Range time with the 6.5jdj and 450 Marlin
I took the day off yesterday to celebrate another trip around the sun and spent some time at the range.
I wanted to check 200 yd zero with my 450 and to also sight in the 6.5.
I want to put a 3-12 Burris on the latter but have blown my shooting budget so I moved a 2-8 Leupold over from a 7x30 barrel.
I especially would like to thank the WV Hitman for his advice for forming and loading ammo for the 6.5 even with being limited to 8x I shot the a personal best 200yd 3 shot group. It is very close if not smaller than my best 100 yd group
It it crazy to think that the 450 sends a 300 gr bullet down range at almost the same speed as the 6.5 does a 120
On the way home from the range I saw 5 eagles on a deer carcase. I don't believe I have ever seen more than 2 at a time before
I scouted a new hunting area and hung a trail camera and then had a very pleasant evening with family and friends
All in all one of the best days of my life
Sounds like an amazing birthday range day! Hitting a personal best 200-yard group with the 6.5—especially with only an 8x scope—is seriously impressive. Big shoutout to WV Hitman for the load-forming advice; it clearly paid off. And yes, it’s wild how the 450 can push a 300-grain bullet at speeds so close to a 120-grain from the 6.5. The power difference really shows in real-world shooting.
Seeing five eagles on the same deer carcass must have been incredible—those are the moments that make scouting trips unforgettable. And ending the day with family and friends just rounds it out perfectly.
Honestly, days like this are the reason many of us try to clear our schedules however we can. Some people even look for someone to take online class for me just to get a break for things they actually enjoy, like range time or hunting prep.