Tag Archives: Patriot Valley Arms

Custom Rifle: Building a 7mm PRC Hunting Rifle on the Bergara Premier Action

August 31, 2026blog, Product review, Shooting hardware7mm prc, 7prc, Bergara, bergara premier, carbon fiber, Hawkins precision, osprey barrels, Patriot Valley Arms, premier action, pure precision, trigger techcoldboremiracle

Ballistic Ambitions

As a precision rifle junkie, I have a hard time knowing when to say when with my rifle collection. Today’s topic descends from my desire to have a perfect rifle for every situation. And as a hunter of these Rocky Mountains, I wanted a custom rifle that would be perfect for just about any hunt that may occur here. Follow along as I take you through another custom rifle build, this one is a Bergara Premier action carbon fiber 7mm PRC.

Bergara Premier Action

At the heart of every rifle is the action itself, the mechanical part of the rifle that feeds and fires cartridges. The Bergara Premier Action is one of many clones of the famous Remington 700 action, popularized by its easy adaptability and performance.

The Premier Action builds on the best qualities of the 700, and adds a great deal of function and improvements of its own. All while maintaining the conformity to the 700’s footprint and accessories that make up the majority of the aftermarket.

bergara, premier action, long-action, remington 700 clone, stainless steel, bolt, ejectors, extractor, trigger, trigger tech, special,

The Premier Action is a rotating bolt, with a 90-degree throw, to engage its dual bolt-lugs. The conical bolt face incorporates dual ejector plungers, and a sliding ejector housed in one side of the face. The Nitride firing pin assembly is of the bayonet design, allowing removal with no jigs or tools, by just twisting the bolt-shroud a 1/4 turn and pulling to the rear. At the front of the action you will find a pinned recoil lug for perfect alignment, and on top it uses oversized 8-40 mounting screws to secure the scope mounts.

bergara, premier action, long-action, remington 700 clone, stainless steel, bolt, warne, scope rail, scope base, base rail, warne vapor, — I used a **Warne Vapor 20-MOA scope rail**, it comes with both 6-48 and 8-40 mounting screws which is nice

Specifications

Bergara Premier Action Specs
Material	416 Stainless steel
Action Lengths	Short and Long Action
Bolt Handle	Removable Knurled stainless steel
Ejector	Dual Spring-Plungers
Extractor	Sliding Plate Design
Bolt Design	Spiral Fluted
Recoil Lug	Drilled and Pinned
Bolt Face Options	Standard .470” and Magnum .540”
Finish	Raw Stainless Steel
Bolt Release	External
Trigger Compatibility	Remington 700 Triggers
Weight	2.06 Pounds

Bergara began selling the Premier Actions recently, and also sell them as barreled actions if you wish to buy them complete. Requiring only a few additional accessories to have a complete rifle. My experience with previous Bergara Premier rifles made me want to try one of these actions on this next build.

A Barrel to Match

A good action needs a good barrel to match, for that I selected an Osprey Barrel Works carbon wrapped barrel. Osprey barrels feature a six groove bore, the additional grooves make an overall smaller cut into the bullet. Like other modern rifling techniques , this is a superior design. And also is better for shooting monolithic copper solid bullets. The 416R stainless barrel is wrapped in carbon fiber and double stress relieved before being lapped and gauged.

The 7mm PRC chamber was cut, and the barrel finished at twenty-inches. That may seem a bit short for some folks, but I like short gun performance. And the 7mm PRC cartridge has plenty of performance to use.

Inside the barrel is a one-in-eight twist rate, this is a slightly aggressive twist rate optimal for some of the more modern 7mm bullet designs. My plan was to shoot some of my favorite .284 bullets like the Hornady 162 ELDM, and the Sierra 183 Match King. As well as the solid copper Cayuga 167 hunting bullet.

Bergara, premier action, remington 700, clone, custom, carbon fiber, Osprey Barrel, carbon fiber barrel, pure precision, carbon fiber stock, us optics, LXR, 4-24x56, 7mm, 7 PRC, 7mm precision rifle cartridge, bench shooting at firing range, — you can barely notice but I’m using the WGE Suppressor ear buds for hearing protection

At the muzzle end, the barrel was cut and threaded 5/8-24 for attaching muzzle devices like brakes or more likely a suppressor. All machine work was done at Patriot Valley Arms in Pottstown Pa.

A Chassis Following the Theme

Since I was focusing on lighter weight, and maximum portability. I selected a carbon fiber stock/chassis from Pure Precision, which is designed for the Remington 700 footprint. Which of course the Bergara fits nicely. The aluminum block molded inside the carbon made a perfect match to the action.

A detachable 3-round magazine system from Hawkins Precision fits perfectly in the chassis. And to round everything off, I installed a Trigger Tech 2-stage trigger for a crisp and adjustable break.

With all those parts assembled, I installed the Warne Vapor 20-MOA scope rail to the receiver. This lightweight rail comes with both sizes of screws for 700 style actions, allowing a solid base for mounting a scope.

bergara premier, 7prc, us optics, txh, load testing, load development, pure precision, carbon fiber,

I selected my US Optics LXR 4-24 riflescope for this project, the broad spectrum of magnification are optimal for hunting. Whether I am sneaking through the tight Tamarak pines of Montana forests at 4-power, or zoomed in to 24-power to get the best view of a distant Pronghorn on Utah’s dry western desert. The bright clear image matched with excellent tracking make this scope an easy choice.

