Bad Rock South Fork initial report
I finally got to take my new South Fork to the range and wanted to share my experience. I ordered the rifle on March 8th and it arrived about a month later. I got a 6.5 cm in black with the 20 moa rail. I already had some AICS pattern Accurate Mags so did not order any others. I also had an APA LB brake so I did not need the 419 brake either.
When I picked up the rifle from my FFL I was anxious to get it set up and hit the range. I did a few measurements for future use. Weight with the Harris bipod and Cronus scope mounted was 12.4 lbs. The barrel is a Heavy Target profile about 1.25” down to 0.894”. The chamber looks to be 2.845 to the lands, so some room to play with OAL. Bad Rock says they will get into the re-barreling business, but not just yet as there won’t be much need until these first rifles (I think they started with serial # 00101, this one is 00134) get a few thousand rounds through them.
The barrel manufacturer remains unnamed but it is button cut stainless steel. They also say the action shares some features with the Defiant Tenacity, but they are not the same and Bad Rock may sell their own action as their business plan develops.
An earlier post here gave me the measurement for my scope mount at 1.25 for clearance of caps. I ended up ordering an MPA Bolt Action 34mm mount directly from them and then an Athlon Cronus with MK machining CF throw lever and aluminum level from ELRBasics. The MPA is 1.25” high and the Cronus with Butler Creek caps sits 0.28” off the rail, so even a little lower could have worked. The throw lever did not work at all. The clearance between the lever and the bolt handle is too small and the CF cut my fingers up pretty well until I pulled it off. The level is still backordered.
Once the rifle was ready to go, I headed off to the range for an afternoon to zero and a second for shooting steel.
Zero went without issue. I really like the adjustable cheek piece as it not only goes up and down, but also side to side. I shot with electronic ear plugs and full side adjustment of the cheek piece which gave me the best cheek weld I could have asked for and an excellent position behind the scope. My days with electronic muffs and poor cheek weld are over. The rifle feels lighter than others I have shot but weighs the same. I think the skeletonized stock gives it a lighter feel on the bipod and the swivel location makes for well-balanced movement of the rifle. It was very comfortable to shoot prone and bench. Once I had the scope dialed in every shot filled the ragged hole in the center. Smooth action and accurate shooter, I began to form a really good feeling about this rifle.
Next afternoon was for the range. My first shot was at 1000 yds to get a Calculate Muzzle Velocity adjustment for the Kestrel. Not too much change from the chrono results, but enough to make it worthwhile. From then on it was a series of first round hits from 350 through 1380. This rifle can shoot better than I can. Two of us shot 60 rounds from the South Fork and we were both impressed with the fit and finish of the rifle and its ability to consistently hit the target. The Trigger Tech Primary trigger was perfect from the factory. Very little pull and a crisp break. The factory setting worked well, I did lighten it up a bit when I got home, so I will see if that is needed or not next time out.
We both had our regular rifles with us and traded back and forth between them and the South Fork is our new favorite.
Overall, I really like this rifle. It is comfortable, well balanced, looks good and hits what I point it at. At this price point you are getting a well-made, smooth action made by a well know company, a barrel that works along with the TriggerTech and a MDT LSS-XL chassis. I think this is great value and can’t think of any changes I would make to the rifle.
According to Bad Rock, they have some black 223, 308, 6 mm cm and 300 win mag in stock but if you want a 6.5 cm the wait is on somewhere around 2-4 months.
