifle and pistol groups by listening to guys that were alot better shots than I was. And then practice some.

[stronghold]

I'm no expert, but before I pulled the trigger mech. out of my new Colt, I would make sure it was lubed a bit, maybe put some Brownells action lube ( moly based grease ) on the sear and shoot it more.

i won't be pulling and polishing the trigger just yet. i'll be firing and cleaning it a bit more before i go that route. still good to have the info and pics(much appreciated).

i'll be re-zeroing with the IBSZ, then working mostly at 100yds for a bit. then move out to 200 again.

[bkb0000]

I'm no expert, but before I pulled the trigger mech. out of my new Colt, I would make sure it was lubed a bit, maybe put some Brownells action lube ( moly based grease ) on the sear and shoot it more.

Lube just prolongs the break-in, if it doesn't fix the discomfort- and it probably won't, with a new parkerized trigger.

it's nothin to be scared of... two pins out, trigger and hammer fall out, polish for 5-10 minutes, hammer n trigger back in, two pins back in... done. rough trigger to smooth trigger in less than 20 minutes.

[texasyid]

Your trigger will get better. My 6920 shoots 1" groups at 100 yds using Black hills 77 gr. match or hornady tap 75gr. I can hit 12" gongs at 500 meters off the bench with the same ammo. I really like shooting standing and hit 6" gongs at 100 meters and can hit man size plates at 500 meters shooting prone. I'm not the best but just practice and you will amaze yourself at what you can do. Oh by the way I use a 3x ACOG as a sight.