Mike Kurtz’s Competition Machine F1 “Pro-Mod” F-Open RifleToday’s Sunday GunDay features a modern F-Open Rifle constructed on a Competition Machine Aluminum Chassis. This is a very different rifle from a typical F-Open with a laminated or wood/carbon stock. The rifle is extremely accurate and has won several mid-range F.O.N. matches. The owner of the rifle, a highly respected mechanic, explained what he wanted to achieve with this rifle. “I wanted to make a second F Open rifle that would shoot primarily at 600-yard Mid Range and also serve as a backup long range rifle. So I can use the exact same brass, primers, and bullets. It would be chambered 7mm-6.5 PRC, just like my other F-Open. This rig is a Cerus XR with BAT Neuvo Action, Bartlein 1-9-8.7″ gain-twist barrel, and 7mm-6.5 PRC. This rifle is absolutely beautiful and has won several awards. For this project, I wanted different rifle components to test their performance in the same caliber. So I chose Brux barrels (but see below), a BAT Neuvo aluminum-alloy action (but again, see below), and a Eliseo Competition Machine F1 aluminium alloy chassis. BARREL SPECIFICATIONS I ordered two Brux 7.5mm x 33″ barrels with 1.85″ twist. The contour was supposed be 1.350′” diameter for 5′”, tapered down to 1.150″ diameter at the muzzle. When the barrels arrived, they were tapered to 1.050′. The people at Brux acknowledged that the work order had been misread and offered to make me two additional barrels. I could either keep the barrels at a nice discount or return them. I asked my gunsmith Omar Alonzo for his opinion and he said that they would work fine. This turned out to be an excellent decision, as the total weight of the rifle is now only three ounces less than 22 pounds. Omar chambered the barrel with his 7mm 6.5PRC “no turn” reamer, which he used on my Cerus rifle. The Brux barrel is 32” long with a muzzle end threaded to accept a V2 tuneer.
ACTION and Trigger: I was going to use a BAT Neuvo aluminum action, as I thought weight might be an issue. However, they were back-ordered with no time frame in sight. For now, I chose a used steel BAT Model M 1.47 Octagon that I purchased via the AccurateShooter forum marketplace. This is a RBLP right eject action with magnum sized bolt face and integral Picatinny rail of 20 MOA. The trigger is also a Bix’N Andrew Competition, scored on the Forum and set at 3 ounces. [NOTE: Now that I have a Neuvo AL aluminum in my possession, it is worth mentioning. The F1 rifle is performing so well that I will save the aluminum Neuvo chassis for a future build. STOCK AND FINISH: When planning my second Fopen 7mm-6.5 PRC build, Gary Eliseo’s F1 aluminum chassis was the first choice. Gary Eliseo’s products were familiar to me since I began my build three years ago using a used R1 tubegun with 6BR chambering. I bought it from a Forum Member and adapted it very successfully for Mid-Range F-Open. I was interested in these aluminum chassis combinations because I am a drag racer, and a fabricator. I contacted Gary Eliseo of Competition Machine and ordered the F1 F-Open Chassis System along with one his custom-machined bed blocks for the Bat M Action I purchased off the Forum. Video of F1 Chassis Rifle In Action The turnaround time was only eight weeks. This included aligning and gluing the action bedding into the chassis. Gary Eliseo provides full custom Cerakote service for his customers, but I wanted something different so I sent the chassis to me “raw”, that is. The chassis was sent to me “raw”, i.e. with a bare aluminium finish. I initially thought of polishing the entire chassis or parts of it, but that would require too much maintenance. I decided to anodize the chassis as I had done it in the past on many race car parts. Anodizing, also known as electrochemical treatment, is a process that transforms metal surfaces into a decorative anodic oxide finish. It’s very durable and corrosion-resistant. This finish comes in many colors as well as in clear. While surfing the web for color/combo combinations, I came across a local custom-anodizer with dozens of crazy and wild anodizing patterns and color mashups. I contacted Stephen @ CausticCustoms and told him my project. He replied that he specializes in paint-ball guns, and this would be the first long gun he had ever built. But, hey, at least it’s made of aluminum! I gave him the pieces from my F1 chassis. I liked a couple of patterns he had done so I asked him which one he thought would look best on my project. He asked why not both? I told him to “run with” both patterns. The final result is the Icy Hot blue/red finish, as seen in the photos. Alonzo’s Custom