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Posted: 10/17/2012 12:52:51 PM EDT
Just received my copy of the latest American Rifleman. Inside was a test/review of the Colt 901. Accuracy was fair at best and they had some reliability issues with certain ammo. I came away underwhelmed. I'm considering a .308 AR and had my eyes on the Colt. Could be it just needs some tweeking by Colt? Until I start seeing better reviews, I'll be looking elsewhere
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Gun rags are generally suitable to line bird cages with and little else. Shawn posted a bunch of reviews/in-depth info at his blog looserounds dot com . I am not affiliated with him but he's a valuable resource here in the Colt section. Go check it out, I trust his input.
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Just received my copy of the latest American Rifleman. Inside was a test/review of the Colt 901. Accuracy was fair at best and they had some reliability issues with certain ammo. I came away underwhelmed. I'm considering a .308 AR and had my eyes on the Colt. Could be it just needs some tweeking by Colt? Until I start seeing better reviews, I'll be looking elsewhere what kind of ammo gave it problems? just ordered mine today... |
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Quoted: Just received my copy of the latest American Rifleman. Inside was a test/review of the Colt 901. Accuracy was fair at best and they had some reliability issues with certain ammo. I came away underwhelmed. I'm considering a .308 AR and had my eyes on the Colt. Could be it just needs some tweeking by Colt? Until I start seeing better reviews, I'll be looking elsewhere Last month's Gun's & Ammo had the opposite point of view. |
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Just received my copy of the latest American Rifleman. Inside was a test/review of the Colt 901. Accuracy was fair at best and they had some reliability issues with certain ammo. I came away underwhelmed. I'm considering a .308 AR and had my eyes on the Colt. Could be it just needs some tweeking by Colt? Until I start seeing better reviews, I'll be looking elsewhere what kind of ammo gave it problems? just ordered mine today... The lighter rounds under 150gr |
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I'm sure as more people get their hands on the 901 we will see more reviews. Just dissapointed in the AR Mag review.
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The lighter rounds under 150gr Most semi-auto .308 rifles have issues with bullets less than 140ish grains (M80 ball is 147). Knight's recommends their ECCs use M80 ball (147 grains) to 175 grain SMKs only for instance. AR-10s as a rule of thumb prefer anything from M80 ball (147 grain) to 175 grain SMKs. I remember Guns and Ammo doing some stupid video test where they loaded 110 grain TAP into a Springfield M1A. Some fat guy then crawled through the mud and tried to fire the gun, which of course, had issues cycling. They then blamed it on the mud, even though most M-14 people know that the gun has issues cycling rounds loaded with less than 14x grain bullets. I would venture to guess that the Colt's gas system is designed for the same range of .308 rounds. Who the hell shoots 110 grain rounds out of an AR-10 anyway? Is there data to suggest that there is less likelihood of over penetration with a 110 grain TAP vs. 155 grain AMAX or 175 SMKs? Just because 110 grain TAP penetrates less in a block of gelatin doesn't mean it will do so through dry wall: http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=19878. Enlighten me please. |
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I purchased a Colt 901LE last week and tried it out at the farm on Saturday. When I purchased the rifle I was given 50 rounds of CBC M80 Ball so that's what I used to sight in the rifle. Accuracy with this round was OK but the rifle did not like the ammo at all. It short-stroked ever other round. I left pretty disappointed thinking I would be sending the rifle back to Colt. On Sunday I got to wondering if the ammo was the problem so I went back to the farm with 40 rounds of WWB 7.62 NATO, 40 rounds of Federal Blue Box .308grain 180 grain soft points, and 20 rounds of Black Hills .308 Match. The rifle ran perfectly with no failures of any kind.
I can't really comment specifically on accuracy as I do not have an optic on the rifle and I am certainly not Sgt. York when it comes to iron sights. |
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My 901 functions flawlessly with everything I have put through it so far. Federal XM80C, Federal 168 GR GMM, Federal 175 GR GMM, and some cheap old rusty surplus that was at the BullPup shoot.
This weekend I will try some Federal T762TNB1. This is the 130 Grain OTM round that was developed for 16" 308's. I am looking forward to how it performs in this rifle. I tried it in another semi auto 308, and while it functioned 100%, the accuracy was very disappointing. |
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Fact: You won't find a better .308 AR platform at the same price point as the 901.
