Some of you know that about 18 months ago at the SigForum Fall Shoot I loaded a .308 round in my 7mm Remington Magnum. Catastrophe resulted and the gun was effectively destroyed. It is a left handed Winchester Model 70, and no longer in production. I started searching for parts, and after collecting all that I needed, took the rifle to Dave Sullivan in Erie Colorado. What a great job he did in rebuilding it, indexing the barrel, re carving the channel, bedding the stock and making this rifle a joy to hold and shoot. It is still a 7mm Rem Mag. Kind of my favorite caliber.

That's why I've named it Phoenix. . . risen from the ashes and ready to hunt again this fall.



And a close up of the action:


Thanks Feersum.

Resize image using edit feature (scroll over upper right corner in imgur)

Congratulations on getting your Mod. 70 rebuilt. Beautiful gun. Is it still a 7mm Magnum?

ETA: I was able to open the imgur link.

It is now. The barrel was bulged to about .30 caliber four inches forward of the receiver. Whew.

The 70 is a fine hunting rifle. Had 2 7mm magnums myself, 1 Vanguard and a M77. The one stainless 70 I couldnt acquire, due to lack of funds, a friend bought just to bust my balls. Even called me to say it went in his stable. It was chambered in the 7mm Short Magnum. He ended up selling it with a nice scope and sling 2 years later, due to needing money. Serves him right, by golly...

Please tell me about your Eliminator scope! How long you've had it, reliability, battery life, ranging prowess, accuracy at each range, etc. I've looked at them for a few years, never let go of the funds.

Hey Slab, this is my second. I started with the Eliminator II, liked it so much I bought the Eliminator III just for this rifle. I don't have much going on tomorrow, and will write a thorough review when I'm back in front of the computer. They are pricy, but they work like magic.

Congratulations on such a beautiful looking restoration project. Bonus points awarded for saving the lefty variety.

Don't think I have ever seen a left handed bolt gun, nice!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Dresden:
Hey Slab, this is my second. I started with the Eliminator II, liked it so much I bought the Eliminator III just for this rifle. I don't have much going on tomorrow, and will write a thorough review when I'm back in front of the computer. They are pricy, but they work like magic.

Can't wait to read it, I have a 7mm Rem Mag that just cries out for one.

quote:

Originally posted by wreckdiver:
Don't think I have ever seen a left handed bolt gun, nice!!!

My LGS just got a lefty Browning in 270...it's so pretty I wish I was a southpaw

I've had this Eliminator 3 since 2015. Eliminator III

I had the Eliminator 2 on a .30-06 and was well pleased with it, but it only ranged out to about 600 yards. I read that the newer model was effective at up to 1000 yards and thought that I might could use it, given the way that I hunt elk and antelope.

In the picture I posted, I had mounted it on a Remington Model 700 in 7mm, that was my backup gun while the Winchester was in sick bay. I had sighted it in at our local long range and hit steel targets at 800 yards after ranging them with the scope. The steel starts at 400 and goes out to 1000 skipping 900 due to terrain and I was able to ring each interval, after I had zero'd the rifle at the 200 yard range. So, the good, the bad and the ugly:

This scope has a parallax setting that is really easy to use as you change distances. The zoom adjustment is likewise very visible and easy to change if you want to magnify your target. Setting the drop/bullet coefficients is very simple with clear instructions. I hunt at about 7000 feet, so the user's guide explained how to calculate the settings at that altitude. The range is about 5500 feet, but that difference did not seem to matter. I programmed the scope using 7000 feet, and Hornady SuperPerformance 139gr boattails that clock about 3100 fps and it was close enough to hit any of the 18 and 24 inch plates I aimed at. So off I went to Wyoming for speed goat. This guy was at 484 yards and for once we had very little wind so I felt very good about the shot.



I have yet to change the battery, and it's going on 3 years since I first installed it. I probably will before hunting season, but I always carry extras, so . . . The scope can be powered down with the battery removed, and not lose your settings, which is a really good feature. The reticle is designed to help you calculate windage, and that's huge! Using a kestrel or even a smart phone wind reader allows you to quickly assess how much you need to hold for wind. The rifle ranging system takes care of drop automatically. The earlier model required that you zoom all the way in to range a target. This model allows you to range at any magnification stop, from wide open to it's max setting.

The bad: It's bigger and heavier than its predecessor, and of course, optical scopes. Not such a big deal when we hunt elk from the blinds up near Craig, only have to hike in about a mile each morning. But for Antelope, I usually put in 10 or 12 miles a day and the weight is noticeable.
The Eliminator 2 had an infrared remote that you could stick to your rifle's forearm and activate the ranging. This model has activation buttons on both sides, so you just reach up with a finger and nudge the button, but I kind of liked the earlier method of turning on the scope to range with it.

The ugly: I guess I have gotten used to its appearance. Now remember I have the 3-12 model. The 4-16 version is even chunkier. The mount is a picatinny style rail that covers the top of the receiver. It's kind of clunky looking, but it makes mounting and unmounting really easy if you want to change rifles like I have. So maybe that's not ugly.

On any long range rifle I have, I want one for it. I have two now, and will likely buy one more for my .30-06, again the Eliminator 3 3-12x44mm since it's worked so well for me.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Dresden,

Glad to see you got it back together! Lookin' good! That was quite a Kaboom at the Fall Shoot. Good thing nobody got hurt.

quote:

Originally posted by E26R-40-BSE:
Glad to see you got it back together! Lookin' good! That was quite a Kaboom at the Fall Shoot. Good thing nobody got hurt.

Well, my pride took a beating, that's for sure. Remember it took a little divot out of my cheek, thank heavens I was wearing safety glasses! My gunsmith said the Mod 70 was engineered to fail downward, blowing the magazine follower and door straight down. I guess I believe him, because that is what happened. I'm glad I was shooting single shots, and didn't have three more rounds in the box.