I finally finished it!

[SFR292]

Hey guys,
It's been a long time since I've made any posts, please excuse me as we've under gone some big changes within my shop, long story short there was a ownership change for the better and business has been extremely busy. As there's some pictures floating around on here somewhere of my progress of this build, I'll just post the finished pictures. For those who don't know me, I am a gunsmith at Trails End Gunworks in San Angelo, TX so when I say I built it, I literally mean I built it.
Quick reminder on the parts list:
Donor action was a Win Mod 70 (push feed) "Ranger" 1974 vintage in
270 Win.
PTG Bottom metal, one piece steel
Extensive machining on the action for the longer cartridge, I can clear
and load a COAL of 3.845"
Bolt Face opened to to magnum
Timney Trigger, completely gone through and changed, pull weight-10 oz
Krieger 5r 1:9 29.25" finished length HVY Palma Contour, Threaded
5/8-24, twisted 6 flute
Custom chamber designed by myself and Dave Kiff at PTG
Precision Armament radial discharge brake, and "Tank Brake" I have
both, just change them out as I feel like it.
Bolt twisted flute, threaded, precision armament "small" over sized
handle.
HS Precision Stock, custom made for me, should be available soon to
public market, Tri Color Desert camo
EGW 0 MOA base
Vortex Precision Match rings
Vortex PST Viper, 6-24x50 FFP, MOA turrets/reticule

My prelimary testing with factory loaded Federal and Nosler ammo was about .3 MOA groups for 5 at 100 yds. I shot one group with factory loaded nosler 160 gr AccuBonds at 503 yds, 1.9" outside to outside. I'm actually headed out tomorrow to test my hands loads with some custom turned bullets from Cutting Edge Bullets (a new sponsor of mine), shooting 152 gr MTH bullet with a BC of .617. My handload velocity tests showed an average of 3236 fps with 168 Berger Hunting bullets. I haven't shot for groups yet with those so a report back soon will happen. I just barely got this project finished in time as I am leaving for a antelope hunt in South Dakota next Saturday and plan on taking a shot past 1100 yds if possible with it.

Anyway, on to the pics!

 

[MudRunner2005]

Nice gun! Does that stock have a very small palmswell? If so, I might have to get one when they become available...

I love the old Sendero stocks, but the SFII stocks and 5R stocks have the huge palmswell, and I am not a fan of them.

 

[WildRose]

Well it sure looks nice and I know you have a ton of work in it so indeed you deserve to be proud.

It'll be nice to see how she is shooting after you get it broke in.

Congrats on a nice job.

 

[muliehunter]

I like and envy you cause its yours and not mine nice job and enjoy

 

[SFR292]

Nice gun! Does that stock have a very small palmswell? If so, I might have to get one when they become available...

I love the old Sendero stocks, but the SFII stocks and 5R stocks have the huge palmswell, and I am not a fan of them.

No the palm swell is large, whats different is that it's for a Winchester long action, the aluminum bedding block is changed around a bit and the forearm is different shape. I'll be at HS precision the week of Oct 1st so if anyone has any questions or requests from them please let me know

 

[SFR292]

Excuse the color on the paint, I ran into some issues with DuraCoat trying to match it and ran out of time for this hunt, the finished paint will match the lighter tan on the stock and the flutes and small parts will match the dark brown on the stock as well as the muzzle brakes will be painted to match.

This rifle has zero recoil too, with the bipod, unloaded, it weighes 14.42 lbs. I would rate it somewhere around 243 win recoil.

 

[gamehawker]

Very nice rifle!!!

 

[MudRunner2005]

No the palm swell is large, whats different is that it's for a Winchester long action, the aluminum bedding block is changed around a bit and the forearm is different shape. I'll be at HS precision the week of Oct 1st so if anyone has any questions or requests from them please let me know

Personally, I hate the HS double-palmswells...They're grossly oversized...And I have huge hands, and still think that. I would prefer the option of "No Palmswell" or "Palmswell" when ordering an HS stock, since that would help bring me back around from buying B&C Medalist stocks. That's seriously the ONLY reason why I stopped buying HS stocks was because of the huge nasty palmswells that they incorporate into EVERY friggin stock they build...

