"LONG RANGE SHOOTING"

Long range shooting has always been my passion. So many years ago I had an idea(right or wrong) of what I wanted.

This tack driver started out as a new Remington 700 Sendero Stainless fluted in 300 win mag. Shot good, but not what I wanted. So off I went to Reddick Illinois to see a great gunsmith named Fuzzy Anderson(real name Dennis).

We started with just the Remington action. The stock is the laminated heavy varmint from Darrell Holland. Its meticulously built. The fore-end is wide and flat, has a high comb and 3/8 inch cast off(slight bend) and Darrell's springs for a 700 Remington (met Darrell in South Dakota at a Varmint Hunters shootout).

Fuzzy always liked Douglass XXX barrels so after all his work cutting and chambering the barrel which is 31 1/2 inches long and 1 1/8 inch in diameter front to rear. Next Fuzzy started to assemble the rifle. The only thing he kept secret was the heavy duty recoil lug (I think he made that himself). After many weeks it was finished. Not a rifle to carry, never really weighed it, but I figure the rifle weight at about 17 to 18 pounds including the Leupold scope. Fuzzy has since moved to Arizona (bit longer road trip) and is missed by the shooters at the Ill Rifle Assoc as well as many others.

Now off to the range. I was like a little kid with his first bike. It was break in time(we really hate break in). One shot clean, one shot clean. I do this for 10 shots. Then go 2 shots and clean 10 times.

Recoil is like shooting a 223 with a 1 1/2 pound trigger, great. Shooting Federal Gold Match ammo and zeroing in at 300 yards, you can put 3 shots in 1 hole easily. I've taken prairie dogs at 900 yards. Now that I am retired, I'll have a lot more time to practice. My personal goal is 1800 yards.

Later I'll tell you more about Fuzzy and how he could setup the great Ruger #1B's and 1V's.

Hollands Gunsmithing and Supplies (www.hollandsales@aol.com)