Bowland Custom - 6.5X47L Build

[brave Echo niner]

Okay, so it seemed like maybe it was time to finally write up this awesome build that Bowland Custom did for me a couple of years ago – I meant to do it after a hundred rounds or so, but I’ll admit I got very side tracked by how lovely it was to shoot and well, here we are!  

 

So this rifle was one that was originally built to be a hybrid rifle, both a deer stalking rifle for clear fell as well as a more target orientated rifle compared to the .308 Win which is my woodland stalking rifle that @Ronin also built. It was decided that a 24" medium Palma Border-Sasson cut rifle barrel would fit the rifle excellently and a 6.5x47L was a familiar chambering to myself which I had seen be extremely effective it seemed like the obvious choice. 

The action chosen was a shot out Tikka T3 which was cleaned up by Andy, the trigger lightened and fettled and finally was mated with a McMillan A3-5 stock after being cerakoted, the end result being this (apologies for the less than great photos):

 

It suited the purpose to a T, with it being light weight enough to carry for a long period of time and incredibly accurate so as to cover the possible longer shots and the target aspect.

Now after shooting some groups with the rifle it was just ace, I was definitely the limiting factor in the setup, which is exactly what I wanted, like always Andy had produced a stunner!

 A few months after having the rifle built it was mentioned to me about shooting the Gardners Guns PRS shoot, which took place in May 2019, it was something which I was definitely up for doing and I certainly learnt a lot from the experience, both about long range marksmanship and about myself. It was safe to say  after that the competitive precision rifle bug had truly bitten and I was raring for the more events, the next of which was in Sept of the same year. At the following shoot I again had a great time, but was much more competitive that time, being able to hold my own with the more experienced shooters having learnt from my previous experience and really being able to use some of the rifles ability. One thing which did strike me at the point though was the difference between the chassis options and the ‘traditional’ stocked rifles, I just felt like the chassis route had a lot more to offer in terms of adjustability as well as recoil control. So I saved a few pennies and ordered an MDT ESS chassis  which as soon as it arrived I knew I had made the right choice. It was everything I had hoped with umpteen adjustments in pretty much every plane you could desire, it had turned my hybrid rifle into a competition rifle!

From that point the changes came pretty quickly, from changing the factory trigger to a Timney two stage to buying a Fortmeier bipod. Then as we all know COVID hit, this gave me ample time to prepare for the next match which would take place in July 2020. At this next shoot I managed to place joint 3rd with the rifle, to put it simply it just hammered! The rifle was just ace to shoot! 

 

Now since then I have changed a few bits again, between getting a MDT elite vertical grip to a Cyke pod and Arca Rail as well as changing the scope and getting the bolt fluted by Paddy Dane, but it still shoots bug hole tiny groups as shown below – I have no doubt it is capable of better in the right hands, but this is what I have managed. I have various other targets where it has done the same on other days so it is very consistent in its precision!

 

Now through all that change the barrelled action has been the one constant, I wouldn’t change it at all and the repeatability of the results is a testament to Andy’s hard work and meticulousness when rebarrelling these creations. I cannot recommend him highly enough if you are looking for any kind of custom rifle to be built. There is certainly no coincidence that whenever rifles built by him are shot some tiny groups appear downrange!

 

 

Ben

 

[ds1]

Excellent write-up, thank you for posting it. Andy does superb work. I hope that you enjoy where your shooting journey takes you.

[Ronin]

Cheers Ben 

 

I appreciate the write up and comments

 

👍🏻