Fiftydriver
Official LRH Sponsor
Over the past year or so i have been working on a new project from my shop that i am quite excited about. Most that know me will already know that i offer my line of Raptor and Stalker rifles and have been doing so for the past 15 years.
I have been trying to design a rifle that i could offer at a lower price point then the average Raptor ($6000) or the Stalker ($5200). Most of you will also know i offer my K-Rifles based on fully rebuild Ruger American center fire receivers. These falling in the $1800-$2200 range.
My new rifle design, called the Prowler is an idea to offer a rifle using top end components, producing top end performance, accuracy and range, yet in a price point that would open them up to a wider selection of hunters and shooters.
The heart of the project is the receiver and i worked with Defiance Machine to make me my Prowler receiver to my unique specs and at a price point significantly lower then my Raptor or Stalker receivers. Truly thankful for their work and willingness to make these changes to their platform to get me a receiver that is up to my demands and they truly are.
The Prowler will be offered in long and short action, right and left hand, for internal mag system of detachable mag.
This is the long action version of the Prowler set up with the two piece, pinned, 20 moa stainless steel rail base, integral recoil lug, extra wide/deep bolt fluting and tactical one piece bolt body/handle.
These receivers will be available in all bolt face diameters up to Lapua class and any chamberings in those case head diameter families with the only limitations of 338 cal and smaller at this time on the lapua class cases, until more testing can be done on larger calibers. More on this later.
Here is a short action version set up in a Tactical/varmint configuration with full length stainless steel 20 moa rail base. This one using the PRC/SAUM class bolt face
The barrel of a rifle is critical and no good way to significantly reduce price in this area. As with my other rifles, Bartlein barrels will be the go to choice. There are cheaper options out there but in my opinion, no better option and accuracy and consistency are still paramount to me and not willing to give that up for any price point drop. Standard barrels will be #3 and #3B contours for sporter models of the Prowler and a couple heavier contours offered for the varmint/Tac versions of the Prowler. Standard will be non fluted stainless steel, clean muzzle with 11 degree target crown. Add on Options will be barrel fluting, threaded muzzle with cap, or muzzle brake included if wanted.
As for stocks, this was the major area where cost point can be dramatically different compared to my Stalker and Raptor rifle families. Needed a quality stock that would offer the strength and stability to meet my accuracy standards, look good, feel good to shoot, be stable as possible in a variety of weather condition and again, be affordable. There are many low end composite stocks that meet some of these requirements but not all and most low price composite stocks have some very serious draw backs in my opinion.
Over the past +22 years i have used several hundred, laminated wood stocks from Boyds rifle companies and have had great results with them. I learned quickly that they must be set up properly and pillar bedded properly but if installed correctly, they work extremely well.
Are they as stable over every weather condition as a top quality composite stock, no they are not but they do very well in the vast majority of conditions. Are they as light as the best composites, nope, but plenty light for the Prowler rifle family.
They offer a wide selection of stock models to cover everything from traditional sporter stocks, to thumbholes to heavy varmint/tactical style stocks.
Have a wide selection of colors to choose from as well.
They do not have all the bells and whistles like the top end composite stocks but they are very functional, meet my accuracy standards, feel very nice to shoot and just work well when installed correctly and price point is great.
Triggers will be Triggertech Special triggers throughout the Prowler Line. There are cheaper options but in this area, a bargin trigger is not always a good choice.
Magazine systems will range from internal BDL style magazines with hinged floorplates to Detachable magazine systems depending on chambering.
Bead blast matte finish will be standard finish on all Prowler rifles.
My first prototype Prowler rifle is the one pictured below. This is the long action version with boyds thumbhole featherweight sporter stock. The barrel is one i had on the rack just sitting there and its a #4 contour 8 twist in 277 cal. This is a larger barrel contour then will be used on my production Prowler Sporter rifles so this rifle is quite a bit heavier then what will be with production rifles which should be in the 8-8.5 range bare rifle weight.
