Tag Archive for barrel

My new McMillan A3 Stock has arrived!

/ February 10, 2013 / 2 comments

To follow the entire series on my custom rifle build, click here.  (The most recent will at the top of the page.)

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McMillan A3 Stock with adjustable cheek piece

Back in July I told you about the details of the A3 McMillan Stock I was ordering.  It arrived at the end of December, so it took about 5.5 months from the date of order to arriving at my door. There has been so much going on in the world of 2nd Amendment politics that I have been remiss in talking about good ole gun stuff.  I have to catch you up to where I am on my rifle build!  (I have had the stock for more than a month!) The only piece to the finish my rifle puzzle is the Huber trigger I ordered a couple weeks ago. I plan on taking all my parts to the gunsmith in a couple weeks, but I will talk about some of that in another post. Today I want to give you a “tour” of my beautiful rifle stock!

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The full length view of my A3 Stock

I chose to have a custom blend of colored resin so the stock would be 100% mine. The exact mixture for this stock was: 40% Woodland Beige, 40% Turquoise, and 20% Black. I had heard that no matter how you imagine your colors blending, they would probably look nothing like they did in your imagination. I had narrowed my choices down to four combinations and had the readers of this blog assist me in choosing. “We” chose option D. I did envision a different “mixture”, but I love the looks of this stock so much, I now cannot imagine it any other way!

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Photo A shows the area for bedding the Surgeon Bottom medal, and Photo B shows the custom bedding for my Big Horn Arms Short Action

I did choose a Big Horn Custom Short Action for this rifle build and Surgeon Bottom Medal to finish off the heart of the rifle.  You can see where the Bottom Medal will be seated in photo A and where the BHA action will be bedded in photo B.

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Embedded Anschutz Rail

 Along the forearm of the rifle, an Anschutz Rail has been embedded to allow for mounting a bi-pod.

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Custom fit for a #8 Standard target Krieger Barrel

Above you will see my machined in aluminum pillars and the cradle for the barrel customized for a #8 Krieger Standard target Contour.

Flush Cup for sling attachment

Flush Cup for sling attachment

I had flush cups added my McMillan stock so that I could attach a sling if desired.

My custom rifle has been an extremely educational undertaking, and researching all the attributes to order this stock was a big part of that education. One of the main reasons I wanted a custom rifle is to have a rifle that fit me perfectly. My favorite colors are swirled for a look that is all mine, the LOP fits my arm like Cinderella’s glass slipper, and every other detail was well thought out. I am going to be the operator of this rifle, and this stock is the key component to ensuring it is all MINE!

Category: Building a Custom Rifle Series, Rifles / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Surgeon Tactical Action vs. Big Horn Arms Tactical Action

/ July 1, 2012 / 5 comments

To follow the entire series on my custom rifle build, click here.  (The most recent will at the top of the page.)

Surgeon Short Tactical Action (591)

After talking to Robert Gradous, I need to make a decision between a Surgeon Short Tactical Action (591/R) and a Big Horn Arms Short Tactical Action.  I have read a lot about both, and no doubt, either could make me happy.  Mr. Gradous said he had used both in his rifle builds, and felt both were good, but he thought the Surgeon was a more solid component with better repeatibility.  The price difference between the two is over $200.00, but if I choose the cheaper one (Big Horn Arms) and end up wishing I had the other, it won’t really be less expensive.  It is difficult to find good factual data on the Big Horn Arms action, because they are a newer company, and therefore, there are less people using them and providing feedback (compared to the extremely popular Surgeon).

How do you compare actions?  Some attributes that vary among actions are (among others):

  • weight
  • 60 degree vs 90 degree bolt throw (Both the actions discussed here have 90 degree bolt throws.)
  • Type of extractor used (both have Remington)
  • Is the picatinny rail integrated or separate?

The Surgeon 591/R action comes with an integrated 20 MOA 1913 picatinny rail that runs the full length of the action.  Both actions will work in conjunction with any stocks made for the Remington 700 short action with little to no modification as well as triggers and feeding systems.

