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September 2011 No. 258

$5.99 U.S./CanadaPrinted in USA

7 25274 01240 4

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$5.99

Barrel Break-InVoodooKimber’s ClassyBolt Actions

H-S PrecisionSPR Sporter

C. Sharps Hepburn

Model 1879

September 2011Volume 43, Number 5

ISSN 0162-3593Issue No. 258

4 Background Photo: © 2011 Vic Schendel Rifle 258www.riflemagazine.com

Page 30 . . .

Page 46 . . .

Page 54 . . .

8 C. Sharps Remington- Hepburn Spotting Scope - Dave Scovill

12 Trigger Basics – Installing Trigger Stops Light Gunsmithing - Gil Sengel

18 Keeping Your Guns Safe Mostly Long Guns - Brian Pearce

22 New Scopes and Mounts for Old Rifles Down Range - Mike Venturino

26 .458 Winchester Magnum Classic Cartridges - John Haviland

30 Barrel Break-In Voodoo The Latest Rage John Haviland

40 Kimber Bolt Actions A Classy and Complete Rifle Line Brian Pearce

46 Savage Takedown A New Life for “The Imp” Terry Wieland

54 Mannlicher- Schönauer 6.5x54 Carbine A Rifle and Cartridge with a Storied Past John Barsness

62 H-S Precision SPR A Custom Production Bolt rifle Stan Trzoniec

70 New/Old Scopes Accuracy Enhancements for Old Eyes Mike Venturino

78 Boyds’ Gunstocks Nearly Limitless Options Ron Spomer

Sportiting FiFirearearms Joururnal al

On the cover . . .The C. Sharps Remington-Hepburn Model1879 features a 30-inch octagonal barrel,Soule tang sight and globe-spirit level front sight. Photos by G. Hudson.

Background Photo: © 2011 Vic Schendel

Page 27Page 30Page 62

Rifle 258www.riflemagazine.com6

Issue No. 258 September 2011

Publisher/President – Don Polacek

Publishing Consultant – Mark Harris

Editor in Chief – Dave Scovill

Associate Editor – Lee J. Hoots

Managing Editor – Roberta Scovill

Assisting Editor – Al Miller

Senior Art Director – Gerald Hudson

Production Director – Becky Pinkley

Contributing Editors

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Rifle® (ISSN 0162-3583) is published bimonthly with oneannual special edition by Polacek Publishing Corporation,dba Wolfe Publishing Company (Don Polacek, President),2180 Gulfstream, Ste. A, Prescott, Arizona 86301. (Alsopublisher of Handloader® magazine.) Telephone (928) 445-7810. Periodical Postage paid at Prescott, Arizona, and ad-ditional mailing offices. Subscription prices: U.S.possessions – single issue, $5.99; 7 issues, $19.97; 14 is-sues, $36. Foreign and Canada – single issue, $5.99; 7 is-sues $26; 14 issues, $48. Please allow 8-10 weeks for firstissue. Advertising rates furnished on request. All rightsreserved.

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Wolfe Publishing Co.2180 Gulfstream, Ste. APrescott, AZ 86301Tel: (928) 445-7810 Fax: (928) 778-5124© Polacek Publishing Corporation

John Haviland Ron Spomer Brian Pearce Stan TrzoniecClair Rees Mike VenturinoGil Sengel Ken Waters

Terry Wieland

Publisher of Rifle® is not responsible for mishaps of any nature that might occur from use of published loading dataor from recommendations by any member of The Staff. No part of this publication may be reproduced without writtenpermission from the publisher. All authors are contracted under work for hire. Publisher retains all copyrights uponpayment for all manuscripts. Although all possible care is exercised, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for lost or mutilated manuscripts.

Page 62 . . .

Page 86 . . .

86 What’s New in the Marketplace Inside Product News - Clair Rees

95 Where To Go Special Advertising Section -

98 Down on Hooker’s Creek Walnut Hill - Terry Wieland

Sportiting FiFirearearms Joururnalal

Rifle 25822 www.riflemagazine.com

M y feature farther along in

this issue concerns new re-productions of vintage opticalsights. However, in this columnlet’s reverse matters and talk ofnew scopes and mounts for vin-tage rifles. There is a difference.

