|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,748
Campfire Outfitter
|
OP
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,748 |
It’s the off season with not much to talk about, but I thought I’d show off my new rifle. For quite awhile I’ve had the itch for a walnut stocked hunting rifle. At the same time, I’ve become spoiled with a lightweight Kimber 84M and have no interest in heavier rifles for hunting. Walnut and lightweight are somewhat exclusive so it’s not an easy task to find a suitable rifle. I looked at another Kimber, a M70 Featherweight and a few others. I also recalled a large piece of black walnut my dad had in his garage. It was cut in SE Kansas by my grandfather for the purpose of building a stock. Best guess is it was from the 1950s or 60s. After talking my dad out of it, I started looking into custom stock makers. I spoke to a few. I saw Jim’s (K22) stock on his Kimber and thought that was very close to what I was looking for. After trading some PMs he pointed me to Wes at Accurate Innovations. They build some beautiful stocks but they also incorporate a CNC aluminum bedding block from the front sling lug through the rear tang. Seemed like the best of both worlds to me, hand checkered walnut with the stability of a metal bedding block. To get towards a weight I prefer, I narrowed it down to a Kimber 84M or a Barrett Fieldcraft. At the time they did not have the CNC template for the 84M but did for the FC so it was much more cost effective to go with the FC. I picked up a FC in 6.5 Creedmoor and promptly made a trip to NC to drop off the wood and the rifle. It was beneficial to go and meet them and speak directly to the guy (Johnny) who would shape the stock. I wanted a shorter LOP, a relatively closed grip, and a relatively svelte overall feel. Holding and comparing many stocks they had allowed me to nail down exactly the feel I wanted. They did a great job with this stock. It was not without some challenges. There were some cracks in the wood that ultimately forced them to cut a second stock out of the original piece and do some stabilizing. Beyond that, the feel is what I was hoping for, the inletting is perfect (thanks Jim), the checkering looks amazing, and the final finish of hand rubbed oil looks great. The fit is perfect. The grip, LOP and overall fit enables it to point effortlessly. As for a scope, I went through quite a few to narrow it down. My Kimber has eaten 3 scopes in about a year so I’m a little skittish about them right now. I ended up getting a Nightforce SHV 3-10x42 with a Forceplex reticle. I like the scope, but at 21-22oz it goes against my preference for lightweight. While continuing to look around I wrote out what I was looking for in a hunting scope and was given a recommendation to look at the Vortex Razor HD LH 1.5-8x32 with the G4 BDC reticle. Being 13oz vs. the NF SHV at 22oz was a good start. After significant side-by-side comparisons I really like the Vortex. Of course I haven’t evaluated the most important trait, that being it’s ability to reliably point the rifle. I’ll bump it around some, dial it, shoot a lot and see if it instills confidence. I’ve recently had a few scopes that I really liked the glass and reticle and had them not live up to shooting so I appreciate that dependability is the most important trait. It will need to do well and stand some reasonable test of time before I can fully recommend, but the glass, reticle and weight are fantastic so far. I thought a 32mm objective would impact last light performance, but that just has not been what I’ve seen. I can say without a doubt I could shoot as late or later into the evening with the Vortex glass/reticle combo than with the NF glass/reticle. Not much later, but the reticle is fantastic for my purposes. I’ll take it out and shoot it to 500 to see how it works out, but it seems promising so far. As for ammo, I’ll be loading 140 Bergers, 127 LRXs, 139 Scenars, 147 ELD-Ms, 143 ELD-Xs, and 140 Partitions. I have RL16, 26, 17 and H4350 to use. My money is on RL16 being what I use. It worked fantastic on my other 6.5 that I sold. Great accuracy, velocity and temp stability. I’m not one to have much of a variety of hunting rifles. I’ll be keeping my 84M in 338 FED, but this will be my go-to rifle for Elk, Mulies, Whitetails, Plains game, whatever. If the forecast is for really, really wet conditions I may opt for the Kimber Montana, otherwise the FC is going hunting. It will be a hunting rifle, not a safe queen. Holding a nice walnut stock that traces back to my dad and grandfather makes it a unique and very special rifle. Wes, Jim and Johnny could make a stock using their own wood with perhaps more figure and spectacular visual appeal, but this stock just can’t be beat for special appeal, and while biased, I think it looks pretty amazing too!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,440
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,440 |
How is it different than the 84m ... I mean how does it feel and handle compared to the 84m in wood?
That is really cool. I will be checking out that stock maker.
Let's see some groups.
Weight?
Last edited by petr; 07/12/18.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,748
Campfire Outfitter
|
OP
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,748 |
It weighs 7lb 4oz with this scope. It feels better than my Kimber. Same LOP but a more closed grip. Hope to get it to the range in the next day or so. Here’s a look at the bedding block. Aluminum pillars as well.
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,417
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,417 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 8,701 Likes: 10
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 8,701 Likes: 10 |
Wow, that's really nice. Unique for sure.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,274
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 1,274 |
Very nice! I love the way the checkering wraps all the way around the underside, like a Sako Classic.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 821
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 821 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 305
Campfire Member
|
Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 305 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 17,314 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 17,314 Likes: 1 |
Man, that came out great!
Screw you! I'm voting for Trump again!
Ecc 10:2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but that of a fool to the 24HCF.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 17,927
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 17,927 |
Schit fire and save matches....that's nice.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 5,474
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 5,474 |
Thats a nice looking rifle.
Life can be rough on us dreamers.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 8,069
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 8,069 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,748
Campfire Outfitter
|
OP
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 8,748 |
Thanks! How about that scope!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 24,458
Campfire Ranger
|
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 24,458 |
Paul,
We are really happy you liked it. You are correct, your Grandfathers wood was a challenge, but as you can see, Wes can really work wonders. Thank you for the call out. Good hunting and lets see some groups.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,149 Likes: 11
Campfire Kahuna
|
Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,149 Likes: 11 |
Great-looking little rifle!
Suspect you'll like with it a lot....
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,961
Campfire Regular
|
Campfire Regular
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,961 |
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 6,314
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 6,314 |
Super nice! The back story makes the package. I’ve been waiting to see it since I heard your plan.
I enjoy handguns and I really like shotguns,...but I love rifles!
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,759
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 7,759 |
Wow! What a beautiful rifle! I hope she shoots as good as she looks....Good luck....Hb
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 12,632 Likes: 2
Campfire Outfitter
|
Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 12,632 Likes: 2 |
“When Tyranny becomes Law, Rebellion becomes Duty”
Colossians 3:17 (New King James Version) "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,365 Likes: 2
Campfire Tracker
|
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 4,365 Likes: 2 |
What kind of $ we talking about for them to do the stock for you?
|
|
|
|
94 members (444Matt, 7mm_Loco, 338reddog, 79S, 2ndwind, 257_X_50, 13 invisible),
1,606
guests, and
852
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
Forums81
Topics1,192,368
Posts18,488,295
Members73,970
|
Most Online11,491 Jul 7th, 2023
|
|
|
|