Custom Rifles and Custom Loads

Custom rifles, like most rifles, can benefit greatly from handloaded ammunition. The whole purpose of this rifle was to be accurate, compact and light, yet still bring enough power for animals like Rocky Mountain Elk. That would require some custom handloading, which luckily I’ve been addicted to for some time.

7mm PRC, handloading, reloading, redding, dies, components, hornady, sierra bullets, — customizing my ammunition with **Redding Premium dies** was easy

Per my usual approach to loading a cartridge, I started out with a couple bullets I know work well. For this project I selected the Sierra Bullets 183 Match king, the Hornady 162 ELDM, and the PVA Cayuga 167. The latter being a copper solid, resulting in very high ballistic coefficient for its weight. I have used them in various calibers with excellent results.

7 prc, 7mm, 7mm prc, 7mm precision rifle cartridge, handloading, reloading, hodgdon powder, alliant powder, RL26, H4350, sierra bullets, hornady bullets, peterson cartridge company, peterson brass,

I acquired a set of Redding Premium 7 PRC dies, which allowed exact precision with a micrometer seating die. Making customizing my ammunition both quick and easy.

bergara, premier action, custom rifle, target, accuracy, cayuga bullets, cartridges laid out on a target showing accuracy of custom loaded bullets — one of the very first groups from the PVA Cayuga bullets

Finding a great shooting load for each of them was a trial and error, but I ended up with an accurate load and good velocity. I have noticed that with these Cayuga bullets, it doesn’t take much to get a good rifle shooting half MOA or better groups.

Field Shooting

Taking this rifle into the high Rocky Mountains where it was meant to be was a priority. So with ammo loaded, I headed into the spring mountains. As you can see, winter hasn’t exactly let go of us up here in the high country. For both comfort and anonymity, I installed my Banish Backcountry suppressor. It did a fine job of keeping the 7 PRC quiet enough for my tatses.

shooting the rifle supported from my **Two Vets tripod**

The wide open spaces combined with the natural antagonist’s of wind, angles, and cold all made for excellent practice. And I was excited to see what this beauty was capable of. Since it was zeroed, and I had good velocity numbers in hand. I punched it all into my ballistic solver to come up with a few firing solutions.

A long-range Test

I’d setup my shooting position overlooking a long mountain valley. It was littered with snow patches, melting runoff, and a few conspicuous piles of dirt from wintering rodents. After measuring the distance to a few, I came up with one target at 565 yards and another at 980 yards. Both of them measured around 14-inches tall. This gave me roughly a similar sized target to the vitals of the Rocky Mountain Elk I intended to hunt with this rifle.

My calculator indicated just over two MRAD for the nearer target, so I dialed the LXR to 2.1 and settled behind the scope. I watched the mirage downrange, and counter-judged the wind I felt against the back of my neck. After holding a correction for the wind, I took up the slack in the trigger, and began my press while holding steady. The shot burst from the rifle, and I watched as the scope resettled on the target to wait for the impact. Half a second later, the little dirt hill exploded sending fresh soil scattering across the snow behind it.

For a change, after taking a few more shots, I shifted to the further target. I adjusted both the power and parallax setting on my scope before I settled the reticle on the further dirt mound. After extrapolating a wind hold from my first shots, I held into the wind after dialing 5.6 MRAD for the distance. I was happily surprised as the next three shots went solidly through my target. The flying dirt giving witness after each shot.

the rifle was suppressed using the Banish Backcountry suppressor

Hunting

As it happens, I jumped on the opportunity for a last minute spring bear hunt in Western Montana. Hunting Black Bears in the spring there can be very challenging and rewarding. The moist climate never stays stable for more than a few hours, and in a single afternoon you can experience heavy sweating, rain, and snow.

bergara, premier action, custom rifle, pure precision, us optics, LXR, rifle sitting on tree trunk with misty cloudy mountains and pine trees in the background

After putting in hundreds of miles through the forests there, and carrying this rifle on my shoulder for an average 5-6 miles a day I was quite happy with it. My efforts to keep the gun short and light were very helpful as the miles stacked up. And at random points throughout the hunt I was able to take a shot here and there to confirm accurate shot placement. And despite coming up empty-handed for a spring bear, I was able to bag a few Marmots that tempted my dry spell.

bergara, premier action, custom rifle, pure precision, us optics, LXR, hunter poses with a marmot on rocky hillside

Pros and Cons

With custom rifles its almost more of a do’s and don’ts than a pros and cons. With nearly unlimited options its more about selecting which attributes you want in a rifle and whether or not you want to pay for them.

the **Cole-TAC Python suppressor cover** keeps mirage down when shooting multiple shots, and also protects your suppressor from getting scratched up during rough hikes

Having said that, I can certainly say that most of my selections were on point. The Premier action is an outstanding platform to build on. Its smooth operation is matched by positive extraction and robust build. I don’t regret for a second spending the money on a good trigger, that makes a huge difference for me. The carbon fiber Osprey barrel shoots great and pushes my preferred bullets at an acceptable velocity for the purposes of this rifle. The Pure Precision stock is very comfortable and lightweight. I do wish I had splurged a touch more for the adjustable comb though. Even so, adding a Triad Tactical stock pack kills that bird and another by giving me additional ammo storage and comfort.

the Triad Tactical stock pack is a very comfortable and adjustable option, with a zip-pouch for storing additional ammo and/or snacks

I may have been a touch aggressive on the shortness of the rifle, I think if I did it again I would have gone for a 22-23-inch barrel, just for the velocity.

