Twin Ruger Compacts

[jakeway]

Last year I bought a Ruger Compact in 260 REM, with the intention of letting my grand kids use it when they start hunting. I enjoyed it so much (took 3 deer with it last year) that I really hated the idea of setting it up for the kids instead of just for me.

Two weeks ago my son called me "The pawn shop has a twin to your Ruger, only in .243." I bought it and shot it at the range yesterday. Groups pretty well with factory 100 gr loads. Put 10 shots inside a 3" square at 100 yards, no sandbags, shooting left handed. About 1.5" groups at 100 with bag and shooting right handed.

Top rifle is the 260 with Leupold, that I bought new for approx $800. Bottom one is the 243 that I paid $300, which included the 3-9X40 Redfield.

 

[ShaneHallum]

:O you got a deal!

I've been looking for that exact gun for sometime now.

 

[Southpaw]

Nice guns!

 

[RUGER]

Sweet !

 

[Robo Duck]

 

[Tiny]

Good deal.

Which Redfield is that one?

 

[jakeway]

Good deal.

Which Redfield is that one?

It says 3X-9X Tracker. I haven't researched the serial number yet (if I can even find one).

 

[Tiny]

Good deal.

Which Redfield is that one?

It says 3X-9X Tracker. I haven't researched the serial number yet (if I can even find one).

The # a lot people think are serial # on redfields are actually model # and or pat # and are located either inside one of the turret caps or and the bottom of the turret houseing,very hard to see when mounted on the gun. If they did give serial # to there scopes I don't know of it.

 

[JustJerry]

Are these Ruger compacts really hard on the ears?

 

[jakeway]

Are these Ruger compacts really hard on the ears?

They're louder than a 22" barrell, but not nearly as bad as a gun with a muzzle break. I don't where hearing protection whil ehunting, but always at the range. For kids I'm shooting mild handloads, so that helps.

If you can afford it, I'd get a pair of electronic hearing protectors for any rifle. I wish I had them when I was younger. It's a pain laying in bed at night and listening to my ears ringing every single night, whether I've been shooting or not.

 

[jakeway]

The short light barrells help accuracy. People think of heavy barrells as required for good accuracy, but that's only true in longer barrells. The importance (besides the quality and twist rate of the rifling) is the barrell stiffness; shorter barrels are stiffer than longer barrels of the same diameter.

Another place where these Compacts buck conventional thinking is the velocity loss; rule of thumb says you lose about 50 fps per inch shortened, but that drops off as the barrel gets shorter than around 18 or 19 inches. My Chrony shows I only lost about 250 fps compared to published velocities in reloading manuals. I think it's from the burn rate of the powder. My gun gets about the same velocity with 5% reduced loads as it gets with the max loads, so I save a little powder and reduce the flame-thrower effect the good Doctor tolds us about.