Also, can they bring back the old school Sendero SF stocks with no palmswell for the LA & SA 700's? I need a couple of them, and am unsure what model to buy, and worried that if I do buy one from Stockey's it will be the SFII model with the fat palmswell...Which I do not want.

That would be awesome if they could do those 2 simple things. I'm sure it would make ALOT of folks, including me, very happy.

 

[SFR292]

I'll talk to HS about it and get an order number for you for those stocks. I personally like the swell and I have large hands but I shoot differently than most people do it in terms of hand position. The swell is actually what I grip rather than "wrap" the grip the area. Anyway I'll get something together for you.

Range report:
I shot some factory and hand loads today and over the chrono so here's what they were and what they did. Also, keep in mind my chamber is a bit different than normal so I recommend that you don't use my loads as they are fall and above maximum in any book.

Factory Federal 160gr Barnes Triple Shock
3276fps
Group- 0.668" outside to outside

Factory Nosler 160gr AccuBond
3406 fps
Group - 0.429" outside to outside
I was amazed at the speed from these, the box rated at 3075 fps, I shot 4 over the chrono to make sure and they all were within 8 fps.

Handloads all 168 Bergers hunting #28570, set 0.020" off the lands COAL of 3.680" (3.467" to the ogive) and all using Retumbo and Fed 215M and nosler brass, 5 shot groups, 3 shots over chrono.

Load 1- 79.0grs 3178 fps, 0.887"

Load 2- 80 grs 3286 fps, 0.385"

Load 3 - 80.5 grs 3304 fps, 0.774"

Load 4 - 81 grs 3272 fps, 0.677" (big fire ball of unburnt powder through the muzzle brake, starting to show pressure signs as well.

Load 5- 82 grs 3290 fps, 0.812" one primer failure.

Load 6 - 83 grs 3302 fps, 0.833", multiple primer failures, no other issues though.

Throughout my testing I've decided that retumbo works well and the gun shoots about anything halfway decent but I'll be testing with some other powders to see if I get up in the 3400 fps mark or better. For the time being I'll be using the 80 gr load for this load as I just don't have time to work up with another powder before this hunt.

 

[WildRose]

Excuse the color on the paint, I ran into some issues with DuraCoat trying to match it and ran out of time for this hunt, the finished paint will match the lighter tan on the stock and the flutes and small parts will match the dark brown on the stock as well as the muzzle brakes will be painted to match.

This rifle has zero recoil too, with the bipod, unloaded, it weighes 14.42 lbs. I would rate it somewhere around 243 win recoil.

Ben, for what it's worth I think I'd leave the paint as it is. Go put it out in a CRP field and close your eyes and take a look at it from about say 40 yards or so.

I think it'll surprise you.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I'll talk to HS about it and get an order number for you for those stocks. I personally like the swell and I have large hands but I shoot differently than most people do it in terms of hand position. The swell is actually what I grip rather than "wrap" the grip the area. Anyway I'll get something together for you.

Thanks man! Yeah, I know alot of folks that do like the palmswell, but I also see how quickly old Sendero stocks sell when they get posted up on here and ebay...Which leads me to believe that their's still a huge market for them out there.

If HS brought those stocks back to 100% specs of the old original Sendero & Sendero SF rifles, they would sell a ton of those things. I know they're pretty sought after on here. And you can't ever find one for sale around my area. So ordering a new one would be about the only option unless I luck-up and find one, but even then, people are selling used ones for ****-near what a new one would cost ($315-350 range). I know the ones that Stockeys sells that are HS and very similar are about $350 for a black/gray web model for the LA 700.

 

[SFR292]

If I can remember I'll call Kent tomorrow at HS and get this conversation started. They still might offer the stock but dealers might not be ordering them and stocking them. I know for Rem 700 SA or LA there's about 37 different stocks in my dealer catalog plus the stuff that isn't in there. I can tell you that it's about a 6-9 month wait for a Rem 700 Stock right now even for me, unless I build it myself while I'm there playing around, but you might not want that stock lol.