Guns and Ammo Thread

If the rifle is screwed together properly, you should be fine. The key to getting that setup to work is having the chamber, barrel tenon, receiver, bolt face, and bolt lugs all in alignment- this basically means you need two damn fine rifles to make it happen. You can get scope bases and rings that are made well enough to be perfectly in alignment after repeated usage, but it all comes down to everything else pointing in the same direction. Very few factory rifles are made so. Think about switch-barrel rifles (one action bedded into a stock with multiple barrels fitted the exact same way)- everything must be perfect for them to work, and they do. The same concepts apply to the scope.

I've got a pair of rifles that I swap a Leupold 36x between- a Suhl 150-1 and Marlin 980S benchrest rifle. Both have dovetail mounts and the scope has BKL rings. I can't give an exact measurement regarding how close they are to each other when I switch the scope out, but it's close enough that I can dial it in right away. I'd like to think it's just around an inch, but I can't say for sure.

A real gunsmith could take apart a couple of rifles and measure them to evaluate how concentric everything is to the bore so you don't find out one has a crooked barrel or lugs with poor contact. You'll also need to have two rifles shooting very similar loads- they might print the same at 200 yards, but what about 50? 300? I think you'd need to spend quite a bit of time tailoring the two loads to match each other at 200 if you're using the same scope zero.

If you have a few rifles with Weaver bases and a scope with Weaver rings, you could do a test right now. Otherwise, it might be an expensive experiment (but it certainly is possible).

Another idea... buy a Savage and turn it into a switch-barrel rifle. Swapping barrels wouldn't be as easy as swapping a scope, but you definitely could have two barrels with different calibers and match the loads together and not touch the scope. I say Savage because the barrel nut system allows barrels to be changed out in 10 minutes. All you need is the proper wrench, a headspace gauge, and another barrel. Much cheaper than another rifle, and the Savages are dirt cheap to begin with.

 

Oh shit, never even thought about that. I'm definitely going to pick up some of those. Thank you.

The cantilever mount is on the barrel. I wanted it that way so that I could bring one gun with me and just swap barrels. Since I found that the mount was way off, I did some reading and found that a lot of other people have had that problem. Luckily, I happened to buy rings that'll solve it.

 

I highly recommend you bed the cantilever mount to the barrel. It'll be cheap (less than $10 to do) and easy enough that anyone can handle it.

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.murphyprecision.com/Page/Scope_Base_Bedding" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.murphyprecision.com/Page/Scope_Base_Bedding</a>

There's some simple instructions. You can use shoe polish (Kiwi Neutral is king) or paste wax and JB Weld as the epoxy. WD-40 and q-tips work like magic for cleaning up excess epoxy. The reason you want to bed the scope base is to ensure a perfect, stress free fit and 100% contact between the base and the barrel. I guarantee it'll hold a zero much better than otherwise, especially considering 12 gauge slugs are heavy recoiling bastards.

 

XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System.

http://www.theage.com.au/world/us-deploys-gamechanger-weapon-to-afghanistan-20101206-18lmm.html

 

May God have mercy on anyone who has one of those pointed at them.

There was an image I wanted to pull up awhile ago because scope mounting systems were discussed and I think this is some slick engineering with the ultimate in precision in mind- a Gene Bukys mount on a state-of-the-art short-range benchrest rifle.



See that scope mount? The knobs behind the rear scope ring? They control all of the elevation and windage and are a helluva lot more reliable than any scope reticle- even that in the Leupold Competition scope that is used and is a marvel in itself (45X... damn!). The scope reticle is frozen in place so there is zero chance it can move, and you can bet the scope base is positively locked in place. This rifle was made for shooting groups that can go under .1" at 100 yards, so even the slightest reticle shifts can lose a match.

The stock is something special too... it is a balsa and carbon fiber laminate with a hybrid kevlar/carbon fiber skin (made by Scoville). The finished product (including bedding) weighs 22 oz. They cost up to and over $1000 and you can bet they aren't easy to make. I'll be utilizing similar technologies in an ultralight stock project I'll resume working on after winter break. Super badass and revolutionary with respect to materials and internal construction, and I happen to think they look pretty damn cool too. Another fascinating thing about the Scoville stocks is that the seams in the fabric skin are virtually invisible... he does an incredible job of laying them up and finishing.

 

Here's my .270 tuned up and ready for coyote hunting in cold weather.



It's the Winchester 70 that I bought earlier this fall and since I haven't shot anything besides paper with it, I'll be taking it with me to Illinois over break for some coyote hunting with cousins. They aren't set up to skin, stretch, and dry hides so I'm not concerned with what a 130 gr. bullet will do to a 30 lb. coyote (however I wouldn't be surprised if the bullet just plows right through).

Because it'll be cold and I don't want the rifle to ruin anything, I stripped the bolt apart and completely degreased everything so any oil or grease cannot gum up in the cold and prevent it from firing. I also waxed down all of the metal and the stock too. I pillar and glass bedded the stock and also bedded the scope bases and lapped the scope rings. I'll sight it in when I'm down in Illinois so I don't have to worry about the POI being off due to a big change in the atmosphere. It's become a pretty damn good sporting rifle and will work well for carrying and daytime shooting across fields and possibly in the woods (with the 3-9x scope turned down) and will be more than accurate enough to do the job. I've got the bolt polished up well enough that even with just a dusting of graphite powder, if you hold the rifle with the muzzle down and let go of the bolt all the way back, it'll slide down with enough force to rotate the bolt until it starts to cam. It won't slow me down if I need to shoot fast.

