Wildwillalaska
AH enthusiast
Starting to warm a little to this little 450/400. Really expected it to feel neglected once my 470 arrived, but since it needed some additional attention from JJ, decided to show the 450/400 a little attention today since I had to run out to the range to test a few rounds through my daughter’s Fieldcraft before her moose hunt. With moose season underway and many folks getting ready for late season hunts, the club was relatively busy where I couldn’t go down range to mark every shot or two, so set up two targets with small orange aiming points.
Trying to get my feet back under me shooting open, iron sights. It’s been some time since I did much rifle shooting without a scope/optic of some kind. And while I may well run an RMR or similar, trying to see what my abilities are with the factory irons. When I first shot the rifle, I had decent light and was pleased with the factory brass front sight. When I finally got to shoot my 470 late last week, it was raining and shot from the main rifle range, where all stations are covered, or in the shooting house (Where you cannot shoot offhand). I found it very difficult to pick up the front sight on a black target while under the roof and therefore shaded. So figured the cardboard and orange dots would help…proved true.
These were first shots with the factory DGX I’d taken through the gun. The two outer holes were the first two and did those kneeling off-hand, which I seem to be imparting some vertical to the gun in doing so, especially with the solids. Then followed with the next two that I shot off a bag that stacked well, and seems most consistent point of impact with other groups, although the next 4 shots I tried to adjust towards getting the rifle centered. Found success, but then after some offhand shooting the following went back to the same shifted left POI.
Here were the next two shots again off the bag rest…and was really getting happy with myself, my aging eyes and the gun.
Then came the next two rounds, again of the bag rest. First shot was super happy., quick check through field glasses and saw it hit essentially same POI as the pair before, then fired the left barrel and felt like a good shot but left guessing, did I pull it just enough to slip through the first hole, it looked ever so-slightly ovate to the bottom right, but wasn’t sure if my mind was playing tricks on me instead of considering I’d somehow pulled it entirely off the target. I don’t think I did, especially using the bag rest. Even my marginal, at best, total off hand and kneeling off shots were not far enough off to miss the target entirely…one was close though.
Here is the whole target.
Then to mix things up a bit.
Had a chance to go down range and put up another target, and switched to the factory DGS, only had 6 rounds of the DGS with me, and shot three pairs kneeling offhand, which in retrospect I wish I’d shot the final two off the beg to see if the vertical was something in my kneeling offhand position or the load itself. When I switched back to DGX, I also decided to stand up and shoot offhand, concrete on my knee and vertical groups were starting to make me grumpy. Next pair of offhand DGX were widely spaced, but vertical was gone. Still unsure if it’s me, the DGS, or some combo of both. Certainly didn’t do myself any favors in trying to ascertain which. Shot two more pairs, back to the bag rest with similar, size and POI of the first pair I shot off the bag. Rifle seems to like the DGX.
With other folks still shooting on the line, and have several rounds left, figured I’d throw a pair onto a steel plate at 100 yards. The sound and somewhat centrally placed splashes were satisfying, so sent another pair down range. Not the best group, front sight essentially covered the square plate, or at least most of it.
Still waiting, moved over to the target I’d shot with my daughter’s Fieldcraft, and couldn’t really aim at the individual targets, front bead just totally covered it and couldn’t really get a repeatable aiming point, so decided to use the white void between the bottom four targets. Squeezed off a round, checked through the glass, about fell over, hit the exact spot I was aiming for. Maybe this little 450/400 should stick around a bit. Fired the left barrel, and as folks were looking almost ready to go cold, quickly reloaded and sent two more downrange. Cleared, line went cold, went to see where the next three went and pull targets. Whelp, the next rounds were closer to each other, but not to the first hit, so think it was likely just a lucky anomaly.
First shot is the perfectly centered shot into the center of the white void between the targets, I do not know the order of the three below, so cannot say which was the left barrel, or the L/R in the second pair. Lots of room to improve, but given the size of the front bead at 100yards, wasn’t entirely upset either.
