Mauser M03 - Accuracy & Repeatability - Part 3

Update in Feb 2016 - click this link to see how accurate my hand loads are in this 270 Win barrel. :-)

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This week I ran my first test of how repeatable the Mauser M03 rifle system is after removing and cleaning the barrel.

My aim with this test was to see the effect upon repeatable accuracy of:

- oiling the fouled barrel upon returning from a day out hunting
- removing the scope and barrel a few days later
- cleaning the barrel with solvents and brushes
- oiling the barrel lightly
- re-assembling the rifle and scope
- patching out the oil film a few days later before hunting the next morning
- shooting a single shot with a cold, clean barrel to simulate a first shot on game.

All of the shooting in these tests has been done resting the rifles over the hood of a Landcruiser, with rice filled bags as supports and targets at 100 paces. Nothing fancy. After firing the shot in the video below I realised that the shallow gully I was shooting over would have shortened the shooting distance I paced out by a few meters. Also, I wasn't striding out as much as usual when I set things up, a little after midday. I'd covered many kilometers and steep hills from before dawn, searching for the bad guys. I was a bit weary. The line of sight would have been about 10m shorter than for the group I fired last week. The bullet would still have been rising and would've been higher on the target if it was a little further back.

Enough words. Watch the video below to see why I'm happy with the real world hunting accuracy achieved with my Mauser M03. This is with a 270 Winchester barrel using Norma Kalahari 120gn factory ammunition.



This is the Norma Kalahari 120gn projectile that made the hole in the video above, recovered from soft damp earth. As designed, the front end has fragmented, leaving the solid rear portion to penetrate deeply and exit.

The dappled light was good when I was resting for a while in the afternoon so I took a few pics. There's a large patch of blackberries below where I was resting and right on dark-o'clock I saw a pair of pigs about 250m away, just as they made it into cover. I'll look for them again in a couple of days. Might even take a Mauser with me!