November 21st 2021 Sunday Gunday — British Blue Beauty — FOpen 7mm-270WSM Today’s Sunday Gunday feature features a splash of color — Ian B.’s beautiful 7mm-270WSM. From Great Britain, Ian B. (aka “Elwood”) Ian is a very experienced shooter of F-Class rigs. He’s also the proud owner a F-Class rig that is “Flashy”. Ian’s Background — More about the Shooter
Ian tells us that he started shooting F-Class Open many years ago, when a friend invited him to Bisley to shoot alongside the Dorset Riflemen. It was very enjoyable and challenging. I attended the GB F-Class League’s Introduction to F-Class course the next year, and shortly thereafter started competing in the GB F-Class League, shooting once a month with Dorset Riflemen. In this short time, I managed to finish 8th last year in the league, 12th in Europeans, and was part of the GB squad which won the European Championship team event. I was then selected to the GB F-Open World Championship Team. Due to work commitments, however, I had to withdraw.
Ian’s Beautiful Blue 7mm270 WSM F Class Rifle Report by Ian B. (aka “Elwood”)
After spending my first year competing with a 7mm WSM tactical/sporting rifle magazine-fed (7mm WSM tactical/sporting rifle) and doing reasonably well, I moved on to a.284 Shehane (.284 Winchester Improved). The Shehane is a great gun and I still use it. I needed something to keep me occupied on windy long-range days so the 7 WSM was my only logical choice. I chose the 7mm-270 WSM this time, as I enjoy case preparation (just kidding). There’s not much to do. It is easy to find the Norma 270WSM brass in the UK because of the quality of Norma brass. The action is a Right Bolt and Left Port (RBLP), Stolle Panda F Class action, with Jewell trigger. The RBLP configuration was not chosen for any particular reason. It was just what I had at the time. I had a Bartlein barrel with a 1.250-inch diameter, 32-inch profile and chambered for the Berger 180gr VRLD with a.313?? Neck diameter. Neil McKillop, McKillop Engineering, does all my metal work and a lot of my wood work. Neil, like all top gunsmiths is meticulous to the point of obsessiveness. He’s responsible for many winning rifles, including some used by the GB Open or F-TR teams. Neil also inletted and made the bedding for the action as well as the front bag runners. Loading for 7mm-270 WSM
I have one load that I “tested and trusted”: 7mm Berger 180gr VRLDs, seated at.020? Vihtavuori N165 Powder and CCI BR2 primers are incorporated into the lands. Although this load is extremely accurate, it’s slow at 2990 FPS. I am currently testing H1000 to increase speed. However, it seems like I might have a slow barrel. I have another Bartlein barrel that is chambered and ready for use when the weather warms up. If the new barrel shoots well, I will likely use the current barrel as a practice barrel. Loading Procedure
I do complete case prep, neck-turning and uniforming primer pockets after each firing. Chamfering necks inside out and removing burrs around flashholes is also part of my job. Sometimes even the best brass can be affected by poor quality control. Redding dies are my preferred choice, but I will also use neck bushing and competition seating dies. I use an RCBS ChargeMaster 1500 for throwing a charge slightly below my desired weight. Then, I trickle-up to finalweight using the amazing Dandy trickler as well as a Gem Pro250 scale. Every other firing is annexed using a Bench Source machine. I used a Ken Light before and also spun them in a drill. After using the Bench Source, I will never do that again. To remove any debris, I wrap a nylon brush in 0000 wire wool around the neck after I have annealed. I use the same lot numbers for primers, powders, bullets. Even the Bergers can vary a lot from lot to lot. I have two lots of 7mm 180gr VLDs that differ by.020. From the bullet base to ogive. I trim and point my bullets. Pointing is a mental skill. I had a great shoot with trimmed and pointed bullets, so I do it all of the time. One of my GB teammates refers to them “Pointless Dies” — I’ve seen him shoot a 99-14V at 1000 meters with bullets that weren’t trimmed or pointed. Next, I will measure the bearing surface. Ian Modified Custom Wood Stock and gave it a fancy paint job.
The stock is a custom-made design by Joe West and Simon West of Joe West Rifle Stocks. I made several modifications to an existing stock design. I was used to thumbhole stocks from the AICS and I thought it would be a good idea to try one in F Class. Simon asked me what I wanted, and he sent me a prototype made of Tulip wood at a very affordable price. After a few more discussions, we made some modifications. Two major changes were made to the stock by me. First, I removed the pistol grip base lip. I was concerned that I might place my hand on it and cause damage to the rifle. Second, I removed the protruding pistol-grip base so that the stock’s bottom was flat like the Precision Rifle & Tool F-Class. Simon also adjusted the finger grips to my hand and flattened them to allow for more movement. Hydro Graphics in the UK was then able to finish the exterior of the stock. The paint color used is a Marbleized Candy Oriental Blue. Hydro Graphics did an excellent job as usual. Optics and Rings
The scope is the 5-50x56mm March with MTR-2 reticle. It is far and away my favorite reticle for F-Class. March is a great month for optics. Using another March (8-80x56mm) for the 2012 European individual F Class event, I was able to see my shooting partner’s impact in the white V Bull at 800 yards. Recently, I called two V-Bulls at 800 yards with the 8-80X (not at maximum power) at a club match. Although the light must be perfect for this to happen, my greatest praise for the Deon Optics glasses is that it rivals Schmidt & Bender. I am able to make this statement because I have owned both the March and S&B scopes, and have compared them side by side. The 34mm rings were made by Third Eye Tactical, a UK-based company. The UK is now producing excellent products. We now have UK-made custom action, rings, rails and stocks. It would be great to have a rifle made in Britain and not have to rely on American-made products. The trigger is all that’s needed. However, I don’t see a UK-made scope ever!
Similar Posts: Tags 7mm-270 WSM Annealing, Great Britain March Scope