I picked up some camo tape for free and decided to give it a try. The adhesive is weaker than expected (you can see it needs more pressure on the grip in the photo) but it doesn't leave any residue and it really cuts down on any glare on the rifle. For those that notice it, I will be sitting with the bolt down so neither the shiny bolt nor the shells are showing.

I'm really hoping to finally score with this rifle again.

 

I have a few rifles that I leave at my Dad's place for safe keeping.

One of my favorites, a Browning .22 that was my first gun. Got it when I was 7.

A couple of years ago, my dad got a handheld engraver and got all engraving happy. Decided he wanted to mark all of his guns. I thought it was a stupid idea, but whatever, it's his stuff. Well, he got a little confused and thought my .22 was my Grandfathers old one. He proceeded to engrave it (badly) my my Grandfather's name, his name, and my little brother's name. Then he realized his mistake, put a line through those names and wrote mine. Needless to say, I was pissed, but what is done is done. (Sometimes I wonder how my dad can be so smart, and yet so dumb.)

So, is there any way to get rid of all the engraving? I'd like to return the gun to it's original finish. Any help is appreciated.

 

Thanks for the quick reply.

Is it possible to fix engraved metal? This gun has a lot of sentimental value, as you can imagine. Can't believe he did that, and also that he didn't think to mention it to me. Like I wasn't going to notice or something.

 

Sweet.

I'll take it to the local smith after the holiday's. I was worried that I was SOL.

Thanks.

 

Any of y'all have any experience with the CVA Scout rifle?

http://www.cva.com/rifles-scout.php

I'm looking for a single shot rifle, that's not a Ruger No.1, and this seems to fit the bill on what I want. Namely a rather inexpensive rifle that shoots well.

 

Agreed. Depending on the type of engraving and depth as well as the rifle itself, a good metalworker can very carefully draw file or grind the engraving out, polish it up, and re-blue it. You'll need to have the entire gun re-blued as well... it would look goofy if someone tried to blue up just a part of it and match the rest of the finish on the receiver or barrel. Assuming it's one of the older Browning pumps or autos, it shouldn't be too difficult of a job for a competent smith. I don't know how thin or thick the receivers are on those guns but I imagine they're on the thin side so if the engraving is really deep you may be in trouble, otherwise it's a superficial repair. In the end it won't affect the performance of the rifle.

 

It's a lever action.


I'll have to give it another look to see how deep it is, but the rifle itself came engraved. Will that be a problem? Also, is there any way for me to be sure that the smith does good work?

Thanks.

 

Sounds like it's a BL-22 Grade II. The location of the engraving may pose a problem, as removing any metal will really affect the appearance, especially since there's already engraving in place. Is the stuff you want erased on only one side of the receiver? That'll make things a lot easier. If you were to remove the engraving from one little part and left the rest remaining, there would be a noticeable dish in the surface of the receiver. It's an all or nothing deal, so having it on only one side would help.

I'm in the process of teaching myself how to cold blue steel, so I can tell you right now that the ultimate test is whether or not the metal holds a deep blue and does not rust in storage. Since the ultimate goal of any bluing treatment is to prevent the further rusting of the steel, I'd judge the color and depth of the blue that is done to the receiver to the bluing originally done to the barrel. Any good bluing job should help prevent rusting... it's a matter of appearance.

 

Yeah, he only got to one side of the receiver, so I guess that's lucky.

It'll be a few months before I have enough extra cash to spend on a gun that I hardly shoot, but I'm glad to know it's not a lost cause. I also found out that he took the liberty to engrave my Remington 870 express.... my second gun ever. I'm slightly less pissed, since at least he put the correct name on it, but still, who the hell thinks it's okay to just start engraving other people's stuff? What the hell?

I suspect that my local gunsmith may not be the best person to take it to. Little town and all. I wonder, is there somewhere I can send it off to?

Once again, thanks for all the help.

 

No, it is not okay to mess with other people's guns without your permission. If someone did the same thing to one of mine, I'd take a hammer to their hands (kidding, but not really). Maybe you could see if he's willing to pony up some (if not all) of the repair costs?

Ask your local smith about his bluing jobs and if you can, visit his shop and see the guns he's finished for yourself. Talk to him about the work you need to have done and see what he thinks. You'd be surprised how many nationally recognized gunsmiths live in bumfuck nowhere, so he could turn out to be pretty good.

 

Two of the new ones. The obvious is the Rem 870. The revolver is "The Judge". It shoots .410 000 buck-shot and/or .45 Colt Long. I've had both of these at the range since I bought them two weeks ago, and they are...awesome. I know my GSD; Teufel, will make these a waste of effort, but I sure love to fire these at the outdoor range.

 

I'm interested in putting a receiver-mounted peep sight on my 1958 Marlin 336RC. I was sad to see that Redfield no longer makes them, as I have one on my 1896 Krag. The only ones easily available are the Williams FP-336 and the Lyman 66LA, but I'm concerned about the quality of the products being apparently hit or miss. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding these sights or possible alternatives?