Tungsten Lipstick On An Old Pig

[USMCsilver]

I had an old Model 695 Tikka 7mm Mag sitting in the back of the safe; my wife bought it for me back in ~1999 as a birthday present before we got married. The rifle wasn't a pleasure to shoot for fun. I have the same box of ammo I did 25 years ago. It's killed one hog at Ralph's. Other than that, 6-7 rounds have been checked on paper over the years. It was previously outfitted with an old, "Made in the USA" Redfield 3-9x20.

Boredom got the best of me. Got some dies, brass, bullets, powder, etc. & decided to make it a little more fun to shoot (read: heavier):

• Boyds AT-ONE "pepper" stock (lighting sucks & it looks kinda purple)
• +1 OEM magazine (hard to find, and folks are damn proud of them)
• Upgraded & Cerakoted Lumley Arms bolt shroud (cobalt)
• Upgraded & Cerakoted Glades Armory bolt handle (cobalt)
• Bolt fluted & Cerakoted by LRI (cobalt)
• New Warne rings (Cerakoted tungsten)
• Cerakoted barrel/receiver (tungsten)
• Meopta 6-18x50 w/ sunshade
• SilencerCo ASR brake
• SilencerCo Omega 36M
• Versapod
• Upgraded trigger spring (~13oz. pull)
• Need to order a Limbsaver or this:https://backfirestore.com/product/backstop/

Lipstick on a pig? I dunno; don't care. The thing turned out to be pretty damn sweet, IMHO. I must say, this thing kicks a tad bit more than my "new" Christensen MPR 6.5PRC.


That's just oil on the bolt.

 

[jelenko]

Looks nice!

 

[PopCharlie]

Does it shoot? If it does, all good. In not, lipstick on a pig....
.....However, it sounds like you are having fun with it. So, all good.
PopCharlie

 

[Dimner]

Hike your own hike as they say. If it makes you happy that's all that matters. Looks well thought out and nicely done.

How do you like that stock?

 

[USMCsilver]

Does it shoot? If it does, all good. In not, lipstick on a pig....
.....However, it sounds like you are having fun with it. So, all good.
PopCharlie

Weight comes in just under 12 pounds, loaded, without the suppressor. I must say, the added weight makes it much more pleasant to shoot; however, it's still got some kick to it. I will be replacing that butt-pad.

So, I put about 20 rounds downrange on Saturday. It wasn't a pleasurable trip, as shots were falling 1"-3" from one another. My bag set-up wasn't optimal, and the stock's ergonomics just seemed foreign after shooting a chassis rifle the last few weeks.

Due to the poor hits, I decided to check my ring screws. I broke out my Wheeler FAT Wrench, set the torque to 22-23lbs, and proceeded to tighten up multiple screws, then...SNAP! I'll be damned; a screw sheared off. (I sent Warne an email yesterday. Hopefully they can fix it, especially since it's Cerakoted.)

Needless to say, I put the rifle away after that & pulled out some 11-13 year old Tannerite. NOTE: old Tannerite, once solidified and reverted to powder, doesn't go boom.

 

[FNSafari]

IMO, take the silencer off if you intend to accuracy test the rifle later on.

 

[ebb]

Yea you have a super nice rifle, and I bet is shoots lights out ! problem is it wasn't a pig to begin with, it was a Tikka. While you get rockstar status for building a fine rifle, you didn't start with a pig.

 

[USMCsilver]

IMO, take the silencer off if you intend to accuracy test the rifle later on.

I'm curious as to why you say this. (By no means doubting, just genuinely curious.) I understand POI shift suppressed vs. not, but I've never had any problems in the past with accuracy when using a can.

I used the same can the previous week on my 6.5 PRC and achieved a 0.62" 3-shot group.

Yea you have a super nice rifle, and I bet is shoots lights out ! problem is it wasn't a pig to begin with, it was a Tikka. While you get rockstar status for building a fine rifle, you didn't start with a pig.

Appreciate it, ebb. Okay, I guess pig may have been a little much. The rifle had just never appealed to me over the years due to it being, what I would refer to as -- "strictly a deer rifle." It's still gonna be my deer rifle, unless I'm at a short distance stand. It's bad when this cheap 300BO shoots a better group than the Tikka. But, in all honesty, there were several things wrong with that 1st outing. Warne is sending me new rings, so I'll try again this weekend (if weather permits).

 

[FNSafari]

Its just that in my opinion, best accuracy is going to be found without anything restricting gas flow, that might produce variable flow restriction shot to shot. JMO

 

[Larryh128]

Its just that in my opinion, best accuracy is going to be found without anything restricting gas flow, that might produce variable flow restriction shot to shot. JMO

Not in my experiences, I shoot 100% cans on my hunting rifles and have never seen an accuracy drop. Normally the other way improving accuracy. All cans have an expansion chamber at the muzzle to let the bullet exit in a "untouched" state. After I ragged on one of my deer camp buds enough, he bought a can, tried it on all of his and his dad's rifles. All saw a significant accuracy gain over the brakes they were using.

 

[J.D.Erwin]

Nice looking rig enjoy it. At least it made it out of the safe, I like your shooting table
Jerry

 

[USMCsilver]

Its just that in my opinion, best accuracy is going to be found without anything restricting gas flow, that might produce variable flow restriction shot to shot. JMO

I mean, I'll try about anything once.

It's honestly been so long since I shot it, I don't recall how it grouped back in the day with the old Redfield. I'm assuming that back then, I was happy with a shot in the relative vicinity that would result in a humane kill; whereas today, anything over 1" is unacceptable (to me as a shooter). After I get the ring issue resolved, I'll try it without the suppressor. Then I'll try different ammo. If the issue persists, I'll try my old Redfield to see if the cheap Meopta is the problem. If none of those work, I'll try a vise, I guess...

Nice looking rig enjoy it. At least it made it out of the safe, I like your shooting table
Jerry

LOL. I'll tell my buddy. That thing is ancient! The next rainy day project is building a "nice" table w/ an integrated seat. The accompanying ancient, ragged folding chair just ain't cuttin' it anymore, either.

 

[sandwarrior]

That's definitely Lipstick, not tungsten on a good lookin' pig. Ya know, the two beer kind when you'd say, "I'd tap that."