Fact: We have seen very good accuracy out of these in several different reviews. Fact: People have been posting flawless functioning reports with many types of ammo. Fact: The 901 weighs a little over 9lbs. The reason I put that last fact in there is because that was the determining factor for me to not buy a 901. I elected to go with a custom built LaRue PredatAR in 7.62x51 @ just over 7lbs. I will say that the 901 is so cheap, that I may end up picking one up just to have one, but that won't be for another year or so. Simply put, If you don't want to spend $2.5k+ on a .308 AR, then look no further than the 901. |
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Yep. If money were no object I'd have a pred-obr too, but for the price of that rifle I can have the 901 and a nightforce compact on top of it. Oh wait, I already do.
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My 901 functions flawlessly with everything I have put through it so far. Federal XM80C, Federal 168 GR GMM, Federal 175 GR GMM, and some cheap old rusty surplus that was at the BullPup shoot. This weekend I will try some Federal T762TNB1. This is the 130 Grain OTM round that was developed for 16" 308's. I am looking forward to how it performs in this rifle. I tried it in another semi auto 308, and while it functioned 100%, the accuracy was very disappointing. Tag for outcome: Dave, Loved your 901! That was a sweet shooting Colt that you had out at the BullPup shoot. I may be interested in one one day. |
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Quoted: Fact: You won't find a better .308 AR platform at the same price point as the 901. Fact: We have seen very good accuracy out of these in several different reviews. Fact: People have been posting flawless functioning reports with many types of ammo. Fact: The 901 weighs a little over 9lbs. The reason I put that last fact in there is because that was the determining factor for me to not buy a 901. I elected to go with a custom built LaRue PredatAR in 7.62x51 @ just over 7lbs. I will say that the 901 is so cheap, that I may end up picking one up just to have one, but that won't be for another year or so. Simply put, If you don't want to spend $2.5k+ on a .308 AR, then look no further than the 901. I'm not sure I buy your "facts". Experience and data points don't exactly like up with it being so black and white. |
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Fact: You won't find a better .308 AR platform at the same price point as the 901. Fact: We have seen very good accuracy out of these in several different reviews. Fact: People have been posting flawless functioning reports with many types of ammo. Fact: The 901 weighs a little over 9lbs. The reason I put that last fact in there is because that was the determining factor for me to not buy a 901. I elected to go with a custom built LaRue PredatAR in 7.62x51 @ just over 7lbs. I will say that the 901 is so cheap, that I may end up picking one up just to have one, but that won't be for another year or so. Simply put, If you don't want to spend $2.5k+ on a .308 AR, then look no further than the 901. I'm not sure I buy your "facts". Experience and data points don't exactly like up with it being so black and white. There is nothing to "buy" about those facts. They are in fact black and white. What I am saying is that we have had reviews posting that kind of feedback. Now perhaps the reviewers are dumb asses and don't know what they're talking about, but those reviews exist nonetheless. The only fact I posted that isn't black and white is the first, to which I would ask, What AR platform .308 gun is better in your opinion in the $2k price range? |
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Fact: You won't find a better .308 AR platform at the same price point as the 901. Fact: We have seen very good accuracy out of these in several different reviews. Fact: People have been posting flawless functioning reports with many types of ammo. Fact: The 901 weighs a little over 9lbs. The reason I put that last fact in there is because that was the determining factor for me to not buy a 901. I elected to go with a custom built LaRue PredatAR in 7.62x51 @ just over 7lbs. I will say that the 901 is so cheap, that I may end up picking one up just to have one, but that won't be for another year or so. Simply put, If you don't want to spend $2.5k+ on a .308 AR, then look no further than the 901. How about the SIG 716? |
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I'm very happy on all counts with my RR LAR-8, and...it cost me WAY less than 2000.00.