I’ve never been an avid fan of thescout rifle concept for two rea-sons. One is that a scope sitting di-rectly over the action suits mefine. The second reason is that theidea is not new. Germans devel-oped the scout rifle concept asearly as 1941 with their K98k 8mmrifle equipped with the tiny ZF411.5x scope sitting directly over theopen rear sight. They consideredit a “Marksman’s Rifle.”

That said, I have now become a “scouter.” That’s because I’vegotten my first scout scope, a Leu -pold 2.5x. The reason is this: I’vebecome enamored with shootingvintage military rifles. That’s good.The bad is that this interest peaked

as my eyes reached social securityage. I can still use peep sights suchas found on M1 Garands, M1 Car-bines, M1903A3 Springfields, M1917Enfields and a few others. On theother hand, open barrel sights arenigh on useless for me; examplesof such are those found on a German K98k, Swedish Model 96or Japanese Type 38 Arisaka. Onthose rifles my eyes see a haloaround the rear sight, and thefront sight is a blur.

If my open-sighted military rifles

were “parts guns,” then I’d give se-rious thought to having somedrilled and tapped for over-the-ac-tion scope mounting. Of course,that would also require bolt alter-ation and a new safety. Whilemany of the bolt actions in myshooting collection are not high-priced items, I still balk at makingpermanent alterations. So manyvintage military rifles have been“sporterized” in the last half-cen-tury that it’s a shame to changethose remaining as-issued.

Here’s where the scout scopeconcept becomes attractive. Onan Internet firearms auction site, I stumbled across Accumounts(www.accumounts.com). Its busi-ness is reproducing scope mountsfor vintage sniper rifles and mak-ing “no-gunsmith” scout scopemounts to fit onto the rear sightbases of many types of militarybolt-action rifles.

My only hesitation about goingthe scout scope route with Accu-mount’s no-gunsmith setup wasthat I am one of the most mechan-ically inept people on this planet.Most times when I tackle a do-it-yourself project, the entire thingends up in a gunsmith’s lap for sal-vaging. Finally, however, I gave inand ordered some of Accumount’sscout scope bases and quick-de-tachable rings, still figuring thatafter I saw them, it was likely they

DOWN RANGE by Mike Venturino • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

NEW SCOPES AND

MOUNTS FOR OLD RIFLES

A Leupold 2.5x Scout scope was fitted via the No-Gunsmith Accumounton a Swedish Model 1896 6.5mm Mauser.

Rifle 25824 www.riflemagazine.com

went on a Japanese Type 38 6.5mm,but the 1-4x Leupold Scout scopefor it hasn’t arrived as of this writing.

In mounting these two no-gun-smith mounts, I only broke onespring. That was on the Type 38. Itsnapped because I tried to poundit out in the wrong direction. Sincea replacement cost only $2, I wasexceedingly happy with the entireprocess.

At my range the morning of thiswriting, when bore sighting the6.5mm Swede and scope at ablack bullseye at 25 yards, at first I thought there was a majorstumbling block. There wasn’tenough windage adjustment in thescope to bring point of impact tocenter. When putting the Accu-mount quick-detachable rings onthe mount base, they had beenplaced so their release levers were

would have to be taken to a gun-smith for installation.

Rather timidly I sat down at mybench with a punch set, the Accu-mounts and instructions as printedoff the Internet. In no more thanfive minutes, I had the open rearsight off my Swedish Model 966.5mm. The aluminum alloy Accu-mount set right into the rear sightbase and was attached from thesides by two supplied screws. An-other larger screw went throughthe mount from the top to pressagainst the rear sight base. Thatcinched things up tightly. Thequick-detachable Accumount scoperings, also of aluminum alloy, aremade to fit Weaver-type mounts.They clamped right onto the newbase. About that same time, a newLeupold 2.5x Scout scope arrivedand it fit right into place. The sametype of Accumount with rings

on the left side. On a whim, I de-tached and dismounted the scope,turned the rings 180 degrees andremounted it. Now the scope hadplenty of windage and elevationadjustment. Things went easilythereafter. Three shots with Hor-nady 140-grain ammunition werea couple of inches left. The scopewas adjusted, and another shotwent center and a little high. Acouple of clicks down and thenext three shots made a nice trian-gle dead center in the bullseye.Thereafter clusters were in the 1to 2 minute-of-angle range, de-pending on the exact load.

