Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
As mentioned in Part 1, i will now do a report on my APS Stalker line of custom rifles. Early on in my business career i use my huge Raptor receiver for all my different models of rifles, including the Raptor LRSS, Raptor Hybrid and Raptor Stalker rifles.
as time went on decided i needed to rethink this so that i could build rifles that were much more compact and portable. Again, contacted Glen at Defiance Machine who had been building my Raptor receivers to my specs for many years and gave him my ideas of what i wanted in my Stalker receivers.
In the end, the Stalker receiver platform has proven to be extremely flexible to allow a variaty of my rifles to be based on it. These include the Stalker UL, Stalker UL Mag, Stalker Hunter and Carbon Stalker.
i will discuss each of these in detail. First up will be the standard Stalker Hunter.
The Stalker Hunter is a rifle design that is ment to offer hunters a rifle they can pack for decent hikes while not be overly heavy yet in a rifle that offers enough weight to provide legit 1000 yard reach. Design goals for the rifle are for use from 0 to 1/2 mile ranges, but again, with a good pilot, they will easily do 1000 yards.
bare rifle weight will generally be in the 8-9 lb range. Not a lightweight but significantly less then its older bigger Raptor LRSS brother. The Stalker receiver is much more compact yet extremely strong and rigid. Features integral 20 moa rail base and integral recoil lug machined into the receivers. Available in right and left hand, long and short action, using internal magazines or detachable magazine systems.
barrels used on my Stalker Hunter rifles are another unique design of mine taking from the experience of the Raptor LRSS rifles. While much smaller in contour, the shank is 1.250" diameter and a relatively long 4.5" in length, then tapers in a rather conventional #5 contour to a finish length generally in the 26-28" length. That said, some Stalker rifles have been made with barrels as short at 20". All barrels are Bartlein Stainless 5r barrels.
My small 3 port Painkiller muzzle brake does an amazing job of dramatically reducing any felt recoil and keeping scope on target to self spot impacts.
standard stocks for the APS Stalker Hunter rifles are the McMillan Game Hunter or McMillan Game Scout(if an adjustable Cheek Piece option is wanted).
All Stalker Hunter rifles come standard with Jewell triggers and use either the custom Sunny Hill BDL style internal magazine system or the HS Precision detachable mag system.
All Stalker Hunter rifles have aluminum pillar bedding and free floated barrels.
my accuracy standards for the Stalker Hunter rifles are that they must prove they have 1/2 moa accuracy potential at a legit 1/2 mile or they will not ship.
for a rifle that any healthy male hunter can pack all day in all but the most severe terrain and still be able to take quick shots at close range game or settle in for a 900 yard shot on a bull elk, the Stalker Hunter rifle is the jack of all trades.
CARBON STALKER
The Carbon Stalker is very similar to the Stalker Hunter rifles with two notable differences, the use of Bartlein Carbon wrapped barrels and also the use of Enhanced Carbon Shelled stocks from McMillan.
All options are the same. The addition of the carbon simply takes 1 to 1 1/4 lbs off the weight of the standard Stalker Hunter. Accuracy requirements are the same. Recoil is actually a bit less as the lighter the rifle the better the PK muzzle brakes work at reducing felt recoil.
Using the Enhanced Carbon fiber shell on these stocks allows us to chamber my truly powerful wildcats in these rifles. We learned early on that my wildcats really enjoyed breaking the standard Edge carbon fiber mcmillan stocks, as such, they told me they would not allow me to use them on my wildcats anymore and warrantee them. After some discussion, we came up with a design that used standard fiberglass fill material in the recoil lug area of the stocks and then use the carbon fiber shell and lightest fill possible in the rest of the stock. This resulted in a stock that split the difference in weight between their standard fiberglass stocks and full EDGE technology stocks, yet still having the strength to stand up to my wildcats.
the Carbon Stalker rifles offer the same accuracy, performance and range as the Stalker Hunter but with a bit less weight. Slightly higher price tag though.
STALKER UL and STALKER UL MAG
These rifles are for those wanting as much performance as possible but also with weight being a major concern as well. These ARE NOT cut down, compromised rifles. They use full length 26-27" bartlein #2b or #3 fluted barrels, full dimensioned stocks.
