Black Sunshine......

[Fiftydriver]

Well, Late yesterday I got a package from my friend Shawn C at Defensive edge. It was the barreled receiver of my 338 Allen Mag being returned from getting a coat of flat Black teflon and then diamond engraved with Black Sunshine on the right side of the barrel and APS 338 Allen Mag on the left side just ahead of the receiver.

I found /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif a few minutes to get the barrel back on the receiver and reassemble the rifle. Would not have been able to sleep last night if I had not!!!

The weather forcast for this holiday weekend was pretty grim. Heavy rain all weekend until Tuesday, go figure!!! Anyway, I wanted to be ready incase the forcast was wrong which is often is.

Work up this morning to constant rain!!! Also work up and found the mild head and chest cold I have been playing with all week had turned into a case of full blown flu!!

Home bound today I guess. Thats alright, get sick and have rain on the same day, good timing if one has to get sick I guess.

Anyway, I took some pics but something is really screwed up with www.hunt101.com as the quality of the uploaded pics really SUCKS.

Got a question about www.photobucket.com, how do you get the uploaded pics to be smaller. Everyone I unload is huge.

Anyway, the uploaded pictured did not even come close to giving this rifle justice so I decided not to post them. If anyone is interested in the pics send me an e-mail and I will e-mail them to you as they look good on an e-mail.

I would like to thank Shawn Carlock for his work on this project which was the final touches to make this rifle turn out exactly how I wanted it to. Now with all the metal work totally black the red in the stock really brightens up.

Anyway, just wanted to give Shawn a public Thank You because as always your work is top notch!!!

If someone else would want to try to post these pics let me know as well and I can forward them to you and see if they upload better through another server or another photo host sight.

More reports will be coming as soon as the rain stops. Still waiting for my replacement, lower 35mm IOR rings to get here so I still have the 3.5-15 Nightforce on the rifle just for pics. The big 9-36 will certainly be a better match to this 60 lb rifle.

I also got in my Vhita Vouri 20N29 powder to test as well which I think may be the best powder for the 338 AM loaded with +300 gr pills. We will see.

Again, sorry for not posting pics, they flat were terrible in quality so if your interested in seeing the big girl send me an e-mail and I will get you some pics.

Good Shooting!!

Kirby Allen(50)

 

[Buffalobob]

Kiby

I would appreciate an email picture. I am interested in this but Shawn doesn't have the right colors to match up with my stock. Things might change or I might decide to go with straight black like you did.

Thanks

Thanks

 

[gonehuntingagain]

Kirby,

Send me the pictures that you want posted.

junkmail1369 AT cableone DOT net

 

[coupalr]

Kirby
Just click on the edit button above your photo in photobucket. Then just choose the size you want. I would suggest trying 75% first because you can't enlarge after you shink it.

 

[Hired Gun]

I gave up on hunt 101 after they deleted all my pictures the second time. I now use http://www.imageshack.us
They automatically resize if you want them too.

My problem with Photo bucket is pictures don't last very long before they delete them.

 

[Fiftydriver]

These were through Imageshack. For some reason they still are pretty grainy but better then Hunt101.

Kirby Allen(50)

 

[ss7mm]

Kirby:

Great looking final product. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I saw her "in the white" and in pieces, and this final version really looks different. Black Sunshine is a fitting name for a great looking long range rifle like this. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I know what you mean about the weather. This rain is getting old after a week or more. Supposed to start getting a little better tomorrow and next week so maybe some bullets will fly in the next few days.

Looks like Shawn did another great coating job. Black is hard to take pictures of that justify the subject.

Keep us posted and especially when you get the "big" 9-36 mounted and have some more range data.

I see a lot of big dust clouds, and dead critters, a long long way down range in your future. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Meister]

Speaking as a man who owns SEVERAL matte black rigs- I really like that finish complimented by the engraving. I'm looking to get my 2 newest projects done in Black T or another finish of similar type. How does this finish compare to Birdsongs? I'm looking at wear patterns and coating thickness. I suppose Shawn would be the guy to answer most of my questions, but you are an end user so your thoughts on this finish's positive and negative attributes are what I'm looking for. She's a beaut, I hope she shoots as good as she looks.

