lancetkenyon

No joke, I was rough guessing him at 114", so was going to throw a little for the two points on the left G2 and say 114 3/8". And I suck at scoring Coues. That is an awesome find for sure. And great job on getting the kids out in the field!

I am so glad your family is OK. Not to make this trivial, but think about this... The wrong-way driver on I-17 yesterday morning hit and killed a lady. She was a friend of my older daughter. 25 years old with a husband and two kids, one only 4 months old. "But for the grace of God, go I" comes to mind. I hope you are all still feeling well, and I thank God it was not worse. Material items can be replaced. Lives and health cannot.

I have another idea for a paint job too, and might try it on a climbing helmet I have....

Not hydro-dipping, but I have thought about having Custom Gun Coatings do the paint for me. But then I wouldn't have a project for the summer months! So, I think I will try it a few more times to tweak the results, including using smaller stencils for the white/dark brown portions, but not too bad of a turnout this attempt. If only the cheap plastic stock would allow the paint to stick better....

Any reason for a MagnaPort over a thread on muzzle brake? I don't like to cut into the barrel/rifling myself.

1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup water 2 tbsp. white vinegar Montreal Steak Seasoning 1 clove fresh chopped garlic 1 tsp. crushed red pepper Put all in a ziplock bag and marinate 2-3 hours. Wrap in bacon Cook on hot (500°) grill (flip after 1 minute to sear both sides quickly) until desired temperature (I prefer medium rare for venison/elk, medium on beef) takes about 4-7 minutes per side depending on thickness of cut Consume!!! We make stuffed Pasilla/poblano or jalapeño peppers and corn on the cob on the grill with these. MONEY!!!

Not sure I agree with this statement on the Superformance factory ammo getting 150fps more than a hand load. Factory rounds are almost always moderate loads for liability reasons, so I can see the claims of being 150fps faster than some factory loads. Just about any hand loader who knows what he is doing can better factory velocities by at least 100fps, some even more. And usually with much better consistency and accuracy results with tweaking. Besides, what if the hand loader uses Superformance powder that is available to the public? I would bet better velocities over the factory Superformance stuff. Plus, there are two different .280 Rem Superformance factory loads in the 139gr. bullet weight (GMX & SST) @ approximately 3070 & 3090fps, nearly identical to the .270 Win Superformance load. A quick comparison from Superformance stated velocities vs. known actual velocities from my rifles: .223 w. 55gr bullet from 24" barrel: Super @ 3275fps, my hand loads are 3361fps with Benchmark, from a 24" AR. .257 Roberts+P w. 117gr bullet from 24" barrel: Super @ 2945, my hand loads for a .250 Ackley (2gr. less case capacity) with 115 Bergers were 3104fps w. H414 & IMR4350. (not a true apples/apples comparison, but close enough) .25-06 w. 117 bullet from 24" barrel: Super @ 3110fps, my very mild hand loads are 3180fps with H4831 and 115 Bergers (from 28" barrel, so take off approximately 100fps for barrel length, and I had 4 other faster loads up to 3308fps, just not as accurate) .270 Win w. 130gr bullet from 24" barrel: Super @ 3200, my hand loads were 3185fps w. H4350 (had faster, but this was most accurate) .270 Win w. 140gr bullet from 24" barrel: Super @ 3090, my hand loads were 3105fps w. H4831 I tried the Superformance in my .270 Win., and was never impressed with the accuracy any more than other factory ammo.

I don't have a flat Timney, but I do have a flat trigger CMC on my AR. It is fine, I just got it because it was on sale. Not really much difference except for the feel on your finger.

I have two Rem 700 triggers set to 2.5# if you want one for free.

Timney Calvin Elite. Adjustable pull from 8oz. to 2.5#. Mine is amazing.

Sorry 4Falls. I know how work + family + not enough hours in the day add up.

You don't get out enough.... I have already used mine at least 8 days and 50+ hours this year alone. And I haven't even seriously hunted this year yet!

Bobcat, coyote, fox, javelina, feral cat, domestic cows, deer, abandoned dogs, numerous birds of prey, rabbits....and a chicken.

I agree with not needing to take it down. I just wish finding the AZ top 10 P&Y non-typical mulies was not like a needle in a haystack search without having to buy a book.

I hear Sasquatch is looking for some new boots. Might want to hit him (or her) up with those size 13s. Bump for a great deal for a set of skis...

Non-typical mule deer AZ record is 258 1/8".

.270 Win is plenty for any AZ big game with proper bullet selection and shot placement. But proper shot placement is priority #1. A $6000 custom rifle will shoot like crap with a cheap $100 scope and bad mounting. A cheap, $400 rifle will shoot better with a $1K scope mounted correctly. I would beg/borrow a decent scope and mounts to actually check your rifle's capabilities, and maybe even have another shooter help out in the testing. THAT will tell you a lot. Then you can decide if you need a new stock, new optics, or complete new rifle/optics set up. Trigger work helps a lot too. Always start with the easiest and cheapest solution. I wouldn't automatically buy a new rifle. Figure out what your issue is, and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and make sure you are practicing CORRECTLY. It is easy to miss when you shoot once or twice a year. Kneeling or off a shoulder is not necessarily a steady rest. Buy a bi-pod, either mounted to your rifle or one like a Bog Pod you can carry. At least one solid rest helps immensely. If you decide your rifle is fine, and need to upgrade your optics/mounts, watch the classifieds here for optics. There are a lot of quality scopes that get posted here, saving a lot over retail. And get a good base and rings. You can have a $2K scope on a $5K rifle, and bad mounts make it all for nothing. You can't be repeatable if the scope moves around.