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Gun rags are generally suitable to line bird cages with and little else. Shawn posted a bunch of reviews/in-depth info at his blog looserounds dot com . I am not affiliated with him but he's a valuable resource here in the Colt section. Go check it out, I trust his input. edit: spelling True, but you have to admit that it is highly unusual to see that rag, ragging on Colt. It sounds like his issues are from the gun not running properly and poor accuracy testing results not on what the rag had to say. |
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Fact: You won't find a better .308 AR platform at the same price point as the 901. Fact: We have seen very good accuracy out of these in several different reviews. Fact: People have been posting flawless functioning reports with many types of ammo. Fact: The 901 weighs a little over 9lbs. The reason I put that last fact in there is because that was the determining factor for me to not buy a 901. I elected to go with a custom built LaRue PredatAR in 7.62x51 @ just over 7lbs. I will say that the 901 is so cheap, that I may end up picking one up just to have one, but that won't be for another year or so. Simply put, If you don't want to spend $2.5k+ on a .308 AR, then look no further than the 901. How about the SIG 716? guess what the reason is that it costs 1500 bucks |
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Fact: You won't find a better .308 AR platform at the same price point as the 901. Fact: We have seen very good accuracy out of these in several different reviews. Fact: People have been posting flawless functioning reports with many types of ammo. Fact: The 901 weighs a little over 9lbs. The reason I put that last fact in there is because that was the determining factor for me to not buy a 901. I elected to go with a custom built LaRue PredatAR in 7.62x51 @ just over 7lbs. I will say that the 901 is so cheap, that I may end up picking one up just to have one, but that won't be for another year or so. Simply put, If you don't want to spend $2.5k+ on a .308 AR, then look no further than the 901. |
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how many of you have read the article?
I have it. this terrible accuracy is listed as 1.63 MOA group in one case. and the rest about the same. Considering his test method was likely not shooting over sand bags with a targetr scope using a target trigger, I would call that pretty good and so would most people with common sense. Remember what the accuracy requirement for the M4 rifle is for the military to keep things in perspective The 901 is not a fucking target rifle. its not a fuckin sniper rifle or competition rifle. It is a BATTLE rifle/carbine. This trend of gun owners expecting everything they buy to shoot sub 1/2 MOA with ball ammo is getting pretty damn stupid. The 901 has a milspec chrome lined 16 inch barrel. Not a Hart BR barrel with a jewel trigger using perfect handloads. factory M1a M14s, long ( wrongly) considered to be something special in the accuracy department wont hold 1.63 MOA most of the time. I have shot under MOA with the 901 and could hit a man sized target out to 1,200 yards. using careful handloads, serious concentration and the proper support gear. Some doofus in the amercian rifle man shooting a few groups with ball , hunting ammo and some black hills is hardly anything to make any decision over. I have shot 110, 125 and 140s through the 901 in the few weeks and have not seen a problem. But I would not have been surprised to see it if it did Predator makes an excellent point, IF you want more then battle rifle accuracy, get a Larue. Thats what the larue is meant to be and excels at. The 901 is meant to be a battle rifle, just like a M4. not a sniper rifle. It will certainly come close to filling the role if used properly and with the right combo of skill, gear and ammo. But if you are buying it with the idea of having a M110 or OBR in mind, then get set for being let down. The 716 is being plagued with problems that can be found with a fast search, WHen I reviewd it on looserounds a guy who had bought 3 of them , one for him and two for his sons, responded to the review with ow he had nothing with problems with the POS and had to send them back twice and the things still dont work right 1500 for a piston sig that is suppose to be as good as a KAC or a colt? whatever I am sure the RRA is just liek any other RRA, very pretty to look at and can be depended on to fire a couple of hundred rounds slowly over a 6 month period and work fine, and be accurate, But hardly take the abuse of a Colt made combat rifle hardened as such. If you want accuracy, get a OBR, if you want something to use and abuse like your M4 with a bigger caliber, get the 901. If I could not get those two, the only other 30 caliber rifle I would be in semi auto would be the SCAR H, I would buy a DPMS or delton before I would get a M1a, |
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In before the Colt fanbois begin to foam at the mouth. forget which forum you posted in sparky? active topic trolls , strike again |
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how many of you have read the article? I have it. this terrible accuracy is listed as 1.63 MOA group in one case. and the rest about the same. Considering his test method was likely not shooting over sand bags with a targetr scope using a target trigger, I would call that pretty good and so would most people with common sense. Remember what the accuracy requirement for the M4 rifle is for the military to keep things in perspective The 901 is not a fucking target rifle. its not a fuckin sniper rifle or competition rifle. It is a BATTLE rifle/carbine. This trend of gun owners expecting everything they buy to shoot sub 1/2 MOA with ball ammo is getting pretty damn stupid. The 901 has a milspec chrome lined 16 inch barrel. Not a Hart BR barrel with a jewel trigger using perfect handloads. factory M1a M14s, long ( wrongly) considered to be something special in the accuracy department wont hold 1.63 MOA most of the time. I have shot under MOA with the 901 and could hit a man sized target out to 1,200 yards. using careful handloads, serious concentration and the proper support gear. Some doofus in the amercian rifle man shooting a few groups with ball , hunting ammo and some black hills is hardly anything to make any decision over. I have shot 110, 125 and 140s through the 901 in the few weeks and have not seen a problem. But I would not have been surprised to see it if it did Predator makes an excellent point, IF you want more then battle rifle accuracy, get a Larue. Thats what the larue is meant to be and excels at. The 901 is meant to be a battle rifle, just like a M4. not a sniper rifle. It will certainly come close to filling the role if used properly and with the right combo of skill, gear and ammo. But if you are buying it with the idea of having a M110 or OBR in mind, then get set for being let down. The 716 is being plagued with problems that can be found with a fast search, WHen I reviewd it on looserounds a guy who had bought 3 of them , one for him and two for his sons, responded to the review with ow he had nothing with problems with the POS and had to send them back twice and the things still dont work right 1500 for a piston sig that is suppose to be as good as a KAC or a colt? whatever I am sure the RRA is just liek any other RRA, very pretty to look at and can be depended on to fire a couple of hundred rounds slowly over a 6 month period and work fine, and be accurate, But hardly take the abuse of a Colt made combat rifle hardened as such. If you want accuracy, get a OBR, if you want something to use and abuse like your M4 with a bigger caliber, get the 901. If I could not get those two, the only other 30 caliber rifle I would be in semi auto would be the SCAR H, I would buy a DPMS or delton before I would get a M1a, Amen brother!! Cheers |
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Ran 72 rounds of 150 grain Tula through my 901 today.
