11-17-2022, 10:22 PM
Well, the Ruger arrived today and I am pleased with it so far. Eager to get it to the range and break it in. This is the longer-barreled Predator model, but the muzzle is threaded nonetheless. I spoke to my FFL today about a can, and he told me the wait for approval and issuance of the tax stamp is seven months. Kinda cooled my jets right there on the idea of a suppressor, but we shall see.
I was all set with my JB bore paste to work the bolt to smooth it, and while it could still use some smoothing, I suspect Ruger has altered something in the bolt finishing process to clean up the surface a little more: certainly no hint of zip noise.
I am not impressed with the magazine -- just feels cheap and tinny. I wonder if there is a nicer five-shot out there with a smoother contoured base (keep the 10-shot in reserve). I am prepared to clip that mag spring if needed, and the trigger spring as well. Very nice, clean break but once again I wish I had a trigger pull scale.
I'd love to find some 100-grain Nosler Partitions to work up for a hunting load -- the Barnes 100-grain TTSX would be just as nice -- but both seem to be in mighty short supply right now. I saw some 100-grain ELD-Ms at my LGS, but Hornady seems to think they are not hunting bullets and I don't have coyotes on my menu. What is killing me is powder or the lack of it. Loaded some 107 TMKs and some Nosler 120 BTs with H4198 for sub-par loads just to have something to shoot. Will look for CFE223, Benchmark or H335 when in the "big city" next Monday.
I put the Burris 4.5-14 on with Weaver Grand Slam steel medium rings and I think it's going to be great rig.
I was all set with my JB bore paste to work the bolt to smooth it, and while it could still use some smoothing, I suspect Ruger has altered something in the bolt finishing process to clean up the surface a little more: certainly no hint of zip noise.
I am not impressed with the magazine -- just feels cheap and tinny. I wonder if there is a nicer five-shot out there with a smoother contoured base (keep the 10-shot in reserve). I am prepared to clip that mag spring if needed, and the trigger spring as well. Very nice, clean break but once again I wish I had a trigger pull scale.
I'd love to find some 100-grain Nosler Partitions to work up for a hunting load -- the Barnes 100-grain TTSX would be just as nice -- but both seem to be in mighty short supply right now. I saw some 100-grain ELD-Ms at my LGS, but Hornady seems to think they are not hunting bullets and I don't have coyotes on my menu. What is killing me is powder or the lack of it. Loaded some 107 TMKs and some Nosler 120 BTs with H4198 for sub-par loads just to have something to shoot. Will look for CFE223, Benchmark or H335 when in the "big city" next Monday.
I put the Burris 4.5-14 on with Weaver Grand Slam steel medium rings and I think it's going to be great rig.