McGowan custom barrel - week 12...

[Newtosavage]

52 degrees this morning - would have been a perfect morning to watch the sun rise at the range while working up loads.

dammit

 

[kevlar88]

52 degrees this morning - would have been a perfect morning to watch the sun rise at the range while working up loads.

dammit

...and I was excited about 68 this morning

 

[gbflyer]

Damn. That's fast! Probably had it partially done already when you ordered it I'm guessing?

Yeah I must have ordered close to a time they were running a batch of .308. The last X-Caliber I ordered, they had the blank and it just needed contouring. Took 2 weeks to get it. Lucky!


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[Newtosavage]

...and I was excited about 68 this morning

Still got to 92, but it was dry! A rare treat for us in SE Texas.

 

[Newtosavage]

Yeah I must have ordered close to a time they were running a batch of .308. The last X-Caliber I ordered, they had the blank and it just needed contouring. Took 2 weeks to get it. Lucky!


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Very!

 

[eaglemountainman]

Just got of the phone with McGowen. My barreled action is complete and on it's way!!
I sure hope it was worth the wait.

 

[gbflyer]

I received my .308 contoured blank on Friday. It was a week late but that certainly isn’t their fault. I had 3 inquiries about shipping go unanswered, the parcel was never logged in past the tracking number issuance and it just showed up. I was wondering if it was sitting in the outgoing section and never got shipped. So, apparently the policy on shipping questions at McGowen is ignore them. I had excellent and immediate contact before the sale

I have the tenon cut and most of the chamber. The steel machines beautifully. I ordered this one fluted. Other than they did not follow my directions in leaving the fluting back 2.0 from the muzzle, the workmanship is very nice. I suspect it will be a great shooter which in the end is all anyone wants.

 

[Newtosavage]

A month later, I just sent a follow up email asking if they meant next week, or next month (which is almost over)... sigh.

 

[Newtosavage]

So I sent an email last night asking if he meant a week or a month (with a smiley face) when he told me a month ago it was going to the 'smith. Got a phone call this morning from a young lady who just directly asked for my credit card info to complete the purchase. She didn't bother to explain to me the process (sigh). But I gave her the info and she said I'd get an email with the tracking number. So that's something at least. That barrel was ordered January 19th. So if they ship it out today, that will be roughly 12+ weeks.

Then I asked about my other barrel (for my vintage Savage 110). She said they were waiting for me to ship my factory barrel in. (sigh). I was like, uh, I sent that to you over 2 months ago. Did you lose it?

So she is off trying to find that barrel now. It's no big deal. It's just an original 1959 blued 110 with the rear sight swell. .......

Well, she came back and said it's "probably at the smith being contoured" right now, but that the smith was sick and she can't be sure. She followed with "I hope it wasn't lost in the mail or something..."

Seemed like a nice enough young lady, but geez.

This is not unlike nearly 100% of experiences I've had with gunsmiths and barrel manufacturers throughout my life. I started a thread to this effect a while back. Sadly I'm still waiting my 1st 5-star customer service experience with anyone who has anything to do with guns.

 

[eaglemountainman]

Brown Santa just delivered mine at 6 PM EST. I slapped it into the stock, torqued it to spec, and mounted the scope. Heading to the range tomorrow. I will report back, if I remember, in the evening. Not really expecting too much untill there's 200 or so rounds through it. But hey, you never know. Maybe it will reward me for my patients.

BTW, turn around for this piece was 15 weeks and 2 days.

 

[Newtosavage]

Brown Santa just delivered mine at 6 PM EST. I slapped it into the stock, torqued it to spec, and mounted the scope. Heading to the range tomorrow. I will report back, if I remember, in the evening. Not really expecting too much untill there's 200 or so rounds through it. But hey, you never know. Maybe it will reward me for my patients.

BTW, turn around for this piece was 15 weeks and 2 days.

Nice. Good luck!

I'd love to be at the range this morning with my new rig. It's only 65 degrees here this morning, and perfect conditions. Maybe next weekend...

I got a shipping number for barrel 1 now. We shall see...

 

[eaglemountainman]

I couldn't have scripted a worse day to take a new rifle to the range. 90*, bright sun and a 15 mph crosswind blowing dust and sand! When the wind would lay down for brief periods, it was replaced with some wicked heat shimmer.

As stated, I'm not expecting much until there are a few hundred rounds through it. The soda straw contour on a Ruger RL is not really conducive to shooting tiny groups unless there is ample time between shots to prevent overheating.