No issues other than the very first round failing to chamber due to a random piece of plastic making its way into my chamber from my gun case...oops. Once i pulled out the plastic shard (it was quite large lol) the gun ran as expected, ie like a clock. The gun was zero'd well out of the box and the irons were dead on. For ME, i need this rifle to be a tack driver out to 200. Anything beyond that and i am going beyond my skill level. I will most likely never take a deer or hog with this thing beyond 200 so again, the rifle is accurate as balls even at the reported 1.63 MOA that American Rifleman reported. |
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I just read the article, and I certainly didn't think it was a "poor review". The writer (who seemed very knowledgeable BTW) was very enthusiastic about the modular concept, and seemed very impressed with the engineering that went on with the 901.
As for accuracy- the average grouping with M80 147-gr FMJ was 4.51. All the rest tested (140-gr, 168-gr, 175-gr) averaged 1.63-1.69. These numbers are very similar to what Patrick Sweeney reported in the G&A test. Good numbers, I think, for this type of rifle. This was done from a sandbag rest (although later he said he used a bipod). The author also remarked that a Giselle trigger would most likely increase accuracy by 30%. As for reliabilty- he mentioned that there were "several failures to pick up a new cartridge or to lock back the bolt were experienced with commerical ammunition shooting bullets lighter than 150 grs. No other malfunctions were experienced with either caliber." Those are the ONLY criticisms in the article. Two paragraphs out of a 6-page article. |
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I just read the article, and I certainly didn't think it was a "poor review". The writer (who seemed very knowledgeable BTW) was very enthusiastic about the modular concept, and seemed very impressed with the engineering that went on with the 901. As for accuracy- the average grouping with M80 147-gr FMJ was 4.51. All the rest tested (140-gr, 168-gr, 175-gr) averaged 1.63-1.69. These numbers are very similar to what Patrick Sweeney reported in the G&A test. Good numbers, I think, for this type of rifle. This was done from a sandbag rest (although later he said he used a bipod). The author also remarked that a Giselle trigger would most likely increase accuracy by 30%. As for reliabilty- he mentioned that there were "several failures to pick up a new cartridge or to lock back the bolt were experienced with commerical ammunition shooting bullets lighter than 150 grs. No other malfunctions were experienced with either caliber." Those are the ONLY criticisms in the article. Two paragraphs out of a 6-page article. Exactly. I read this thread yesterday and grabbed my copy of AR so I could read it for myself. When I finished I'm asking myself what has everyone's panties in a wad. I, too, thought the overall tone of the article was very complimentary. I'd hate to think of the reaction if the writer had criticized the fit & finish of the rifle. |
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I just read the article, and I certainly didn't think it was a "poor review". The writer (who seemed very knowledgeable BTW) was very enthusiastic about the modular concept, and seemed very impressed with the engineering that went on with the 901. As for accuracy- the average grouping with M80 147-gr FMJ was 4.51. All the rest tested (140-gr, 168-gr, 175-gr) averaged 1.63-1.69. These numbers are very similar to what Patrick Sweeney reported in the G&A test. Good numbers, I think, for this type of rifle. This was done from a sandbag rest (although later he said he used a bipod). The author also remarked that a Giselle trigger would most likely increase accuracy by 30%. As for reliabilty- he mentioned that there were "several failures to pick up a new cartridge or to lock back the bolt were experienced with commerical ammunition shooting bullets lighter than 150 grs. No other malfunctions were experienced with either caliber." Those are the ONLY criticisms in the article. Two paragraphs out of a 6-page article. Exactly. I read this thread yesterday and grabbed my copy of AR so I could read it for myself. When I finished I'm asking myself what has everyone's panties in a wad. I, too, thought the overall tone of the article was very complimentary. I'd hate to think of the reaction if the writer had criticized the fit & finish of the rifle. then we would have known he was a dumb fuck that should never had been allowed to review a fighting rifle |
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Overall I thought it was a positive article and it would not deter me from buying one. In fact, I just bid on a 901 on GB.