Final Thoughts on this Project

While I am quite happy with how this custom rifle turned out. But the true test will be after I finish out my hunting season this fall. I have plans for both deer and elk hunting, and perhaps a pronghorn antelope thrown into the mix. Once those hunts have concluded, I will likely have a much better hindsight on how this project came together. But so far I am quite please with the performance, and I look forward to those hunts with intense excitement.

-CBM

Patriot Valley Arms Modus Rifle 6.5 PRC

October 22, 2024Product review, Shooting hardware6.5prc, modus, Patriot Valley Arms, pvacoldboremiracle

Introduction

Patriot Valley Arms has been manufacturing custom rifles, accessories and other parts for quite some time. More recently moving into additional areas as well such as barrel manufacturing and monolithic bullets. Today we are looking at one of the products they have recently released; the Patriot Valley Arms Modus rifle, this one chambered in 6.5 PRC.

The Modus is advertised to be a production precision hunting rifle. Weighing in under 8 pounds is a great start, and adding the reliable precision PVA is known for takes it up another level. It would get even better when paired with the PVA Cayuga solid bullets, but we’ll get to that later.

The Patriot Valley Arms Modus

The PVA Modus is built around a custom action from LWR. It uses the popular Remington 700 footprint which makes it easily adaptable and acceptable to most accessories.

Custom Action Features

QPQ (black nitride) treated bolt and receiver
90° Throw 416 Stainless Receiver, black nitride finish interior with cerakote exterior
1-Piece bolt handle with fluted body – black nitride finish
Mini M16 Extractor and Plunger Ejector
Roller Bearing Fire Control w/ bayonet style take down
Compatible with AICS mags, Wyatt’s Outdoor Box Mags, Internal Mags (BDL)
Double pinned, 0.25″ recoil lug
Aluminum 20 MOA Picatinny Optics Rail w/ 2 Recoil Pins
Double round bridge receiver with rail holes that fit Hawkins Precision scope rings
Action Weight: Standard Configuration 30 oz SA, 32oz LA

patriot valley arms Modus action — bolt-stop/release detail

In addition to the custom action, the rifle uses a variety of top quality components. All of which are optimized to make the rifle as accurate a hunting rifle as one could hope. Some of the other features of the rifle:

Osprey precision barrel works chambered barrel, finished at 24″ long with 5/8-24 muzzle threads
Carbon shell precision rifle hunter stock
Precision hunter DBM
Timney Elite Hunter Trigger
Graphite Black Cerakote
Base model SA is 7lb 15oz
Ultralight package 6lb 7oz (lightweight receiver, carbon barrel and ultralight stock)

patriot valley arms Modus bolt — bolt-head detail, M16 style extractor and a single plunger ejector

All of these components are packed together to offer serious hunters a precise hunting tool. And it comes at a great time too, as many big game hunters are looking for quality and performance at this level. A simple glance through the rifle rack at Sportsmans Warehouse shows a broad spectrum of high end hunting rifles similar to this from other big names. While the PVA Modus might not be the least costly rifle when lined up with others, it is far from the most expensive. Even with the ultra-light upgrades.

I was very eager to see how the Modus compared to some of these rifles, several of which I’ve already had experience with.

Initial Impressions

Pulling the Modus rifle from the box, the glistening carbon fiber finish of the stock caught my eye. For an extra fee, you can have the stock custom painted. I’m a bit of a do-it-yourself kind of guy, so the raw stock would do fine for now.

I installed the bolt, to get that first feel. And it felt fantastic, the finish and feel of custom actions is just beautiful. The bolt lift was very smooth due to the cunningly designed roller bearing on the cocking piece. The flutes look sexy, and the robust bolt-stop/release feels very tactile.

pva modus rifle — the bayonet-style firing pin assembly, note the roller bearing on the caming surface

The Timney Elite Hunter trigger uses a wider than average trigger shoe. Which I like very much, as it gives the feel of an even lighter trigger pull weight by dispersing the pressure over a wider shoe. Everything felt great just the way it came, the only thing I saw fit to adjust or change was to swap out the PVA Jetblast muzzle brake for a suppressor. Most of my shooting is done suppressed, especially hunting.

One of the reasons I like lightweight designs like the Modus, is that it allows you to use different components without going incredibly overweight. Things like suppressors and thick scopes added to the rifle still don’t take the weight over my expectations. I have carried far heavier rifles into these Rocky Mountains, so the Modus was a treat.

patriot valley arms modus 6.5 PRC — Testing the Modus at 9000 feet of elevation gave it extra legs, the US Optics TXH 3-18X50 was a great companion

The 6.5 PRC Chambering

The Modus came to me as a 6.5 PRC, I selected that one over others because it fit well into my current needs. There are several other factory caliber options for the Modus, you can select one that fits your needs:

6mm Creedmoor
6.5mm Creedmoor
6.5mm PRC (SA or LA, same chamber. LA is for folks planning to do a multi caliber rifle)
450 Bushmaster (SA only, not available with ultralight options)
7mm PRC
300 PRC
Optional add-on kits for Smokeless Muzzle Loader in 458 caliber are available as an add on

