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+--- Thread: Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch (/showthread.php?tid=7320)
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - window2time - 02-14-2014
My first AR build is also my first entry into 6.5 Grendel. 24" Krieger barrel with Mega Arms billet upper and lower. I completed it just in time for a class at Thunder Ranch. Last weekend (2/8/14) I took it to Thunder Ranch in Lakeview Oregon to see how it would shoot. This class was 2 days of shooting with a curriculum to take ARs to 700yds. I didn't have enough ammo to shoot it the whole time so I had to switch off with my JP 223. Here are a few pics of the build and the trip to Thunder Ranch.
![[Image: IMG_1019-M.jpg]](http://window2time.smugmug.com/2014/Thunder-Ranch-2014/i-3zFXF8c/0/M/IMG_1019-M.jpg)
![[Image: IMG_1022-M.jpg]](http://window2time.smugmug.com/2014/Thunder-Ranch-2014/i-6cpHVZt/1/M/IMG_1022-M.jpg)
![[Image: IMG_1031-M.jpg]](http://window2time.smugmug.com/2014/Thunder-Ranch-2014/i-5RM8JCD/1/M/IMG_1031-M.jpg)
![[Image: IMG_1023-M.jpg]](http://window2time.smugmug.com/2014/Thunder-Ranch-2014/i-gwjrPGS/0/M/IMG_1023-M.jpg)
this site limits to 4 pics per post. will post again
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - window2time - 02-14-2014
![[Image: IMG_1040-M.jpg]](http://window2time.smugmug.com/2014/Thunder-Ranch-2014/i-h4ftxXW/0/M/IMG_1040-M.jpg)
![[Image: IMG_1051-M.jpg]](http://window2time.smugmug.com/2014/Thunder-Ranch-2014/i-RbzfKKb/0/M/IMG_1051-M.jpg)
We drove a couple hundred miles on snowy roads to get to Thunder Ranch
![[Image: IMG_1082-M.jpg]](http://window2time.smugmug.com/2014/Thunder-Ranch-2014/i-kBgm9DM/0/M/IMG_1082-M.jpg)
![[Image: IMG_1102-M.jpg]](http://window2time.smugmug.com/2014/Thunder-Ranch-2014/i-DbrnRx4/0/M/IMG_1102-M.jpg)
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - window2time - 02-14-2014
![[Image: February%2009%2C%202014%20at%201020AM-M.jpg]](http://window2time.smugmug.com/2014/Thunder-Ranch-2014/i-2GKFqST/0/M/February%2009%2C%202014%20at%201020AM-M.jpg)
[/URL]![[Image: IMG_1121-M.jpg]](http://window2time.smugmug.com/2014/Thunder-Ranch-2014/i-bhSDn62/0/M/IMG_1121-M.jpg)
[/URL]There are steel targets on this range from 100yd to 700yd. They are hard to see in the pictures and video but they are there. On the second day it stopped snowing and we were able to shoot out to 700yds. At the end of the second day I hit the 700yd steel 5 times out of 5 shots with the grendel. It shot very accurately and I am thrilled with it.
[video=youtube;lv5r2jnGabA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv5r2jnGabA&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - LRRPF52 - 02-14-2014
Sweet. I love shooting in those conditions, where you see what you and your equipment are really capable of, especially sideways-blowing snow in sub-freezing temps. That's the best when you are lucky enough to find it.
What load did you use?
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - window2time - 02-14-2014
Thanks for the comment. It was a great learning experience and I had a lot of fun. I was shooting factory Hornady 123 A-Max and 123 scenar from Precision Firearms. I have not loaded any of my own ammo.
LRRPF52 Wrote:Sweet. I love shooting in those conditions, where you see what you and your equipment are really capable of, especially sideways-blowing snow in sub-freezing temps. That's the best when you are lucky enough to find it.
What load did you use?
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - WildBill3/75 - 02-14-2014
sweet stick.
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - lilharcher - 02-14-2014
Very nice. What hand guard is that?
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - window2time - 02-14-2014
Thank you. It is a Mega Arms keymod hand guard. Sometimes called MKM (Mega Key Mod). The MKM hand guard is only available as a set with the MKM upper and is not available separately.
lilharcher Wrote:Very nice. What hand guard is that?
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - rickOshay - 02-14-2014
Nice stick - and tripod.
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - calshipbuilder - 02-14-2014
looks fun, I hope to go to that course, I hope Clint gets well soon.
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - montana - 02-14-2014
Getting to Thunder ranch looked like an accomplishment in itself. That was great shooting even if the weather was good, was it hard to see steel with all that snow? Nice looking rifle, looks like you know how to build an AR. What tripod, optics and trigger were you using?
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - window2time - 02-14-2014
Thank you for all great comments. I learned a lot from lurking this site.
On the first day when it was snowing hard, it was difficult to see targets beyond about 300 or 400yds, but when snowing lightly we could see the targets all the way to 700yd.
This trigger
![[Image: IMG_1006-S.jpg]](http://window2time.smugmug.com/2014/Thunder-Ranch-2014/i-72gwFR6/0/S/IMG_1006-S.jpg)
The tripod is DCLW. This thread has some pics and info on it. http://tacticalmatches.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=6711
The scope is a Leupold 1-8 CQBSS Mk8 H27D with illuminated reticle
montana Wrote:Getting to Thunder ranch looked like an accomplishment in itself. That was great shooting even if the weather was good, was it hard to see steel with all that snow? Nice looking rifle, looks like you know how to build an AR. What tripod, optics and trigger were you using?
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - LRRPF52 - 02-14-2014
Were you able to register any of your misses with the H27D/CQBSS? How did that reticle work out for you in the snow?
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - window2time - 02-14-2014
LRPPF52, I am not even close to your level of skill and experience and I am not very good at registering my own hits and misses. It is something I am working on but I still have a long way to go. The Leupold Mk 8 is an amazing scope and I was able to register some of my misses but I am certain that I am not leveraging the quality of the scope to the extent that you would.
I really do like the scope very much. The glass is very good. The H27D reticle worked very well for shooting at different distances without time to adjust the turrets -- this was part of our drills. On 8X I had about 11 mils of hold-over available on the reticle and 2 mils of hold-under. It has subtension marks every .2 mil. This all worked great for me, but when i had the time, I dialed the dope on the turrets instead of hold-overs. The turrets have 10 mils per revolution with a zero stop that can be bypassed when needed. I really love how the scope functions. It really does what I need it to do. I didn't use the illumination while at Thunder Ranch because the reticle was always easily visible against the snow and the targets. However, I have used the daytime visible illumination for 3gun and practical rifle competition and have found that the illumination helps to ensure that I do not visually lose track of the reticle when shooting quickly across a myriad of colors and backgrounds. With that said, I do prefer my Swarovski 1-6X BRTi for 3 gun as it has a wider FOV than the Mk8.
LRRPF52 Wrote:Were you able to register any of your misses with the H27D/CQBSS? How did that reticle work out for you in the snow?
Krieger, Mega, Thunder Ranch - LRRPF52 - 02-14-2014
My skill is only as good as the depreciated value from my last training session...ha ha!
As such, I like hiding behind spotting scopes so I can do what I really enjoy, which is calling the wind and providing corrections for others.