Chris
NES Member
- Joined
- May 24, 2005
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I completed the lower sometime in 2012. It is based on the NES Yankee Hill Lower group buy. To that I installed a Colt lower parts kit minus the fire control group. A Geissele SSA-E (Super Semi-Automatic - Enhanced) trigger resides there. The trigger guard is a Blackhawk oversized. Grip is an Ergo SureGrip with palm shelf. A Magpul PRS stock sits over a DPMS rifle buffer tube that contains a JP Enterprises captured 'silent' recoil buffer.
I tested the lower with both my .22 and .50 Beowulf upper and the ergonomics and operation were great. The adjustable PRS stock really helps find that perfect position to the sights. I also love the grip design that makes it easy to use your support hand to effectively sandbag the rear when on bags or bipod.
Then the Obama fed craziness started and my wait times increased.
The upper was built by John at White Oak Precision. It centers on a 24" Krieger 1:8 bull barrel full floated under the WOP aluminum handguard. He put his famous modified Wylde chambering in the barrel that is optimized for magazine length cartridges (thus the 1:8 twist). The nice thing is I can also shoot military loads without any concern, but it is really cut for mid-weight target loads in the 55-70 grain range fed by the magazine. By having John assemble the upper, he also tuned the headspace by custom cutting the barrel extension. The quality of the build is obvious from the way the bolt locks to the neat and deep staking of the gas tube key.
Took over a year for the upper to ship. Was well worth the wait.
On top is a Nikon M223 3-12x42 BDC scope in the 20 MOA Nikon mount (provides for more usable range with the narrower 1" tube) Have heard very good things about this optic and the use of Nikon's Spot-On app to define the BDC points for any handload I choose to create is a bonus. I elected to go with this version as the turrets have full markings so that I can custom dial into any range I want. (as you would with a standard scope) The BDC is really for WAG shots where you kind of know the range, but won't be dialing it in.
Yea, Anschutz style target sights would have been at home on this, but my eyes are not as good as they were when I was younger. I find that I enjoy shooting with optics more and more because of it.
I have a standard Marine nylon shooting sling and the Harris bipod shown. Easy swap on the sling stud and even with the sling tight, the handguard doesn't appear to have any movement at all. Really solid (and comfortable) shooting position. The scope and PRS stock are set up to provide optimal eye relief and cheek height while prone. Best 'fit' I've ever had. The stock is a little longer than optimal when shooting off-hand, but the generous eye relief of the scope keeps it big and bright even at max power. I'm amazed how nicely the rifle fits in the sitting position. The front stud is at the perfect length to allow me to comfortably place both elbows on my knees. Solid, and not too bad sitting for any significant time.
About all I've been able to do is get into position and adjust everything to be tight and comfortable. Once this weather breaks and I can spend some quality time at the range, I should have this baby dialed in.
One thing I did not consider is that this is one HEAVY rifle. With the bipod attached, she tips the scale at almost 13 pounds.
Not something I would want to haul into the field. Although I have to admit that when slung, it does seem to ride very nicely.
Telepathically uploaded via my iPhone 13.