Hunting with the 6.5 PRC would cover just about everything I needed done, without going too crazy. I mostly hunt small and big game, and this rifle would be for Mule deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn Antelope and such. With a 1:7 twist Osprey barrel, the Modus would sling just about any bullet out there. 147’s and 156’s and such would carry a lot of energy to the elk I often hunt. But I went with PVA Cayuga solids, for obvious reasons. The 129 Cayuga has an extremely high BC, and the twenty-four-inch PRC can launch it at over 3100FPS. In the density altitudes I frequent, that equates to under 6 MRAD of elevation drop to 1,000 yds. And supersonic flight beyond 2,000 yards

patriot valley arms modus rifle, Vantage Research 6.5 PRC ammunition — custom ammunition loaded for the Modus from Vantage Research, featuring 122gr Cayuga bullets

Rifle Setup

After getting to know the rifle a bit, I decided to set it up for my hunting season. For a scope I decided to go with something perhaps a little different. I like medium sized variables, so I used the US Optics TXH 3-18X50. The TXH is a hunting crossover scope, meaning it can be used for quite a variety of purposes from tactical shooting and as we used it here a hunting optic. The 34mm scope fit perfect with a set of medium Vortex rings mounted to the double-pinned aluminum picatinny 20 MOA scope rail.

I also bought a couple magazine options, first was the polymer AICS 6.5 PRC mags from Amend2. The other was an Accurate Mag metal magazine, both options hold three rounds. I did find that they both fit very snug in the magwell, and the release was pretty stiff as well. While this could be a bit of an issue if you were doing lots of rapid reloading, I think I like it for a hunting rifle. As there is no rattle, or wobble in either of the magazine types when installed.

I went simple with a bipod, using a Harris SL model mounted to the front sling stud. The second sling stud attached to my sling, a Quake Industries rubberized sling to keep it on my shoulder. For a suppressor I installed the Banish Buck 30, it was a perfect fit for the rifle’s needs.

Range Preparation

I had a few boxes of Hornady 6.5 PRC Match ammo featuring the 147 ELDM’s, but I also wanted to get some Cayugas loaded up since thats what I wanted to hunt with. I started with a modest charge of H4350 and Peterson Brass, primed with Federal 210M primers. In my experience, the Cayugas are very forgiving with seating depth, so I basically seated them 0.020 of the lands and took them to the range.

It wasn’t much of a surprise to me that they shot well, they typically do. After playing with a few shots, I fired a group to see how it looked. The very first groups measured .3-.4 MOA which I was very happy with considering how little time I’d put into it.

After a trip to the range, I took the Modus into the high country in the mountains above my home to stretch it out more and see how it performed at distance. And with all this country to shoot in, it wouldn’t be hard to push the Modus right to the end of its envelope.

The curious Cayugas make a fascinating sound when fired suppressed. I assume they do it unsuppressed as well but you cant hear it. There is a whistling sound as they go downrange, likely due to their open tip. The scorching PRC velocity seemed to condense the cool and moist mountain air as they went downrange.

Shooting the rifle out to 2000 yards show an interesting conundrum. The 129 Cayuga’s stay supersonic at that distance, because of their high BC. They are so good at slipping through the air that they retain velocity better than a feminist does her weight. Even so, at 2000 yards the energy drops to around 600 foot pounds, which doesn’t make for much of a splash. This made impacts harder to spot.

Pros and Cons

After shooting the rifle for several weeks, as well as two separate week-long hunting trips I’ve gotten pretty confident and comfortable with the Modus. And I’ve also been able to form some opinions on what I like and might not like about the rifle. Lets start with the Cons;

I mentioned the tight magazine well, I am unsure if this was just my rifle, or if they are all like this. While it’s not a big deal, I could see somebody who is a big snob on such things might dislike it. I found it simply something to get used to. And later after carrying the rifle for nearly 30 miles over the course of a week, I actually started to appreciate how secure the mag was. I’ve lost AICS mags in the forest before, so that might be why. (PM me if you find any magazines out there)

PVA Modus 6.5 PRC rifle magazine — the magwell and Accurate 3 round 6.5PRC magazine

I also think it would certainly be worth the splurge to upgrade to the Osprey Carbon barrels. While this rifle is lighter than others I’ve hunted with, if you’re going to spend $2,999.00 on the rifle, spend a little more and get the carbon barrel for better balance and less weight. This would make the Modus better in every way compared to similar competitors rifles.

On the Pro side, this thing is built to shoot! The smooth action feeds cartridges great, especially from the polymer magazines. The metal mags have a touch more resistance. Flawless cycling with effortless bolt lift and closing due to the roller bearing. The trigger and other controls are of matching high quality and feel. A rifle priced like this is more appropriate for a seasoned hunter, as beginners and casual hunters might not be able to justify it.

The carbon stock was very rigid and felt great to shoot from, it has that modern feel that Grandpa’s Monte Carlo doesn’t. And a comfy little thumb-shelf for those who like to keep the thumb parallel to their index finger. The dual sling-studs were great, though after 30 miles one of them did come a little loose but I would expect that.

The finish-work on the rifle was as sharp as the accuracy. Which was exactly what you’d expect from a rifle with this heritage. Based on the performance I’d expect the Modus to keep hammering for my grandchildren.