Chambered this test rifle in my 27 Stalker chambering and she drives the 170 gr berger to an easy 3400 fps!!
In an attempt to keep overall costs down as much as possible i decided to go with a Vortex Venom 5-25x 56mm. Some will likely scorn this selection and this is about the largest chambering i would recommend it used on without further testing on larger rifles to prove its ability but i have run it through its paces pretty hard on this rifle and from point blank to 1000 yards it has performed extremely well. Not comparing it to other top end scopes, just that for a $450 price point, its an amazing scope and works very well in this application. Rings are vortex precision rings. Muzzle brake is a Pro series from Unknown Munitions, again, looking for lowest price point that meets my requirements and standards.
This rifle easily met my 1/2 moa accuracy potential requirements at 800 yards that all my sporter weight rifles do and again, running from 300 to 1000 yards, the rifle has performed exceptionally well and is a true pleasure to shoot.
The second prototype Prowler is a similar design but as a but lighter weight based on the short action Prowler.
This one used the same Thumbhole sporter but also went with the fluted #3 bartlein and also my small PK muzzle brake option as well.
You may notice something new on the barrel markings, 25 Prowler….. this is one of my new wildcats that i designed specifically for use with these rifles but also will be available on all of my other rifle platforms as well. These are a huge departure from what most normally think of from my chamberings from APS. I will post a seperate post on the Prowler wildcats from APS soon. Very excited about these as well.
this Prowler was a dream to shoot. From 300 to 900 yards it just stacked the 115 gr bergers on top of each other.
In the end, the Prowler rifles are meeting and exceeding all my goals and requirements. Most critical goal however for these rifled is doing all this at a price point much lower then my other models. Happy to say it looks like this will be accomplished. Standard base price will come in at around $3000-$3200. Top end with options around $3400-$3500. Certainly not CHEAP but well off the price of my Stalker and Raptor line of rifles. Will the new Prowlers be the full equal to the Stalker, no, not nearly as many options available but for their design goals, still world class performance for sure.
The Prowlers are ready for order now so if interested, shoot me an email at [email protected] and we can talk them over. Again, report coming on the new Prowler wildcat family as well.
I have been trying to design a rifle that i could offer at a lower price point then the average Raptor ($6000) or the Stalker ($5200). Most of you will also know i offer my K-Rifles based on fully rebuild Ruger American center fire receivers. These falling in the $1800-$2200 range.
My new rifle design, called the Prowler is an idea to offer a rifle using top end components, producing top end performance, accuracy and range, yet in a price point that would open them up to a wider selection of hunters and shooters.
The heart of the project is the receiver and i worked with Defiance Machine to make me my Prowler receiver to my unique specs and at a price point significantly lower then my Raptor or Stalker receivers. Truly thankful for their work and willingness to make these changes to their platform to get me a receiver that is up to my demands and they truly are.
The Prowler will be offered in long and short action, right and left hand, for internal mag system of detachable mag.
This is the long action version of the Prowler set up with the two piece, pinned, 20 moa stainless steel rail base, integral recoil lug, extra wide/deep bolt fluting and tactical one piece bolt body/handle.
These receivers will be available in all bolt face diameters up to Lapua class and any chamberings in those case head diameter families with the only limitations of 338 cal and smaller at this time on the lapua class cases, until more testing can be done on larger calibers. More on this later.
Here is a short action version set up in a Tactical/varmint configuration with full length stainless steel 20 moa rail base. This one using the PRC/SAUM class bolt face
The barrel of a rifle is critical and no good way to significantly reduce price in this area. As with my other rifles, Bartlein barrels will be the go to choice. There are cheaper options out there but in my opinion, no better option and accuracy and consistency are still paramount to me and not willing to give that up for any price point drop. Standard barrels will be #3 and #3B contours for sporter models of the Prowler and a couple heavier contours offered for the varmint/Tac versions of the Prowler. Standard will be non fluted stainless steel, clean muzzle with 11 degree target crown. Add on Options will be barrel fluting, threaded muzzle with cap, or muzzle brake included if wanted.
