Results posted in original post...

First range trip results 3/12/26:
The rifle shot great today! Groups were 0.66", 0.7" and 0.87". The two small groups were shot with 175 grain Federal Gold Medal Match and the larger group was shot with Lake City M852 168 grain match.











Tony.

The bolt I used to build this rifle did not come with the action. I checked the firing pin protrusion on it and it was long. I used a firing pin assembly from another rifle that didn't have excessive FP protrusion to test my rifle yesterday. This morning I corrected the FP protrusion on my original FP assembly.

I had some scrap steel standoffs and I bored out the center and cut 1/2-13 TPI threads into the ends and made a firing pin disassembly tool. I made sure it was long enough that I can use it for a long action firing pin too. I bored out the center of a long 1/2" bolt for the firing pin to fit.






I trimmed about 0.012" off the tip of the firing pin and contoured the tip by hand using a diamond lapping stone, some 220 and 400 grit sandpaper, finished with a kitchen abrasive pad.




I now have 0.058" protrusion, down from 0.072" before.

Tony.

I did a coarse ladder test today with 169's and Varget. Looks like it really like 42.5 to maybe 43.5 grains of Varget. 42.5 came in right at 0.5"

And my son finally shot it for the first time today.









I'll do a fine ladder test in 0.2 grain increments next time.

Std deviations as follows:

42 gr: 26
42.5 gr: 19
43 gr: 18
43.5 gr: 5.5
44 gr: 9

Tony.

Pretty cool.

For the last year or so I've had the strangest desire to build a VN era M40 clone-ish, but in .25 Souper. Why I have no idea. What I'd do with it? No idea. Certainly not nearly enough to justify the costs, that's for sure. lol