Sleeper untacticool rifle Project

[atblis]

Yep

I thought of the Krylon thing. Matte black baby!

Duct Tape, didn't think of that one.

 

[Brass Balls]

Same idea, different direction - .30-30 lever action. It's just an old antique cowboy gun right?

 

[mustanger98]

Same idea, different direction - .30-30 lever action. It's just an old antique cowboy gun right?

That's my point in saying:

Well, my old '94 .30-30 ain't considered "tactical" or "tacticool" and for the lead match I shot that time, nobody gave it much hope... nobody except me, that is. Yup, that old Winchester with the Lyman #2 tang sight turned out to be a sleeper that day on a line full of buffalo rifles. But then, to 200yds those .45-70's ain't doin' anything a .30-30 won't do.

I've told it before, but my old levergun kept up with- and passed- a beautifully sporterized '03A3 that day. There were at least two there who didn't give my rifle much hope against the kind of competition we had that day. But a lot of it also came down to luck and operators' nerves. I think it don't help the competition when they start seeing something they'd borderline guffawed keeping up with their stuff. I mean some of those guys... just a rear sight cost twice what my rifle and rear sight cost together.

 

[.38 Special]

Honestly, making hyper-accurate rifles isn't that difficult. Or perhaps more correctly, there isn't any magic. Accuracy 'smiths can turn them out on demand.

Start with a good action: either a "blueprinted" factory job or a custom benchrest action. Then have a "name" accuracy 'smith mount a barrel from a reputable company. Shilen, Pac-Nor, etc. Finally, slap on a good, stiff synthetic stock -- properly bedded, of course -- and any scope that will hold zero, match-prep some cases and seat the benchrest bullets out near the lands, and chances are that you will have a rifle that can be counted upon for .25" to .5" groups all day long. It can look, if you like, exactly like any run-of-the-mill sporter, and yes, Krylon can make ANYTHING ugly.

Sako, BTW, pretty much offers that gun out of the box. One of their sporters in a PPC caliber will normally deliver groups in the .25" range with their factory ammo, and the thing looks utterly unremarkable.

 

[pete f]

go to the next gun show and buy a five year old savage 110 or a rem 788, add a good piece of glass and you are done.

 

[shark3-1]

The TC Icon was built to be exactly what you are looking for. It was built with much input from the guys at GA Precision. It has all the features of way nicer custom long range bolt guns but looks like a handsome hunter. I got the whole rundown at SHOT and this will be my next purchase after my Surgeon gets here from PAI.

The reciever is machined out of solid barstock, it has 3 integral recoil lugs machined into the reciever with an aluminum bedding block in the walnut stock. I can't recall all the other things that they put into the rifle, but it is an impressive sleeper with the looks of a fine hunting rifle and the features found on much higher end custom rifles.

 

[Airborne Falcon]

Do you mean sleeper or do you mean ringer?

I tend to agree with the Savage 110 idea, with a little tweaking and a decent set of glass, you'd surprise your share of paper punchers if you can do your part.

 

[mustanger98]

Another idea, if you're not shooting beyond 300yds, is a Savage 340 or Springfield 325 (they're the same rifle under different names) either one in .30-30Winchester. Handload spitzers and when they ask, tell 'em it's "7.62x51Redneck". That's bound to not only surprise 'em with accuracy, but also baffle 'em with a nomeclature they've likely not heard.

 

[____hoot____]

Mine is a Brazilian 1936 Mauser 30-06, with a shaved down military stock bubbaed recoil pad at my preferred 12 1/2 inch pull with a take-off Husqvarna 06 tight chambered 23 1/2" pencil barrel. It is teflon black coated with an old Bushnell Scopechief 6X and homemade leather sling. Glass bedded, free floating the barrel with a honed stock trigger inside. Have surprized a few people.

 

[Eleven Mike]

The TC Icon was built to be exactly what you are looking for....It has all the features of way nicer custom long range bolt guns but looks like a handsome hunter....I can't recall all the other things that they put into the rifle, but it is an impressive sleeper with the looks of a fine hunting rifle and the features found on much higher end custom rifles.

It's not supposed to look like a fine hunting rifle, it's supposed to look plain. I don't think the Icon is handsome or plain; it looks chintzy.

 

[shark3-1]

FWIW I thought it looked better than my 700 or Weatherby. Regardless it was designed to have features more commonly found in $3k custom long range rifles in a reasonably priced gun that resembles a hunting rifle (I thought the OP was looking for just that kind of rifle).

 

[rockstar.esq]

So I just remembered that the Baikal SxS shotguns have an option to replace the choke tubes with 30-30 barrels! You'd have a seriously cool/odd gun there without anyone suspecting. Especially if you led folks to believe that you were just shooting 12g slugs at longer ranges!

 

[cracked butt]

Here's my sleeper. Its uglier than sin but I had a brand new surplus 03a3 barrel installed on it. I shoot weight sorted and carefully culled cast bullets through it- out to 200 yards it shoots amazingly well.

 

[mustanger98]

cb, Just wondering what your barrel's date is... and how many grooves? One of my range buddies shoots a sportered 03A3 with a 6-44 2-groove. (... he's the guy I talk about shooting against in lead matches. He placed ahead of me standing offhand, but I beat him in the bucket match with my .30-30.) My 03A3 barrel's 8-44 2-groove.