This rifle uses a Barnard left bolt, left port action and trigger. The two barrels I currently have for this rifle are a Shilen no 5-1/2 profile barrel in 17/222 improved with a 1/10" twist and a Pacnor no 6 profile barrel in 223 Rem with a 1/8" twist. The stock is a Shehane laminate "40X style" and the scope is a Nightforce 3.5 - 15 with an NP-RR reticle in black anodised Kelby rings. The rifle will be used for varminting out to 300 yards with the 17 barrel and out to 500 or so yards with the 223 barrel. This will be a test bed for other cartridges using the 222 size boltface that I want to try in the future.

When I conceptualised the rifle, the plan was for a spotlighting rifle with the 17 barrel for night shooting and a mid range varminting rifle with the fast twist 223 barrel for volume shooting. The idea was that the illuminated reticle of the Nightforce scope would allow both applications without changing optics. So far, the night shooting of foxes has worked exactly to plan - mach better than the past use of a non-illuminated reticle scope.

My load development with the 17 barrel has been with 20gn Vmax, 25gn hollow point and 30gn Berger MEF bullets. All have shot very well, though I plan to try the 20gn Vmax at 4300 feet per second for my next fox shoot.

 

This 100 yard, 5 shot group was shot with 30gn Berger MEF bullets and Varget powder using the 17/222 barrel.

This 100 yard, 5 shot group was shot with 25gn Hornady HP bullets and H322 powder using the 17/222 barrel.

 
 
 

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