Girlfriends Rifle; Hunt Success!! update

[Wedgy]

I have had great success making some great hunting rifles by picking up old Savages for $250-$300 and putting some work into them. My girlfriend wanted that "Muddy Girl" camo pattern she saw some where on her gun so I did a pink Duracoat then the oak crackle stencil in black over it, put a Harrells Precision 4 port brake(cut down to 2 ports), trigger job, better pad, fluted bolt, etc. Then set to working up a hard hitting 130 grain Barnes TTSX for the time tested 30-06. Varget looked like it would give a pretty good case fill so I ran a ladder and found a high node at a little over 3,300fps with no pressure. I just finished trajectory validation at 650 yards 10MOA with a 200 yard zero. It shot 4 out of 5 hits on the 12" plate, first was a bit low at 9.5 MOA
She leaves Thursday for a cow hunt in New Mexico that unfortunately I can't get time off to go. That thing is a hammer regardless if it look like a bottle of Pepto Bismol. I was shooting my 6.5x284 and this thing hit quite a bit harder. I've got 2 more Savage 30-06's I was going to use as donors for a build but right now I'm kind of wanting my own 30-06.
The plate is at the base of the hill to the right of the people. There are three, the one in the video is the 3rd on the right

 

[toddc]

Re: Girlfriends Rifle

Awesome build. I went the way of the barrel nut a long time ago and haven't looked back. I laugh at guys waiting on their smith's build. Now that the Remage style barrels are becoming more common I am looking into a Stiller action to run them on. 700 Triggers and stocks and NO SMITH. Best of all worlds. Hope she hammers a fat tasty cow.

 

[Wedgy]

Re: Girlfriends Rifle

 

[DXHI]

Re: Girlfriends Rifle

Cool build !

 

[IdahoJoe]

Re: Girlfriends Rifle

Sure its for your girlfriend.

We believe you.


Seriously though nice looking rifle.

 

[Dgd6mm]

Re: Girlfriends Rifle

Nice build, I'm sure she is happy.

 

[Wedgy]

So this morning she drew 1st blood on the new build. The herd was grazing towards them from ~700 yards, not a lot of cover between them and the wind was good so they just waited....and waited. A cow out front got to 270 yards quartering towards her when she let it rip, and let it RIP. Dropped in its tracks. I wish they had taken more pictures of the exit and damage but it did a number on the shoulder, heart, and exited the far ribs. That 130 grain at 3300fps hits hard.
I think I'll name it Hillary, the elk, not the gun.

 

[Bravo 4]

That's awesome!
And I looks like the pack out was easy! Did it die on the road?

 

[DXHI]

She's a keeper.. Does she have a sister that likes to duck hunt ?

 

[Wedgy]

Yes, right on the road. She has the best luck.

 

[scottyboy]

That is fantastic! Congrats all around!

 

[Dgd6mm]

Excellent, congratulations to both of you. She sure is happy, and that makes life so much easier and worth living....

Don Dunlap

 

[alcesgigas]

Do I see some happy here? Sounds like all went great--looks like it too. I see that poor defenseless heart sitting out there in the cold and snow. Terrible to treat natural camp bacon that way... Seeing there's considerable hemorrhage and other damage I still think you can salvage some of the most delicious breakfast meat there is. I suppose I'm assuming elk heart are very similar to deer and moose hearts. Slice off the damage and thin slice across the heart--NOT lengthwise--into 1/2" thick donuts and roast them on a open fire with green popple over the flames so there's plenty of smoke. I'd surely love to have apple, cherry, or hickory available--OMG I forgot maple--to smoke them on. Well congrats and enjoy.

 

[Engineering101]

That is how you use a Barnes bullet - going 3,000 fps plus. A buddy took his moose with that setup this past Fall - 130 grain Barnes in a 30-06. The moose, like her cow elk was DRT. I've got my 30-06 tuned up for 150 grain Barnes TTSXs running 3,000 fps but would have no problem dropping down to the 130 grainer. Along the same lines, I use the relatively light 210 grain TTSX in my 338 RUM for elk. At 3,200 fps it hammers elk with minimum meat damage. I've also shot small whitetail with that load with no meat damage (double lung of course). A shoulder shot will cost you some meat.