 

[Eaglet]

The first Remington Sendero that I've ever bought was all black and I named it "Black Death". Now "Black Sunshine" is definately deader than death! Only thing you could see shining would be in a dark night about 6 feet of fearing flame coming out that barrell! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[wildcat]

Fifty, the rifle looks AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!! You were right, the black really brings out the red. I can't wait to here how the testing goes.

Wildcat

 

[littledevil2873]

Hewy Kirby is that a McMillan stock and what percentage of colors did you use?

 

[Fiftydriver]

LittleDevil,

Yes, its a McMillan 50LBR. The percentages are 75% Black, 25% Red. I sent special instructions to try to make the red in vertical stripes. Not sure if they even paid attention to that though but if they did a regular 25-75 combo may look a little different. I suspect not though.

Kirby Allen(50)

 

[Fiftydriver]

SS7mm,

Yep, she looks alot different then when you saw her in the shop. I actually think she looks alot smaller now with everything coated black, sure not any lighter though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif!!!

This rifle is a hoot to shoot but a pain in the rear to pack around to get set up to shoot. Looking forward to its sub 16 lb brother to get built!!!

Our weather is supposed to be socked in until Tuesday, go figure!!! Oh well. I would rather wait till I have the IOR in the saddles anyway so I can go out and set this girl up once and for all.

I am very optomistic about the Vhita Vouri powder. Looking at the burn rate scales, this maybe JUST the ticket for this round and the heavy pills and 40" barrel!!!

I was out testing a customers 270 AM a few nights ago at around 1100 yards and where I shoot is in sort of a big Bowl enclosed by high lava rock rims that surround all side but behind the shooter.

When you touch off a shot in this area, instantly it sounds like very intense thunder as the muzzle blast bounces off all the walls of the bowl and then if you hit solid rock, the dramatic SMACK finishes off the thunder.

I will admit, I could probably shoot much better groups if I were not flipping my head set off right after the trigger breaks so I can hear the production as it folds out. Do not even need to see if the bullet hits the rock, JUST LISTEN!!!

I bring this up because I have been laying awake at nights imagining what Black Sunshine will sound like when she cuts loose a 300 gr at 3500 fps. The Thunder may be so loud I better watch for lightening!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Its hard to explain unless you have heard this in a similiar area which from seeing some of the pics of the area you shoot in it probably sounds alot the same.

I have actually had several guys from Great Falls call me up because they have talked with others that have shot with me and they just want to come out and hear the thunder and smack!! It is alot of fun.

The 338 AM will certainly elevate this to a new level and then the 510 AM will probably take it to a point where there is no need to take the head sets off to hear it!!!

We will see soon.

Kirby Allen(50)

 

[Fiftydriver]

Meister,

I will be honest with you. I have not used one of my rifles coated by Shawn enough to be able to give you a qualified opinion of that. I have had some of my customers rifles coated and I know they have been used very hard but I have not heard any complaints about wear issues.

Shawn wound be the one to talk to on that. He will shoot straight with you. He is not a sales pitch type of guy. He only uses what works so what he says I would take as the solid trueth. He will tell you how it is either way, good or bad so he would be the one to ask. MUCH more experience with the coating then I will probably ever have.

I can tell you that the BAT receiver is a very tight lock up even before coating. After coating, it is almost to tight and you need to almost force the bolt all the way in so it can be closed. I figured I could just work the bolt a few dozen times and it would wear off the tight spots on the teflon and the bolt would work more freely.

Well, I ran the bolt back and forth a counted 100 strokes and it is still just as snug as it was and no sign of the teflon wearing off yet. I put some moly grease on the areas of the bolt where it contacts the receiver when locked up and worked the bolt another 50 times and then wiped off all the excess moly. The bolt is still VERY snug but slides forward much easier now but still there is no sign of wear through the teflon.

From this I would say its pretty tough stuff. The wear I put on the bolt for those 150 strokes is probably more then the external surfaces of the rifle will ever get.

Now if you hit the exterior with something hard and sharp, yes it will scratch through it, but thats the case with any coating or surface treatment.

Kirby Allen(50)