So, after becoming aware of the Barrett Fieldcraft rifles awhile back in a discussion here on the Hide, I started looking into them and decided that I wanted one. As it happened, I had some other guns for which I had no real use, and traded them off for a Fieldcraft chambered in 7mm-08. Mine is the 18" threaded barrel model, and I picked it up last night. Here are my observations to this point (in no particular order):
- The trigger (a Timney) was factory adjusted to a crisp 4 pound break. It was reinforced to me how much of a trigger snob I have become since I estimated it at 5-6 pounds prior to breaking out the Lyman trigger pull gauge.
- Removing the rifle from the stock was easy enough, even if it took two different size allen bits, and adjusting the trigger to the same crisp break at ~1.75 pounds was as easy as fiddling with the lower of the two allen screws on the front of the trigger pack.
- As is mentioned elsewhere, action screw torque is 80 in/lb for the front and 36 in/lb for the rear per the factory manual.
- All of the published information that I can find on the Fieldcraft states that the twist rate for the 7mm-08 is 1-in-8, but my barrel is marked as having a 1-in-8.5 twist rate. This is far from a deal killer for me, since I intend to shoot projectiles in the 150-162 gr range, for which the 8.5 twist is more than adequate.
- The action is not as smooth as I had hoped it would be, but maybe that will change with some break-in. Further, it's also possible that I've been spoiled by my Tikkas and Howas.
- The bolt is a tiny little thing, being pretty damned close to the size of the bolt in a Howa mini action. The difference is that the Howa mini action is intended to work with cartridges that will fit into an AR15 magazine (.223 rem, 7.62x39, 6.5 Grendel, etc...) while (this model of) the Fieldcraft is intended to work with cartridges that will fit into an AR10 magazine (.243 win, .308 win., 7mm-08, etc...).
- The (flared) barrel shoulder diameter is .748" per my calipers.
- It's possible to load this rifle to 4+1 capacity, but it didn't seem particularly happy about it... depressing the four rounds in the (internal blind) magazine was easy enough, but it really didn't seem to like dragging the bolt over the rounds in the mag to chamber the 5th round.
- The (5/8-24) muzzle threads are quite long; from the face of the muzzle to the (flared) shoulder on the barrel is ~.670" (approximating since I have already installed a muzzle device and I'm not going to remove it so that I can get an accurate measurement).
- I was fortunate to be able to clock a TBAC CB mount with only .013" worth of shims to get the top face to ~11 o'clock when hand tight; a smear of high temp red loc-tite and maybe 8-10 ft/lb got it installed where I want it, and I suspect that it will stay there indefinitely.
- The rings that Talley makes for these rifles are pretty nice; the one with the beveled base is the rear mount/ring (otherwise, the base would overhang the ejection port). Ring clamping torque per Talley is 17-20 in/lb.
- I have no idea what the ring/base-to-action torque should be, but given that Barrett bored the screw holes to accept #8 screws, I feel pretty safe with a dab of blue loc-tite and 25 in/lb.
- The best part: light rifle is light. In complete, ready-to-go-hunting trim including the complete rifle, TBAC CB mount, Talley low rings, a Bushnell 4.5-18 LRHSi scope and five rounds of Hornady 150 gr Precision Hunter ammo, the rifle weighed 7.3 pounds on my kitchen scale. I have not weighed it with the (Ultra 7) can on it, but it'll still be well under 10 pounds even then.