The Hunt

The very first hunt I used the Modus on was an elk hunt in the alpine forests of my home state of Utah. It would be a mostly on foot kind of hunt, with miles of ATV rides mixed in. Despite my best efforts, I never got to point the Modus at a bull elk. Nevertheless it was tested hard on every aspect of a hunting rifle besides the shooting part, in which I was already quite confident. I was however able to take home one little prize with the Modus while searching for elk.

Modus 6.5 PRC rifle — The flat-shooting Modus made it easy to hold nearly dead on POA out to nearly 300 yards

As we stood quietly in the silent forest, the sunlight continued to pierce and illuminate our perspective that morning. I stood quietly listening for the footsteps of my potential prey, but what I heard was not as I’d expected. A great looking coyote came trotting down a trail , the wind and light conditions were in my favor so I decided put to the Modus into action. Lifting the rifle to my shoulder quickly and pressing the trigger right as the coyote paused his step. The incredible speed of the PRC had the coyote shut down instantly, and he settled into a pile of dry Aspen leaves forever.

coyote hunting, PVA Modus 6.5 PRC — the unlucky coyote who dare shew himself within sight of me and the Modus, if you like bino cases, read about the **Eberlestock Recon harness Here**

Deer Hunting

I also brought the Modus along for the mule deer hunt. It’s lightweight and extreme reach would be ideal for these ghostly deer that live in very tough country. Yesterday as a friend, his sons and I were searching for deer. A couple good looking bucks appeared nearly a thousand yards down into a steep canyon. We quickly pursued them closing the distance to 500 yards. With no time to spare, I took the first shot dropping one of the bucks to the ground.

mule deer, Patriot Valley Arms Modus rifle, 6.5 PRC, US Optics TXH 3-18x50 — the first buck, anchored immediately with a high shoulder shot

The second buck stood in disbelief I imagine, as one of the boys slid behind the Modus. He fired one shot that drove another Cayuga solid through the buck’s shoulders and he too made it a few feet before expiring. Perfect accuracy and performance from this rifle.

mule deer, PVA Modus rifle, 6.5PRC, us optics txh 3-18x50 — the second buck we took at 500 yards with the Modus

Scorecard

Accuracy (A) Sub-1/2 MOA accuracy was normal, with good ammunition
Reliability (A) No malfunctions of any kind were experienced during testing
Shootability (B+) Flawless cartridge cycling and control, stiff mag condition would be the only catch for some folks
Ergonomics (A-) Great handling, comfortable and easy to operate. Balance would be improved with carbon barrel option
Value (A-) Not inexpensive, but well worth its its price. The quality finish of a custom with the consistency of a production gun

another Mule deer shot with the Modus — another Mule deer taken with the Modus

Final Thoughts

While I’ve had the Modus for a relatively short time, I feel quite familiar with the rifle having hunted hard for several weeks now. I’ve carried the rifle over my shoulder for miles and miles, for day after day. Riding on ATV’s, in freezing cold and dirty, dusty and even smokey atmosphere. Few things seemed to bother this rifle, it was always ready to deal swift precision and deadly sharpshooting through it all.

There are few things more satisfying than going through a tough patch of hunting, and coming out the other end knowing you and your equipment not only worked but excelled at the task. If you are looking for an exceptional rifle for all your future pursuits, give the Patriot Valley Arms Modus your serious consideration.

-CBM

A Solid Season: hunting with Cayuga solid Bullets

November 25, 2022hunting, Product review, Shooting hardwarecayuga, copper, hunting bullets, Patriot Valley Arms, pva, solid, solid bulletscoldboremiracle

You may have seen me talk about Cayuga solid copper hunting bullets before, but today we are going to go in a little deeper into these very high quality bullets from Patriot Valley Arms. I have always been a match bullet shooter, for targets or game. I suppose I didn’t know what I was missing out on with these solid match-grade projectiles.

What’s so Special about solid bullets?

If you’ve never looked into these or any other solid bullets, let me explain why they perform so well.
Cayuga’s are turned on a CNC Lathe from a solid bar of copper, this precise fabrication allows consistency and concentricity to be perfectly matched from one bullet to the next. So for one they are more consistent than jacketed bullets, even the open-tips are perfectly uniform. But there is still more to it. Solid copper bullets are lighter than jacketed bullets of comparable size, for example the 7mm 170 Cayuga is about the same size as a 7mm 195 jacketed bullet. The design of the Cayuga gives it a superior Ballistic Coefficient, (A mathematical score of the bullets efficiency in flight) This high BC gives the Cayuga it’s better than average flight characteristics for long-range shooting. The efficiencies of the BC also allow the bullet to cheat some of the effects of wind, high BC bullets like the Cayuga are affected less by wind as they fly through it on their way to the target.

An average 5-shot group. Accuracy comes standard with these bullets.

But there is still more:
The lighter weight of the Cayuga bullets when compared to jacketed bullets means that they can be shot even faster. So not only are they more consistent, and high BC, but by increasing the muzzle velocity you can further increase the energy they carry and the range to which they are effective. And higher speed means they will arrive at the target faster, giving the wind less time to affect their flight path.

The owner of PVA and I have been talking for years about everything from terminal ballistics to airplanes, Josh is a bit of a mad scientist crossed with a pitbull who doesn’t let go.