Next I shot some odds and endsof loads at 200- and 300-yard steelplates and was doing right well at it. The second stumbling blockraised its head when point of im-pact suddenly moved consider-ably toward 12 o’clock. It turnedout to be no big deal. Neglectingto tighten the top screw of the Ac-cumount enough, it had workedloose. It was a simple matter to re-lease the scope, tighten that onescrew firmly, remount the scopeand then fire a few more rounds to again obtain a zero. That topscrew didn’t loosen again after 40or 50 more rounds were fired.

When that Leupold 1-4x Scoutscope arrives, perhaps I can dis-cover whether the Japanese Type38’s usual 4-MOA groups are normal for it or caused by my eyesight. We’ll see. (Clever punthere!)

Mike’s initial 100-yard sighting-in was done with theSwedish 6.5mm with the Leupold 2.5x Scout scope.

Accumount’s No-Gunsmith base is fixed to the rearsight base of a Japanese Type 38 6.5mm. Screws atbottom rear of the mount attach it to the rear sightbase. A large screw at top cinches it down tightly.The additional screw holes allow an extension to be fitted for normal scope positions over the action. Altering the bolt handle would then be necessary.

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See the OFFICIAL ENTRY FORM in this issue.

- OFFICIAL RULES - You must be 21 years or older to enter the drawing. Only one entry per subscription per magazine for a total ofthree entries per person using the official entry form. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY: To enter without purchase, print in block letters, thewords EL LOBO GIVEAWAY across the top of a 4x6 card along with your name, age, address and phone number and enclose in an envelope.You may submit up to three entries (each card must be mailed in a separate envelope). Failure to follow these directions will void yourentry. Please send entries to Wolfe Publishing Co., Dept ELG, 2180 Gulfstream, Suite A, Prescott, AZ 86301. Wolfe Publishing Co. is notresponsible for misdirected, damaged or undelivered mail. All entries must be received by January 30, 2012. The drawing will take placeon February 15, 2012. Winners will be notified within 15 days of the drawing. All decisions are final. No substitutions for prizes otherthan those necessary due to availability. Applicable taxes and charges not included in the giveaway are the responsibility of the winner.Odds of winning are dependent upon total entries received. Void where prohibited by law and regulations. Employees and families ofWolfe Publishing Co., Classic Barrelworks and Swarovski Optik are not eligible to enter. All federal, state and local laws and regulationsapply. The rifle must be shipped to an FFL dealer in your area. Winner’s name will be published in the magazines following the drawing.

SUBSCRIBE or RENEW toyour favorite magazinesand enter the EL LOBOCUSTOM RIFLE GIVEAWAYfor your chance to WIN!One entry for eachsubscription.

Contest EndsJanuary 30, 2012

Read a full review and test of theEl Lobo hunting rifle by Brian Pearce

in RIFLE #257 (May/June, 2011).

Backgroundphoto by:Vic Schendel

Enter Now and Wina Custom Hunting Riflechambered in 6.5-284 Normawith a Swarovski® Z5 Rifle Scope!

The LOBO series of custom hunting rifles by Classic Barrel & Gunworks is“for those who don’t hunt with the pack”! This superb firearm featurescontrolled-round feeding with a cone breech, integral recoillug, stainless steel hand-crafted action, cut-rifled stainlesssteel barrel, adjustable Rifle Basix trigger, Gentry Custom3-position safety and a fully bedded McMillian® Hunters Edgecarbon fiber stock with a LimbSaver recoil pad. A Swarovski®

Z5 3.5-18x44 scope with Talley rings and bases tops off thiscustom-made rifle. This entire giveaway package is a

$5,00000 VALUE!

