Had MRC put a #4 tube on it chambered in 7mm WSM. Got the rifle on Wednesday and have spent all my time out of the woods working on inletting an M70 stock for it.

The stock took some work to get right, about six hours in all. Still not a custom fit but useable.

Today I took it out and used the shoot and clean method for the first ten rounds while sighting in and chronographing loads.

All said and done the last three shots were for group. Two in the 1 inch orange circle, one just outside making total group size around .85 measured with dial calipers.

I do believe this rifle will be a real shooter as this was with a starting load of H-1000 and 162 grain Hornady's. With no load developement and me shivering from the cold a little I thind it has real potential.

Thanks for the update.....It's always good to hear the results.

Thanks for the information. I also have a 7mm WSM barreled action that is currently being fitted to the stock. I should receive it this friday, and will be able to report how it shoots shortly after that.

Good news! I'm still waiting for my .300 wsm. Glad to hear some interesting and promising news. Good hunting.

Good stuff! Question is: will this soothe the shooters still waiting for their M1999s (left hand, right hand, short, long, mini, PH), or will it add to their plight and really work them into a "I-can't-stand-waiting-any-longer-gasp-gasp" frenzy?!?
- mike

Heavy Varmint,
How are the triggers on these actions?
Stepchild

Varmit-

Would you comment on your barrel length and the velocities you were achieving since your where using your chronograph?

Thanks in advance.

Stepchild, the trigger on the one I recieved was just as they said. It broke crisp at around 3 pounds out of the box and needed no polishing.

30, I put two shots over the chroney with 64 grains of H-1000 behind a Hornady 162 grain I-Lock bt and CCI 250 primers. My barrel length is 25 inches.

Shot no.1 chroney'd at 2756 and shot no.2, 2752.

I believe Hodgdon lists this load at 2800 with a 24 inch test barrel so.....

The 3 position safety was pretty stiff and the action wasn't near as smooth as I had expected but both of these problems were fairly easily solved.

I polished the contact points inside the action with a fine steel wool and put some gunslick grease in the safety mechanism and worked it back and forth several times then got the grease out.

The action is now as smooth or smoother than any of the 3 M70 classics I have (that's smooth!) and will feed rounds loaded or empty from the magazine just fine. The safety also workes as it should. Also should note that feeding was fine from the start but I still polished the feed ramp while I was at it.

Making the M70 short action stock work, in my opinion, took more than "a little inletting". I used a Bell & Carlson carbalite stock and if not for this type of stock being so easily sanded and cut on I doubt that I would have been able to do it.

All together I am very pleased with this action and even though it took some expected and some not so expected work to get it "right" I am in no way a gunsmith or a stock maker and I did it so in hindsight I guess that's a testiment to these actions.

Varmit-

Thanks for the info. However, I am now kicking myself. I ordered my barrel for .300 WSM in a 24 inch length. 25 inches would have been the "berries." I wasn't thinking outside the box.

Are you pleased with that velocity? That seems a bit low to me.

Heavy Varmit, good to hear it is starting to shoot well and there is no doubt in my mind that you will find those groups tightening up as you play with your loads. As for everyone else waiting, I'm sorry about the delays, but we are pushing as hard as we can to get these out to everyone. Here is a little update:

The first batch of Stainless Right Hand Standard actions have been received. The shop is working on assembling them now.

The Chrome Moly Right Hand Magnums are in the polishing shop and we should be seeing them within the next week or two.

The Chrome Moly Right Hand Standards shipped yesterday from heat treating to the polish shop. Again I would expect to see them in the next two weeks.

The Left Hand Long Actions are in the machine shop now, and the Short Action Left Hands are either there (at the machine shop) or on there way. We expect or I should say we are going to try our hardest to get them out before the end of this year.

As to the trigger question, and of course I am a little biased but honest at the same time. It is a good, safe trigger with quite a bit of adjustability. I have seen one of our triggers adjusted very nicely down to less than 1 lb. I obviously wouldn't suggest that, but it does show that it could be done by a qualified gunsmith. It is by no means a Jewel trigger, but it is a very nice hunting trigger.

Dan

Dan, thanks for the update and just one question. Any news on Canadian distributors yet?

Thanks in advance for any information.

Chico,
We are trying to set up something with a guy that used to work with Dlask Arms in BC. We have also sent out some Distributor packets to other companies but haven't heard anything back from them. You might check with Bill Leeper to see about him bringing them in for you.

Dan

[ 12-03-2003, 19:53: Message edited by: Dan@Montana Rifle Co ]

Varmit, I have a .300 WSM coming soon from MRC in the #4 profile. How much did your outfit turn out to weigh? Just curious.

30, that does seem a little slow compared to Hodgdons test barrel but that's only two starting loads over the chroney on a cold day so I havn't given up hope yet. I will be disapointed if the barrel is slow but that's just the luck of the draw and as long as the accuracy is there, with such a variety of .284 bullets available, a little velocity either way is not a huge deal to me.

Dan, I have no doubt about the groups tightening. As I said, by the time I shot the group I had been out, underdressed, for a couple hours. I'm positive that shivering and numb fingers opened the group and still, it was under an inch. Very happy with that first group!

Begoode, I will post the exact weight as soon as the little lady can remember to pick up batteries for the digital scale With the Bell&Carlson stock, Luepie mounts and rings, and Zeiss Conquest 3x9x40 a rough guestimate would be not less than 9 or more than 10 pounds.

Varmit, 9-10 is what my figures are as well. Let's see I weigh 243 and that makes...so if I lose 10 lbs. that means it weighs ...just a few ounces...right Best to you.