A couple years back, he sent me some of his first Cayuga solid bullets, they were the 122 grain 6.5 Cayugas. We used them to take down a pair of cow elk from 475 and 520 yards from a 24″ 6.5 Creedmoor, both of them dropped in their tracks never to move again. Watch the video here

Last year, I tried the 6mm flavor of Cayuga bullets, they came in at 100 grains. We again used them to take down a couple small mule deer bucks, though taking them down from 680 and 1000 yards is no small feat for a little 6mm. Both bucks went straight down, and never got back up. The Cayuga’s fired from my 24″ 6MM GT were extremely accurate and very impressive.

This year, I wanted to get even more data on the Cayuga’s as a hunting bullet. We had plenty of ballistic data on how they fly and such, but more terminal data was needed to better illustrate the benefits of these bullets as a hunting projectile. So we loaded them up in a few different calibers to see just how many animals we could kill with the Cayuga.
First up was my son Leo’s antelope hunt. Since the GT performed so well last year, I thought we’d give it another chance. And 6mm’s are great for antelope hunts on the open prairie.
You can read the whole story here, but the salient facts are these; We took two mature doe pronghorn antelope from six hundred-ish yards, and the 100 grain Cayuga did an excellent job of dispatching the animals.

One reason I like using cartridges a little lighter than most, is because I hate loosing meat to bullet damage. The 6mm Cayugas did just the right amount of damage in my estimation, enough to kill the animal clean but not take too much of my delicious meat with it.

The next hunt up was the general season mule deer hunt. We had the whole family hunting with Cayugas solids this season, in 6mm, 6.5, 260 rem, 270 wsm, 7SAUM, and 300WM. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get them all in the right place at the right time, but does it ever work out to plan?

We did manage to take a few deer with the 6.5’s and .260’s though. The first 6.5 shot was on a small buck from a distance of approximately 175 yards, the shot placement wasn’t as good as I would have hoped and he made it about forty yards before laying down to die.
The second one fell to the same 122 grain Cayuga fired from a 16″ .260 Remington owned by my son. He made a quick shot on an escaping buck to drop him right in his tracks, the shot passed through the shoulder, disconnected the coronary plumbing and sailed through the other side. The distance of this shot was three hundred and thirty yards.

My other son put the moves on a small spike using the 6.5 Creedmoor and 122 Cayuga. This little buck was around 300 yards away when he took a Cayuga through his liver. He made it a little farther than I would have liked, but better shot placement is the only fix for that.

The last deer we shot was with the same 6.5 Creedmoor, this time it was my wife’s buck. He thought he had given us the slip, but he didn’t know we were waiting quietly for him to step out.
When he did, we were ready with another 122 grain Cayuga. The shot was just over two hundred yards, and it hit him like a copper train. He jumped a couple times into the brush stumbling around until his feet were in the air.

The Cayuga absolutely wrecked his heart, I’m always surprised to see an animal move at all after an impact like this.

The season wasn’t over just yet, I still had a cow elk tag to get before the end of the year. In the last few days of the season, we were able to close in on a couple cows. And being so short on time I wasn’t going to be picky when the opportunity was presented.
I carried with me that day my SRS M2 again, this time using the 7 SAUM barrel I’ve had for years. In the magazine were handloaded 151 grain Cayugas with a modest muzzle velocity of 3100FPS. I’d shot them with very predictable accuracy beyond one-thousand yards, so I was prepared for about anything.

A young cow elk taken with the 151 Cayuga

As it turns out, the shot presented was only 250 yards away. The elk was quartering away but looking back, the shot impacted the right shoulder passing through both lungs and exited just in front of the left shoulder. She ran a short distance before expiring but the damage of the impact was very apparent as we butchered the animal. I would consider the minimal meat damage to be better than average, which I also consider a big plus.

As I had anticipated, it has been a season full of bounty. From the very first time I killed an animal with a Cayuga, I had a good feeling that these were essentially bottled-lightning. And after this successful season, I can again confirm that the flight-performance and terminal performance of the Cayuga is outstanding. If you are looking for something to enhance your hunting performance, give them a try.

-CBM

2023 update

During the fall of 2023 I again used the 100 grain Cayuga on a hunt for a Pronghorn Antelope buck. I was able to take a fine buck from 480 yards, he fell to a single 6mm Cayuga that impacted through his shoulder, passed through both the heart and one lung and liver before hanging up in the off side skin just in front of his hip.

2024 Update

This season I used the 129 Cayuga solids loaded in my 6.5 PRC rifle. They shot very accurately, and were incredibly flat shooting. We managed to take a couple mule deer bucks with this combo a few days ago. The two bucks were standing together around 500 yards away, I took a shot on one of the two, and after he dropped a friend slid behind the rifle and shot the other. The first deer dropped to the ground only to kick and roll, the second made it a hop or two before keeling over.

I managed to get a picture of the damage done by the Cayuga after passing through my deer. An impressive wound channel for sure, and for the first time ever I found a couple curled up pieces of copper while skinning. It appears that the bullet deformed too some degree.

mule deer, wound, 129 Cayuga bullet — The offside exit wound of the 129 Cayuga

cayuga solid bullets — a recovered piece of copper from the bullet

Additionally, using the same rifle and ammo combo, I managed to take this handsome coyote while I was elk hunting this season. It was a relatively short shot, and the 6.5 PRC velocities made the death instant. Very little damage was done, the bullet probably didn’t have time to do anything.

