I haven't shot this rifle for over a year and had it dismantled for the cross country move. Last week I got the itch to put it all back together and made sure the barrel nut was torqued to 40 foot pounds.
I took it out last week for an initial test. After the scope was zeroed and the barrel was warmed up, I ran some Nosler 168 grain blemished Custom Comps through it. I shot the best group ever out of this rifle at 0.23" for 5 rounds.
This is a long action flat-back receiver with a 308 Benchmark 5R barrel. It's bedded into a McMillan HTG stock. It has a NSS match recoil lug and barrel nut. The scope base is a EGW aluminum base and the scope is a US Optics LR-17moa 3.2-17x44.
Although I pictured it with the bipod, I used sand bags.
This rifle started life as a mid-1980's 270 in a cheap wood stock, no pillars, no bedding and a plastic trigger guard. My step-dad bought it and maybe shot a couple of boxes out of it in the time he owned it. he gave it to me in the late 90's. I eventually had a take-off 30-06 hunting barrel installed for $50 (that was the price of the barrel and installation).
I had actually loaned it to a "friend" in the mid-2000's for a hunting trip and he decided to take it with him when he got divorced and moved to Montana. After tracking him down and politely asking him to send my rifle back, he sent it back to me, maybe around 2010.
When I started rebuilding it in 2011, it shot 3" groups at 100 yards with a 6" shift in POI between range trips.
Of the original rifle, all that remains is the receiver, the bolt head and the trigger.
I like restoring dead relics.
So I took it out again today and I pulled it off again, but I added a proper muzzle brake instead of the flash hider I had on before. It really dampened the recoil! It's a Precision Armament M4-72 severe duty muzzle brake.
After installing it and re-zeroing it, I shot another 1/4" group.
I had guests today, so we were shooting a lot of different guns. I'm going to spend some more time with it next range trip. I haven't even done any load development with it and I have better bullets on the shelf too. I've got some SMK's and Berger hybrids that I've neger loaded for it.
Looks like it's time to hand-pick some brass and dedicate it just to this rifle and fine tune the load. Although I don't know how much better I can reasonably get.
Thanks for looking!
Tony.
I took it out last week for an initial test. After the scope was zeroed and the barrel was warmed up, I ran some Nosler 168 grain blemished Custom Comps through it. I shot the best group ever out of this rifle at 0.23" for 5 rounds.
This is a long action flat-back receiver with a 308 Benchmark 5R barrel. It's bedded into a McMillan HTG stock. It has a NSS match recoil lug and barrel nut. The scope base is a EGW aluminum base and the scope is a US Optics LR-17moa 3.2-17x44.
Although I pictured it with the bipod, I used sand bags.
This rifle started life as a mid-1980's 270 in a cheap wood stock, no pillars, no bedding and a plastic trigger guard. My step-dad bought it and maybe shot a couple of boxes out of it in the time he owned it. he gave it to me in the late 90's. I eventually had a take-off 30-06 hunting barrel installed for $50 (that was the price of the barrel and installation).
I had actually loaned it to a "friend" in the mid-2000's for a hunting trip and he decided to take it with him when he got divorced and moved to Montana. After tracking him down and politely asking him to send my rifle back, he sent it back to me, maybe around 2010.
When I started rebuilding it in 2011, it shot 3" groups at 100 yards with a 6" shift in POI between range trips.
Of the original rifle, all that remains is the receiver, the bolt head and the trigger.
I like restoring dead relics.
So I took it out again today and I pulled it off again, but I added a proper muzzle brake instead of the flash hider I had on before. It really dampened the recoil! It's a Precision Armament M4-72 severe duty muzzle brake.
After installing it and re-zeroing it, I shot another 1/4" group.
I had guests today, so we were shooting a lot of different guns. I'm going to spend some more time with it next range trip. I haven't even done any load development with it and I have better bullets on the shelf too. I've got some SMK's and Berger hybrids that I've neger loaded for it.
Looks like it's time to hand-pick some brass and dedicate it just to this rifle and fine tune the load. Although I don't know how much better I can reasonably get.
Thanks for looking!
Tony.
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