New Custom .223 by Grunning Precision (California) Being Built

[dariof]

I really like the .223 round, so I decided to have one built. My 2nd custom (next year sometime) will be a 7mm/284.

Here's the build and work to be performed:
Base Remington 700
Timney Calvin Elite Trigger 6oz-2lbs
McMllan A3 stock, SA, RH, spacer system and adjustable cheekpiece
Krieger SS Super Match Barrel in Palma 30", 1:7.7 twist

Blueprinting:
Machine receiver face true to bore
True bolt lugs and mate surfaces
Lap rails
Polish ramp
True recoil lug
Chamfer ejector hole
Hone ID of receiver & bolt body
Machine bolt face perpendicular to the bore
Machine bolt diameter forward of lugs true to centerline
True receiver threads true to centerline
Single point threading for barrel true to the bore--tight to fit receiver
Counterbore breechface to match OD of trued bolt diameter
Chamber true within 1/10,000 of an inch to bore
Machine 11 degrees recessed crown onto new barrel
Drill and tap 8-40 conversion
Mcmillan stock pillar bedding with steel bedding
Mount 20 MOA scope rail

Jim Gruning (http://gruningprecision.com/) builds very accurate sniper rifles for the various police departments, and has built testing equipment for the FBI. His work is meticulous. To date, he has built close to 19,000 custom rifles. I haven't decided what chamber diameter I want yet. I need to measure a 223 round with a 90 GR Berger VLD using Lapua and figure it out from there.

It takes 6 months to get the Krieger barrel, so I won't see this until the first couple of months of next year. Oh well...until then I'll stick to my little Savage 223 Trophy/Hunter.

 

[I Am Hero]

Man props to you guys, I don't have the patience to wait that long for a build! I am 8 weeks out on my gun that's at RWS and I am about going nuts haha. Sounds like a nice setup.

 

[dariof]

Man props to you guys, I don't have the patience to wait that long for a build! I am 8 weeks out on my gun that's at RWS and I am about going nuts haha. Sounds like a nice setup.

Thanks. It's going to be a long 6 mos or so.

 

[gstaylorg]

dariof,
If you can live with something very close (but not absolutely identical) to what you listed, you might give a look at Southern Precision Rifles (aka Bugholes) or Grizzly Tool. Both appear to have barrels in stock that might work for you (Krieger and/or Bartlein). Basically, a barrel from a reputable manufacturer such as Krieger, Bartlein, or others, in 28"-30" length, 7- to 8-twist, and a similar contour ought to work well for your intended purpose, but there is some leeway in your barrel choice such that it is unlikely you would be able to tell much difference in the final product. This could potentially cut way down on the lead time as they have the barrels in stock now.

BARRELS

Grizzly.com® -- Product Categories


Also, I can tell you that a 7.7 twist is insufficient to stabilize a 90 gr VLD bullet. If that is what you really want to shoot, a 7-twist to 7.2-twist (or even slightly faster) will be necessary for the best results. In addition, you're going to need a chamber with a freebore in the 0.150" to 0.170" range. This is because the 90 VLD is an extremely long bullet and needs to be seated out quite far in order to get enough powder in the case and obtain enough velocity to take advantage of the 90 VLDs very high BC. You can pretty much forget about loading these anywhere near mag length, and a freebore in the range listed above is going to be almost useless for any other type of bullet. I ordered a bolt gun to shoot the 90 VLDs quite some time ago and finally received it last week. I currently am in the process of load development and I just happened check yesterday whether I could seat Berger 80.5 Fullbore bullets at .020" off with that chamber. The answer is probably not very well, as they were barely in the neck when seated at that depth. You might just barely get away with one of the other (longer) 80-ish gr bullets, but those chamber dimensions are probably not going to be optimal for much other than the 90s. I was aware of this going in, and so have no problem with that. However, the 90s can be extremely difficult/tricky to load consistently, and many people have given out trying to shoot them out of frustration. Not trying to rain on your parade, I just want you to be aware of what you might be getting into with the 90 VLDs. It remains to be seen whether my results will be good or bad at this point. There is a thread at another shooting forum addressing some of the issues associated with shooting/reloading the 90 VLDs if you're interested:

223 at 1,000 yards

If you do decide to go that route, Dave Kiff at PTG has some reamers that were specifically designed with the 90 VLDs in mind. A call to him would be well worth your time prior to making any decision. Good luck with your build, it looks like you're going to have an awesome rifle.