7mm WSM Stalker UL
7mm Allen Magnum Stalker UL Mag
In standard chamberings, the Stalker UL can be had in right and left hand, long or short action. The UL receiver has integral base mounts and integral recoil lug. We are also working on a new design which will cut weight even more. More details will come soon on that.
Stalker are McMillan Classic Hunter or Game Hunter with full EDGE carbon technology or Enhanced carbon for my Stalker UL Mag.
Rifle weights will range from 6.5 lbs for my Stalker UL up to around 7 1/4 lbs for my Stalker UL Mag rifles. Now some would say 7.25 lbs is certainly not an UL rifle. Consider that these rifles can be chambered in my 338 Allen Xpress which will drive a 300 gr bullet weight to 2950 fps or a 375 Allen Xpress which will drive a 350 gr. Bullet weight to 2900 fps in these rifles and thats pretty darn light.
or better yet, a 7mm Allen Magnum driving a 180 gr berger to +3400 fps or a 195 gr to 3300, in a legit 7.25 lb rifle....
i hold my Stalker UL rifles to the same 1/2 moa accuracy standard out to 800 yards. Because of their lighter weight, they simply are more challenging to shoot at longer ranges. They certainly will do it, but more is placed on the pilot the lighter the rifles get.
All my Stalker rifles can be chambered in pretty much any short, standard or magnum length commercial chambering, as well as all of my wildcats from the 25 Stalker up to the 375 Allen Xpress.
My Stalker wildcats, 25 Stalker, 26 Stalker and 27 Stalker were designed specifically for use in this family of rifles and all can be built using full carbon tech stocks, very light for the power you get!!
with the Stalker receiver and as such the full line of Stalker rifles coming on line, the big Raptor receiver was allowed to be used only on my big Raptor LRSS rifle platform where its much more at home.
also, not mentioned in Part 1, all Raptor and Stalker receivers are also available for sale as receiver only sales also. Again, if you want any additional information on details or pricing, shoot me a PM or better yet an email at [email protected] and i will personally get you all the information you could ever need.
as time went on decided i needed to rethink this so that i could build rifles that were much more compact and portable. Again, contacted Glen at Defiance Machine who had been building my Raptor receivers to my specs for many years and gave him my ideas of what i wanted in my Stalker receivers.
In the end, the Stalker receiver platform has proven to be extremely flexible to allow a variaty of my rifles to be based on it. These include the Stalker UL, Stalker UL Mag, Stalker Hunter and Carbon Stalker.
i will discuss each of these in detail. First up will be the standard Stalker Hunter.
The Stalker Hunter is a rifle design that is ment to offer hunters a rifle they can pack for decent hikes while not be overly heavy yet in a rifle that offers enough weight to provide legit 1000 yard reach. Design goals for the rifle are for use from 0 to 1/2 mile ranges, but again, with a good pilot, they will easily do 1000 yards.
bare rifle weight will generally be in the 8-9 lb range. Not a lightweight but significantly less then its older bigger Raptor LRSS brother. The Stalker receiver is much more compact yet extremely strong and rigid. Features integral 20 moa rail base and integral recoil lug machined into the receivers. Available in right and left hand, long and short action, using internal magazines or detachable magazine systems.
barrels used on my Stalker Hunter rifles are another unique design of mine taking from the experience of the Raptor LRSS rifles. While much smaller in contour, the shank is 1.250" diameter and a relatively long 4.5" in length, then tapers in a rather conventional #5 contour to a finish length generally in the 26-28" length. That said, some Stalker rifles have been made with barrels as short at 20". All barrels are Bartlein Stainless 5r barrels.
My small 3 port Painkiller muzzle brake does an amazing job of dramatically reducing any felt recoil and keeping scope on target to self spot impacts.
standard stocks for the APS Stalker Hunter rifles are the McMillan Game Hunter or McMillan Game Scout(if an adjustable Cheek Piece option is wanted).
