07-13-2014, 09:29 PM
This last winter I started to get into coyote hunting, going out with a buddy of mine from work that has been going for years. Our first time out we each got one, but that was pretty much it for me that season. I started picking up some of my own calls and was hooked the second I called my first one in on my own. In fact, I was so hooked that I traded in my 2008 Nissan Altima for a new 2013 Frontier just so I could get more places I wanted to go 
As the season progressed, the majority of the dogs we called would hang up around 500-600 yards, and were just too far for my 5.56 with a 1-4x scope for me to shoot comfortably with. That began the process of researching what caliber I would want to build.
I was fairly new to AR's, and was originally thinking I would have to switch to a bolt gun in order to get the kind of range I was looking for. Then my cousin built a .50 Beowulf, and that piqued my interest enough to start looking at rounds available in the AR platform that I could reach out far enough to hit the 600+ yard dogs.
I first saw the .243WSSM and was immediately drawn to it, simply because I have an old .243 that was given to me by my grandfather. The more I researched it, the more I decided it wasn't for me.
I then came across the 6.8SPC and thought I had what I was looking for, but while researching that I came across some weird sounding round called the 6.5 Grendel. The more I looked into it, the more I liked what I saw.
I started reading everything I could about it while waiting for funds. I would order parts as they became available (keep in mind everything was just beginning to die down from the great ObamaScare) and started to piece it together. I had everything I needed to load rounds before I had even decided on a barrel!
I had a 20" Shilen on backorder for months, and was starting to look at alternatives that may arrive faster. I heard about JP Enterprises, and immediately placed an order for their 22" variant. Less than two weeks later, the barrel and bolt were on my doorstep.
I took everything to my local gun shop to have the barrel/break cerakoted, and the rest of the gun dipped in Kryptek Highlander. I'm not too thrilled with how the dip turned out (there's a LOT of places they tried to touch up with a spray gun and didn't do a very good job) but overall I'm reasonably satisfied with how it turned out.
Wow, sorry for such a long post! I guess I had better back up the story with at lease a couple of pictures :p
Approx. 8 months and close to $3k later, here she is!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]5386[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]5387[/ATTACH]
I pulled my Vortex Viper PST 1-4x24 off my 5.56 until my Viper PST 4-16x50FFP gets here hopefully in the next week or so.
Stag Arms Lower
Vltor MUR Upper
JP Enterprises 22" barrel with their large profile brake
Midwest Industries Gen 2 SS extended rifle handguard
Geissele SSA-E 2 stage trigger
NiB BCG
Vltor A5 buffer kit
Magpul ACS stock
PredatorDown
As the season progressed, the majority of the dogs we called would hang up around 500-600 yards, and were just too far for my 5.56 with a 1-4x scope for me to shoot comfortably with. That began the process of researching what caliber I would want to build.
I was fairly new to AR's, and was originally thinking I would have to switch to a bolt gun in order to get the kind of range I was looking for. Then my cousin built a .50 Beowulf, and that piqued my interest enough to start looking at rounds available in the AR platform that I could reach out far enough to hit the 600+ yard dogs.
I first saw the .243WSSM and was immediately drawn to it, simply because I have an old .243 that was given to me by my grandfather. The more I researched it, the more I decided it wasn't for me.
I then came across the 6.8SPC and thought I had what I was looking for, but while researching that I came across some weird sounding round called the 6.5 Grendel. The more I looked into it, the more I liked what I saw.
I started reading everything I could about it while waiting for funds. I would order parts as they became available (keep in mind everything was just beginning to die down from the great ObamaScare) and started to piece it together. I had everything I needed to load rounds before I had even decided on a barrel!
I had a 20" Shilen on backorder for months, and was starting to look at alternatives that may arrive faster. I heard about JP Enterprises, and immediately placed an order for their 22" variant. Less than two weeks later, the barrel and bolt were on my doorstep.
I took everything to my local gun shop to have the barrel/break cerakoted, and the rest of the gun dipped in Kryptek Highlander. I'm not too thrilled with how the dip turned out (there's a LOT of places they tried to touch up with a spray gun and didn't do a very good job) but overall I'm reasonably satisfied with how it turned out.
Wow, sorry for such a long post! I guess I had better back up the story with at lease a couple of pictures :p
Approx. 8 months and close to $3k later, here she is!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]5386[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]5387[/ATTACH]
I pulled my Vortex Viper PST 1-4x24 off my 5.56 until my Viper PST 4-16x50FFP gets here hopefully in the next week or so.
Stag Arms Lower
Vltor MUR Upper
JP Enterprises 22" barrel with their large profile brake
Midwest Industries Gen 2 SS extended rifle handguard
Geissele SSA-E 2 stage trigger
NiB BCG
Vltor A5 buffer kit
Magpul ACS stock
PredatorDown
