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Good Score Sunday (SR90 + ACOG)

GS455

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 14, 2013
94
61
Nashville
Not sure this qualifies as vintage but pretty sure it's configuration is long out of use.

A few months ago a guy at our club listed a TA01 for sale @ I think $850 (recently recharged for $260 by Triji). I didn't need one but excellent glass to have as a floater so offered him $600. He declined but he also mentioned some wiz bang cool precision rifle SOCOM sniper clone variant from the early 2000s he wants to off for three grand. Never heard of make/model, not in my wheelhouse, and I didn't even have near that to make a counter offer if I was interested. We exchanged niceties but went on our way.

Fast forward to this weekend and he pings me asking if I still want the ACOG, that he'd take $500 for it. I'm all over it. So we agreed to meet and he says he'll bring that rifle along just to check out. Now, he says he'd take two grand for it along with a bit of match ammo. I figure, okay, I just made bonus last quarter so was does it hurt to look at. I tossed my borescope in the car and headed out.

Did a little Google surfing and turns out this is some kind of custom civilian variant of an M40A1 or 3 built by ROBAR in the early 2000s, complete with period correct Leupold Mark 4 10x fixed scope and McMillan stock. Virtually spotless with about 2,000 rounds down the pipe. Originally sold for around $4,500 with a guarantee of half MOA out of the box. Had ever so slight fire crackling at the throat with smooth transition to basically razor sharp lands all the way to the muzzle. I read that this is basically one of the early variants (ala M40) that Chris Kyle used in the early days of the Gulf War.

A quick Zelle transfer on the phone had me driving home with it, the ACOG, and 80 rounds of 175gr Federal Gold Medal Match .308 for $2,300 bucks.

$1,750 for the SR90
$ 500 for the ACOG
$ 50 for 80rds of .308 Match (and a couple little carry cases for the ammo)

Not a bad deal for a random Sunday that just dropped into my lap. Now I need to learn how to shoot for real.

If anyone knows any more about the history and legacy of this fine-built precision rifle I'm all ears and would like to learn.


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Whoa ! $399 with a 10rd mag. And spare 10rd mags are $129/ea. Considering the pedigree of the rifle I'm sure this is the way to go. Although I thought I stumbled online onto some plastic affairs for sub $100. Yikes. As I said initially; this world has not been in my wheelhouse. I'm definitely far afield from my milsurp hobby.

I've read those early 700 BDL detachable magazines were so awful that Remington discontinued them long ago. Still, I do need to get out and see how this baby groups before I drop another $400 on it. Hopefully have a free weekend here before too long.

 
I am not an educated precision rifle shooter. Mainly shooter/collector of 20th century bolt and semi milsurps. These rifles (SR90 & RPR both in .308) far exceed what I can do with most of my semi-autos but some of my scoped Mausers, 03A3 and PUSnipers can get close to what these are doing, if not as good. Still I have to imagine in more skilled hands the RPR and SR90 could probably shoot clover leafs. In fact I have done so with the RPR previously but not today.

So this is all very interesting. The 1st two groups. One strings vertically the other strings horizontally. Bizarre. All 175gr HPBT Fed Gold Medal Match @ 100yds.

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This was a 5 (not 4) shot group.

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This is actually 5 not 3 shot group
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6 shot group

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5 shot group

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I had my RPR out and compared it with some 175gr PPU HPBT Match. Not bad.

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And here at 200yds running the 175gr Fed Gold Medal Match through both the RPR and SR90 side by side. S'pose the SR90 did a skootch better. I should be doing better than this on these rifles.

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I think you are significantly under valuing the Robar and it's kit. That $4500. would be, roughly, $7500. today. I would recommend you not change anything on it and just live with it's idiosyncratic behavior. Was the man you purchased it from the original buyer?
 
Yea, the fellow special ordered it from Robar back in the early 2000s. What makes you think I'm "significantly undervaluing" it. Expensive upgrade? Maybe not. I'm used to milsurp. I have complete respect and understanding for what the platform is. Proud to have it.

The magazine/magwell upgrade is not a permanent mod. The stock BDL pattern magazine from back then (I feel) is terrible, in fact I heard Remington disco'd it for that reason. I imagine it would be part of engagement "training" in to have the muscle memory to swap and replaced on the fly under stress. Definitely requires a little tweak to get it to seat up reliably as opposed to just slamming it up like most magazines I'm familiar with.
 
