Not trying to say its the holy grail here Jerry but an enfield might "function" but it won't group like that rifle on a good day. A savage axis might "function" but it's Tupperware stock won't be in one piece. I am not really a USO fan but take a sightron and pound some nails with it like USO does with theirs. Again I don't know if I would pay 7k for that rifle, and every rifle has limitations but give some credit where it is due without demeaning it by comparing it to a savage axis.
I think you know that I am not the type of person that just beaks off. I have little doubt that the care and attention during assembly is excellent. The appearance and finish in the pics is very nice. Good parts are used so there is little reason to doubt the rifle will shoot.
BUT, there are many ways to reach the same destination. The videos are an attempt to illustrate a higher level of performance. I am saying that what is shown can be met by a wide range of rifles of all price points.
As to the accuracy of a Savage/Stevens or Axis, I think I and many others around the world have shown the potential of this action with a quality prefit barrel. You have seen my rifles shoots at very long distances so you know I am not blowing smoke. Matching the level of accuracy of the rifle in question, no problem. He isn't using a factory pipe and neither would I.
The soaking of the rifle in a lake for 30mins isn't going to hurt any commercial product today, even one with a walnut stock properly laquered. Certainly not one with a plastic fantastic stock. Scopes can leak but a quality product will not. Any steel used in a firearm with even the most basic of protection will stand up to 30mins underwater. I am sure the rifle was not shot soaking wet
USO, like yourself, not where I would spend my money but they are ruggedised for sure. For this type of application, S&B would get my money first. But a scope is independent of any rifle - put on what you like and what will do the job at hand.
Sightrons have never suggested their scopes are ruggedised - they are not but are plenty strong to stand up to the use of competitive shooting. Rattling behind a truck on a grassy field, nothing we would ever see at a competition.
So what's left, the plastic fantastic stock. Here I think we all mistake cheap for weak. The tensile strength of that material is very high. That flex we all dislike ensures the material has give and that absorbs a huge amount of abuse. Surface texture "plasticky", of course but that surface is far more resistant to abrasion then any gelcoat with or without an epoxy paint.
I have already indicated that I was impressed with the Manners stock especially the hinge and comb attachments. Not that the dragging through the field was particularly abusive but some stocks would fall apart or open. There was no sign of delamination which can happen with some composite stocks if the layers aren't bonded well. Making strong mounting points in a composite material is not easy and pulling out can happen unless the proper fittings are used. Manners looks to be using great hardware and properly designing their install.
So for me, these videos are more an endorsement of the stock then anything else.
The Defiance action is very well made BUT it is no more then a low tolerance Rem style action. In an environment where things can get dirty and mucky, the last thing I would want is a no tolerance receiver. You can already see in the video the action getting stiff to function after being dragged in grass. I wonder what would happen if fine sand was introduced? Low tolerance in the raceways is not what I would spec in a working rifle.
The comment of price equalling performance is how consumers judge the world. There is an assumption that things that cost more must perform better. For some things, that is entirely correct. For alot of stuff, not so much.
What we tend to pay for is appeal, appearance and prestige. "Like" can get very expensive and is entirely acceptable. If a $10K suit, handbag or watch is your thing, by all means. But a $35 Casio will tell the time just as well as a Rolex and if an accurate account of time is what you are after, there is a whole lot of "like" built into that Rolex price tag.
Jerry
