Pimped my Rifle!

nice job iam goning to get the rpa done but am i as brave as you ? see what James comes up with. Was gonner do the sako 85 but :scared:
 
nice job iam goning to get the rpa done but am i as brave as you ? see what James comes up with. Was gonner do the sako 85 but :scared:

Is that done into a .280 AI or Cerakoted?
One thing I didn't metion was the coating finish effect which is interesting. I'm not sure of the exact specifications (I'm sure James can elaborate though!), but I asked him to do the different colours with different surface sheens. The Green has a semi-gloss look, the Grey is a satin and the black and beige are both matt. So, not only is it cammo, the reflection is also a disruptive pattern. It certainly looks very effective. I'd love to be able to see how things look through a deer's eyes!:lol:
MS:)
 
you know what you can do to make that rifle look REALLY good?

1. walnut 75 stock, pillar and glass bed if you really must
2. remove bipod
​3. strip paint and rust blue.
4. leather sling

:-D
 
Last edited:
Nice rifles. I have a Sako 75 SS 6.5x55 sat in my cabinet and one of these days it will have to be "pimped" too.

All the semi-custom rifles seem to have very long barrels compared to the normal 22" sporters we find these days. I presume this is for long range accuracy. But if one wanted a handy 20" to 22" barrelled rifle for everyday use would we be limited to the .308 win. or is there another calibre that would fit the bill?

​Simon
 
Nice rifles. I have a Sako 75 SS 6.5x55 sat in my cabinet and one of these days it will have to be "pimped" too.

All the semi-custom rifles seem to have very long barrels compared to the normal 22" sporters we find these days. I presume this is for long range accuracy. But if one wanted a handy 20" to 22" barrelled rifle for everyday use would we be limited to the .308 win. or is there another calibre that would fit the bill?

​Simon
The 6.5 is a similar 'Long Action' Simon which enjoys the luxury of the longer case. This in turn allows us to use the generally 'smoother' slower burning powders such as Reloader 19/22, or H4350/4831. It is generally accepted that you will get the best out of this sort of calibre if you use a barrel of 24" or more. This gives the powder plenty of time to burn completely before the bullet exits the crown which gives better consistency and no muzzle flash. That said, my 25.06 has a standard 21.75" Sako barrel and seems to work fine! I certainly wouldn't want it any shorter though. You could go a lot shorter, but then you'd have to use a faster burning powder which negates the benefits of the long action. The 6.5 would convert nicely to a longer barreled .280, but if you wanted similar with a shorter barrel, you'd be better looking at a 7mm x 08 I reckon.
Very tempting isn't it?!
MS:D
 
Ahhh yes barrel length ......................................... traditionally barrels were 25" or 26" in length 24" seemed to come about through sporterising of Military rifles and removing the key way for the military fore sight.

The commercial makers followed suit then came button rifling and barrels seemed to shrink in length. BSA made the barrels on their lightweights 22" to help them hit their target weight of 6 1/4lbs along with lightening cuts to the action and stock. Then 22" became the standard length for all their barrels which seems to have been an accountant driven idea less steel and less length to bore and rifle hence less money spent at this time BSA switched to Hammer Forging their barrels rather that cut rifling as previously.

So once again it was a cost cutting idea that has been hyped up to be desirable by the sales departments and many have swallowed it hook line and sinker.

Cartridges like the 270 Winchester, 25-06, 7x64 and of course the short magnums (the original short magnums i.e 300 Win mag, 7mm Rem Mag and the Norma magnums were all SHORT Magnums) need at least 242 and 26" of barrel is even better :D for their performance. Our fore-fathers managed in soem really untamed country with rilfes that had 26"+ length barrels:-

14564547.jpg


14564599.jpg


Model 1893 Mauser in 7mm Mauser (Boer Plezier) of 1895-1900 complete with protected adjustable fore sight. This is a reproduction made in South Africa as a commemorative series.

14055494.jpg


Mannlicher Mdl 1892 built as a Best Sporting rifle by Rigby of London.

Now a bit more modern:-

39576524.jpg


On the left is a Sako L61R in 300 Win Mag.

All have barrels of 24" or more. On the right is my 22" barrelled BSA CF2 in 7mm Mauser.
 
Is that done into a .280 AI or Cerakoted?
One thing I didn't metion was the coating finish effect which is interesting. I'm not sure of the exact specifications (I'm sure James can elaborate though!), but I asked him to do the different colours with different surface sheens. The Green has a semi-gloss look, the Grey is a satin and the black and beige are both matt. So, not only is it cammo, the reflection is also a disruptive pattern. It certainly looks very effective. I'd love to be able to see how things look through a deer's eyes!:lol:
MS:)

You just have to know the product and how to use the Air brush to attain the effect of the finish...does look good though, not for everyone of course.

It costs less than others offerings too so all good, actually everything I do costs less! :)
 
Nice rifles. I have a Sako 75 SS 6.5x55 sat in my cabinet and one of these days it will have to be "pimped" too.

All the semi-custom rifles seem to have very long barrels compared to the normal 22" sporters we find these days. I presume this is for long range accuracy. But if one wanted a handy 20" to 22" barrelled rifle for everyday use would we be limited to the .308 win. or is there another calibre that would fit the bill?

​Simon

Go on get it pimped and join the club!

Barrel length is personal choice, whilst some calibres may need a bit of length it's not always necessary to go with looong barrels on a stalking rifle. 20" on a .308 works perfectly as it can on other calibres. The loss of velocity is barely noticeable.
 
Micheal
I see you have turned to the dark side and are now using, in your words, 'copper javelins'. After all the b****x you spouted at me for using Barnes bullets I expect an apology! ;)
 
Micheal
I see you have turned to the dark side and are now using, in your words, 'copper javelins'. After all the b****x you spouted at me for using Barnes bullets I expect an apology! ;)
You'll not get one. It's not what you use, it's how you use them!:-P
 
Some lovely work done and an impressive result

Cheers, It's not everyones 'cup of tea' but it is exactly what I needed.
I've been having some great results with it too!:cool:
IMAG0308.webpIMAG0309.webpIMAG0306.webp
I was slightly worried that it might be a bit 'too much gun' for the smaller stuff, but I've had several Roe and a Munty with it and had far less meat damage than I thought. I had a theory that the barnes bullets would punch a neat hole through the smaller stuff and they do. They are currently doing about 3000 fps according to the book and I don't think it would be of any benefit to drive them any faster. The bullets seem to expand nicely in proportion to size of deer. The chest photo is of a Roe where you can see it whacked a rib on entry and two on exit which is still quite neat. The Fallow Pricket ran a short distance but bled out extremely well for a lung shot.
I always used to think that my 25.06 with 115 grain CBT's was probably the ultimate 'one calibre' for all species, but I now think that the .280 AI might top it as it is also a bit more PC for Boar! It is extremely accurate already without much load development and seems to be very flat at longer range. I aimed slightly high on the above roe which was at 202 yards and hit pretty much exactly where I aimed.:doh: The Fallow was 80lb larder weight and remains the biggest deer that I've shot with it so far, but I'm sure it will cope with anything within our shores! Foxes 'don't like it up em' either!:D
If you want one rifle for everything and are happy to home-load, then the .280 AI is most definitely worth considering!;)
If you are considering it, Jager SA has the required tools!
MS:-D
 
Last edited:
Back
Top