Several years ago, I, for some reason that I can't remember, bought an oddball barreled action off the internet. It was the oh-so-popular 7mm-08AI. It was a Krieger barrel, and the seller insisted that it had not been shot much at all, and it was smithed to a 700SA. I really do love lots of Ackley's, but I'll admit, the 7mm-08 gets little in the performance catagory from the Ackley mojo (Then why do I own two?). The barrel and action sat in my gun room for years. In a fit of boredome, I decided to do a little trigger work, screw it into a beater HS Precision that was laying around, and ran some hunting loads through it that I had for a standard 7mm-08. Whatdaya know, they shot well (as I've found they often do). But the rifle was so "useless" to me that I put it aside for another year or two. At some pouint I was sending some other barrels to be fluted and wanted try the look of spiral fluted barrel. I wasn't sure that the spiral fluting was for me, so I spun off the 7-08ai pipe, as it was "useless" and mighty heavy and had it twist fluted. It came back and I thought it was kinda groovy. I put it all back together...GAP painted the stock... but I parked it for another period of time.
Enter another fit of boredome. I put the rifle through its paces with fireformed brass, 162 AMAXs, and H4350...and voila. I get and honest 2,700fps from 47 grains of H4350. I had a somewhat less useless, still not ideal, hammer. As it sits, it has a 21" barrel, under a 3-12x42 Precision Hunter, and the best part...if I remember correctly...I have a grand total of about $900 in the rifle... barrel fluting, bolt fluting and dies included.
This story has no moral, except that buying cheap crap you don't need is sometimes fun.
One day, when I get bored again, I'll take it past 600 yards and post pictures. But for now, you'll have to be satisfied with these pathetic 100 yard groups. Very untactical, I know.
Enter another fit of boredome. I put the rifle through its paces with fireformed brass, 162 AMAXs, and H4350...and voila. I get and honest 2,700fps from 47 grains of H4350. I had a somewhat less useless, still not ideal, hammer. As it sits, it has a 21" barrel, under a 3-12x42 Precision Hunter, and the best part...if I remember correctly...I have a grand total of about $900 in the rifle... barrel fluting, bolt fluting and dies included.
This story has no moral, except that buying cheap crap you don't need is sometimes fun.
One day, when I get bored again, I'll take it past 600 yards and post pictures. But for now, you'll have to be satisfied with these pathetic 100 yard groups. Very untactical, I know.
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