M40 Family - Who owns one?

Yes to spending funds for good times is A-Ok in my books... Ha

I'll get my Second rifle sorted now that everything is in hand,,, then return to the former F Class unit to finish it for its intended use... Now the heavy weigth PRS unit that can work the range and hunting... A fraction shorter for easier getting around.

Re-crown barrel.
Cut stock for bottom feed.
Find another optic with a Tree reticle and solid click dials as a back-up option,,, deffinatly the light up cross hairs that I truely enjoy for those dull days...

Once we use the easy things in life it's hard to go back,,, kinda like a fast smooth bolt,,, a crisp no creep trigger,,, and a pipe that allows for shot to shot consistanty... Let's not forget about those soft shoulder pads... LOL...

Any-who,,, my barrel dude did a bang up job with the spin,,, a person can hardly tell that the new ss barrel is a bit heavier,,, this is good since it will keep my unit planted better since there won't be a MB on it,,, I'm glad none of my rifles don't have them...

All that means is that I have to set-up for the shot with full body alinement if I want to sight the shot down range...
So far so good in that department as tracking the shot with follow through has been a learning curve...

Even us mid age dudes need to buckle down you know. Ha... Shooting off the bags is much nicer for follow up apposed to the bypods,,, at least the pods let you know if hand twist is happening...

Both rests have there pros and cons,,, always learning and remembering to put on the game face at each outting,,, that's part of the mix in my days a field...
 
So I needed a gong. I went across the street to a Steel shop and told them I wanted a 12"x12" steel plate to make a gong. Couple days later they obliged. Cost me $100.

So I took it out shooting and realized a proper stand was needed (was using an old metal chair frame). Well I'm a cheap bastard so I went to Canadian Tire. Picked up the saw horse brackets for $5, some pieces of chain (which are actually twice as long as I need them), some nuts, bolts, and washers. I then asked around for some cheap 2x4 pieces of the lengths I needed and went to work.

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It was cheap, it was simple to make, it all comes apart to easy storage. I don't think I can complain... until I put a couple rounds through it by accident but then I just get a new piece of 2x4!

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The good old Clutch pressure plate from the auto wreckers for $5,,, best bang for the buck and they come in many different sizes from 8" to 14" if I recall...

Use bolts to fill in the holes,,, Ram a steering spindle into pilot hole,,, cut off excess with a hacksaw or grinder cut-off wheel.

My other gongs come from pipe line end caps,,, 8" to 24",,, the Outter edges need bolts to plug those holes...
 
Pictures to follow later...

All in at $3737 Cnd funds / $2615 Usd for a fake 6.5 A-square - Ought 6 left hand bolt,,, we're trying the Gun-smith bolt work over like the old bench rest target shooter days gone by,,, what is there should work... LOL...

The real bouns to this build was the 28 day turn around,,, and the B Jury 25" stainless steel contour 2.8 medium pipe that will keep it planted for target shooting and the ease of hunting...

I'll add in those numbers later today as I sort the ammo thing out at the shop...

My builder has a close twin to this as he said he wished he built his exactly like this unit,,, a fraction heavier yet manageable to pack on the rucks / """ Eastern Slopes of Western Canada...

Ye Ha to good times fore sure...

The copy-cat idea is kinda like the Carlos Hathcock Winchester Model 70,,, but some added flavour to what the old days didn't offer back then...

A beautiful factory BDL wood grain stock to boot...
 
Nice .223! What are the specifics on it?


^^^Nice, did you keep the rifle? Seen it listed.

Looking for opinions, I'm into another build.
About scopes, Weaver T Series, or the US Optics BFX 10?

I read a few early M40A1 had the Weaver T10. Less expensive alternative and easier to find than the MST 100. 1 inch tube would be easier to mount on a Leupold Standard base. Would give the look of the older M40A1.

Or

The US Optics BFX10 more expensive, but also fixed 10x. Is it the modern version of a MST? 34mm tube, easier to mount on a pic rail from my search. Buy once cry once?

Right now I have my Vortex 3x9 Diamondback tactical. It's another option I guess. It's only a clone and I've strayed a bit from the traditional look already, and found a HTG stock in Woodland camo. The rifle is chambered in .223.

Here is a pic of how it sits now. View attachment 269533
 
It's a Remington 700 with a 24" threaded barrel, varmint contour. The stock is a McMillan HTG in Woodland camo.
Weaver T10 scope, Leupold standard mount and rings. A cheaper look alike.

That is exactly what my plan was until njohnson blind sided me with his :d
 
It's a Remington 700 with a 24" threaded barrel, varmint contour. The stock is a McMillan HTG in Woodland camo.
Weaver T10 scope, Leupold standard mount and rings. A cheaper look alike.


That’s a nice, clean rig.....pretty much the same as what I’m currently assembling. That 24” .223 looks like a good deal in the barrelled action....
 
This is my Fake M-40 A-1 Wood Stock Hunter Class.

6.5 A-square https://photos.app.goo.gl/U6GtHpJeYUYcaqao6

It started off as a 1980 Remington Model 700 BDL in 30/06 with a factory 24" sporter barrel.

