Special Purpose Rifle Set Ups

[mikle76]

One of the other post about a chrome 760 with a cut down barrel bored out to 35 Whelen for hunting the Northwest got me to thinking about setting up rifles for a VERY specific use. I declare war on pest birds on my feeders every so often and have a 10/22 with a an aftermarket barrel that I set up with a center-dot scope and shoot subsonic Eley HP's to pick them off. It's sighted in at exactly the distance from the feeder to my blind. It's about the only thing I that I do with that rifle and I like it that way. Any of you guys have a rifle for specific purposes other than say home defense?

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

For me this required some thought, since my overriding purpose for owning any rifle is inevitably 'because I want it.'

I configured my AMT Lightning 10/22 clone specifically for iron sight offhand shooting:


My Henry Minibolt with an Accubolt stock was assembled to serve as a coup-de-gras rifle for trapped neighborhood Possums -- small and light enough to hide under a coat:


This other 10/22 clone was built to be a light as possible (right at 4 lbs.):


And my Wehrmann's Gewehr was built for Wehrsport target shooting and to circumvent a limitation of the Versailles Treaty (but not by me -- I just own it 'cause it's cool):

 

[Armored farmer]

I only have purpose-built project. Its actually a AR pistol in 5.56.
Its purpose is to protect some VIPs (my family) while away from home. The result was so impressive that it waits at the ready under my bed in a springloaded safe with my trusty 870. It can rain down a ton of self defense real quick.

 

[Nuclear]

I purpose built a couple of rifles, both AR pattern. The first was to demonstrate to a friend that an AR could be as accurate as a bolt action rifle (this was about 30 years ago). The second was a PCC for competition and home defense without blowing out my eardrums.

 

[FL-NC]

I have 2 AR's set up for 3 gun comp (which I no longer do, so they are really nice "safe queen" AR's) and a Ruger American ranch in 300 BLK that is a suppressor host, but used by Mrs. Fl-NC for deer hunting.

 

[Skylerbone]

I have a few purpose specific rifles.


10.5” (left) for HD, 7.5” (right) for passenger seat SD (get out of town/get away from my vehicle).


(right) 5 lbs 5.6 oz, now 6 lbs 16” AR built for one of my daughters.



I re-imagined this 6.5 Creedmoor Predator.








Into a Ruger Compact for my daughter.

 

[Varminterror]

If I look through my safes, I can only point to a couple “general purpose” firearms. Largely, if I don’t have a specific purpose for a firearm (or anything else, for that matter), then I do not have that firearm in my life. I have a couple “hunting rifles” which are rather generic, like a Marlin 336, but I suppose I’ve rebuilt it for Midwest whitetail hunting, which really isn’t that demanding of task. A little user-interface improvement for trigger and action slicking, and a red dot replacing the irons to accommodate my terrible eyesight. Beside it, I have a Marlin 1895 with a 4.5-14x scope on top, also meant for hunting.

My favored SBR is probably my most specific, abnormal “special purpose firearm” of my fleet - 10.5” uppers in 5.56 and 6.8spc meant for Coyote and deer hunting out to 300-400 yards, suppressed, so it’s short and handy, but not built with low weight in mind, and they carry 4-16x44mm optics up top.

I suppose my 10/22 Chargers or other Specialty Pistols like Strikers and XP-100’s are purpose built, and such a bit abnormal from the “general purpose firearm” too.

Maybe my dumbest special purpose firearm is a pair of 44mag Ruger (original) Vaqueros which I converted to birds head and cut down to 3” barrels, using Bisley hammers and triggers. Had to recut the ejector housing, and they only allow extraction, not full ejection, but it was a fun project. 300grn pills over a full case of H110/W296 is fun. The special purpose which drove design was to make them small, powerful, and mean looking, without sacrificing functionality (as sacrificed in my ejectorless New Vaquero convertible “sheriff’s model” with 2.5” barrel, birds head, bisley hammer & trigger).

 

[Rockrivr1]

Built up a Savage Stealth Evolution into a beginners PRS rifle and went to a couple PRS events. Rifle is much better then I am, which basically means I didn't come in last......

 

[wiscoaster]

I have one for long-range target shooting that isn't good for much else from my POV:

I suppose you'd call that "special purpose"

It's basically a .223 Howa 1500 action that I suppose is mainly used for hunting.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

For me this required some thought, since my overriding purpose for owning any rifle is inevitably 'because I want it.'

I configured my AMT Lightning 10/22 clone specifically for iron sight offhand shooting:
View attachment 1037906

My Henry Minibolt with an Accubolt stock was assembled to serve as a coup-de-gras rifle for trapped neighborhood Possums -- small and light enough to hide under a coat:
View attachment 1037907

This other 10/22 clone was built to be a light as possible (right at 4 lbs.):
View attachment 1037908

And my Wehrmann's Gewehr was built for Wehrsport target shooting and to circumvent a limitation of the Versailles Treaty (but not by me -- I just own it 'cause it's cool):
View attachment 1037909

That Mauser is always stunning!

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

My youngest designed and built an AR specifically for killing zombies-

16" 9mm with 4X illuminated reticle and a bayonet.