I am chomping at the bit to go shoot it.

The existing "up to" 1000 yard range has indeed been open for many years. But as stated above, it has not been open to the general public. If G&F will now be opening it up to the masses, that would be awesome if treated and run correctly. I just see an issue with John Q. Public walking down and checking targets, and not getting in the necessary shooting time. The main range is bad enough with 15 minutes of shooting and then 30+ minutes of posting/checking targets. It would be great if you had to shoot a 200 yard test target to qualify to be eligible to use the 1000 yard range. That would weed out 85% of the weekend shooters....and 95% of the guys who go out the weekend before hunting season to sight in their deer rifles....only to call it good when they shoot MOPP (minute of paper plate) at 50 yards. Since Cowtown LR Shooters has gone belly up, it would be a nice alternative.

They are about equal, with a slight nod to the .280 Rem in available bullets if you hand load. .270 Win 90-175gr. bullet weights .280 Rem 100-190gr. bullet weights. .270 Win can push a 150gr. NAB LR w. a BC of .625 @ around 2950fps. .280 Rem can push a 168gr. NAB LR w. a BC of .652 @ around 2850fps. Both would WRECK an elk or deer with proper shot placement at reasonable ranges. I guess it would totally come down to preference. I have had a .270 Win, and it worked just fine for deer/elk. If I were to build another rifle in this class, it would be a .280 Ackley Imp. And if you go with a .280 Rem., you can always set it back a thread and re-chamber in a .280 Ackley if you wanted to gain an additional 150-200fps.

I got home last night, and after dinner, put together the rest of the components, cleaned the rifle thoroughly (which was already pretty much spotless), and lubed it up with some Frog Lube on the necessary moving parts. I verified all hardware was torqued to spec, and all were dead on. Did a quick bore sight on a light at 200 yards away, so I should be close when I make it to the range this weekend. I gained a lot of elevation travel back from a 0 MOA mount to the 20MOA rail. I think I got back what seems like 9MIL at initial bore sighting. I know I had to go up 12MIL with my AR to sight in at 200 (factory settings are for use with a 40MOA rail), and I am bore sighted now at +3MIL, but that will change a bit once I get it on the range. I just wanted to make sure I have a little down (3.3MILS before I hit the 0 stop) in case I need it. I also need to run it all the way up to see how much actual elevation travel I have once I get it sighted in with a 200 yard 0. Scope is at 1.84" over bore vs. 2.3" over bore with the AR, so that would be some of the difference too. I also set the cheek piece to fit both my daughter and me comfortably, and added my padded cheek rest after the photos, and fiddled with the ocular focus on the scope just a bit more to perfect it for my eyes. The fit of the stock for me is fantastic. Good LOP, comfortable cheek weld, and the palm swell feels nice. My daughter is comfortable behind it as well. My first impressions are really good. Fit and finish are top notch. I cannot even see where the muzzle brake and barrel meet, and I love the Badger Thruster brake not having ports on the bottom to kick up sand/dust, and the side ports are actually angled up just a bit as well. The bedding job is awesome (I will take it apart again after the first outing and get photos then, but you can see the edges in the photos). The Timney trigger is super crisp and REALLY light, not sure what it is set at, but dang. Safety works smoothly with no drag on the stock inletting, and is nice and crisp with a slight audible "click" when it engages. Bolt runs smooth, even with the CeraKote applied, and it will only get better with running it. I will get the gun on the scale and see what finished weight is, but it is pretty stout, I am thinking north of 13#? This, along with the muzzle brake should make shooting it a real pleasure, but definitely not "pack it over mountains and canyons" friendly. That is OK with me though, as it is more of a recreation gun, and will serve as a LR hunting rifle second. I am already planning a lighter LR hunter in the nearish future (if I draw an elk tag this year which I doubt). I opted for a Coyote Tan CeraKote, as I knew I was going to paint my stock, so don't think the monochromatic scheme will stay, but I wanted the metal to match the base color of the stock. It might not be for some folks, but I love it so far, even without the stock painted. I am debating on having the scope CeraKoted, but not positive on that right now. I still need to check final seating depth on bullets, but PCR had a round to ensure everything was good, so I am sure it will be fine. I might even have room to pull them out a touch, depending on what I find this afternoon when I get home. I like to do load development with the bullets jammed .0010, to ensure they would be at max pressure, and it would never go up, only down when I start messing with seating depths. I will also add up all of my receipts tonight, to see what the total was for a complete new gun (minus action), all new reloading components, scope and mounts, b-pod, etc. My goal was to keep everything under $6K, and I think I made that goal. Not bad for a custom rifle, new top tier optics, and all reloading components. And with all of the items I sold, I should be able to figure out what my actual out-of-pocket costs were too, as I have a list of all of the profits I made. I swear, I might have to ditch work tomorrow...... I would like to get home today and have some sun for some better lighting, but here are photos from last night with my lousy flash. I will also get some more paint done on the practice stocks, so I can start on the real deal next week.

Uploading photos to Photobucket as we speak....

Patience, Grasshopper....

Going to be putting it together tonight, and will definitely be out at the range on Saturday morning. Just trying to decide if I want to go to Ben Avery, or go straight out to my LR spot and get sighted in, then shoot a 400 yard ladder test...and maybe try a 1K steel shot to break it in......leaning towards that if weather is good.