I recently received a very nice custom Model 70 from Mark Penrod. While this is not my normal fare of rust blued metal and fine walnut, it is a very nice piece of craftsmanship that I am proud to own and look forward to shooting soon. The project started with an old push feed Model 70 that I obtained very cheaply. I decided to have Mark build a rifle on this action inspired by the USMC M40A1 sniper rifle, but chambered in 30-06 rather than .308 Win. Mark did the following work on the rifle:

-Supply and fit Krieger four groove stainless barrel, 24", 1-10" twist, Remington Varmint contour.
-Square action.
-Polish feed ramp, loading port, top of tang, inside of receiver bridge.
-Polish and surface grind sear surfaces, time safety and cocking piece. Set trigger at 2.5 pounds.
-New stainless magazine follower with modified Rem 700 BDL spring.
-Polished hex head guard screws.
-Install Badger Ordnance base and rings, lap rings and mark them for direction and front/rear location.
-Install Williams one piece bottom metal, fit magazine box, draft edges and polish.
-Pillar bed in McMillan GPH woodland camo pattern stock with Pachmayr Decel pad and Wichita 1.5" sling swivels, free float barrel, inlet for bolt handle, seal cut surfaces of stock.
-Birdsong's Black T coating on all metal.

Aside from the overall quality and precision of Mark's work his attention to detail and customer service is outstanding. Mark called me several times throughout the project to check on questions he had and sent photos several times to show me how the work was going.

Mark really knows the Model 70 well and the small details that he pays attention to contribute to a very high quality product. One of the neat things he did was order the McMillan stock without the bolt handle cut so that he could cut it to minimum size rather than settle with the huge factory cut. He also had the factory installed machine nut for the rear sling swivel break loose and spin before the rear sling swivel was tight. Mark milled through it and fabricated a new, threaded and fluted insert that he epoxied in place. He sent a pic of the insert and I was impressed with how much work he put into a part that was just going to be glued into the stock.

While not a sheep rifle, I plan to use this one on a hunt when I get a chance and expect to enjoy shooting very small groups with it on the range. If anyone has a spare Nightforce 3.5-15 they want to send my way just let me know!

Next up with Mark will be a 338-06 on Pre 64 transitional Model 70 in an Echols Legend pattern McMillan stock with Edge fill. Should be a good Alaska rifle.

Forrest

i don't have a problem with push-feed m70s... tip burns built me a nice .264 win mag on 1 last yr, on an action i picked up here on AR... the badger rings and bases look good....did they require any fiting???....

I have never heard anything but praise about Mark. He builds a nice rifle and I really like that one. The P/F M70 makes a great foundation for a custom rifle and the .30-06 was a smart call.

On the scope choice though, have you looked at the NF 2-10X36? The resolution is so good on those scopes you really don't need a whole lot of power and the 2-10X36 is a nice size too. I have one and can see bullet holes in paper at extreme distances.

It's just a thought. Great rifle!


Terry

Hello Chisana:

Very nice looking, practical rifle. I second the suggestion that you consider the Nightforce 2.5-10 NXS. They're virtually the same size as a 30mm 1.5-5VXIII, and the optics are outstanding. They also can be had with the "zero-stop" feature, which is useful if you'd rather center the game in the reticle, rather than holding over.

Dave Manson

Chisana,

EXCELLENT rifle!
I always look at Mark's rifles, as his execution is perfect; always right on. He is one very talented guy, and I end up admiring his work anew.

Don

Nice Rifle, great ol caliber!
I have seen walnut close to the figure you got in this one...
338/06, My favorite, keep us posted on that one too.

Enjoy

Mark does great work.

Thanks for the compliments guys and I appreciate the feedback on Nightforce scopes. Even though this is a larger rifle I still don't want to have a monstrous piece of glass on it.

There was a question about the rings and bases - Mark didn't mention anything unusual about installing them.

Forrest