Rifle | Coldboremiracle

Some of you have seen CBM Jr. following along on some of my adventures, he’s been my little hunting companion since he first came on the deer hunt when he was three years old. He has grown up quite a bit, not missing a single hunt, to the point that he thinks he’s one of the guys in our hunting group. This year marks a special point in his life, as it will be the first year that he is old enough to hunt himself. Just last month he finished his hunter safety course, and he is excited as ever to go hunt elk, and deer with the big boys. He has long hunted small game with his little .17HMR, but it surely wont do for anything bigger than rabbits and chucks.

I had anticipated this for some time, and for the last year or so I have been putting together the necessary parts to put him together a proper rifle, one he can use and be proud of as long as he has need for it. A huge thanks goes to the PR community for helping me get the parts put together for a very economic price.

Both my kids come hunting and shooting with me as often as possible

See Junior’s rifle in its first action here!

The game plan I had started with the basics, what action? I wanted this to be good, but cheap. So I figured a good Remington or Savage action would do well, and in short time, I had my hands on a good 700 short action. The next question which I spent a lot of time debating was caliber. Sure, there are plenty of easy options. How many kids start their hunting career with a 243? That was an easy answer, but my kid inherited his Mother’s taste. And he seems to desire elk hunting more so than deer. Granted, plenty of elk are killed every year with 243’s, but I wasn’t sure I wanted something that light for a kid who has big dreams of elk. I also was taking into account the practicality, I already have everything to reload 308, so that would be a valid option as well (downloaded for a small kid of course). So after much debate, going back and forth, I decided to settle on the .260 Remington, the choice of distinguished shooters everywhere. It didn’t hurt that it’s one of my favorites as well, and I have everything I need to load it. Plus, a 260 fits right in that spot; plenty big to hammer any deer or antelope, and just big enough to work well on elk. With the added benefit of still being short action, and modest recoil when downloaded with light bullets, just right for this kid.
So I started looking for a 264 barrel, and to my surprise, I found the perfect barrel for my project. A slightly used pre-cut AAC barrel made for a Remington. It was a 24″ with an 8 twist, but I had a friend cut it down to 16″, and re-threaded for the much needed muzzle embellishments. The stock was made from an old walnut Remington, that I cut down, and did some whittling to fit a smaller framed hunter. I added a pic rail to the front for a bipod mount, and bottom/side flush cups for sling mounting. A bit of bedding compound, and some grip texturing, followed by some keen squirts of Duracote to handsome up the ensemble.

I started out with a very in expensive 120BTHP from PVRI, loaded up on top of 38g of some Benchmark I had been given. With mag feed seating depth, it gave around 2800 fps from the short little barrel. And with very little adjustment, or load development for that matter, I could pound 8″ targets at 500 yds all day long. That’s about all the shooting I’ve done with it yet, I plan on letting him get comfortable with it, and once he has burned up the 500 120 PVRI bullets, maybe we’ll step him up to the 140’s. At first I had put a Minox 1-6 scope on it, but the scope currently riding on top is a US Optics TS8X in 30mm rings and a 30MOA EGW scope base.

He’s grown up, but he still likes that little rifle.

Believe it or not, I am into this project for less than 500$ (except the scope of course) Thanks to many who either gave me parts, or their time. It’s a fine rifle, one that any kid getting into hunting would be happy to have.
-CBM

Every now and then, I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to try a new piece of equipment. Its a strange place to be, when you have what you think is a perfect fit, and then have to try something different.
That was the case this weekend, when I put the Accu-Tac LR-10 bipod on my SRS Covert. I usually run either a Harris for compact lightweight, or an Atlas 5H for position building perfection. Today my purpose was to give the Accu-Tac a shot, and see how it measured up.
My initial impression when I picked it up, was a bit skeptical. It looked like it was built to be stout, but it also had a bit of a different style to it. Being the complete poser that I am, I pay very close attention to aesthetics. I wasn’t too sure how to feel about the LR-10.
I wasted no time, and quickly put the bipod into use, trying various positions. Like any new piece of gear, it took a second to get used to . But I quickly found myself liking the simplistic operation one would hope to find in two legs attached to a rifle. The QD attachment was smooth and easily adjustable, making installation simple.

Being used to the Atlas and Harris, the LR-10 was an easy shoe in. The few controls on this bipod were quite simple and obvious as to their function. The bipod world has many different options when it comes to leg extending, and I am still undecided about legs springing in, or out. This bipod is of the former, retracting its legs with the simple push of a levered cam. So easy to push in, I was concerned it might be easily pressed by accident causing a loss of sight picture in a heated moment. But to my surprise, the angled cut of the lever uses the weight of the rifle, to create quite a resistance. Making it a deliberate action required to adjust the leg length. Conveniently, when the rifle is not on its legs, all functions of the bipod are very smooth, and require little force. The legs are easily folded by simply pulling them away from the rifle, and positioning them, both front and rear 45 degree angles, as well as the standard 90.

The feet of the bipod screw in, making it easy to change out for spikes vs. rubber.
The extension length of the legs did leave me wanting a bit more. I was surprised they didn’t come out further, considering the size of the un-extended portion.
The pivot point, at the center hub of the bipod has a captured rotation, allowing plenty of cant for uneven terrain, but not allowing the rifle to tip over. A “T” shaped thumb screw is located in the hang down position between the legs. The screw applies pressure to a small brass shoe, that applies a braking force against the shaft on which the bipod cants. The braking force can be adjusted from slight resistance, to completely locked up. While robust in most places, the pivot point of this bipod appears to be the weakest link on this device. I think it would do fine on most rifles, but I would be a bit concerned putting it on heavy recoiling rifles (.33+). I am no engineer, but it does seem to me that a slightly larger shaft could benefit the LR-10.

My impression of shooting with the Accu-Tac was very positive, it was very sturdy. The wide stance, and stout construction made my rifle feel very steady. The quick lockup of the cant feature was easily done with my thumb from the firing position, locking the rifle firmly into place. Setting up position was also quick. By simply rocking the rifle to one side, and pulling down on the downhill leg, followed by a quick leveling, and you are ready to engage. Even under hard bolt manipulation I found it quite easy to keep the rifle on target, and not loose sight picture.
The LR-10 also proved quite stable when shooting from improvised positions, allowing me to really lean into the rifle.

With as many good bipods as there are out there, and as much as some of them cost, I would want to get the best I could for the money. While I dont think I would trade my Atlas 5H in for this LR-10, I do think it is a good product overall. And at almost half the price of the Atlas, the LR-10 is definitely an appealing option for HD bipods. For the average guy who wants a solid rest without spending a huge portion of his earnings, I think this bipod would serve you well. But if you are a tier 1 poser, you may have to step up your gear queer appropriating to a higher level.
-CBM