Shes pretty good with it too.

 

[Lnf Crzr]

Special purpose Build for Africa Job

Rem 700 -300 win mag
old school- 16th bday gift from Dad
So it’s prob from the late 70s or 80s

Outfitted with a Heavy fluted 26” barrel, Jewel Trigger set at Few oz, maybe 3…. Teflon coated…. Bedded action… Leupold 6.5-20x40 with Computer Generated mil dots for each 100yards x 8- Reticle specific to the 180 swift scirocco and charge I use at 3100Fps

Worked for a Professional Hunter in South Africa for 2 month dispatching game that got away from clients.

With a quick Laser of distance, bring up the mil dot required and height Adjustments between dots up or down…. It was the fastest I could get on target rifle build i made.

My Claim to fame shot was immediately when I got there with Jet lag….. The Boss took me in a truck to a field, next to a heard of wild Pigs I was standing in bed….. Said shoot the last one on my Say so…It was Offhand at 200 plus yards and fast- Drt , More luck than skill… yet it was my interview process.

I felt like Quigley

Only problem- Hauling that B#*+^rd Around Up and down and everywhere else. 13lbs

 

[Chuck R.]

Most of my guns are somewhat "specialized" or set up for a certain usage, here's just a couple special purpose:

Travelling truck gun:



3Gun AR15 with: LW BCG, SLR titanium AGB, Geiselle SSA-E, Odin Works adjustable buffer, Leupold VX6 1-6 with 3Gun reticle, Precision Armaments' Hypertap brake:



Ruger RPR, Re-barrel with 26" Bartlein in 6mmSLR, with Timney trigger, Seekins rail, Atlas Bipod, Area 419 brake with Vortex Razor:



AR15 SPR build; WOA fluted SPR barrel with matching bolt, SLR titanium AGB, Vortex 4-16X PST, Geiselle SD-E trigger, Griffen 4SD Flash-Comp:



Ballard Rifle and cartridge Win 1885 Low-wall reproduction in .22LR, built to replicate my BPCS rifle for practice. 30" Douglass air-gauged barrel, MVA sights, presentation wall-nut, DSTs, helm lever and MVS schuetzen soule sights:



It basically mirrors this:



But with a smaller profiled barrel to compensate for the .22 VS .40 bore.

 

[Lnf Crzr]

Mg Arms 375 A.I (375Weatherby brass- also can shoot 375H&H)

Ultra light model

Build was for Africa (And Anywhere else)

Skeletonized action bolt handle and fluted bolt.

Approximately 6.2 lbs with slightly bigger barrel than ultra lite contour - wanted some weight. It’s Fluted also.
Express Necg 3 leaf rear and adjustable front hooded
Teflon coated and custom color ultra lite Synthetic stock
Jewel trigger set at 3 lbs
Leupold 3.5-10 with computer generated reticle specific to the 270,Barnes controlled expansion at 2750fps

Detachment muzzle bread and thread protector

Quick detachment Leupold rings

Pacmyer decelerator pad.


I can not shoot it as well as the target that was provided with the guaranteed 1/4” group…. 3 consecutive shots at 100 yards

Yet it’s very accurate.
Can hunt the world with it.

 

[Lnf Crzr]

Savage 375 Winchester 22” barrel
Rotary magazine

Slight build was for Deer/Hogs Hunting

Wanted a fast handling 375 caliber rifle that could handle fast follow up shots, carry easy, have optic on or off fast… with accurate open sights.

Only 1500 made- Savage 99 from 1979.
Necg front globe type adjustable sight- Skinner rear sight drift ghost ring that lines up like two circles for fast acquisition.
1.5-5 Leupold on warn Qd rings

175gr Pointed Controlled expansion with 1680 results in approximately 2500 fps (In development)

New mold -Hard cast 250gr powder coated 2100fps

Sierra 200 and good old 36gr Rl7- 2200fps

Need a 130gr mold and low charge(small game)

1” Groups at 100 yards
Scope sighted at 140 for mpbr
Open sights 80yards

My all time favorite rifle.

 

[Offfhand]

I guess I have a few rifles that fall in the special purpose category, an example being this rifle that was specially built for shooting prairie dogs. Hitting small targets at long range is the essence of varmint shooting and to this end varmint rifles are typically bolt actions fitted with stiff medium heavy to heavy barrels and chambered for small caliber high velocity cartridges. In building this rifle I doubled down on the accuracy factor by building it around the Kelbly-Stolle action widely used for benchrest rifles, and fitted it with medium heavy, straight taper Shilen stainless barrels, with fitting and chambering done by Shilen.
Though I shoot right handed I prefer a left hand bolt on my varmint rifles, which significantly speeds up performance in a hot prairie dog patch, and also had the action made with right port ejection, which further enhances speed and efficiency. The laminated wood stock was designed and fitted by Fred Wenig and the rig topped off with Leupold Vari-X III 6.5-25-50 with side focusing. Multiple barrels in .204 Ruger and .22-250 Rem were pre-fitted and chambered for quick replacement as needed. (Which often occurs during an active shoot.)