Vanguard 9.3x62 on the way EDIT: Arrived!

Superbrad said:
Congrats, glad you are happy with your purchase.... please post end results....
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Will do. The gunsmith is working on it right now, it happens. I hope he's not done this month, though. I'd rather pull the money out of the company next fiscal year! :)

I haven't named the gunsmith because, while I'm confident of getting excellent work, I don't want to run a guy down unfairly if there are a couple of trips back and forth to resolve issues. Issues can happen to anyone.
 
Well, the rifle arrived.

The gunsmith did a beautiful job. Robert Galloway of Custom Gunworx in Rocky Mountain House. Used a Bob Jury barrel.

The first thing I noticed is the weight of a #4 contour barrel! What a beast! The rifle is 9 pounds bare, no bases, rings or optics.

I immediately put my optics plans on a diet. The Bushnell Elite 6500 1.25-8 will be on the EE soon, and the steel Warne bases and QD rings wend back in the junk drawer.

I had a set of Vortex Viper rings which I sort of hate, but are at least aluminum. They have very sharp corners, not deburred at all, and a crap finish. The weird asymmetric shape means one side "snaps" over the scope, leaving scratches EVERY time. When you tighten the screws like they say to, sure enough, it rotates the scope.

A quick trip to Wholesale got me... ack... weaver alloy bases, with the extended front base.

So I broke out the 600 grip carbide sandpaper and deburred the rings. I mounted them and actually got out my wheeler kit and did a very light ring lapping job.

The last element was a Leupold VX-3 2.5-8 that I had lying around. I bought it from TodBartell, who gave me a great deal on it because it was ring marked/scratched. Perfect candidate for those crappy rings! Mounted it up, and three touches with the sharpie, and it looks mint :)

The whole thing is 9.75 pounds which is just over a pound more than the rifle was with a 270 barrel.

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medvedqc said:
beautiful rig. you will need quick detach rings with the open sights and scope.
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Thanks :) These rings are quick-ish, if you will. They have a knurled thumb nut where true QD rings would have a lever. Since I always have a leatherman with me (hunting or not!) I figure that will work. The weight of those warne QD rings is small, but big for what they are. And this old stove pipe disguised as a rifle is heavy enough!
 
Bartledan said:
The front blade is from Skinner sights. The ramp and hood are both Williams, from Brownells. The rear sight assembly is from New England Custom Gun (NECG)

To source the parts was about $200 all up. Ive had irons installed for about $175, and they threw in the giant scratch on the receiver for free.
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I should mention that the gunsmith who scratched my browning was NOT Bob Galloway. Bob Galloway for Prime Minister. That's the poster I'm working on.
 
rocklobster said:
Nice rifle, I like how you got the scope so low!

Boyds laminate stocks look damn good!
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Low enough and far enough back is the problem I've always had with this rifle, whichever barrel was on it. Even in the original black plastic stock, low enough and far enough back was an issue. Even now it's a bit too high!

Cheers!
 
Bartledan said:
Thanks :) These rings are quick-ish, if you will. They have a knurled thumb nut where true QD rings would have a lever. Since I always have a leatherman with me (hunting or not!) I figure that will work. The weight of those warne QD rings is small, but big for what they are. And this old stove pipe disguised as a rifle is heavy enough!
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we had some issue on aluminuim rings and bases. now steel only at least for that kind of caliber ....
 
medvedqc said:
we had some issue on aluminuim rings and bases. now steel only at least for that kind of caliber ....
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Well, assuming the powder metal (pressed and sintered steel) Warne rings have properties similar to regular mild steel, and the Vortex rings and the Weaver bases are 6061-T6, the yield strengths are virtually a wash. I'll shoot it a bunch, and keep my eye on it. Thanks for the tip! :)
 
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