Rifles, Pasadena Texas, was the place where it all came together. Omar hand-lapped to smooth out some tiny high-spots the surface of the action bedding block. He then skim-bedded with epoxy filler the action to ensure that it made 100% contact with its bedding block. Omar performed the barrel chambering, action fitting and trigger tuning as well as final assembly. I finished the rifle by adding a Falcon Strike hydraulic recoilpad and Anarchy Outdoor Penguin Precision Grip. Gary designed the F1 for AR15-style grips. The Falcon Strike pad does not look as cool as the R.A.D. The Falcon Strike pad is not as slick as the R.A.D. unit. If a RAD doesn’t fit your budget, or if you are concerned about weight, then a Falcon Strike Recoil Pad is the best option. SCOPE/RINGS : I had planned to swap my March-X 880x56mm Majesta High Master Scope between my two rifles. The hefty stainless Bat M actions nixed this idea. To ensure that the new rifle would be F Open legal weight, I chose a used March X 10-60x56mm high master scope I purchased through the AccurateShooter Forum Marketplace. The 10-60X March shown in the video is almost 11 oz. My 8-80X Majesta-HM March-X is lighter than my 8-60X March. NOTE: The scope on the rifle in some of these photos is an older March 880X (NOT the new Majesta). The rings are March Superlight Titanium Ghost Rings – under 5 oz. The set is the lightest one I could find. F-Open F1 Chassis Rifle Specifications: 7mm-6.5 PRC Wildcat
Stock: Competition Machine F1, F-Open Chassis. Falcon Strike Recoil Pad. Anarchy Outdoors Penguin Grip. Custom anodizing is done by Caustic Customs.
Trigger: Bix’N Andy Competition
Action: Bat Model M – Right Bolt, Left Port and Right Eject with 20 MOA Scope Rail
Barrel: Brux 7, 1:8.5’s twist, 32″ overall, 1.350″ x 5″, tapering to 1.050″. V2 Tuner
Scope: March 10-60 High Master with MTR-1 reticle. March Ultra-Lite Titanium Ghost rings.
Gunsmith: Alonzo Rifles
This animated image shows three successive ShotMarker screenshots from the Bayou Rifles 600 yard match in February 2024 that Mike won using this F1 rifle. He scored a 600-42X score. CARTRIDGE COMBINATIONS and LOADING METHODS: I use Lapua PRC 6.5 brass, Berger Hybrid 180gr bullets and Federal primers 210M. New brass necks will be expanded to 7mm, then skim-turned for a consistent.014″ neck thickness. I use a 35 degree cutter and go just slightly into the shoulder in order to avoid donuts. I then chamfer and size the cases to full length, trim/chamfer their necks, and uniform the primer pockets. In that order, my fired brass is annealed, tumble-cleaned, expanded/full-length sized, and trimmed. Bullets are sorted first by OAL, then pointed. Primers are sorted first by weight, then by height. Neo-Lube is applied to the inside of the necks using a foam QTip. This will ensure a consistent seating pressure.
This is a shot from a 600-yard shooting match with the F1 rifle, a few month ago.
Despite a strong, behind-the-back wind that constantly switches from left to right,
I scored 200-12X, which was good enough for Second place. LOAD DEVELOPMENT: I used some of the good 7mm-6.5 PRC loads posted on AccurateShooter.com as a starting point for finding a nice velocity at 2865 fps with Hodgdon’s H4350. I achieved this by shooting a few 2-shot groups that were seated.010″ off the lands. I was looking for a node in the 2850-2800 fps range where the velocity leveled out in at least two 0.5-grain increments. I then performed a seating-depth test at 100 yards in order to find my ideal seat depth, which was.024″ jumped. Next, I shot some 3-shot groups for 100 yards until I had at least two ultra-tight groups. I then verified the setting by shooting a three-shot, one-hole group. About Mike Kurtz
Michael Kurtz is the owner/operator at Century Automotive & Transmission. Mike Kurtz, an ASE Master L1 technician since 1983, has been a drag racer for the past 40 years. Mike says: “I had never owned a rifle before I retired from racing. In 2021, I was bitten by the accuracy bug. I read several books on reloading, long range shooting, and reloading while I searched the AccurateShooter Marketplace for a rifle and scope, rests, reloading gear, and other items for my first F Open rig. Online forums were the source of most of my major components. AccurateShooter.com has a lot of great content that I credit for my early F-Open success. I am also a Bayou Rifles Inc. member in Houston Texas, where I have learned from some of America’s best shooters. The competition is fierce, but the camaraderie here is second to none!”
Mike Kurtz
Century Automotive & Transmission
281-633-8155
Member “makurtz”, on AccurateShooter Forum
