#ThePewPewLife Build Series

My First Custom Bolt Action Rifle

When I was younger I never understood car guys fascination with the manual transmission. Manuals seemed outdated and unnecessarily complicated. It wasn’t until I got older and drove a manual transmission that I understood what all the fuss was about it. I went through the same backward evolution with guns. Why use a bolt action when the semi-automatic does it so much better. That was until I bought I bolt action and understood what all the fuss was about and now I’m buying guns like my MR1 Bolt Action Rifle from Modern Outfitters.

Initially, I wanted this gun chambered in .308, but let’s face it, Having to tell someone that your fancy new bolt gun is chambered in .308 is like telling a girl you wear axe body spray for cologne when you’d be better off telling her you wear Creed. 6.5 Creedmore to be exact.

As for optics, I had a Schmidt & Binder PMii scope on on my HK MR762 but I felt the PMII would be more at home on this rifle, besides, the HK MR762 doesn’t need more help being heavy.

The bolt is Modern Outfitters Custom Titanium 3-Lug Action, with a 60 degree bolt throw. and yes it’s really gold and yes, the hexagonal fluting is more about sex appeal than any other perceived functional properties.

However, the barrel is a different story. It’s an M24 Bartlein Barrel which also has hexagonal fluting, but it’s not just about sex appeal. The fluting makes the barrel a 1lb lighter while making it look sexy as all get out. I can’t forget the trigger which is a Jewel Trigger that has a 2lb trigger pull which continues to impress me every day.

I’m certain a point of contention on this rifle will be the Magpul Hunter stock which I’m sure some people will feel is too cheap for a bolt gun of this magnitude. Then again, this build was meant to be a balancing act of weight, quality, and functionality. The Magpul Stock is a quality well-functioning stock that I think looks really good, even withstanding the lack of any high-speed low drag features that are common on today’s transformer style super chassis.

So there you have it, the build breakdown of my Modern Outfitters MR1 Bolt Action Rifle. Stay Tuned for a full review in the near future when I get some more time behind it.

Sig Sauer Kilo 2000 Yard Graphite Rangefinder, 7 x 25mm

When it comes to range trips, range finders are like chapstick. If you don’t have it when you need it, it isn’t the end of the world but it’s painfully annoying. I’ve been using the Sig Sauer Kilo 2000 for a few months now and it’s such great little machine. It’ll range reflective targets up to 3400 yards, trees up to 1500 yards, and deer up to 1200. I freaking love this thing. I try to make sure it’s always in my range bag, but I find myself arbitrarily ranging stuff in my daily life to develop a more intuitive understanding of distance based on sight alone so it ends going with me everywhere.

Accu-Shot Atlas BiPod

To some people, a bipod is a bipod is a bipod. That is until you have to depend on said bipod during a grueling 3 day scoped carbine course. Initially, I was drawn to the atlas bipods because of its looks and engineering. However, after running these bipods in a couple courses I have to say these bipods are the truth. They’re easy to use, take up minimal space and give you such a range of options in terms of use that make it hard to go back to anything else.

Schmidt & Bender PMII 5-25×56

The SB PMII is a tank of an optic, and I mean that in the best way possible. While attached to my HK MR762, I was doing some zeroing and left the rifle on the shooting bench which was about 3 feet off the ground. A gust of wind blew my Rifle over causing it to land right on top of the scope onto concrete. I picked up the rifle and but for a small scratch on the outside of the scope there was absolutely no damage. That’s what I mean by “Tank”. Not to mention some of the clearest glass I’ve seen on a scope before.

US PeaceKeeper Drag Case

The US PeaceKepper Drag Case was the rifle bag that came with my Modern Outfitter MR1. I didn’t think much of it initially, but as I put it to some use it started proving itself to be a damn good soft case. It’s littered with pockets on the outside and inside, along with a cleaning rod pocket making it a self-contained bag for my rifle at a good price.

Suunto Traverse Alpha

The Suunto Traverse Alpa is the apple watch for shooters. Period. It does so much it’s mind-numbing, which is good because I’ll never get bored with it. I learn something new about this watch everytime I wear it. You get a moon phase calendar, sunrise alert, weather trend, red backlight for night time use, it has shot detection for crying out loud. Download the sunnto app and connect it to your phone and you get all of your phone calls, text messages, and notification the same way I do with my apple watch minus the apple watches frailty and admitted fanboy douchery.

Randolph Concorde Gun Metal Frame

I was a RayBan guy until I came across Randolph Engineering. These aren’t your poser aviator style glasses, these are the real deal. Hold a pair of Raybans in one hand and hold a pair of Randolph Engineering in another and you’ll want to throw away your Raybans. These Glasses are such high quality for such a competitive price their marketing department should be fired for not doing a better job getting the word out about these things. You can also get your frames fitted with Their Ranger lenses, which are 5-6 times more impact resistant than standard polycarbonate. Now you don’t have to look like your prepping for the Tour De France the next time you hit the range.

5.11 Men’s Utility PT Shirt

The 5.11 Utility PT Shirt is easily in my top 5 shooting shirts. I do a lot of shooting in a state that isn’t known for being the coolest place in the world. I love how these shirts breathe, keeping me cool on hot days. The shirt also moves with your body without making you feel restricted. Most importantly, I love that no matter how much I’m sweating, the shirt still looks neat and doesn’t turn into a wet mess of fabric like some other shirts do.