As for stocks, this was the major area where cost point can be dramatically different compared to my Stalker and Raptor rifle families. Needed a quality stock that would offer the strength and stability to meet my accuracy standards, look good, feel good to shoot, be stable as possible in a variety of weather condition and again, be affordable. There are many low end composite stocks that meet some of these requirements but not all and most low price composite stocks have some very serious draw backs in my opinion.
Over the past +22 years i have used several hundred, laminated wood stocks from Boyds rifle companies and have had great results with them. I learned quickly that they must be set up properly and pillar bedded properly but if installed correctly, they work extremely well.
Are they as stable over every weather condition as a top quality composite stock, no they are not but they do very well in the vast majority of conditions. Are they as light as the best composites, nope, but plenty light for the Prowler rifle family.
They offer a wide selection of stock models to cover everything from traditional sporter stocks, to thumbholes to heavy varmint/tactical style stocks.
Have a wide selection of colors to choose from as well.
They do not have all the bells and whistles like the top end composite stocks but they are very functional, meet my accuracy standards, feel very nice to shoot and just work well when installed correctly and price point is great.
Triggers will be Triggertech Special triggers throughout the Prowler Line. There are cheaper options but in this area, a bargin trigger is not always a good choice.
Magazine systems will range from internal BDL style magazines with hinged floorplates to Detachable magazine systems depending on chambering.
Bead blast matte finish will be standard finish on all Prowler rifles.
My first prototype Prowler rifle is the one pictured below. This is the long action version with boyds thumbhole featherweight sporter stock. The barrel is one i had on the rack just sitting there and its a #4 contour 8 twist in 277 cal. This is a larger barrel contour then will be used on my production Prowler Sporter rifles so this rifle is quite a bit heavier then what will be with production rifles which should be in the 8-8.5 range bare rifle weight.
Chambered this test rifle in my 27 Stalker chambering and she drives the 170 gr berger to an easy 3400 fps!!
In an attempt to keep overall costs down as much as possible i decided to go with a Vortex Venom 5-25x 56mm. Some will likely scorn this selection and this is about the largest chambering i would recommend it used on without further testing on larger rifles to prove its ability but i have run it through its paces pretty hard on this rifle and from point blank to 1000 yards it has performed extremely well. Not comparing it to other top end scopes, just that for a $450 price point, its an amazing scope and works very well in this application. Rings are vortex precision rings. Muzzle brake is a Pro series from Unknown Munitions, again, looking for lowest price point that meets my requirements and standards.
This rifle easily met my 1/2 moa accuracy potential requirements at 800 yards that all my sporter weight rifles do and again, running from 300 to 1000 yards, the rifle has performed exceptionally well and is a true pleasure to shoot.
The second prototype Prowler is a similar design but as a but lighter weight based on the short action Prowler.
This one used the same Thumbhole sporter but also went with the fluted #3 bartlein and also my small PK muzzle brake option as well.
You may notice something new on the barrel markings, 25 Prowler….. this is one of my new wildcats that i designed specifically for use with these rifles but also will be available on all of my other rifle platforms as well. These are a huge departure from what most normally think of from my chamberings from APS. I will post a seperate post on the Prowler wildcats from APS soon. Very excited about these as well.
this Prowler was a dream to shoot. From 300 to 900 yards it just stacked the 115 gr bergers on top of each other.
In the end, the Prowler rifles are meeting and exceeding all my goals and requirements. Most critical goal however for these rifled is doing all this at a price point much lower then my other models. Happy to say it looks like this will be accomplished. Standard base price will come in at around $3000-$3200. Top end with options around $3400-$3500. Certainly not CHEAP but well off the price of my Stalker and Raptor line of rifles. Will the new Prowlers be the full equal to the Stalker, no, not nearly as many options available but for their design goals, still world class performance for sure.
The Prowlers are ready for order now so if interested, shoot me an email at [email protected] and we can talk them over. Again, report coming on the new Prowler wildcat family as well.
