About 2-3 years ago I got more interested in precision shooting and decided to build a really nice tactical rifle on a custom stock and action. After reading on here for a while I decided to call Robert Gradious. Robert called me back quickly even though it was around the Christmas holidays at the time and he advised that he was super booked but suggested I call Matthew Stewart at Stewart Rifles. So Matthew built me a really nice rifle on a Surgeon 591 in 6.5x47 with a McMillan stock etc. I started shooting competition but all of my friends shoot NRA F Class so I was competiting with them and their tricked up F Class guns with my tactical rifle with a sloped front and rear stock, smaller barrel, shorter barrel etc. Even though it shot really well and I made it to Master at mid range (600 yrs) there was just too much going on with a rifle like that to be competitive with the best until I got a true target gun.
So a while back I decided to start over and have Matthew build me a FULL F class build. I wanted multiple barrels/calibers so I bought another Surgeon 591, and several 30-33" barrels all straight 1.25" plus a Bix and Andy Trigger and put in a custom order for an inleted McMillan F Class stock with flat and parallel front and rear stock sections so it tracks a bag all through the recoil stroke and stay on bullseye.
I picked 6.5x47, 284 win (mostly for 1000 yard matches) and a 6 dasher. I have a Farley Coaxial front rest and a Eastwood rear bag with the new slick material on it. Right after getting this beauty my scores spiked straight up and I made high master at 600 (mid range) and Expert at 1000 yards. I have to really hand it to Matthew for delivering a rifle that shoots way beyond my abilities. The Dasher in particular is just such a sweet shooter. I have only shot two matches with it and dropped 2 points total. a 599- with 43x (I think lost to a 600-45) and a few weeks later another 599 with 30X.
Although Matthew is most known for building great tactical and hunting rifles he also can and does build a heck of a F Class gun as well. So if you are looking for a great smith to built your next rifle don't hesitate to contact him. Not only is he a fantastic builder he is also a nice guy to deal with. No drama just a professional that takes his work seriously and will do so in a timely manner. Below are a few pics of the rifle and a group I just shot at 300 yards with the Dasher
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