Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
Been a crash course is design, building, and testing but she is in a case heading out to Winnipeg for the Western Canadian F Class Championships.
A bunch of new features to help me deal with the recoil of the 308 and adjust the rifle while shooting.
Who needs to stretch for the bipod?
A big thanks to the following who really made the project possible:
Terry at Black Art Rifle Company who did awesome machining in chambering and setting up the barrels. Shilen and Krieger and cases/ammo can be interchanged. Also, lending me a hand with the machining and lightening of many things aluminum. Block originally came from Henry Remple years back, as a rectangular block bored for the barrel. We Swiss cheesed 2/3's away.
Peter at Hirsch Precision who helped expedite a reticle swap into the Sightron SIII 10-50X60 scope. I am thoroughly enjoying the LRMOA reticle in a 1/8 min click scope chassis commonly used for the FCH/target dot scopes. This suits F class so much better then 1/4 min clicks. I think these might be the first 2 scopes modified under a new Custom Shop program offered by Sightron.
Vince Bottomley in the UK for the inspiration to go with a really long forend/bipod location. It sure keeps hop and bounce to a min. Tracking has proven to be very nice.
Testing has shown alot of promise and I hope I can drive it to a respectable finish at the WCFCC.
Jerry
Been fielding some questions on the stock and rifle set up so here is some info...
There has always been the debate over light/fast vs heavy/slow. With new bullets entering the market on the heavy side, that debate wrt LR F TR is decided, heavy is better. How heavy? I know some shooters will be shooting 230gr Hybrids in Raton this Aug.
With heavier bullets come problems with recoil and gun handling. Torque, the desire for the rifle to twist opposite to the rifling, also has increased. What shooters are finding is that conventional stock and rifle set ups aren't as good as they were with lighter recoil set ups.
Many skipods are flexing, twisting, bouncing or just breaking under this new load. Some stocks, even very expensive composite stocks, are showing flex and inconsistencies. Vertical stringing and bouncing several targets over are becoming all too common and costing shooters points. If not, the time lost resetting and getting back into position.
The MPOD was my idea to make the lightest skipod for FTR and that it is. There is nothing lighter with the same degree of stability and tracking - AFAIK, there is nothing lighter period. A common complaint is that the MPOD isn't easy to adjust while in position. BUT that was never its intent.
It was designed as a solution to the growing trend to heavier 30cal bullets. A trend that requires a change in the actual layout of the rifle. A layout that favors very long forends to help keep barrel hop to a minimum/nil. A lower center of gravity to reduce twisting through the skipod - many shooters are constantly resetting their cant on their "Remple clone skipods" cause the mechanisms just can't hold the rifle static under recoil loads. From shooter feedback, many Remple clones will not keep from canting under long term use. The mechanisms eventually wear and slip, or just fail.
NOTE: This issue doesn't plague the REMPLE. Nothing in a fully adjustable skipod is more stable or rigid. Problem is this is done with a massive amount of metal making the weight too high to be effective in FTR. Adjustability is HEAVY
With super long forends, you CAN'T reach the skipod adjustments when in position so none were included in the beginning with the MPOD. Using a suitable mat, the MPOD is set up level with a bubble level (now on the rifle but not pictured) which ensures the reticle is not canted. Because the MPOD CAN'T twist and the lowered center of gravity in the design, the rifle needs no further adjustment during the relay. It just tracks back and forth and stays level - assuming the mat you use is suitable for the terrain of the range.
All elevation adjustment is made at the REAR of the stock. There is always some settling when using a rear bag and to account for aiming changes desired. Far more convenient to reach and puts weight where it will do the most good balancing those heavy long barrels. YES, this adjustment is completely legal under BOTH ICFRA and NRA 2013 rules.
Many shooters use ballast in the rear to offset their skipods and heavy barrel - what a waste of weight. A rear adjustable stock rearranges weight in the most effective manner leaving more weight for barrels, actions, and scopes.
Time will tell how this new stock arrangement will fare in competition but my shooting has shown that it allows me to shoot with near pedestal rest stability and tracking. Vertical at LR is near identical to my F Open rigs which is to say, pretty darn flat. Accuracy has also improved as I am staying on target far better during the follow through. With higher recoiling rifles, that will make driver errors far less and hopefully, also help with fatigue as you don't need to keep fighting that skipod to get back on target.
Most of the international shooters using the MPOD purchased it out of frustration with their present skipods. The fact that the MPOD was half the mass didn't hurt either.
The long forend is not my idea but an extension and improvement on ideas used on the Euro F TR winning rifle from last year.
The rear adjustment is also not entirely new but I believe mine is the ONLY F TR rifle competing at the US Nationals and Worlds this August. Given the feedback and comments from shooters, I know mine will not be the last.
The MPOD is now being tested by a top US gunsmith to incorporate into his new gen FTR rigs. The concepts to improve the shootability of the FTR/Heavy bullet set ups is certainly shared by many at the front edge of this sport.
It has already been evaluated by National teams in various countries with some shooters using it this Aug. I expect more/similar type of sets up going forward as rear adjustment stocks get designed and put into service.
I expect the firing line at the next Worlds to look a fair bit different then how it will look this Aug.
Enjoy...
Jerry
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