For more informationsee the OFFICIAL ENTRYFORM attached to this

issue or contact:Wolfe Publishing Co.2180 Gulfstream,

Suite A,Prescott AZ 86301 Tel: 928-445-7810Fax: 928-778-5124

Toll Free: 800-899-7810www.riflemagazine.com

oC nte

est Endsds

KimberBolt Actions

40 www.riflemagazine.com

Brian Pearce

After establishing a superb rep-utation of building first-classModel 1911 pistols, in 2001Kimber invited a group of

gun writers to try preproduction ver-sions of its new bolt-action Model84M rifle chambered in .22-250 Rem-ington. Over a three-day period, Iburned around 2,000 rounds throughtwo rifles. They had it all, includingaccuracy, quality, handsome looksand an unusually trim controlled-round feed action.

One of the above preproduction rifles was later se ntto my home, where it could be better evaluated at mybench under calm conditions with factory ammuni-tion and handloads. With this additional scrutiny therifle impressed me even more. First, I was able to get100-yard groups to cluster .320 to .750 inch using pre-mium factory ammunition, which is outstanding, con-sidering it was not a hefty benchrest outfit; it weigheda comparatively light 7½ pounds.

The action and barrel exhibited excellent machining.The action has some distinguishing features, includ-ing a crisp trigger pull that broke cleanly at around 3pounds. The wing safety was initially a two-positionbut has now been changed to a three-position that issimilar to the Winchester Model 70. This safety typehas become extremely popular due to its practical de-

A Classy andComplete Rifle Line

41www.riflemagazine.com

Kimber rifles are available in a varietyof cartridges and configurations. A fewexamples include (leftto right): Model 84MLPT .223 Remington,Model 84M Varmint.22-250 Remingtonand 8400 Sonora .300Winchester Magnum.Stock options includesynthetic, walnut (invarious grades) andlaminate.

sign that allows removal of a cartridge from the cham-ber without disengaging the safety. It is quick and con-venient to access and can be placed in the off positionvery quietly, which is an important feature for a fieldrifle. The bolt handle is swept and positioned for aneasy grasp.

The M in Model 84M stands for “medium” cartridgessuch as the .22-250 Remington, .308 Winchester andsimilar rounds, but it is incredibly compact. Engineersstarted with the goal in mind to eliminate excessmetal and dead weight to keep it simple and make itwork. The receiver is constructed of 4140 chrome-moly bar stock, while the bolt is constructed of air-craft grade 4340 steel. The receiver ring measures atidy 1.140 inches in diameter, while the bolt measures.589 inch in diameter and 4.990 inches in length. (Thesmall receiver ring allows scopes to be mountedlower than actions with larger rings.) It is a con-trolled-feed system with traditional blade ejector andclaw extractor. The receiver is round and pillar bed-ded to the stock via two guard screws. The hingedfloorplate and trigger guard housing are one piece andconstructed of steel rather than aluminum or plastics,which seem to plague many of today’s rifles.

Kimber rifles are designed to control escasping gas and protect the shooter in the unlikely event thata primer or case ruptures. The receiver ring is drilledto direct gas out the right side, while the bolt bodyfeatures two holes that direct gas into the left race-way. If gas travels back, a breech-bolt sleeve effec-tively keeps it from reaching the shooter. In usingmany Kimber rifles during prairie dog shoots, whereinit was a target-rich environment, I have been guilty of overheating barrels, which has resulted in a few blown primers from the cartridge getting“cooked” – which was not the firearms’ fault. Notonce did I even get a hint of gas in my face. On an-other occasion, I had a defective case rupture just forward of the head (which was not fired from a hot barrel), and while smoke spewed from the action,no gas reached me.

The Model 84M lock time is reported at 2.0ms, whichis faster than any other regular production bolt-actionrifle that I am aware of and certainly aids shooters in

Rifle 258

obtaining small groups. Firing pin mass is just 1.2ounces, and fall is .190 inch, again confirming justhow efficient and tidy this action really is.