Cayuga solid copper bullets: 6mm 100 grain

November 4, 2021hunting, Product review, Shooting hardware6mm, 6mm GT, bullets, cayuga, Copper bullets, Patriot Valley Arms, pva, solid bulletscoldboremiracle

Preface

Some of you may have already read about my experience with the 6.5 Cayuga from a year or two ago. That may or may not have led you to this subject, but if you are seriously looking into the Cayuga solid copper bullets as a hunting option then I’d recommend reading both articles.

The Cayuga

All Patriot Valley Arms Cayugas are solid copper monolithic bullets, lathe turned to perfection from the same alloy as traditional copper cup bullets. This allows them to be extremely consistent from bullet to bullet, and the CNC turning process also allows their profile to be controlled meticulously. The Cayuga solids boast much higher ballistic coefficients than comparably weighted bullets, but due to their lighter weight from lacking a lead core they can be shot at higher velocities. So to sum it up; higher bc’s and lighter weight make them better for distance shooting and the lot consistency and gentile ogive make them accurate and easy loading.

target, group, cayuga solid, — A typical group from the Cayuga, with zero load workup

Earlier this year, I started my second six millimeter project, a 6mm GT for my Desert Tech SRS M2. It took only a few minutes to fall completely in love with the Tiger, so when given the opportunity to test these new Cayuga bullets in it, I wasted no time. The 6mm GT easily pushes hundred grain bullets to the 3,000 fps mark, and the high BC of the Cayuga meant that it would hold onto that velocity and energy for quite a ways.

The Numbers

The 100 grain Cayuga didn’t exactly come with an owners manual, PVA gave me some suggested data to work with which seemed to be spot on. I used a G7 BC of .270 which is very similar to the extremely popular Berger 105gr. I tested the Cayuga to beyond 1400 yards and as far as I shot with it, that .270 lined up perfectly.

Easily Loaded

desert tech, srs, srs a1, srs m2, — My **Desert Tech SRS M2** (among its siblings) during the hunt

Once I had the Cayugas in hand, I sat down at the loading bench to get busy. The go to powder for the GT is Hodgdon Varget, and for good reason. But if your reading this in the same era it was written, then you know how hard its been to get certain loading components. Varget was hard to come by, but I had eight pounds of Reloader 17 that I could make work. And boy did it!
The very first load I tried with the Cayugas was a modest charge of RL-17 that produced around 2960 fps from my twenty-four inch barrel. The first five bullets I tested went through nearly the same hole, I shit thee nay. Groups in the .2’s and .3’s were immediately achieved with ZERO load workup or seating depth fiddling. While I do consider myself to be both lucky and handsome, I think the generous curve of the bullets ogive likely bears more credit for the accurate shooting than any luck of my own.
I added a touch more powder to break the big three-o, and left the rest alone. From there I spent the rest of my test shooting validating drop and such to confirm the bc. The end goal here was the same for nearly every project of mine; what can I kill with it?

Hunting Season

The GT had accompanied me on a bear hunt to Montana, no kills were made there so the next opportunity would be the Mule deer hunt in my state of Utah. The Rocky Mountains that I call home are quite spacious, and the steep and deep canyons where we hunt our deer can often stretch for miles. Shots can be anywhere from one hundred yards, out to two or three ridges away. To put it simply, a five, six or seven hundred yard shot on a mule deer buck is about as common as anything. The Gay Tiger loaded with Cayugas had become such a predictably accurate shooter that anything in that realm felt like a chip shot as far as hitting my point of aim. So when opening day arrived, the GT road right next to me, and never left my side. We ended up using it for two separate shots on deer, both of which hang quietly in the shed in my backyard.
The first deer was shot at six-hundred and eighty yards, it was a perfect broadside shot that passed through leaving an inch and a half hole on its way out. The deer staggered about twenty yards before he tipped over.

The second deer was taken a few days later, at a distance just over a thousand yards. He too took a single shot and dropped straight to the ground where he expired. While the second shot may have had less energy than recommended by many, it certainly did the trick just fine.
Broken rib bones, shredded lungs, and bright blood stains against the dry yellow grass are exactly the kind of indicators that good hunters like to judge a bullet’s performance.

Antelope

Since the initial posting of this article, I have also use the 100gr Cayuga on other animals. I was lucky enough to draw a buck Pronghorn Antelope tag in Utah, and the GT loaded with Cayuga’s would be just the ticket.

The shot would end up being taken at 480 yards, and would penetrate almost fully from a quartering shot. Entering the front left shoulder, and exiting just in front of the right hip. The buck went straight down, as a result of the impressive damage from the Cayuga. You can read more about the hunt here. I also went into some deeper detail and analysis about this an other shots in this article about tumbling bullets.

Conclusion

Just as I had expected, the 6mm Cayugas are everything I had hoped for. Accurate and flat shooting bullets that make an impressive wound cavity through animals. We often joke that Im going to have to shoot an elk with a 6mm Cayuga if ever I want to find a fired one. But after seeing what I have, it’d have to be really far away, or else I’d have to shoot him length-wise. We killed seven deer last week, just in my group. And the 6mm GT shooting Cayugas killed every bit as well as the larger cartridges used (6.5CM, 260, 308). If you are in need of a solid copper hunting bullet, or if your stuck in California for example, the Cayugas are just the ticket for six-millimeter big game hunting.