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I just read the article, and I certainly didn't think it was a "poor review". The writer (who seemed very knowledgeable BTW) was very enthusiastic about the modular concept, and seemed very impressed with the engineering that went on with the 901. As for accuracy- the average grouping with M80 147-gr FMJ was 4.51. All the rest tested (140-gr, 168-gr, 175-gr) averaged 1.63-1.69. These numbers are very similar to what Patrick Sweeney reported in the G&A test. Good numbers, I think, for this type of rifle. This was done from a sandbag rest (although later he said he used a bipod). The author also remarked that a Giselle trigger would most likely increase accuracy by 30%. As for reliabilty- he mentioned that there were "several failures to pick up a new cartridge or to lock back the bolt were experienced with commerical ammunition shooting bullets lighter than 150 grs. No other malfunctions were experienced with either caliber." Those are the ONLY criticisms in the article. Two paragraphs out of a 6-page article. ^^ that. |
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The NRA magazines should stick to gun rights issues.
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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I got the 105th 901 to hit public hands and my only complaint so far is that I'm going to have to wait a while before the magwell adapter is available, it is a hell of a lot more accurate than I am. So far I have mainly fed it Freedom Munitions 147 Gr. reloads and Monarch steel 147 gr and I have had absolutely ZERO issues, then again using 20LR PMAGS and Froglube probably doesn't hurt. I don't think the magazine article was overly negative, though I can't see the magazine / bolt release being confused as they feel very different, but I am very surprised they had any issues with the .308 upper, even with <150gr. ammo, unless it was some absurdly light round like the 110 that was discussed earlier.
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Every indication I have seen from AR15.com reviews/owners is that it is an excellent rifle, both accurate and reliable, and much cheaper than competition like LaRue and Knights Armament. Seems like a pretty cool rifle.
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In before the Colt fanbois begin to foam at the mouth. forget which forum you posted in sparky? active topic trolls , strike again W00T! |
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I just read the article, and I certainly didn't think it was a "poor review". The writer (who seemed very knowledgeable BTW) was very enthusiastic about the modular concept, and seemed very impressed with the engineering that went on with the 901. As for accuracy- the average grouping with M80 147-gr FMJ was 4.51. All the rest tested (140-gr, 168-gr, 175-gr) averaged 1.63-1.69. These numbers are very similar to what Patrick Sweeney reported in the G&A test. Good numbers, I think, for this type of rifle. This was done from a sandbag rest (although later he said he used a bipod). The author also remarked that a Giselle trigger would most likely increase accuracy by 30%. As for reliabilty- he mentioned that there were "several failures to pick up a new cartridge or to lock back the bolt were experienced with commerical ammunition shooting bullets lighter than 150 grs. No other malfunctions were experienced with either caliber." Those are the ONLY criticisms in the article. Two paragraphs out of a 6-page article. Exactly. I read this thread yesterday and grabbed my copy of AR so I could read it for myself. When I finished I'm asking myself what has everyone's panties in a wad. I, too, thought the overall tone of the article was very complimentary. I'd hate to think of the reaction if the writer had criticized the fit & finish of the rifle. Problem with the article is that the author did not appear to have any real experience with combat rifles. Gissele triggers are nice, but not on gunfighting carbines. Put 500 rounds downrange and the trigger on a Colt will always be much smoother than it was out of the box. |
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Frankly I'm just happy to see El_A in here posting again. absolutely place was not the same without him |
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http://imageshack.us/a/img856/1801/901t.jpg
For a battle rifle, I will take groups like this any day!, these are my loads on a progressive, getting nearly the same thing with 147gr... rifle functions flawlessly... |
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