song and got a Boyd’s laminated stock off the Internet for $50. I didn’t go cheap with the optics
and ordered a Burris Black Diamond 8-32x target scope from my favorite mail-order shooters catalog. I stained the stock green and bedded the bar- reled action into it. The “Green Ma- chine,” as I call it, is a real cannon. It shoots 100-grain Noslers at 3,500 fps into tiny groups and looks pretty cool with the big scope and shiny stainless barrel with muzzle brake. Making brass for this is a real pain. I start with 30-06 Lapua brass and neck it down in several steps, then fi re-form to produce the 6.5-06 AI cartridges. Although it re- ally shoots great, I’m not sure if I would ever build another Ackley wildcat. The 6.5 added to my arsenal and
extended my range but I still yearned for a gun that would consistently shoot one-hole groups. My uncle had built a 6mm BR and I really loved the way it would print one-hole groups. He had decided to do a 22 BR and asked me if I wanted to do one also. I said “why not” and we ordered two tight- neck barrels from SSS with different lengths and twist rates. I ran across another used Savage and de-barreled it while waiting for the new barrel. I got another Boyd’s stock and Burris scope and couldn’t wait to assemble my longed-for tack-driver. That’s just what they are, too. Both guns easily shoot one-hole groups. Mine uses 55-gr. Noslers with Benchmark powder and 6BR Lapua brass. I loved the way the BR case looked and shot so I decided to use my poor-shooting Winchester 22-250 as a donor action and build a 6 BR. I wanted to try an E.R. Shaw barrel this time as Dale had used a couple of them on his projects and they were reasonably priced and shot tremendously. Since Shaw is only 40 miles or so away from me, I took my barreled action down to them to discuss my idea. The guys at E.R. Shaw are great and I chose a big heli- cal fl uted stainless barrel chambered in 6 BR. I ordered a yellow, blue, and red laminated stock from Boyd’s and another Burris scope while I waited for Shaw to call. My answering machine informed me that my wait was over and I raced down to E.R. Shaw to pick up my order. When I saw the barreled action that used to be my 22-250, I was
in heaven! The spiral fl uted barrel was awesome and I couldn’t wait to get everything together and shoot it! I was not disappointed as the gun easily put 95-gr. Noslers into one-hole groups! The purple-tipped bullets sticking way out of the Lapua brass reminds me of torpedoes and are way cool! Another bout with the bug made
me realize that I didn’t own any 7mms and so I thought I’d build one. Except I built two! A 7mm-08 and a 7mm WSM, both on used Savage actions, and Boyds’ thumbhole varmint stocks. Burris scopes, SSS barrels, and a shared muzzle brake complete the rigs. The ’08 shoots 120-gr. Noslers and the WSM shoots 140s. Both guns shoot very well and I used the WSM on my fi rst prairie dog hunt to try to get into the 1,000 Yard Club. Unfortunately, I came up a few yards short as I managed a confi rmed kill at only 989 yards. Since then I temporarily convert-
ed my 25-06 to a 220 Swift and changed out my 22-250 to the Ackley version. I also added another 223 Savage with an AccuTrigger to complete my long-gun groundhog fi rearms. It’s been seven or eight years
since my last project but again I got “The Bug.” After reading an article in TVHM by the late Don Lewis I came up with another idea. I had a rarely used deer rifl e in a Savage and thought of
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making another varmint rig out of it. The article Mr. Lewis wrote was on the fairly new 6.5x47 Lapua and while surfing the Internet one evening, I came upon a Shilen barrel in that same caliber! I ordered it and also found a good deal on a Burris target scope. I purchased another Boyds’ thumbhole red and black laminated stock and soon had my newest rifl e fi nished. The completed gun looks good, and upon some initial range work it appears it will shoot very well. Believe me, the guns I’ve de-
scribed are not fancy or super expen- sive but they all can out-shoot me and have provided me with 20 years or so of enjoyment on the range and in the groundhog fi elds. I hope I won’t get “The Bug”
again but if I do, my remedy will be to just read about someone else who has it in my latest issue of The Varmint Hunter Magazine®!
Back: E.R. Shaw helical fl uted 24" barrel, Model 70 Winchester action, Burris 8-32x Signature, Boyd’s stock, Timney trigger, 95-grain Nosler BT, Varget. Front: 6.5x47 Lapua, 26" Shilen barrel, Savage action, Boyd’s stock, Burris Signature Select 6-24x.
www.varminthunter.org Page 153
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