-CBM

PVA Cayuga Solid Copper Hunting Bullets

January 12, 2020hunting, Product review, Shooting hardwarebullet, bullets, cayuga, Patriot Valley Arms, pva, solidcoldboremiracle

The good folks at Patriot Valley Arms helped get me started down this road, what seems like a very long time ago. Good people and good products are the norm for PVA, today we look at one of their newer products the Cayuga Solid Copper Hunting Bullets.

The 122 Grain Cayuga loaded into Petersen brass

I was given the opportunity to test drive PVA’s new 6.5 line of solid hunting bullets. Hunting is my bread and butter, so I was excited to put these lathe turned solids into action.

The 122 grain Cayuga bullets are turned from solid copper bar stock, using the same alloy of copper that jacketed bullets use. Turning them on a CNC lathe gives precise control to bullet geometry, it is this precision cut construction that gives the Cayuga its uniformity.

The bullets are solid copper, with a hollow point cut into the tip. They have a tapered boat-tail, and a driving band around the middle. The gentle taper of the ogive makes these bullets very generous when it comes to seating depth sensitivity.

I cautiously loaded these bullets into some 6.5 Creedmoor brass from Petersen, with a goodly charge of H4350, and took them to the range. Initial groups were easily sub MOA, and with little adjustments, I had them shooting around half an inch.

It was time to hit the track on this test drive, a Rocky Mountain Elk hunt. Some might think that a 6.5 Creedmoor is a bit light for elk, which it may be. But I’d hunted with similar setups plenty of times in the past, so I wasn’t worried.

The first elk to fall to the Cayuga, hit at 475 yards

The first engagement we had with an elk took place at 475 yards, a young cow stood quartering away. The bullet hit her at the top of the left side rib-cage, on a slightly down angle. It passed through the ribs, passed through her lungs leaving quite a mess, and exited the front of her chest just to the right of her neck. She dropped immediately, and slid down the snowy slope. Damage was exactly what I expected to see from such an acute injury. Broken bones, spalling through tissue, leaving mayhem in organs which could no longer sustain life.

The Cayuga plowed through these ribs leaving a clear path of destruction

These lungs stood no chance, ripped open by the passing bullet

The second Cayuga fired at a big game animal was a mature cow elk, chewing away at the brush bark on a cold winter storm blown mountain. She was 520 yards away this time, completely unaware of the heated copper cutlass headed her way. It again impacted in the ribs and shoulder, breaking both the shoulder blade, several ribs, as well as one of her vertebrae as it passed by. She instantly dropped, and bled out as quickly as one would expect.

Entrance wound on the second elk, after passing through the shoulder blade

Again the lungs were damaged beyond function, both animals quickly succumbed to their injuries

The damage done on both animals was very proportionate to the size of the expanded Cayuga, unfortunately both of them blew right through the animals so I was unable to see their final dimensions. Never the less they did a perfect job, and I couldn’t have asked for more.

If you are in need of an all copper hunting bullet, or if you want a hunting bullet with an extremely high ballistic coefficient, then give these Cayuga bullets a good look. When the shots count the most, send something that brings it all. For additional info, read my article about the 6mm 100 grain Cayuga

-CBM

Patriot Valley Arms Jet Blast Muzzle Brakes

November 4, 2019Product review, Shooting hardwarebrake, brakes, Muzzle brakes, Patriot Valley Armscoldboremiracle

I often talk about how we are living in the best times of precision rifling, part of that is because of technology, and also due in part to the thriving market of suppliers bringing great new products to us.

Patriot Valley Arms is one of those manufacturers, pushing the envelope and innovating products for shooters, And today I’d like to discuss their Jet Blast muzzle brakes.

Muzzle brake technology has changed significantly even since I started paying attention, I remember the first muzzle brake I ever had installed. Back then there was a simple purpose, reducing recoil. Radial porting around the whole barrel that blew dust all over, made it even louder than it was before, but it did tame the recoil. We have come quite a ways since then.

The Jet Blast Muzzle brake comes in a three port design, with baffles directed to the sides and back. The Jet 4 brakes have an additional port for a total of four, giving additional braking force. Both three and four port brakes are available with an up to 6.5mm bore, or an up to .308 bore, this gives most shooters a close enough option for their rifle. They are also available finished in stainless, or nitrided black.

One of the handiest features of the Jet brakes is the built in timing apparatus. There is a counter threaded jam nut built right into the back of the brake, which allows you to time the brake easily and quickly. With nothing more than a cresent wrench or something similar, you can set the brake and snug it up. And just as quickly you can pull it off and switch it to another rifle to enjoy its braking qualities there as well.

The curious design of the Jet Blast brakes, creates an interesting pressure flow. I’m certainly no engineer, but the seeming delay of pressure wave created by the brake is just enough to get the shooter through the shot. What I mean by that, is that after the shot, and impact, you feel almost like a delayed cyclone of air passing by you. This must be by design, to give the shooter less antagonizing from muzzle gasses. The loud report from brakes seems to be lessened from the shooters perspective, which is a very nice added value.

If you find yourself in the market for recoil reduction, do yourself a favor and check into Patriot Valley Arms and their Jet Blast brakes. Excellent recoil mitigation, easy install, all for a reasonable price (starting at 135$). Tell em I sent ya.
-CBM