UPDATE: 12-20-05I made it out today to shoot. I could barely feel my trigger finger, as I still had basically NO gloves.
I switched back to my old stock. (T-hole sporter from cabela's)
I put a thin piece of foam about 1/2in. from the tip of the forend as a pressure pad.
I did NOT use a rear bag, forgot to get one.
I should also note that my scope base was LOOSE!!!
I checked the rings the other day, where they attach to the rail, and where they clamp to the scope...BUT I NEVER CHECKED THE BASE!
I tightened EVERYTHING up and went out. Here's some pics. The dime is there as a referance to the group size.
CCI MiniMag, 25 rounds, from a bench...using a bipod and no rear bag:
I had to zero the scope a little more. It was shooting high. The next pics are after I adjusted the elevation down.
CCI Standard Velocity, 25 rounds, from bench...bipod & no rear bag:
Wolf MT, 10 rounds, from bench...bipod & no rear bag.
I had to put a green marker sticker on the center because I could barely see, it was getting dark out.
I like the t-hole stock alot better now. I think my problem with the hogue was that I wasnt getting a consistent cheek weld. The t-hole stock has a much higher comb...makes for a good consistent cheek weld w/ my rings/scope height. Part of the problem was definately the loose scope base.
I don't know how I overlooked that before.
I kept jerking the trigger, since I could barely feel my finger, and the heavy pull weight.
I will order a VQ hammer before I do anything else w/it. Regardless, I'm happy with it.
I'm confident that I can produce smaller groups this summer when the bitter cold isnt affecting ME and my fingers. It should improve also when I start using a rear bag. A scope with more than a 9x zoom & finer crosshairs should improve things also.
ETA: These groups were all shot a 50 yards.