The stock is in immaculatent conditioning for this build,,, and it shoots pin holes...

Now I'm on the search for a frugal optic with FFP Mileage bars for the 100 to 600 metre stuff... Non-cluttered reticle with limited lines...

This build used a Remington Long Action
The Factory bolt got a full work over to tighten it up,,, normally we would of dropped in a PT&G bolt,,, but my friend decided to do the old school bench rest trick and build it up to eliminate the slop / "loose-ness" of kick-up at the back of the bolt when the rifle is discharged on a live round...

A bolt that stays in line incress the odds of better accuracy... He spent some time on the firing pin and lapped the lugs even as well...

I went with a hunter class Trigger Tech,,, its ok,,, but once a person shoots a Match grade Jewel trigger it's hard to go back to something that is not of that quality...
Don't get me right or wrong,,, the TT is a awesome set-up,,, but there's no replacement for units that are more in-line with the match grade category...

Its all about the feel that helps me get a clean break away,,, more time dry firing I guess...

My friend got Bob Jury to spin me a Stainless Steel Barrel in 6.5/06,,, known as the 6.5 A-square...
A millimetre thicker then factory,,, its slightly smaller than a contour 3 pipe,,, perhaps closer to a contour 2.8,,, it definitely has a fraction more weigth then the factory pipe... Its actually 24 1/2" long... 1:8 twist...

11.9 lbs all in with optic,,, bypod,,, ammo,,, sling,,, and 9 rounds in the cheek pouch

I'm running a Vortex Viper 3x15-50 optic EBR-2C Reticle
This optic seems ok as it tracks good for dial-up if needed,,, or I can run with the mileage bars out past the 900 meters...

I'll pick up a 1 peace Leopold 20 moa rail when I find a lighter replacement optic with simple lines...

Any-who,,, what a dream to shoot,,, this makes unit number 3 in my collection of well dialed in rifles,,, no game plan for the other 2 as they get shelved for now...

Hunting season is soon to get underway,,, so it looks like the new rifle will get to spend some quality time with me at the range... LOL...

This rifle was easy to tune using Hornady ELD-M's in 142 and 147gr...

I settled on 53.5gr of H1000,,, a soft compression load... 2854 ft-per seconds.

I'll keep it simple for now till I get some time this winter to fine tune the beast...

Yes,,, it ain't the real deal in the M-40 line up,,, but if this rifle had to go head to head with best of them,,, I would guess that it would be chasing the heals...

If Carlos Hathcock was still alive,,, he would definitely give a knodd of approval on this unit,,, well balanced and enough weigth to keep it planted for the shot...

It ain't the long distance pack rig,,, but it ain't the Feather weigth either...

The 10+ lb category works for my shooting skills...

North of the 49th Don
 
Hopefully I get out this weekend to run the 140 grain'ers.

I might be able to get to the 2900 ish ft-per seconds with the H1000,,, 53.5 of it...

She's one smooth shooter,,, I'm suprized that the A-square never became a NATO cartridge when it was first designed,,, of course it would of took some tooling on all the battle rifles to get it there...

Good old necked down 06 too a 6.5...

I still have my 30/06 Remmy LR and the custom 308 F/PRS unit,,, the fellow that took over my Remmy SPS spotter in 308 found another rifle to fill his needs,,, so he sold it back to me with a simple Leopold 3x9 Rifleman optic...

Dang it shoots good for a light weigth...

I'll shoot the barrel off of it,,, then slooooowly turn it into another fake something I'm sure...

Barrel,,, stock,,, trigger,,, and glass as normal...

Yuppers,,, the one main rifle for 80 to 90% of the all is sorted,,, the benefits of the others as back up support along with plinking will only add to the good times ahead...

What's not to like about frugal mid size cartridges and the fun thing of building them with some shooting time at the range or in the wilds...

Cheers from Western Canada
 
The long weekend was a go...

This fake M-40 would of got Jack O Conner thinking about changing his writings on the 270 Winchester vers the 6.5 A-square... Ha...

The 12 lb rig was the right choice for this build,,, it allows the rifle to remain planted for the shot to shot,,, I can't wait to head out to the 1400 + yard range to stretch the legs on this unit...

I didn't build this rifle for mountain sheep hunting,,, but it will work along the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountain Range for Elk and Moose hunting this year,,, my long time friend and I got draws this year for both of them each... Ha... He'll fill his pretty fast since its all about getting out of the gate early...

Then we're off to the north for a Mule Deer draw...

Yuppers,,,.I might fit my Wildcat Composites Var-Tech stock on the rifle this winter,,, but I deffinatly have a thing for the wood as posted above...

I'll run with the Frugal Vortex EB-2 reticle optic for now,,, but I see change in that department going forward,,, it ain't the real deal,,, but its close second place if there is such a thing...

Cheers from the North West
 
Nice lug slotting,I see the inner rail is trimmed back as well. Nice attention to detail. Will be good to see when it’s done, they are a comfy rig to shoot from static positions.

Who is doing the work for you? (Edit: never mind I finally noticed the name on the action jig!)
 
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