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Last hunt for 2022 and some rifle mods
So I post plenty about vintage rifles and particularly single shots
Not so much about my hunting, but I do hunt a lot
This is about hunting and gunsmithing so worth sharing
My Primary Big Game Rifle is a 6.5x65R Blaser K95
It's a very nice rifle due to its power and lack of weight
But it is very hard to shoot well at long range because of its splinter fore end and lack of stability over a pack rest
Totally impractical to fit a bipod to it
I've thought long and hard about it because its a very capable caliber and shoots 1/2 moa from the bench
So I have done a little work on my Browning 1885 7mm RM recently to get it ready for the roar and tahr rut and decided I would set it up with a Spartan bipod
That got me thinking about how I could use a Spartan on the K95
Then I remembered I had a spare fore end hanger in my hoard for a carbon fiber replacement stock project that never happened
So I modified the fore end hanger and a Spartan spigot to work together
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This is using a Spartan Light fixed height but a good proof of concept
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I smithed it all to be a good fit and put a nylock back nut on the front stud to have a consistent pressure as per the factory walnut for end
My plan was to carry the rifle in its normal mode and have the spartan and fore end hanger in a pouch
Any shots over 300m are usually at an undisturbed deer so plenty of time to remove the fore end, fit the hanger and bipod, range and adjust the scope for drop and in theory have a much more stable field rest
Hanger and Spartan light weigh exactly 200 gms
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So to the Hunt
December was a relentlessly messy month for me
I did get out hunting but only a quick walk and deer were seen but not shot due to the extra long grass and the usual cock ups
New years eve was a nice forecast and I boosted it off for a day hunt
The perfect proof of concept was seen early afternoon and due to the geography, wind and height of the sun the closest option to get a bomb away was still a distant 485m
So a quick fore end change over and find a reasonable resting place
Do a little bit of landscaping to get a little bit of space to pan side to side if things don't go to plan.
To be fair the bullet did drift just a little more than I anticipated ( will have to add wind drift to the rifles range chart ) so instead of the back edge of the shoulder it was 150mm further forward but perfect for height and he did a nice slide down into the bush edge
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Now that's me and you don't often see me in an image because I usually hunt alone.
But I was looping back to find a route across to the spiker and I met two trampers and asked them if they wanted two fresh venison shoulders because I would only have the energy for one trip out with the hind quarters and the back steaks
They were really keen and we headed across to do the job
On the walk over one of the guys mentioned his grandfather shot deers commercially in South Westland in the 60s and always carried them out whole and were we going to carry it out whole ?
I lead him on until we reached the spiker and I explained there were a lot of deer in the 60s and a lot less food and the genetics are improved now and his idea of even being able to get him off the ground evaporated instantly.
So that is my last deer for the year and a perfect result for my unique solution to shooting the K95 at moderately long range
Happy New Year
