MarkTheFark
Well-Known Member
Contents...
I have seen a lot of nice rifle builds on here and other sites (whether fully custom or semi-custom), but one thing I don't see much of is the "whole story" — both the story behind the rifle, as well how things go with that specific rifle over any long-term basis.
I'm kicking off this thread, simply because I would find that type of thing interesting and valuable (as a reader of other's experiences).
This thread will be about a rifle that I had John Hakes and Mesa Precision Arms (http://mesaprecisionarms.com/) put together for me.
I originally called John a couple of years back with questions about the Altitude stocks he offered for Tikka actions. I got that stock from him for my Tikka, which I loved, and then over a year later I called John up again when I decided to re-barrel that Tikka with a Proof pre-fit. The guys at Mesa did the barrel swap and opened-up the stock's inlet for the larger profile Proof.
I loved that Tikka so much, I thought about building a clone (this time in a 6.5 variant, whereas the first one is a 30-06) using another Tikka donor action, another Proof pre-fit, and another Altitude stock.
After realizing my barrel options were limited in a pre-fit, that I wanted a true short-action for this new rifle, and that I wanted to hit a specific goal weight, I decided to go ahead and have John do a full build for me using his Summit action.
Build Details
This gun will specifically be used for deer (whitetail, mule deer, Sitka blacktail), antelope, some black bear, and maybe caribou. Aside from hunting, I wanted this build to be something I could shoot steel with, get the wife and kids time behind a centerfire, and just "enjoy". It will be shot...a lot.
With all of that said, I decided that 6.5 Creedmoor was the way to go. It is a sufficient cartridge for the game intended. Would be great for the wife and kids. And is ideal from a perspective of component cost and availability, as well as factory ammunition offerings.
I specifically knew I wanted to use the 124g Hammer Hunter as my go-to hunting bullet for this build. I was hoping that even with the shorter 20" barrel, I could carry the ballistics for 1800+ fps out to around 600 yards. That turned out to be exactly what I got, as I am running them at 2900fps MV, and they're shooting under .5 MOA
I will post more updates below, including load development, more impressions on the rifle, etc, but that's a good start on "the story" of this rifle for now. If you have questions, feel free to ask away and I'll get back to you.
- 00: Build Intro (this post below)
- 01: Hammer Load Development and Factory Ammunition Speeds
I have seen a lot of nice rifle builds on here and other sites (whether fully custom or semi-custom), but one thing I don't see much of is the "whole story" — both the story behind the rifle, as well how things go with that specific rifle over any long-term basis.
I'm kicking off this thread, simply because I would find that type of thing interesting and valuable (as a reader of other's experiences).
This thread will be about a rifle that I had John Hakes and Mesa Precision Arms (http://mesaprecisionarms.com/) put together for me.
I originally called John a couple of years back with questions about the Altitude stocks he offered for Tikka actions. I got that stock from him for my Tikka, which I loved, and then over a year later I called John up again when I decided to re-barrel that Tikka with a Proof pre-fit. The guys at Mesa did the barrel swap and opened-up the stock's inlet for the larger profile Proof.
I loved that Tikka so much, I thought about building a clone (this time in a 6.5 variant, whereas the first one is a 30-06) using another Tikka donor action, another Proof pre-fit, and another Altitude stock.
After realizing my barrel options were limited in a pre-fit, that I wanted a true short-action for this new rifle, and that I wanted to hit a specific goal weight, I decided to go ahead and have John do a full build for me using his Summit action.
Build Details
- Mesa Precision Summit Ti Action
- Mesa Precision Altitude Stock
- 20" Proof, 1:7.5 Twist
- TriggerTech Primary
- Hawkins Long-Range Hybrid Rings
- Thunderbeast CB Brake & Ultra 7 Suppressor
- Recessed Spartan Precision Bipod Adapter
- Currently topped with a Vortex LHT (may change)
This gun will specifically be used for deer (whitetail, mule deer, Sitka blacktail), antelope, some black bear, and maybe caribou. Aside from hunting, I wanted this build to be something I could shoot steel with, get the wife and kids time behind a centerfire, and just "enjoy". It will be shot...a lot.
With all of that said, I decided that 6.5 Creedmoor was the way to go. It is a sufficient cartridge for the game intended. Would be great for the wife and kids. And is ideal from a perspective of component cost and availability, as well as factory ammunition offerings.
I specifically knew I wanted to use the 124g Hammer Hunter as my go-to hunting bullet for this build. I was hoping that even with the shorter 20" barrel, I could carry the ballistics for 1800+ fps out to around 600 yards. That turned out to be exactly what I got, as I am running them at 2900fps MV, and they're shooting under .5 MOA
I will post more updates below, including load development, more impressions on the rifle, etc, but that's a good start on "the story" of this rifle for now. If you have questions, feel free to ask away and I'll get back to you.
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