UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE;
As previously mentioned, I was not expecting to hear anything about this rifle until around September at the very latest-so you all can imagine my surprise when I got the call from the Cooper dealer I bought the rifle from. I figured they would call when they were about to start the build, and verify that all of the info and specs were correct. One better- they were calling to tell me that the rifle was ready! So, I paid the man his due balance, he shipped me my rifle, and so without further adieu...
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(now, I hope that shows up-I've had some bad luck with pictures here in the past.)
Here as well, is a picture of that included test target that has been mentioned in this thread.
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Just for the sake of sayin', there ain't no bullet hole underneath that pencil...I just put it there to give a scale reference...a 3 shot group just slightly larger than a pencil eraser...I'LL TAKE IT!
I've been all over this rifle like maggots on a carcass, and I can not find one single blemish...no machine marks, no gaps, no inconsistencies in wood fittings, nothing. I've even bore scoped the bore, and the lands and grooves are mirror polished. The craftsmanship is incredible.
A bit of a side note-around March or April, I called and made a change to the order. I had the rifle chambered in .260 Remington as opposed to the original chambering of .308 Winchester. After a lot of research, I have found that the .260 is very superior to the .308 in long range applications. With good hand loads in the 142 grain Sierra MK variety, I can push this rifle on out to 1200+ meters-and the .260 Remington rivals the .300 Win Mag in ability to "buck the wind". A .260 Remington is a .308 brass necked down to a 6.5mm bullet. So- with the same, or slightly less powder than would be needed for a .308 round, I can send a lighter bullet about 200 to 400 meters further, with better wind abilities. It was a no- brainer for me.
Anyhow, my first time to send rounds downrange with this rifle will be Saturday...and boy, is it taking it's sweet time getting here. I am only going to put about 40 rounds through it. I never did get around to buying reloading dies and bullets for it, because I wasn't expecting it to be done yet. I ran out to Bass Pro Shop and bought some factory stuff- .260 Rem isn't the easiest caliber to find these days- and so I will zero, chrono, and do barrel break in at the same time. Then I am going to plug in the velocity to my ballistics calculator, and try to get some long range hits in from that data. I've never been lucky enough to get the computer model to be spot on, and I don't have enough ammo to fine tune it-but I will try none the less.
What I will indeed have for sure, however, is a good 100 yard group established-so there will be a range report very soon!
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