I will play around with an RMR HD or SRO on the 470 when it comes back to see how things improve. Absolutely think it will help at distances out past 60-70 yards especially. Regardless, I am warming to the petite lil’ 450/400….lol. It’s the plain, yet lovely gal on the right.
Trying to get my feet back under me shooting open, iron sights. It’s been some time since I did much rifle shooting without a scope/optic of some kind. And while I may well run an RMR or similar, trying to see what my abilities are with the factory irons. When I first shot the rifle, I had decent light and was pleased with the factory brass front sight. When I finally got to shoot my 470 late last week, it was raining and shot from the main rifle range, where all stations are covered, or in the shooting house (Where you cannot shoot offhand). I found it very difficult to pick up the front sight on a black target while under the roof and therefore shaded. So figured the cardboard and orange dots would help…proved true.
These were first shots with the factory DGX I’d taken through the gun. The two outer holes were the first two and did those kneeling off-hand, which I seem to be imparting some vertical to the gun in doing so, especially with the solids. Then followed with the next two that I shot off a bag that stacked well, and seems most consistent point of impact with other groups, although the next 4 shots I tried to adjust towards getting the rifle centered. Found success, but then after some offhand shooting the following went back to the same shifted left POI.
Here were the next two shots again off the bag rest…and was really getting happy with myself, my aging eyes and the gun.
Then came the next two rounds, again of the bag rest. First shot was super happy., quick check through field glasses and saw it hit essentially same POI as the pair before, then fired the left barrel and felt like a good shot but left guessing, did I pull it just enough to slip through the first hole, it looked ever so-slightly ovate to the bottom right, but wasn’t sure if my mind was playing tricks on me instead of considering I’d somehow pulled it entirely off the target. I don’t think I did, especially using the bag rest. Even my marginal, at best, total off hand and kneeling off shots were not far enough off to miss the target entirely…one was close though.
Here is the whole target.
Then to mix things up a bit.
Had a chance to go down range and put up another target, and switched to the factory DGS, only had 6 rounds of the DGS with me, and shot three pairs kneeling offhand, which in retrospect I wish I’d shot the final two off the beg to see if the vertical was something in my kneeling offhand position or the load itself. When I switched back to DGX, I also decided to stand up and shoot offhand, concrete on my knee and vertical groups were starting to make me grumpy. Next pair of offhand DGX were widely spaced, but vertical was gone. Still unsure if it’s me, the DGS, or some combo of both. Certainly didn’t do myself any favors in trying to ascertain which. Shot two more pairs, back to the bag rest with similar, size and POI of the first pair I shot off the bag. Rifle seems to like the DGX.
With other folks still shooting on the line, and have several rounds left, figured I’d throw a pair onto a steel plate at 100 yards. The sound and somewhat centrally placed splashes were satisfying, so sent another pair down range. Not the best group, front sight essentially covered the square plate, or at least most of it.
Still waiting, moved over to the target I’d shot with my daughter’s Fieldcraft, and couldn’t really aim at the individual targets, front bead just totally covered it and couldn’t really get a repeatable aiming point, so decided to use the white void between the bottom four targets. Squeezed off a round, checked through the glass, about fell over, hit the exact spot I was aiming for. Maybe this little 450/400 should stick around a bit. Fired the left barrel, and as folks were looking almost ready to go cold, quickly reloaded and sent two more downrange. Cleared, line went cold, went to see where the next three went and pull targets. Whelp, the next rounds were closer to each other, but not to the first hit, so think it was likely just a lucky anomaly.
First shot is the perfectly centered shot into the center of the white void between the targets, I do not know the order of the three below, so cannot say which was the left barrel, or the L/R in the second pair. Lots of room to improve, but given the size of the front bead at 100yards, wasn’t entirely upset either.
I will play around with an RMR HD or SRO on the 470 when it comes back to see how things improve. Absolutely think it will help at distances out past 60-70 yards especially. Regardless, I am warming to the petite lil’ 450/400….lol. It’s the plain, yet lovely gal on the right.