Big Horn Arms Short Tactical Action

The Big Horn Arms (BHA) Action is compatible with Surgeon bottom medal and AI Magazines feed extremely well.  Due to some design modifications, the BHA action supports heavy barrels very well (this last point is less important to me because I am trying to balance weight and accuracy, and will NOT be getting a very heavy barrel.) The BHA bolt has a floating head, so the lugs are always squarely in contact with the receiver and not affected by the alignment of the bolt body in the receiver.  The BHA also claims better barrel alignment to the action.

The BHA also touts the following features:

  • Weighs 31 ounces
  • Extra heavy rear tang eliminates rear tang flex.
  • Positive bolt stop that does not contact bolt lugs.
  • Due to a closed top, making the action more stiff, it has an ejection port that does not allow for top loading and it must be fed from a detachable magazine.
  • Lightened firing pins to quicken lock time.

The Surgeon 591/R features:

  • Uses a Remington extractor
  • Weighs 34.6oz
  • Bolt: One piece, Fluted, Two lug and threaded handle
As I read forums for reviews on both actions, I do find more people who say Surgeon is the way to go, but again – there are just so many more of them out there.  I started looking for something that was going to be the “thing” to tip the scales.  I dug around on Surgeon’s website, and… They support the military LOUD and PROUD over there, I definatly love that!  I started really digging on Big Horn Arms website for more info, they are from Colorado – just like me! (Because I am in the military, I am still a Colorado resident though I live in California.)  I wondered where they were in Colorado, so I “Googled” for info on their location.  What?  Are you kidding me?  Their shop is about 10 miles from my mom’s house outside Denver!!!  Is THAT the sign I was looking for?  Maybe it is.  I might go see my family in the next month or so – I wonder if AJ and Mark at Big Horn Arms would mind if I visited and talked to them and actually touched their actions?  I am really leaning in that direction.  I just can’t get it out of my head that Robert Gradous prefers Surgeon, even though he’s built rifles with both.
This is a tough decision.  I would appreciate any thoughts ya’ll have!
Either way, these actions are going to be FAR more accurate than I will ever be able to shoot, so maybe I should flip a coin!
Category: Building a Custom Rifle Series, Education, Rifles / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Talking to the Gunsmith: Robert Gradous

/ June 23, 2012 / 6 comments

To follow the entire series on my custom rifle build, click here.  (The most recent will at the top of the page.)

Yesterday morning, I called Robert Gradous, a very well known and respected gunsmith.  He is known for building tactical and hunting rifles and comes highly recommended in many circles as one of the best.  I have done a great deal of research and was to a point where I needed some expert advice to make any further decisions.  As dialed his business number, and as I heard his phone begin to ring I felt nervous.  Who am I to think I am going to call such an expert and hold a conversation about rifles.  After all, he is a master in his craft, and I am practically a complete novice.

“Hello?” He said.  So, I replied, “Hello, my name is “Lil Chantilly” (names changed to protect the innocent.) Suddenly, he was a little grumpy, and asked the purpose of my call (he thought I was a telemarketer because he had been getting too many sales calls before mine.)  I was thinking, this is going to be harder than I thought.  I replied, a little quieter than I planned, “I want to talk to you about building a rifle.”  Suddenly, his voice lightened and warmed and he quickly apologized for being rough at the beginning of the call.  From that point on we had a fantastic conversation – all about my new custom rifle.  At one point during the very beginning of the conversation, he even said, “Well, I’m not an expert, but…” This made me smile, he was very humble and he put me at ease.

I let him know that I want to build a rifle suited for me, one that I am going to practice high powered tactical shooting out to at least 1200 yards.  Also, I would like to use it for competition in tactical matches, eventually.

