Bob,
Great looking rifle and a cool cartridge. Can you give more specifics on the metal work that Gene did (have any pics of that?). What contour barrel..is that an Echol's contour? Also how was rifle bedded..are you using a pressure point on the forend or free float.
Terry
Terry:I'll try to cover that stuff, best I can.It's written down somewhere
The barrel is a #2 krieger CM that I had here.I can tell it has been machined to sharpen the transition from the chamber area into the barrel shank,just enough to give a definitve edge.He cut and crowned to finish up at 24".The barrel has also been "drawn" (and polished?)before it was blued;you can tell holding it to the light because there is not a wave, or ripple in the blue job anywhere...just straight lines;ditto the action.
He blueprinted the action,squared up the lugs, etc,all the good stuff done when barreling up these days.
He installed an Echols H&H-length box magazine,and a Dakota-type follower.My first round down sits on the left rail.Extractor is a Williams and you can put a cartridge on the bolt face and swing it around;it won't drop a cartridge..... and who knows what he did to the extractor/ejection system but it feeds, extracts, ejects reliably everytime...I have rapid fired it and it gooses empties a long way.I am certain he modified the ejector/bolt stop to handle the H&H length cartridges.
Dunno what he did,but the action doesn't "feel" anything like it did when I sent it to him.It feels somehow "tighter",less play and slop,smoother overall.
Bottom metal is Williams and has been recontoured so that the trigger guard tapers to the rear toward the back screw;nice touch...it's also nicely blued and polished.
Mounts are leupold DD's which I requested;they are ground to the receiver.He changed screw spacing on the bridge;I think this was done because he machined the bridge to allow use of a H&H-length round(This is what I like about Gene;this is a small item that you don't have to mention to him;when you say set it up for H&H length, he knows EXACTLY what is required;does the whole thing "right").
The bolt handle is the original M70 Classic, recontoured.He notched the cocking piece shroud so that in the fire position the arm of the safety makes no contact.Nice little touch.
I am sure he machined/polished the bolt body as there is no visible seam where the bolt handle is fixed to the bolt body. The bolt body is jeweled,which I like.Bolt release is built up and checkered.The trigger is the original,but he contoured it to a slender profile.It really feels great and breaks like glass.I asked for 3.5 pounds but whatever....from off hand it broke nicely when I said "go".
The sling swivel studs are a nice two screw design,perfectly inletted.There are a lot of subtle touches in the rifle that make it a nice package.
Overall everything is just tighter,slicker,nicer feeling than when I sent it to him.It's apparent that he paid a lot of attention to small details here as there are lots of little touches making a nice package.
I knew going in that a #2 chambered for a cartridge of this power was on the light side for a powerful high velocity cartrdige;and the Edge stock is light as well.I had heard that D'Arcy does not like to use an Edge on anything bigger than 300 Win Mag.I suspect Gene felt the same way.I could have gone heavier in both the barrel and stock but figured it would shoot regardless because it was put together well...but I wanted a portable rifle that while not being too heavy,was not too light either.That said, I knew I was on the ragged edge with this chambering.that said, this ain't a BR rifle....it's meant for hunting.
It shoots very well,not to BR standards,but groups with the form load and the 160's are sub MOA and enough 1/2" 3 shot groups show up to know I am likely the limiting factor.
When I got to the 175's though, at full velocity, the wheels fell off...groups were in the 2" range.Also, shot from my hands ,field prone at 300 yards,it showed a tenedency to double group,ie....in a 5 shot string,the first shot was always where it should go...but the others would follow a predictable "high shot/low shot" routine.And groups were about 2 MOA.I suspected I was building a pretty big fire, lots of tourque with that long 175 at high velocity.This occured only with the 175 gr load.139's and 160's did not do this.Apparently I hit the wall with the 175's at full velocity.
Without calling Gene, I pulled the action and cut a small swatch of adhesive-backed pipe insulation;the squishy neoprene-type stuff,and set it an inch back from the forend.This cured things and the first group at 100 yards with the 175 Nosler Partition put 3 shots into 1/2".I then fired it field prone at 300 again and groups went right to 3-3.5",and the "double grouping" disappeared.
I called Gene and told him what happened and he said he doubted the barrel and forend were touching, but likely what I saw was stock resonance;said he had seen that before from light ridgid stocks and slender tubes.Apparently when riding the bags,this is attenuated;but from my hands there was not enough to bring it under control.He was curious about how I came up with the solution,and equally curious about the material used..... :)He said he thought I was on to something....
I have shot the rifle several time since;no shift in POI and good groups. I fired the 160 Nosler Partition and AB at 3150 yesterday at 300 yards;group was about 3" with each; no discernable difference in accuracy from a practical standpoint.Keep in mind this is with my left hand supporting the rifle,and no rear bags.
