Originally Posted by rct269

This responder makes an interesting, and perhaps controversial point: "The design has a focus on accuracy and little else."

There are those of us, in yet another department of the "lunatic fringe" besides collectors, who focus on accuracy---and little else. I was one of those-----a loooooooooooong time ago, when I took up handloading. My objective, my ONLY objective was accuracy---out to 50 yards---because that's the greatest distance encountered in what was called Bullseye competition.

Job one was to make ammo more accurate than factory. That was accomplished in short order, and I found myself moving on from there to better yet.

So what's "better yet"? I eventually decided there's two different definitions of accuracy----practical accuracy and ultimate accuracy. We often see examples of practical accuracy here when folks proudly post pictures of their groups fired at ranges all the way up to 10-15 yards. The groups look like they were made with a shotgun, but they're all on the paper----practical accuracy.

The groups we don't often see are ragged one hole examples out to 50 yards---ultimate accuracy.

I wasn't able to shoot those ragged one hole groups standing on my hind legs, and holding the gun with one hand; so I cheated--and got one of those then new Ransom Machine Rests. Then I bolted a K-38 to it, and BEHOLD------ragged one hole groups!! WELL!! If the gun can do it, so can I------some times---on some days----every now and then.

Given there are different strokes for different folks, practical accuracy is all well and good, but the bottom line is there are shooters----and there are people who shoot. Pick one, and be happy---but know it takes a while to become a shooter.

That was then, and now is now. Now I can shoot with ultimate accuracy with scope sighted rifles from a bench rest----and it hasn't been all that long ago that I had David Carroll sell all my rifles---all except one---and I haven't fired that one for quite a spell.

Ralph Tremaine