He asked me a few more questions about the components I would choose:

    • What action am I going to use?  My answer: Surgeon or Big Horn Arms tactical short action.  Mr. Gradous said he had built rifles with both kinds of actions, and thought either would be fine.  He preferred the Surgeon Actions, he thought it was more solid, had better repeatability, etc.  UPDATE:  See the article I wrote comparing the two actions here.
    • What type of stock?  My Answer: McMillian.  We discussed the A5 and A3.  I let him know that I had used a rifle with an A5 stock in the past, but after some research thought that the A3 might be better.  He said he had an A5 available and offered to weigh it for me so we could base part of the discussion on weight.
    • Did I want the ammo to feed from a 10 round magazine?  My answer:  Yes 5 or 10 rounds.  This was important if I want the rifle to feed from a magazine rather than become a single feed – so we could talk about bottom metal.
    • What size bullet and type of cartridge? My answer: I let him know I had narrowed it down to a 6mm (243 or 6XC) or 6.5mm (260).  This was one of the best parts of the conversation.  He made me giggle – and I decided I really liked him.  He started talking about how some men building rifles get a little too much testosterone, and think they need .338s, when out to 1200 yards a 6mm will be just as accurate.  He gave me his opinion on the cartridges I mentioned.  He said the 243 accuracy would drop off around 900-1200 rounds.  He said the 6XC would possibly be good up to 3000 rounds, but I should definitely use the 6mm 115 DTEC bullet and seat it just above the powder.  He said a 6XC will be accurate to 1/2 MOA every single time.
    • He finally got to a question I had no idea about, he asked what barrel contour was I looking at?   My answer: I have no idea – I seriously did not know.  He gave me more homework: To research a Remington Sendero contour.  I found a chart that compares various contours.  I linked it here.  I also need to research ”Marksmanship Training Unit (MTU) Contour”, although in the reading I have done since the conversation yesterday, there is a lot of talk about MTU contoured rifles being impractical due to weight.
    • What type of barrel?  Krieger or Bartlein? My answer:  I have not decided.  We discussed that either one would be a great choice.  He did recommend fluting the barrel, and said I would save about 1/2lb on weight that way.
    • What type of bipod?  My answer: I had not settled on one yet.  Some options are Atlas and Harris.  He did ask me if I had seen a “Henry Rempel” ski-bipod, and I had not.  So, he gave me homework to do – research this option.  I have discovered this bipod is popular for F-Class competitions.  He said it is the closest thing to bench rest stability in a prone position.  He said it will raise the barrel 3″-12″ off the ground, and you can also cant the barrel and lock the bipod in place.  This is definitely one heck of a bipod!
    • Did I plan on using an adjustable cheek piece?  My answer:  yes.  ”Ok” he said, “This is where a lot of weight comes from .”
I did discuss the timeline of this project, and he again had me smiling.  He said (regarding schedule), “All gunsmiths lie.”  He went on to explain that he is a one man shop and that he works on what he feel like when he wakes up that morning.  I chuckled, and just told him that was completely fair, and that I had time.  As the conversation grew to a close, I forgot I had been nervous to call – my mood had morphed into near elation.  This is so exciting!
I have never built a rifle for a girl, so this will be a first.
“I have never built a rifle for a girl, so this will be a first.”  He said that without judgement, without bias – just fact.  That did surprise me, and I caught my breath.  I did not have anything to say to that except that I was thrilled at the prospect and I was very grateful for the time he spent discussing all these details.  With that, we ended the call and I went to work researching the things I did not understand so I could further develop my plan.

 

Category: Building a Custom Rifle Series, Rifles / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Rifle Above the Rest

/ March 1, 2012 / 6 comments

Sometimes I cannot believe my good fortune. In this video I am only shooting about 250 yards (with a 223), but the best part of this day was the Rifle I had the privilege of using. It is completely a custom setup and listed below are some attributes:
Caliber = .284 Winchester
Bullet = 7mm 162grain Hornaday A-Max
Krieger 28″ barrel with a 1 in 9″ twist rate
Mcmillian  A5 Stock
Remington action trued by Mark Penrod
Rifle completely built by Mark Penrod
Scope: Leupold Mk4 8.5-25x50mm with M5 Turrets

You can see it in the foreground in the below picture:

 

Everything about this firearm is perfect, just perfect. No, it is not mine, but belongs to one of the smart guys who take time out of their day to teach me more about guns from time to time. I consider it a work of art. Can a girl fall in love with a Long Range Tactical Rifle?
Category: Firearms, Optics / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,