For this challenge, I used two firearms. In anticipation of pronghorn season, I brought out my 6.5 Grendel AR. For the other firearm, when Pete first brought up the challenge with the title “MOA All Day”, I immediately thought of a belt-fed with a quick change barrel, as they can shoot “All Day” a bit better than other firearms.
Firearm 1:
My Setup:
- Ohio Ordnance Works M240SLR
- Standard M240 Bipod
- Elcan Specter DR DFOV14-C2 set on 1x power as specified for 50yards per the challenge
- Black Hills 168gr BTHP
Photos:
Firearm
Optic set to 1x as required
Target (Holes at top center are from ranging shots to adjust for impact difference for 50yards vs zero distance)
Target w/calipers on tightest group
Raw Data:
.948, .955, 1.212, 1.232, 1.365
Subtracting bullet diameter of .308 to get center-center:
.64, .647, .904, .924, 1.057
Average:
.834
MOA at 50 Yards (in inches:
.5235
MOA:
.834/.5235= 1.59 MOA average
Firearm 2:
My Setup:
- Les Baer Custom 16″ 6.5 Grendel upper receiver
- POF-USA P-415 lower
- Timney Trigger
- Magpul Furniture
- Grip Pod (1st gen)
- Swarovski Z6 1.7-10×42
- Alexander Arms 123gr Lapua Scenar BTHP
Photos:
Target confirmed at 100 yards using rangefinder
Shot target still on frame frame
Smallest group
Excuse the scribbles, my micrometer was not zeroing out correctly, giving smaller values than it should. Changing the batteries fixed the problem.
Raw Data:
.60, .696, .833, .995, 1.15
Subtracting bullet diameter of .264 to get center-center:
.344, .44, .577, .739, .894
Average:
.5988″
MOA at 100 yards (in inches):
1.047″
MOA:
.5988/1.047= .572 MOA average
Observations:
There’s always room for improvement, and the fundamentals of shooting cannot be ignored. Shooting the 240 for groups was hilariously fun, despite the not-so-match trigger and the rather long lock time. The CX5936 Reticle is pretty thick and I did not have it mounted up in an M192 Tripod, so I had to be careful. I did really enjoy shooting the challenge with a firearm that can shoot MOA literally all day, given enough ammo and another barrel. As far as the 6.5 Grendel AR goes, I could improve, but I was pretty happy with the results. Where I got myself into trouble and larger groups was in getting impatient with the wind and rushing a few shots. This was a very fun challenge, I look forward to doing it again in the future with some different firearms. Thanks, Pete!