All Stalker Hunter rifles come standard with Jewell triggers and use either the custom Sunny Hill BDL style internal magazine system or the HS Precision detachable mag system.
All Stalker Hunter rifles have aluminum pillar bedding and free floated barrels.
my accuracy standards for the Stalker Hunter rifles are that they must prove they have 1/2 moa accuracy potential at a legit 1/2 mile or they will not ship.
for a rifle that any healthy male hunter can pack all day in all but the most severe terrain and still be able to take quick shots at close range game or settle in for a 900 yard shot on a bull elk, the Stalker Hunter rifle is the jack of all trades.
CARBON STALKER
The Carbon Stalker is very similar to the Stalker Hunter rifles with two notable differences, the use of Bartlein Carbon wrapped barrels and also the use of Enhanced Carbon Shelled stocks from McMillan.
All options are the same. The addition of the carbon simply takes 1 to 1 1/4 lbs off the weight of the standard Stalker Hunter. Accuracy requirements are the same. Recoil is actually a bit less as the lighter the rifle the better the PK muzzle brakes work at reducing felt recoil.
Using the Enhanced Carbon fiber shell on these stocks allows us to chamber my truly powerful wildcats in these rifles. We learned early on that my wildcats really enjoyed breaking the standard Edge carbon fiber mcmillan stocks, as such, they told me they would not allow me to use them on my wildcats anymore and warrantee them. After some discussion, we came up with a design that used standard fiberglass fill material in the recoil lug area of the stocks and then use the carbon fiber shell and lightest fill possible in the rest of the stock. This resulted in a stock that split the difference in weight between their standard fiberglass stocks and full EDGE technology stocks, yet still having the strength to stand up to my wildcats.
the Carbon Stalker rifles offer the same accuracy, performance and range as the Stalker Hunter but with a bit less weight. Slightly higher price tag though.
STALKER UL and STALKER UL MAG
These rifles are for those wanting as much performance as possible but also with weight being a major concern as well. These ARE NOT cut down, compromised rifles. They use full length 26-27" bartlein #2b or #3 fluted barrels, full dimensioned stocks.
7mm WSM Stalker UL
7mm Allen Magnum Stalker UL Mag
In standard chamberings, the Stalker UL can be had in right and left hand, long or short action. The UL receiver has integral base mounts and integral recoil lug. We are also working on a new design which will cut weight even more. More details will come soon on that.
Stalker are McMillan Classic Hunter or Game Hunter with full EDGE carbon technology or Enhanced carbon for my Stalker UL Mag.
Rifle weights will range from 6.5 lbs for my Stalker UL up to around 7 1/4 lbs for my Stalker UL Mag rifles. Now some would say 7.25 lbs is certainly not an UL rifle. Consider that these rifles can be chambered in my 338 Allen Xpress which will drive a 300 gr bullet weight to 2950 fps or a 375 Allen Xpress which will drive a 350 gr. Bullet weight to 2900 fps in these rifles and thats pretty darn light.
or better yet, a 7mm Allen Magnum driving a 180 gr berger to +3400 fps or a 195 gr to 3300, in a legit 7.25 lb rifle....
i hold my Stalker UL rifles to the same 1/2 moa accuracy standard out to 800 yards. Because of their lighter weight, they simply are more challenging to shoot at longer ranges. They certainly will do it, but more is placed on the pilot the lighter the rifles get.
All my Stalker rifles can be chambered in pretty much any short, standard or magnum length commercial chambering, as well as all of my wildcats from the 25 Stalker up to the 375 Allen Xpress.
My Stalker wildcats, 25 Stalker, 26 Stalker and 27 Stalker were designed specifically for use in this family of rifles and all can be built using full carbon tech stocks, very light for the power you get!!
with the Stalker receiver and as such the full line of Stalker rifles coming on line, the big Raptor receiver was allowed to be used only on my big Raptor LRSS rifle platform where its much more at home.
also, not mentioned in Part 1, all Raptor and Stalker receivers are also available for sale as receiver only sales also. Again, if you want any additional information on details or pricing, shoot me a PM or better yet an email at [email protected] and i will personally get you all the information you could ever need.