Barrel quality is what Kimber refers to as “MatchGrade.” Chamber dimensions are held to minimumpractical tolerances for a working field rifle, and thecrown is cut with precision. In firing more than adozen Kimber rifles (chambered for .223 Remingtonthrough .375 H&H Magnum), they have generallyproven accurate and always reliable. One of the goalsKimber tried to achieve was a rifle that was “ready togo, right out of the box.” In other words, the con-sumer would not have to tinker with it to make it ac-curate or install an after-market trigger to achieve agood pull. It certainly seems like Kimber has accom-plished this goal.

Over the past decade, Kimber hasenjoyed brisk rifle sales and has ex-panded its product line to includethe Model 84L (.30-06 length) and8400 with a larger receiver ring(1.358-inch diameter) for beltedmagnums, short magnums and car-tridges up to .375 H&H length. Rifle

variations (and caliber offerings) are extensive andinclude stainless and blued versions, with stock op-tions that include laminate, synthetic, tactical andwalnut that ranges from A grade to AAA French.

Varmint rifles are often specialized, and with bulkystocks and heavy barrels are at their best when firedfrom a bench with a sandbag rest, rather than be-ing lugged around while hiking in the hills. The Kimber Model 84M Varmint, however, is a “walkingvarminter” that only weighs around 7½ pounds witha 26-inch fluted varmint barrel (thanks to the unusu-ally trim action). The weight is in the barrel where itis needed to achieve velocity, accuracy and shootingease. With such a trim weight, it is a natural rifle tosling over the shoulder and hunt a variety of gamesuch as coyotes, rockchucks, prairie dogs, foxes andother pests that are pursued on foot. With its A gradewalnut, classic-styled stock, it is attractive and han-dles exactly as this type of field rifle should. My per-sonal rifle is a .22-250 Remington, which is alwaysloaded and sits by the front door, ready to accommo-date any coyote that chooses to worry one of my reg-istered angus cows with a calf. Real world pricing isaround $1,100 to $1,200.

For the dedicated varmint shooter looking for a

The Kimber Model 84M (top) is for the .308 familyof cartridges, while the 8400 (bottom) is available in short and long lengths and has a larger receiverring to accommodate magnum (short and belted)cartridges, such as the .375 H&H Magnum.

Kimber bolt-action rifles (Model 8400 Sonora shown here) are of proven design and are notablylightweight.

KimberBolt Actions

Below, the Kimber action is milled fromsolid steel bar stock. Right, trigger pulls are

factory set between 3 and 4 pounds and are adjustable.

42 www.riflemagazine.com

September-October 2011 43www.riflemagazine.com

this model, production numbersare limited.) All models feature classic-styled stocks and are worthy hunting rifles with indi vid-ual character, and they receive all the same accuracy features associated with other Kimber rifles: match-grade barrel, cham-ber, crown, adjustable trigger, etc.

Classic series rifles are availablein most popular short, long andmagnum rifle cartridges with streetprices beginning around $1,000.

dedicated sandbag rifle, the ProVarmint, LongMaster VT and SVTwith heavy barrels and laminatedstocks with flat forearms shouldsatisfy most needs.

The Kimber Montana is a seriousrifle for hunters who need a light-weight outfit. In short-action cal-ibers, it weighs from 5 pounds, 1ounce to 5 pounds, 6 ounces (de-pending on caliber), while long-action versions weigh around 5pounds, 10 ounces. The Model 8400Magnum versions weigh from 6pounds, 2 ounces to 6 pounds, 10ounces. The rifle boasts of stainless

steel construction and a Kevlarcarbon-fiber stock. The floorplateis blind and the barrel free floated.