Now that I've about covered all my excuses, it's a hunting rifle first and foremost, and whats most important to me is where that first cold bore shot is going. And there, it did not disappoint. Shooting at the very corners of a 1" square, POI was either exactly at POA or off 1/4". A fairly quick second shot always fell within 1/4 - 1/2 inch. By then the barrel was quite warm, almost hot. A third shot would impact just at 1" +/- from POA. No surprises there. I should mention that this was at 50 yards due to conditions, but I'm very pleased so far. Hey, baby steps, right.

Although I've never done it before, and don't hold much stock in it, I did a barrel break in procedure. Don't know if it helps at all, but certainly couldn't hurt. First 5 rounds cleaned after every shot. Next 10 rounds cleaned after every 2. Then a final cleaning after the next 5.

I guess I missed the window for good conditions. The weather in Florida is only going to get worse from here on, but I'll take her out a few more times just to add to the round count and help her settle in. Curious to see what things look like at 100 yds. In August, I'll head to Pa. where I'll have access to a 200 yd range and cool morning temps in the shade. That's when things will get serious and I'll determine whether or not this rifle will share duties with a 7-08 Montana as my Wyoming muley/pronghorn rifles.

 

[Newtosavage]

Barrel #1 finally arrived today.

Initial impression - not so impressed. The matte finish is the easily scuffed variety and the end 5" or so of the barrel is obviously darker than the rest. Also, they forgot to include the barrel nut I ordered, which is kind of a big deal when you're trying to install it on a Savage action... (sigh).

Oh well. I had a spare stainless barrel nut and I just used it. I installed the barrel and went to work on the barrel channel in the stock, as this contour is slightly thicker than the last barrel (but it is fluted).

Weight wise, the barrel is about 2 oz. more than I expected. But for a .284 Win in a 7 lb. rifle (scoped) I will probably be glad it was a touch heavy instead of a touch light.

I've loaded up some prelim. "break-in" loads using the starting charge with some factory 2nd 160's I got super cheap. After the first 20, I'll start working with the 145 LRX's that I hope to be using with this rifle.

 

[Newtosavage]

Here's the finished rifle. Range time in the morning!

 

[eaglemountainman]

That's quite a difference in the color of the finish. I'd be a bit passed, myself. Although, if it shot real tight, I could be forgiving.

What does GAP mean on the barrel stamp?

 

[gbflyer]

These are my first 12 rounds down range. 165gr Sierra GameKings, 70gr Reloder22 powder, new vintage Winchester brass. 300 H&H mag. 6x scope with a very fat crosshair at 100 yards. I was surprised at 1-3. Most of the time when I chamber a barrel, round 1 is wild. Must have done something sorta right. I have a ways to go with loads but I’m happy with the potential of having a pretty decent shooter.

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[Newtosavage]

That's quite a difference in the color of the finish. I'd be a bit passed, myself. Although, if it shot real tight, I could be forgiving.

What does GAP mean on the barrel stamp?

After handling the whole barrel, it all turned the darker color and you can't even tell now. Must have been something to do with that fine matte finish. If I had it to do over, I would have just gotten polished stainless, but it is what it is. Their finish doesn't match my Savage "matte" stainless receiver very well, but again, it doesn't really bother me that much. I don't sit in the forest admiring my rifles. LOL

The GAP means it's long throated, for longer, higher BC bullets. Target shooters started building .284 Win's on long actions, and throating them long so they could fit super long and high BC bullets in them. I was planning to put this on a long action already, so I asked them to use the GAP reamer. There honestly isn't that much point to a native .284 Win without it. Any bullet over 140 grains or so eats up a ton of room in the case.

My 145 LRX's touch the lands at 3.20" with the GAP reamer. Perfect for my long action build.

 

[Newtosavage]

Here are my first 5 rounds while I was following the McGowan break-in procedure - cleaning after every shot with Hoppe's and Barnes CR-10 copper fouling remover.

This was a starting load of Ramshot Hunter (51g) under 160 grain Speer Gold Dot 2nds that I got super cheap from Midway. Basically, the cheapest break-in load I could get while still using a bullet with a long bearing surface.

 

[Newtosavage]

Here's the first three after break-in, with 145 Barnes LRX's over 54.5 grains of Hunter

I may just stop right there, although I think I will try 0.3 grain increments up until I see pressure signs. Nosler load data goes up to 57 grains for 140's, but Barnes stops at 54.5 grains for their 145 LRX.

 

[Newtosavage]

Got a shipping notice for my 2nd barrel today. It's a 7x57 Mauser, polish blue that I asked them to match the contour of my 60 year old vintage Savage 110. I sure hope their bluing matches my receiver. That's the only rifle I actually care about how it looks. LOL