Here is Snake 2, which is a 338 Lapua Ack Improved. MV should be easy 2900-2950 with no pressure when finally finished.
Action is a chrom moly Phoenix Machine action with Kiff fluted bolt, Kiff firing pin and spring, M16 extractor and tactical knob. Action is still in the white, only bead blasted awaiting the melanite finish.
Lilja 30" barrel in 1-10 twist that is 1.350 for 4 inches radical taper to .850 with the new Holland Radial Brake. Both bead blasted with crossweave finish.
.300 Recoil Lug integrated into a 40 MOA Picatanny base.
HS Bottom metal with detach mag system COAL of 3.655
Basix trigger with safety at 1.5 lbs
Leupold 8-25x LR with the Varmint reticle. Looking at converting it to the Holland ART
Stock is McM A5 with one swivel stud and two side flush cups all stress free pillar bedded. (sorry Joel, stock came with the package deal and too good to pass up)
NF ultralight rings, with ACI.
Total weight of the rifle and scope, loaded with 4 rds is only 13 lbs 10 ozs. This weight makes it a nice carry rig with LR accuracy in hard hitting cartridge.
Waiting on Neil Jones custom dies. I will fire form the brass, break in the barrel and then the gun is disassembled for phase 2.
Barrel, action and bolt will be sent off to be melanite coated, which is an industrial coating that super hardens the metal and is supposed to really lessen throat erosion. Some FClass/600 yd BR guys have over 5k of hot rds in barrels with almost no erosion and they have been using it for 5 yrs. Stock will be dipped with another finish. Might keep the stock like it is though.
Gunsmith was John Myer, Custom Gunsmithing in Boyce VA. LR and 1k BR builder for many years and has built many winning guns and top LR rifles.
Delivery time was about 40 days as I took him all the parts except the flush cups. Plus I actually had another gun (1k BR HG) in front of that for barrel setback and rechamber and crown.
Now here is the really good part. Total cost of the complete rig in the pics was right at $3700. However, that includes the my reamer, go/ no-go gauges, scope, rings, ACI etc . I am a Hunter Ed instructor, so the leupold was well under distributor pricing, same for trigger, got a super deal on the ACI, rings, stock, action, and barrel here and another site. Complete gunsmithing was under $1000, for chambering, crowning, muzzlebrake installation, inlett and pillar bedding, sandblasting etc.
Neil Jones dies will be under $300 for custom FL size with shoulder bump bushings and micro seater. Neil Jones does custom dies (FL with shoulder bump bushing and micro seater) for wildcats for around $300 and 30-45 days max. He needs the reamer print or/and 5 cases fired 3x. He normally gives you a NS only die first, lets you fire the cases 3x, and then you return the die to him with the fired cases and he converts it to a custom honed FL shoulder bump bushing die that no on else makes. He is the only mftr of that type die. With normal bushing dies there is a gap between the end of the bushing and the shoulder, with the bump bushing, they are one bushing and no gap. Dies took 46 days, cost $366 with 3 shoulder bushings, built on 1" die blank with threaded insert to fit my press.
Melanite for the action, bolt body and barrel will be about $160 and stock dipping $100
I highly recommend getting your own parts and taking them to your smith. Your delivery time should be shortened dramatically.
BH
click on pics to enlarge
Action is a chrom moly Phoenix Machine action with Kiff fluted bolt, Kiff firing pin and spring, M16 extractor and tactical knob. Action is still in the white, only bead blasted awaiting the melanite finish.
Lilja 30" barrel in 1-10 twist that is 1.350 for 4 inches radical taper to .850 with the new Holland Radial Brake. Both bead blasted with crossweave finish.
.300 Recoil Lug integrated into a 40 MOA Picatanny base.
HS Bottom metal with detach mag system COAL of 3.655
Basix trigger with safety at 1.5 lbs
Leupold 8-25x LR with the Varmint reticle. Looking at converting it to the Holland ART
Stock is McM A5 with one swivel stud and two side flush cups all stress free pillar bedded. (sorry Joel, stock came with the package deal and too good to pass up)
NF ultralight rings, with ACI.
Total weight of the rifle and scope, loaded with 4 rds is only 13 lbs 10 ozs. This weight makes it a nice carry rig with LR accuracy in hard hitting cartridge.
Waiting on Neil Jones custom dies. I will fire form the brass, break in the barrel and then the gun is disassembled for phase 2.
Barrel, action and bolt will be sent off to be melanite coated, which is an industrial coating that super hardens the metal and is supposed to really lessen throat erosion. Some FClass/600 yd BR guys have over 5k of hot rds in barrels with almost no erosion and they have been using it for 5 yrs. Stock will be dipped with another finish. Might keep the stock like it is though.
Gunsmith was John Myer, Custom Gunsmithing in Boyce VA. LR and 1k BR builder for many years and has built many winning guns and top LR rifles.
Delivery time was about 40 days as I took him all the parts except the flush cups. Plus I actually had another gun (1k BR HG) in front of that for barrel setback and rechamber and crown.
Now here is the really good part. Total cost of the complete rig in the pics was right at $3700. However, that includes the my reamer, go/ no-go gauges, scope, rings, ACI etc . I am a Hunter Ed instructor, so the leupold was well under distributor pricing, same for trigger, got a super deal on the ACI, rings, stock, action, and barrel here and another site. Complete gunsmithing was under $1000, for chambering, crowning, muzzlebrake installation, inlett and pillar bedding, sandblasting etc.
Neil Jones dies will be under $300 for custom FL size with shoulder bump bushings and micro seater. Neil Jones does custom dies (FL with shoulder bump bushing and micro seater) for wildcats for around $300 and 30-45 days max. He needs the reamer print or/and 5 cases fired 3x. He normally gives you a NS only die first, lets you fire the cases 3x, and then you return the die to him with the fired cases and he converts it to a custom honed FL shoulder bump bushing die that no on else makes. He is the only mftr of that type die. With normal bushing dies there is a gap between the end of the bushing and the shoulder, with the bump bushing, they are one bushing and no gap. Dies took 46 days, cost $366 with 3 shoulder bushings, built on 1" die blank with threaded insert to fit my press.
Melanite for the action, bolt body and barrel will be about $160 and stock dipping $100
I highly recommend getting your own parts and taking them to your smith. Your delivery time should be shortened dramatically.
BH
click on pics to enlarge
Last edited: