Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Meet the fauX

I'm nowhere near 3000 fps with the 180 ELDM (with 7828) in my 7 WSM. I'll be interested to see what Jordan comes up with. That bullet changes things. Now, if it will just hold together a bit better than the 162.........

Did some testing today. Best accuracy came at 2979 fps. Only a few shots, but ES was 6 and SD 3. Looks promising.

Took a couple more pics as I sit here in paradise this morning watching the dogs cavort. Man, western Oregon is awesome this time of year. Anyway... some closer shots, and with the Accurate DBM inserted. I hadn't gotten around to ordering that. When I got it, I found I still had some work to do on the feed rails; I'd opened them up to match my factory M700 WSM's spec, I thought, but I needed to take a bit more off where the feed rails meet the feed ramp. No worries, and now she feeds slick as can be!

I also made a 3rd bolt knob for it. I'd made a big honking aluminum one, a small stainless one, and then I just made this one in between. I like it. It's stainless; might make one just like it in aluminum... but the extra weight of the steel does make for a decisive bolt throw!



You can also see the prototype rear ring-bubble I made to fit Talleys. Working great, but it's a bit stalled out as a project as I try to discern if I can make/sell them without running afoul of ITAR restrictions. Ugh.

Dunno how I missed this. I've beeen planning exactly the same project, but I'm still hung up on a couple of details. I'm really tempted to build it in 7rsaum, instead of 6.5. I was all set to go with 6.5, and then I kept thinking, that anything the 6.5 can do, the 7 should be able to do better, expecially now that the 180 eld has arrived. Then again, more recoil, so probably a brake. The other thing is DBM, or Wyatt's? I have a TERRIBLE feeling that I'll end up chambering up a barrel in each. Ain't no thang to swap barrels back and forth...

I could see that! I shoot the 180 ELDM's from my heavy 7 WSM.

For that matter, now that Hornady is making brass <insert celebration emoticon here> 7 WSM should be in the conversation again. I've had very good results from my two 7 WSM's.

IF you use the latest GAP-spec 6.5 GAP reamer, and I can get you a PTG part number if you want, then a Wyatt's would give more than enough COAL, and I have personal experience with a Wyatt's and the short/fats in my heavy 7 WSM. It feeds slick as can be. If I were doing the fauX again, I'd go blind-mag and Wyatt's. If nothing else the DBM bottom metal GAP uses, and I used, is quite expensive. But in a hunting rifle I think the blind mag would be a cleaner carry as well as keeping the action interior cleaner.

On that note, I'd skip the fluting on the bolt next time too.

So you've had a bit more time with the rifle. Anything you would change? I scored a Manners stock, and a Piercision mini muscle break, so I'm ready to get the ball rolling. Still on the fence on 6.5 vs 7, but am leaning toward 6.5 at the moment. My 6.5 reamer is a .081 throat, as I believe yours is. What sort of velocity are you getting with that throat? Are they taking up too much boiler room ?

Jeff,

How does it group?

John

Jeff, what bolt knob is that.

. That bolt knob is one JeffO cobbled up for himself.

Hey fellas!

Things I would change... I'd probably go blind magazine with a Wyatt's extended box next time. The DBM setup is very high quality stuff and feeds great but at the end of the day I think I'd prefer a smooth closed bottom on the stock for carrying. As I think I mentioned earlier I used the Wyatt's on the 7 WSM I built and it feeds great too. You do get really long COAL with the AICS mags, but if you use the GAP spec reamer, it's not needed anyway.

I wouldn't use a fluted bolt again on a hunting rig. At Steens chasing antelope in the desert last summer it was demonstrated what I've heard: that fluted bolts transport debris into the action.

To be honest I've been a bit busy with a boat I bought and big new customer I picked up and haven't fired the rifle since late last fall. I've only messed with the 140 ELDM's in it. I haven't chrono'd them. They do blow right through an antelope.

I believe the bolt knob in that pic is the second one I made. I first made a small stainless knob; next I tried a big-ass aluminum one, then finally I made sort of a medium sized one from stainless. So I think that's the big aluminum one. It actually feels great in the hand, but it gives me TOO much leverage on the bolt and it wants to bind a bit at the rear of its travel. Doesn't do that with the smaller knobs.

The rifle shoots very, very tiny groups. As does the 7 WSM I built. Both do things I hadn't seen from even my other customs. Probably just luck and the nice components- stocks in particular- but I choose to believe it's my mad skilz!

Beautiful rifle. Great blueprint to copy.

Somewhat similar to the CTR, but with some nicer components.

Well done.

I agree- great blueprint. That was why I cloned it- I figured GAP had sorted out things like the balance, which is excellent, and which I'd have no clue about given it was a stock I'd never used, barrel profile I'd never used, etc. Hats off to GAP for a job well done!

I love that Manners SL stock. If my boat wasn't sucking down all my spare coin I'd order another one, and set it up blind-mag or, perhaps, BDL... but then I'm into bottom metal. I have leftover Remington bottom metal but it'd be hard to stick that on a premium build.

The only thing I didn't functionally clone was that GAP brakes theirs. I figured I'd try it first, see how it went. Recoil is no biggie at ALL as you'd expect. It'd be nice to be able to call my shots, no question there. I can't remember now but I *think* I even made a brake for it already so if I decide to go that way it's pretty easy... hmm... now I'll have to look in the box of fauX stuff. I went on a brake-building binge there for a bit a while back. Spare time and machine tools will do that. Don't have much of the former at the moment as the latter are busy as heck.

WHAT A NEAT BOLT KNOB!!! WOW!!!




Clark

Takes one to know one!

I personally can't wait to see how many critters you happen to shoot with it....

Laughing...

So far so good.



Now show me a critter you killed with a rifle you built yourself from a completely bare action. Until then:

Laughing.......

WOW!

WHAT A TROPHY!

THANKS FOR POSTING!!!!

Laughing....

Killer knife work...