Shortly after Kimber announcedthe Montana, I tried one in .308Winchester. After installing a Leu -pold VX-3 2.5-8x scope, I settleddown at the bench with a coupleof factory loads and handloads.Accuracy of the factory loads waspleasing, but I was impressed withthe one-inch (100-yard), four-shotgroup produced from a handloadcontaining 45.0 grains of Accurate2520 and 165-grain Hornady Inter-Lock SPs. Handloads with Sierra165-grain spitzer boat-tails pushedwith 45.5 grains of Hodgdon Var-get produced a single ragged hole.This is a serious hunting rifle andoffers similar features as customguns that cost several times more.Calibers range from .204 Ruger to.338 Winchester Magnum, andcompetitive prices hover around$1,150 to $1,200.

Kimber offers Classic and Clas-sic Stainless versions that featureA grade walnut – although manyguns exhibit a higher grade ofwood – finished in matte blue andsatin stainless, respectively. Eachwood-stocked rifle is aluminumpillar bedded, and the recoil lug isglass bedded to enhance accuracyand strength. The Classic SelectGrade features A grade Frenchwalnut and a distinguishing ebonyforend tip. The Super America features a high-polished blue fin-ish, outstanding AAA walnut withebony forend tip, cheekpiece, oil-type hand-rubbed finish and wrap-around 24-lpi checkering. (Due tothe quality of wood required for

Above, the wing safety is three-position. Below, the bolt stop istidy, positive and lightweight.

Kimber rifles feature Mauser 98claw-type extractors and bladeejector for controlled-round feed.

Firing pin mass of the Model 84M is 1.2 ounces and lock time is 2.0 ms.

Rifle 25844 www.riflemagazine.com

and many rifles fail when exposedto sand, silt, freezing rain and ruston a continual basis. It is only of-fered in .375 H&H Magnum, whichis an excellent choice for largeAlaskan game.

The Sonora features a brownlaminate stock with beavertail fore-arm, blue steel action and flutedstainless steel barrel. It is intendedto meet the needs of the long-range hunter and is chambered for .25-06 Remington, 7mm Rem-ington Magnum and .300 Winches-ter Magnum. Sometime back I puta Sonora .300 Winchester Magnumthrough a few paces, checkingseveral factory loads and hand-loads for accuracy at 100 and 300yards. Several groups were ob-tained at the latter distance thatmeasured from 1½ to 2¼ inches,and weather conditions were lessthan perfect. Clearly it is a worthyrifle.

The Caprivi is an express patternrifle designed to meet the needs ofdangerous game hunters but alsooffers pleasing beauty. It featuresAA French walnut with ebonyforend tip, while cross bolts, alu-minum pillars and glass beddingenhance strength, accuracy anddurability. It also features a fold-ing leaf rear sight, barrel bandswivel stud and an inletted rearswivel stud. Standard calibers are.375 H&H Magnum, .416 Reming-ton Magnum and .458 Lott.

A Caprivi Special Edition is newfor 2011 and is similar to the theCaprivi but features AAA Frenchwalnut stock, case colored re-ceiver for a distinguished appear-ance and is only available in .375H&H Magnum.

The stainless Talkeetna is out -fitted with a Kevlar carbon fiberstock and gets its name from aspecial place in Alaska that isprime moose, brown bear andwolf country. Conditions are harsh

Kimber rifles are geared for accuracy. This Sonora features aluminumpillar bedding and is glass bedded.

Two guard screws secure the stockto the receiver. The trigger guardand floorplate are one piece.

Kimber Bolt Actions

September-October 2011 45www.riflemagazine.com

Caprivi street prices are typicallyaround $2,700; the Talkeetna,$1,850; and the Sonora, $1,200.

Kimber offers a full line of tacti-cal rifles for police and militaryapplications. However, many are

popular among varmint shootersand are viable options for thosewho are not allowed to own (bylocal unconstitutional laws), ornot impressed with, high-capacityautoloading rifles that have be-

come so popular. The product linehas recently been upgraded and is complete with a version and cal-iber to fit most applications.

In a world where dollars seem tobuy less and less, Kimber rifles areof solid, proven design but thor-oughly modern, accurate and lookas though they should cost consid-erably more.

Porter Pearce gives the 84MVarmint .22-250 Remington a try from the bench, yielding sub-.75- and .5-inch groups withNoslerCustom ammunition.

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