Custom Howa Stock

[BD264]

PSX_20171230_220314.jpg

Checkering is done

[jkingrph]

Looks fantastic.

[BD264]

Thank you

[lrgrendel]

[BD264]

Have you shot it yet!
I’m waiting for the range report!

Not in the wood stock. Still needs coats of London Oil Varnish. Shot just fine in the Tupperware stock though.

[BD264]

PSX_20180109_110107.jpg

Done

[VASCAR2]

Wow, very nice, you ought to be very proud!

[jackwagon]

That stock turned out great BD, very nice work.

[jlj1948]

Really enjoyed this tread. Very nice work

[bowhunter]

Well done!

[BD264]

Thank you everyone for positive comments. Some of you have asked how it shoots. If you remember from previous posts, the receiver is fully bedded. It is however not pillar bedded. At this point I don't think I need it pillar bedded.
PSX_20180208_072058.jpg
PSX_20180208_072132.jpg
This is a five shot group from 100 yards off the tailgate of my truck. The load is 27.7 grains of aa2520 behind a 120g Sierra Pro-hunter.
PSX_20180208_072207.jpg
Glamour shot for giggle sake. I took it out coyote hunting, didn't call anything in.

[BjornF16]

Beautiful work BD...and nice Glamour shot!

What wood did you use for the fore end tip?

[LRRPF52]

That looks classic.

Your load is about 3 full grains short of max in an AR15 BTW.

[BD264]

Beautiful work BD...and nice Glamour shot!

What wood did you use for the fore end tip?

Thanks, the forend tip is African Ebony.

That looks classic.

Your load is about 3 full grains short of max in an AR15 BTW.

Do you have a link to that data?

[LRRPF52]

Especially under a flat-based 120gr cup and core bullet, you will be able to get way more AA2520 under it and still not exceed 50,000psi.

If you look at AA's data, the data in the Grendel Handbooks we put together, and any other 120gr cup and core bullet (most have boat tails and take up more case capacity than the Sierra Pro Hunter), you'll see max loads for the AR15 at 30.6gr, 30.7gr, and 31.0gr when looking at AA2520.

In the bolt gun, you can push a bit past that and still be comfortably away from excessive pressure.

I recommend building a simple pressure ladder in .3gr increments (1% of case capacity), firing that ladder over a chronograph, and seeing what your trend line is.

I personally would have zero reservations about loading up to at least 32.0gr with AA2520 under a Sierra Pro Hunter flat-based soft point.

Not that you need 2700fps mv, especially with that bullet, but you could easily go there if you wanted.

Sierra doesn't have any data for the 120gr Pro Hunter on top of AA2520.

Alexander Arms has AA2520 data for 120gr Norma FMJ (31.0gr max), 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tip (30.6gr max), 120gr Sierra Match King (30.6gr), 123gr Lapua Scenar (30.7gr max), 123gr Sierra Match King (30.8gr max), 129gr Hornady SST (29.4gr max), the 140gr Berger VLD (29.1gr), and 144gr Lapua FMJBT ( 29.0gr max).

Unless the powder formulation is so drastically different with your lot, I would say you have a lot of room to work with over 27.7gr of AA2520 under a 120gr flat-based soft point.

Have you chronographed your current load? I'm guessing you're in the 2350fps region if that's a 20" barrel. You could easily gain 300fps and still not exceed 50,000psi (a limitation for the AR15).

There is hardly any recoil currently, I imagine. I doubt you're much over 40,000psi.