Pappy John
March 24, 2005, 08:29 PM
I just got it on Sunday, the first one I found in .308, after passing on several in 300 WSM and .243. My first bolt action .308. I've had the Burris 2.75X Scout scope waiting for it for a month now in anticipation. I knew I wanted one for deer season, since I'm stuck with using crutches in the woods and need something small and easy to carry on my back that still would allow longer shots than my handgun. Here it is pictured with my 'normal' sized Mauser for comparison.
http://home.comcast.net/~jnicholas/frontier.jpg
The first range trip didn't exactly inspire love. The length of pull out of the box is 12.5", a bit short for my 6 foot, long-armed frame, so something needed to be done about that. Also, the shape of the buttstock at the top of the wrist area rubbed the large knuckle at the base of my thumb as I tried for a natural hold. I had a great start though....the very first shot on target at 50 yards was only 1" off the X at 8 o'clock, but the above shortfalls together with a 7 lb. plus lawyer trigger left me with the best 5 shot group of the day a bit over 3 MOA. :mad:
So I got to work re-forming the stock at the wrist for a better grip and adding a slip-over recoil pad to add an inch to the LOP. Felt much better already, but it still needed something done about that trigger. After doing some research on M77 style triggers in the Ruger Forum's Smithing section , I decided to tackle it myself. I was all done in 45 minutes, including re-assembly. I left the pull kind of long for safety's sake, but its a light 3 lbs. and breaks reallll purty. :)
All that brought the 100 yard performance up considerably. Five shots in 1.45". Not too shabby for a low power scope and the same Aussie surplus F4 ammo that I've been feeding my Cetme with for a few months now.
http://home.comcast.net/~jnicholas/frontier1.jpg
I just got dies from Midway this afternoon. I can hardly wait to see what she'll do with some really good ammo once I get a load worked up. :cool:
She does leap up off of the sandbags a bit....more than any other rifle I've owned, even the #1 in .45-70, but I guess that goes with the territory when your barrel's so short. It's just fine offhand...balances real nice. The total package weighs in at 7.5 lbs. Feels a bit sharp to the hands when shot, but that pad really softens the felt recoil at the shoulder.
http://home.comcast.net/~jnicholas/frontier.jpg
The first range trip didn't exactly inspire love. The length of pull out of the box is 12.5", a bit short for my 6 foot, long-armed frame, so something needed to be done about that. Also, the shape of the buttstock at the top of the wrist area rubbed the large knuckle at the base of my thumb as I tried for a natural hold. I had a great start though....the very first shot on target at 50 yards was only 1" off the X at 8 o'clock, but the above shortfalls together with a 7 lb. plus lawyer trigger left me with the best 5 shot group of the day a bit over 3 MOA. :mad:
So I got to work re-forming the stock at the wrist for a better grip and adding a slip-over recoil pad to add an inch to the LOP. Felt much better already, but it still needed something done about that trigger. After doing some research on M77 style triggers in the Ruger Forum's Smithing section , I decided to tackle it myself. I was all done in 45 minutes, including re-assembly. I left the pull kind of long for safety's sake, but its a light 3 lbs. and breaks reallll purty. :)
All that brought the 100 yard performance up considerably. Five shots in 1.45". Not too shabby for a low power scope and the same Aussie surplus F4 ammo that I've been feeding my Cetme with for a few months now.
http://home.comcast.net/~jnicholas/frontier1.jpg
I just got dies from Midway this afternoon. I can hardly wait to see what she'll do with some really good ammo once I get a load worked up. :cool:
She does leap up off of the sandbags a bit....more than any other rifle I've owned, even the #1 in .45-70, but I guess that goes with the territory when your barrel's so short. It's just fine offhand...balances real nice. The total package weighs in at 7.5 lbs. Feels a bit sharp to the hands when shot, but that pad really softens the felt recoil at the shoulder.