I think you are significantly under valuing the Robar and it's kit. That $4500. would be, roughly, $7500. today. I would recommend you not change anything on it and just live with it's idiosyncratic behavior. Was the man you purchased it from the original buyer?
There is an SR90 on GB right now for 2500. Add a MK4 scope and 4 or 4500 is about right.
 
... in more skilled hands the RPR and SR90 could probably shoot clover leafs. In fact I have done so with the RPR previously but not today.

So this is all very interesting. The 1st two groups. One strings vertically the other strings horizontally. Bizarre. All 175gr HPBT Fed Gold Medal Match @ 100yds.
... 175gr Fed Gold Medal Match through both the RPR and SR90 side by side
I've never shot 175s tighter than I can with 168s.

Horizontal stringing is typically the human with inconsistent eye relief, bipod pressure, and/or head and cheek placement. Windage is typically the human not catching shifts and/or compensating for wind.
 
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Way back when, I bought an SR-90 Stock from robar and built my own.......

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Not that I'm there yet but after seeing Threadcutters performance (WOW) here I wonder if I'd think about rebarreling this girl. Suggestions, what to use and who to do it? I'm out of Nashville.

I also need to find some details, spec sheet or manual on this old Leopold M14 scope. It's a bit of a hybrid as I understand. MiIL reticle and MOA adjustments?
 
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Not that I'm there yet but after seeing Threadcutters performance (WOW) here I wonder if I'd think about rebarreling this girl. Suggestions, what to use and who to do it? I'm out of Nashville.

I also need to find some details, spec sheet or manual on this old Leopold M14 scope. It's a bit of a hybrid as I understand. MiIL reticle and MOA adjustments?
Thank You kind Sir ! :)

My suggestion ? Shoot it first and see how it groups/behaves. It may be a perfectly good shooter and re-barreling it now may not gain you anything. If it doesn't group, then sure, slap a new barrel on it. I've always done my own work, so I don't really follow who the other "Go To" guys are. I'm sure there will be others that will chime in with great suggestions.

The barrel on mine was/is a Lilja. It's been very good. These days, I'd probably go with a Bartlein.
 
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Thank You kind Sir ! :)

My suggestion ? Shoot it first and see how it groups/behaves. It may be a perfectly good shooter and re-barreling it now may not gain you anything. If it doesn't group, then sure, slap a new barrel on it. I've always done my own work, so I don't really follow who the other "Go To" guys are. I'm sure there will be others that will chime in with great suggestions.

The barrel on mine was/is a Lilja. It's been very good. These days, I'd probably go with a Bartlein.
Well, you can see how it did on my first outing via the pictures above. Tried some different 175 grain Match last weekend and had similar results. This also has a Lilja barrel. I don't reload and have primarily been a milsurp collector/shooter.

I'm thinking of taking the introduction to precision shooting course at L&M range next spring and have both this and a Ruger precision rifle in 308, the latter needing a better scope than what I have.

 
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Well, you can see how it did on my first outing via the pictures above. Tried some different 175 grain Match last weekend and had similar results. This also has a Lilja barrel. I don't reload and have primarily been a milsurp collector/shooter.

I'm thinking of taking the introduction to precision shooting course at L&M range next spring and have both this and a Ruger precision rifle in 308, the latter needing a better scope than what I have.

Yeah, all of mine are/were handloads. Not dissing you, but what is the smallest group that you have ever shot, with any rifle ? It may be more a matter of technique than it is something to do with the barrel or rifle. How did the previous owner do with it ? What kind of group sizes was he getting ?

I'd just hate to see you spend all the time and money to re-barrel it and not have it shoot any better. If you know some proficient shooters at your local range, have them shoot a few groups and see how they do.

It's bound to create controversy, but I am a very big believer in having a good trigger. All of my bolt actions have Jewell triggers on them (Arnold Jewell is no longer alive, his triggers are no longer available (as new) and I'm a dinosaur). If it has a marginal (or shitty) trigger on it, put a new one on it and practice with it. It will make a lot of difference.
 
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Agreed. And good advice about getting in the hands of an experienced shooter. I have previously achieved Cloverleaf groups at 100 with my RPR early this year but I forget what ammo. Some commercial 168 grain Match I believe.

I also need to learn the workings of the scope. Beyond zeroing at 100 and holding over for 200 yards I don't know how to use the reticle other than shooting and seeing where groups land in order to replicate point of impact. I can get out to 400 yds at my range and can reliably hit 12-in Steel over and over but only by educated guesstimating.
 
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