Built myself a shooter------- for you gun buffs

[Allen in MT]

Quit some time ago I got the idea of building a .308 shooter. I have a CZ 550 heavy in this caliber for long range shooting and prairie dogs up to 500 yards. (Cross hairs pretty much cover the dogs at that yardage)
I got a friend that is real competent when it comes to working on rifles and with his advice I started gathering what I needed.
I picked up a FN 98 large ring Belgium made action. Replaced the safety and trigger a with a Dakota Safety and a Dayton Traister fully adjustable single stage trigger. To this I added a Shilen made Chrome Molly medium weight fitted barrel with a 1-10 twist and cut to 22". I then got a factory 98 stock which had to be re-shaped to a nice looking stock and added a Ebony fore end to it for looks along with a nice steel grip cap to give it some appeal. (none of the plastic stuff) and a whole lot of oil hand rubbing for a nice sheen look and glass bedded to fit the barrel. Added a kick-ezz recoil pad. The whole rifle was then sent to a gunsmith up the road where he did a nice bead-blast and a custom mat finish bluing. To top it off I got a set to Leupold bases and 30mm rings and mounted a 2.5-10x44 w/BDC Vortex Vipor HS scope on top. Bore sighted it and took it to the range to run a box of shells through it. It shoots nice with the Federal Premium 168 grain Sierra Matchking BTHP which is what I shoot in the CZ. Will be a dandy shooter for hunting. I suppose I'm bragging here but I like the way it turned out and thought I would share it with you folks

[halfwright]

That should make prairie dog mist. Nicely done modifacation.

[swanny]

I have a buddy in the 1000 yard club for those doggies. I think his was 1086 yards. And I thought groundhogs were tough a 350 to 400 yards. oh well

Nice gun!!!

kevin

[steelpony5555]

I like......

[DQDick]

Very nice job, wish I was that talented.

[seahunter]

Excellent job Allen - great looking and bet it is a pleasure to shoot.

[tim43]

Beautiful rifle! No prairie dogs around here, I just shoot vintage military rifle matches primarily using a Finnish 7.62X54R M39 consisting of a Sako 1941 barrel with an 1896 manufactured Mosin Nagant receiver. It is a tack driver at 200 yards with open sights.

[michael346LBQ]

I like it nice work.

[Ski Doo]

Nice project and great pics/write up.
Sounds like a fun shooter.

[mlh]

Nice rifle. My oldest rifle is a Mauser 22-250. I have shot more ground hogs with it than all other rifles that I own combined. I'm in the 1000 yd club. I got a ground hog at 1005 yds and I have it on video. I shot it with a 6x47 Lapua. It is a little smaller than a 243. I have a friend who shot a prairie dog at 2157 yds.
If you wont to get the best out of your new rifle I make reloading equipment. More bench rest shooters use my equipment than anybody else's and more use my powder measures than all others combined.
Lynwood

[Gorgeguy]

I was fortunate, one of my hearing aid patients was a retired gun smith and gun builder. As he got older and did not shoot as much, he would come into my office every three or four years with a list of guns he would like to trade for new hearing aids. I got quite a few over the years but my favorite are a custom .338 mag, the walnut stock came from a tree in his front yard and a long range shooter in .308 with a Boots Obermeyer barrel. A nice rifle is truly a work of art.

[mlh]

Allen in MT
Almost 20 years ago I bought a 338 cal. barrel to put on a 338 Win Mag custom rifle I was building for a friend. I finished the rifle and shot my first group at 100 yds all 3 bullets went in one jagged hole. I thought "I'll take that. The next day I cleaned the barrel until there was no copper left and took it back out to fire it again but this time it wouldn't shoot groups smaller groups than 1 1\2 inch. I checked the barrel out and found a place in it about 4 inches long that was over size. I called and talked to Doug Shilen. I told him what I had found and he insted he would send me another barrel and even said they would put it on for me. I ask if he would like for me to send the barrel back, No he didn't won't it. Doug sent the barrel just like he said he would. They know me now but at the time he had no idea who I was. That my friend is what you call customer service. I talked to a guy today and that is the reputation they still have.
Lynwood