Tungsten Lipstick On An Old Pig

[USMCsilver]

I had an old Model 695 Tikka 7mm Mag sitting in the back of the safe; my wife bought it for me back in ~1999 as a birthday present before we got married. The rifle wasn't a pleasure to shoot for fun. I have the same box of ammo I did 25 years ago. It's killed one hog at Ralph's. Other than that, 6-7 rounds have been checked on paper over the years. It was previously outfitted with an old, "Made in the USA" Redfield 3-9x20.

Boredom got the best of me. Got some dies, brass, bullets, powder, etc. & decided to make it a little more fun to shoot (read: heavier):

• Boyds AT-ONE "pepper" stock (lighting sucks & it looks kinda purple)
• +1 OEM magazine (hard to find, and folks are damn proud of them)
• Upgraded & Cerakoted Lumley Arms bolt shroud (cobalt)
• Upgraded & Cerakoted Glades Armory bolt handle (cobalt)
• Bolt fluted & Cerakoted by LRI (cobalt)
• New Warne rings (Cerakoted tungsten)
• Cerakoted barrel/receiver (tungsten)
• Meopta 6-18x50 w/ sunshade
• SilencerCo ASR brake
• SilencerCo Omega 36M
• Versapod
• Upgraded trigger spring (~13oz. pull)
• Need to order a Limbsaver or this:https://backfirestore.com/product/backstop/

Lipstick on a pig? I dunno; don't care. The thing turned out to be pretty damn sweet, IMHO. The lighting doesn't do the finish any justice. Hopefully I'll get it on the bench this weekend while I continue to work up a load for my "new" Christensen MPR.

7mag.jpg

That's just a little bit of oil on the freshly inserted bolt.

7mag_close.jpg

[WhitewaterDuck]

I bet that joker is a pleasure to shoot now. Nice.

[WoodieSC]

That’s one nice looking rifle now. Good job.

I had the same model rifle in 30-06 and it was a shooter with most OTS ammo used. The only issue I had was the ‘06 recoil for target shooting due to some old shoulder wear.

Let us know how it shoots.

Wat does the weight come in at without the suppressor, assuming 22oz for the scope?

[USMCsilver]

That’s one nice looking rifle now. Good job.

I had the same model rifle in 30-06 and it was a shooter with most OTS ammo used. The only issue I had was the ‘06 recoil for target shooting due to some old shoulder wear.

Let us know how it shoots.

Wat does the weight come in at without the suppressor, assuming 22oz for the scope?

Thanks! I'll let ya know how it does.

I'll also check on the weight; not sure if I can accurately measure it. I've got kitchen scales & bathroom scales...

[USMCsilver]

Let us know how it shoots.

Wat does the weight come in at without the suppressor, assuming 22oz for the scope?

Weight comes in just under 12 pounds, loaded, without the suppressor. I must say, the added weight makes it much more pleasant to shoot; however, it's still got some kick to it. I will be replacing that butt-pad.

So, I put about 20 rounds downrange on Saturday. It wasn't a pleasurable trip, as shots were falling 1"-3" from one another. My bag set-up wasn't optimal, and the stock's ergonomics just seemed foreign after shooting a chassis rifle the last few weeks.

Due to the poor hits, I decided to check my ring screws. I broke out my Wheeler FAT Wrench, set the torque to 22-23lbs, and proceeded to tighten up multiple screws, then...SNAP! I'll be damned; a screw sheared off. (I sent Warne an email yesterday. Hopefully they can fix it, especially since it's Cerakoted.)

Needless to say, I put the rifle away after that & pulled out some 11-13 year old Tannerite. NOTE: old Tannerite, once solidified and reverted to powder, doesn't go boom.

[WoodieSC]

That's torque range is too high for rings. I'm pretty sure it should be down around 15-18 inch lbs, if I recall.

I hope those loose rings were the reason for the large groups as that rifle should easily be at 1MOA or less.

[Palmetto Bug]

Who does your Cerakoting?

[USMCsilver]

That's torque range is too high for rings. I'm pretty sure it should be down around 15-18 inch lbs, if I recall.

I hope those loose rings were the reason for the large groups as that rifle should easily be at 1MOA or less.

Warne's site calls for 20-25#. I'll be going with less on attempt number two...

I exchanged a few messages with Warne yesterday. I was hoping I could send them my FUBAR'd ring & have them remedy the stuck screw issue. Nope. Instead they overnighted another set (I think) of rings. I dunno if I'll bother getting them re-Cerakoted or not.

I've got a guy at work who has a drill press. He's going to see if the ring can be salvaged.

Who does your Cerakoting?

Amick's did my Ruger American Ranch. There were a few hiccups with the process, so I opted for another shop this time.

David Greene, over on St. Andrews Blvd, did this rifle & a Glock slide. Price was reasonable for the Tikka, rings, & slide (which was a different color). If you go, tell him Sterling sent ya. I told him I'd try to send some business his way. He's a nice fella & his son is finishing up gunsmithing school. He has multiple colors on-hand, but will gladly order anything you want.

https://www.3dcerakote.com/

The bolt was done by LRI since they did the fluting.

[USMCsilver]

So, my coworker saved the day. He got the old screw out and everything was good to go.

Over the weekend, I decided to re-mount the scope. This time, I decided to go with 18# torque (vs. original 25) and VibraTite VC3.

I got the front ring snugged up to spec, and thought it would be best to add some threadlocker to the rear ring (as I was slack & in a rush during the initial mounting).

As I was removing the screws, lo and behold -- I found a broken top screw in the rear ring.

I gave it to my coworker yesterday; he fixed this one, too.

Something I've learned -- if you're going to have scope rings coated (or any gun parts, for that matter) with anything other than oil, mask or plug the screw holes. I'm pretty sure that the culprit here was ultimately the Cerakote and not necessarily the torque. When my coworker was fixing the first ring, he said he retapped the holes and a decent amount of paint came out of the threads.

[Tha Dick]

I have always plugged any screw holes when I cerakote. I thought that was common sense. I guess not....

[USMCsilver]

I have always plugged any screw holes when I cerakote. I thought that was common sense. I guess not....

Well, it would have been common sense (had I been doing it). I did specifically ask that the barrel be masked off & not coated, but that didn't happen, either.

Having said that, I've already made arrangements for this fella to do another rifle; I'd still prefer him over the shop out by the airport. If I do the rings this go 'round, I'm going to mask the inside and plug the holes; I'll also mask the threads myself.

I did get a 60-piece tap & die set yesterday, so at least I'll have it on-hand if I need it in the future.

[Tha Dick]

Too bad you're not closer to Da'burg.

[WoodieSC]

Well, it would have been common sense (had I been doing it). I did specifically ask that the barrel be masked off & not coated, but that didn't happen, either.

If he was that slack on discipline, have you by any chance checked inside the barrel… specifically the chamber and muzzle areas?

[USMCsilver]

If he was that slack on discipline, have you by any chance checked inside the barrel… specifically the chamber and muzzle areas?

Chamber was fine.

Didn't inspect the muzzle. It's been shot, so I'm pretty sure anything on that end is long gone.

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[USMCsilver]

Too bad you're not closer to Da'burg.

I work in the Vista, so it isn't too far off...

PM me some info!

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