04-19-2020, 06:40 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-07-2020, 04:09 AM by Kswhitetails.)
Started two years ago or so, I wanted a behind my seat passenger to ride with me everywhere I went as a bug out option. Originally I had planned to mount a box under the back seat and stock it with this Grendel pistol, two mags (third in the gun), and a first aid kit/IFAK trauma kit. Things went well but I got a new truck, built a precision rifle, and plans changed. The bug out bag still holds the mags and options for this weapon, as well as more for the precision rifle. Both will go with me, as well as a shotgun which my son will carry and my Sig P226. The truck gun never actually served that truck duty -yet... Anyway, origionally this was a cheap build. Nothing fancy, besides maybe the MBT-2S and the quick change mount and glass.
I've experimented with a Gen 1 PST 1-4 which I really liked for this. It was heavy though, and I wanted more magnification to take more advantage of the down range legs. I put an Aimpoint PRO on it a while, and it was great, and great fun at distance. Harder than glass, but much easier than irons. Worked well for a deer two falls ago. Next I found a Leupold VX-R 3-9x40 TMR SFP that was great. Reticle was fat, but that was perfect for hunting. I was blown away by the glass. Especially in low light. Leupold glass and weight is on point on their scopes above 600 bucks IMO. Their reticles however... ahem. Because the fat reticle wasn't all that great for shooting groups, and because I wanted to develop loads for this weapon in particular, I bought a Bushnell Forge 3-18x50 with the MIL Deploy reticle. It worked very well for the group testing, but it's heavy and long for the purposed weapon, so I've recently found an EOTECH VUDU 5-25x50 Mil scope to put on it. At 11.2", and 29oz, I'm hoping I've finally found the permanent optic for it. It will go into a LaRue 20moa LT745 QD mount with some 34mm ring halves to make it reachable and swappable among my rifles. I will report over in the optics section how it turns out. (The Forge in the picture is nearly 15" long and is a 30mm tube, to give an idea about the difference)
Back to the weapon, it started with a 12.5" GB Faxon barrel that I traded for one of the next generations 12.7" Faxon group buys, so it would fit under the LaRue 11" quadrail better, to allow a bit more gap between handguard and suppressor. It worked well, and I've been pretty happy with it. It needs some TLC like the 12.5" got (chamber polished, ramps, etc...) but overall as long as I've done my part it's spat sub MOA groups almost on command. My load development is showing promise, but I need a few things yet to be more sure of my results. I have a hard time deciding if my groups are the ammo or the gear, or me....
I started with a KAK blade brace, and an LMT Pistol tube. That has changed to the SBTactical SBA-3, which was not out at the time of my original build. I'm a very happy man. The only other real option I considered were the much more expensive and complex PDW braces which went well outside the original intent of the truck gun. Keep it simple and cheap, and throw it in the mud tough.
The Atlas V8 swaps between this and the precision rifle at will.
This has morphed from the original intent of a truck gun, which it most certainly can and probably will do more than any other weapon I've got, but it's been out of the safe more than any other gun I run, except maybe for the P226. They usually are paired... The next phase is to gain another suppressor, a TBAC U5 or 7. I'd like to save the weight of the Tranquillo for the precision rifle, as it makes more sense there. It works just fine until then however. And gets its paces in often, on every long gun less than .308...
Anyway, figured I'd throw an update in and add a pic so into the pics section it comes.
![[Image: 49793999366_5574d3f6eb_b.jpg]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49793999366_5574d3f6eb_b.jpg)
ETA: corrected 24 to 29 oz.
I've experimented with a Gen 1 PST 1-4 which I really liked for this. It was heavy though, and I wanted more magnification to take more advantage of the down range legs. I put an Aimpoint PRO on it a while, and it was great, and great fun at distance. Harder than glass, but much easier than irons. Worked well for a deer two falls ago. Next I found a Leupold VX-R 3-9x40 TMR SFP that was great. Reticle was fat, but that was perfect for hunting. I was blown away by the glass. Especially in low light. Leupold glass and weight is on point on their scopes above 600 bucks IMO. Their reticles however... ahem. Because the fat reticle wasn't all that great for shooting groups, and because I wanted to develop loads for this weapon in particular, I bought a Bushnell Forge 3-18x50 with the MIL Deploy reticle. It worked very well for the group testing, but it's heavy and long for the purposed weapon, so I've recently found an EOTECH VUDU 5-25x50 Mil scope to put on it. At 11.2", and 29oz, I'm hoping I've finally found the permanent optic for it. It will go into a LaRue 20moa LT745 QD mount with some 34mm ring halves to make it reachable and swappable among my rifles. I will report over in the optics section how it turns out. (The Forge in the picture is nearly 15" long and is a 30mm tube, to give an idea about the difference)
Back to the weapon, it started with a 12.5" GB Faxon barrel that I traded for one of the next generations 12.7" Faxon group buys, so it would fit under the LaRue 11" quadrail better, to allow a bit more gap between handguard and suppressor. It worked well, and I've been pretty happy with it. It needs some TLC like the 12.5" got (chamber polished, ramps, etc...) but overall as long as I've done my part it's spat sub MOA groups almost on command. My load development is showing promise, but I need a few things yet to be more sure of my results. I have a hard time deciding if my groups are the ammo or the gear, or me....
I started with a KAK blade brace, and an LMT Pistol tube. That has changed to the SBTactical SBA-3, which was not out at the time of my original build. I'm a very happy man. The only other real option I considered were the much more expensive and complex PDW braces which went well outside the original intent of the truck gun. Keep it simple and cheap, and throw it in the mud tough.
The Atlas V8 swaps between this and the precision rifle at will.
This has morphed from the original intent of a truck gun, which it most certainly can and probably will do more than any other weapon I've got, but it's been out of the safe more than any other gun I run, except maybe for the P226. They usually are paired... The next phase is to gain another suppressor, a TBAC U5 or 7. I'd like to save the weight of the Tranquillo for the precision rifle, as it makes more sense there. It works just fine until then however. And gets its paces in often, on every long gun less than .308...
Anyway, figured I'd throw an update in and add a pic so into the pics section it comes.
ETA: corrected 24 to 29 oz.
Nothing kills the incentive of men faster than a healthy sense of entitlement. Nothing kills entitlement faster than a healthy sense of achievement.
![[Image: 49798496306_833cc223fc_b.jpg]](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49798496306_833cc223fc_b.jpg)
