ANSCHÜTZ MSR 54:18 in McMillan Stock
Introduction
At the end of my 2010 season of Silhouette competition, I had decided to build a new rifle. At the time I was competing with an ANSCHÜTZ MSR 54:18 in the NRA Standard Rifle Class and had been very pleased with the performance.
During the end of that year I wanted to make the change to a single shot rifle and custom barrel. I had come to the point where I no longer used the repeating capability of my MSR 54:18, but was simply single-loading the rifle for every shot. It was to do with more of a rhythm in my shooting style than function, and I used the mental break of single loading the rifle to maintain my shooting sequence.
At the end of my 2010 season of Silhouette competition, I had decided to build a new rifle. At the time I was competing with an ANSCHÜTZ MSR 54:18 in the NRA Standard Rifle Class and had been very pleased with the performance.
During the end of that year I wanted to make the change to a single shot rifle and custom barrel. I had come to the point where I no longer used the repeating capability of my MSR 54:18, but was simply single-loading the rifle for every shot. It was to do with more of a rhythm in my shooting style than function, and I used the mental break of single loading the rifle to maintain my shooting sequence.
ANSCHÜTZ MSR 54:18 in Robertson's Composite Silhouette Stock
So after a few days of work in the machine shop I had a custom barreled ANSCHÜTZ 1913 single shot rifle.
I ended up installing it into the same stock I was using by simply skim-coating the bedding and making a few other minor changes.
As the years went by, I had wondered on and off what I could do with the MSR 54:18 barreled-action sitting in the corner of my safe.
One day while on the phone with an industry friend from Leupold, Pat Mundy, he made a comment about using a target rifle for varmint hunting. We talked about this idea a little bit and all of a sudden I remembered that I still had that barreled action. It seemed like just the right thing to try out, and maybe get this rifle back out shooting again.
This project is the path I took of changing my MSR 54:18 into a dedicated varmint hunting set up. I hope you enjoy the details and the overall end result.
I ended up installing it into the same stock I was using by simply skim-coating the bedding and making a few other minor changes.
As the years went by, I had wondered on and off what I could do with the MSR 54:18 barreled-action sitting in the corner of my safe.
One day while on the phone with an industry friend from Leupold, Pat Mundy, he made a comment about using a target rifle for varmint hunting. We talked about this idea a little bit and all of a sudden I remembered that I still had that barreled action. It seemed like just the right thing to try out, and maybe get this rifle back out shooting again.
This project is the path I took of changing my MSR 54:18 into a dedicated varmint hunting set up. I hope you enjoy the details and the overall end result.
ANSCHÜTZ Barrels. Top CCI Velocitor, Bottom Lapua Midas +
Project Scope
Before we start, there are few important things to know about .22lr rimfire target rifles, especially the ones from Europe. These rifles tend to all have one thing in common; very tight chambers ( a Winchester 52 would fit into the category as well).
These tight chambers are specifically cut to develop the very best performance out of target ammunition. We have seen over and over that target ammunition needs to have some kind of engagement of the bullet into the lead angle once the bolt closes for optimal accuracy.
Knowing that nearly everyone in Europe and a considerable number of shooters here in United States use one of three ammunition types for competition, that being Lapua, Eley, or RWS, rifle manufacturers have a pretty good idea as to how tight they can cut their chamber and still accommodate all three ammunition manufacturer’s products.
These chamber designs have been in existence for quite some time, well over 50 years, and both ammunition companies and the rifle manufacturers have sort of co-evolved to where high-quality European ammo will fit in every one of their rifles and shoot with a high degree of accuracy.
The problem arises when you try to cram a large sporting round into a target chamber. Because the camming surface and angle on these rifles is pretty short, you either cannot reach the point where the two surfaces even meet – meaning that the bolt is not far enough forward, or you have to use such tremendous force to close the bolt that it results in excessive wear on the metal surfaces and makes general shooting of the rifle a real pain.
In this photo above, you can see how much the CCI Velocitor round sticks out from the chamber, even though the bullet is engaged in the lands. It is far too large and you cannot close the bolt on this ammunition.
Before we start, there are few important things to know about .22lr rimfire target rifles, especially the ones from Europe. These rifles tend to all have one thing in common; very tight chambers ( a Winchester 52 would fit into the category as well).
These tight chambers are specifically cut to develop the very best performance out of target ammunition. We have seen over and over that target ammunition needs to have some kind of engagement of the bullet into the lead angle once the bolt closes for optimal accuracy.
Knowing that nearly everyone in Europe and a considerable number of shooters here in United States use one of three ammunition types for competition, that being Lapua, Eley, or RWS, rifle manufacturers have a pretty good idea as to how tight they can cut their chamber and still accommodate all three ammunition manufacturer’s products.
These chamber designs have been in existence for quite some time, well over 50 years, and both ammunition companies and the rifle manufacturers have sort of co-evolved to where high-quality European ammo will fit in every one of their rifles and shoot with a high degree of accuracy.
The problem arises when you try to cram a large sporting round into a target chamber. Because the camming surface and angle on these rifles is pretty short, you either cannot reach the point where the two surfaces even meet – meaning that the bolt is not far enough forward, or you have to use such tremendous force to close the bolt that it results in excessive wear on the metal surfaces and makes general shooting of the rifle a real pain.
In this photo above, you can see how much the CCI Velocitor round sticks out from the chamber, even though the bullet is engaged in the lands. It is far too large and you cannot close the bolt on this ammunition.
L to R; Stinger, Velocitor, Green Tag, Midas +
Nearly all domestically made ammunition for hunting is far too large to fit in these tight target chambers. The nose of these bullets sits out further and in some instances some lower quality domestic sporting ammunition bullet is actually slightly larger in diameter.
The large OD of the bullet sits further forward, contacting the leade angle much sooner than the target round before you start to close the bolt. Continuing with this problem, there are even some lines of domestic target ammunition that will not fit in the European target rifle.
In the next photo, you can see in the lineup how the domestic ammunition is quite a bit different than the Lapua target ammunition from Germany.
It all comes down to geometry, and the American made ammunition is just too large to comfortably fit in a tight European chamber. Thus, without cranking down hard on the bolt, I cannot shoot any CCI sporting ammunition products in my German made target rifle.
Well there’s actually solution to this; more precisely there are multiple solutions, but I didn’t want to rebarrel the rifle. In fact I wanted to do as little to the rifle is I could get away with and still reach my goal of shooting varmint hunting ammunition in the 54:18.
The large OD of the bullet sits further forward, contacting the leade angle much sooner than the target round before you start to close the bolt. Continuing with this problem, there are even some lines of domestic target ammunition that will not fit in the European target rifle.
In the next photo, you can see in the lineup how the domestic ammunition is quite a bit different than the Lapua target ammunition from Germany.
It all comes down to geometry, and the American made ammunition is just too large to comfortably fit in a tight European chamber. Thus, without cranking down hard on the bolt, I cannot shoot any CCI sporting ammunition products in my German made target rifle.
Well there’s actually solution to this; more precisely there are multiple solutions, but I didn’t want to rebarrel the rifle. In fact I wanted to do as little to the rifle is I could get away with and still reach my goal of shooting varmint hunting ammunition in the 54:18.
Top: PT&G Uni Throater with sleeve. Bottom: Standard PT&G reamer.
The Uni-Throater
The standard method of changing this would be to remove the factory barrel and install new custom barrel with a larger chamber which could accommodate rounds like the CCI Velocitor and other sporting ammunition.
It’s a time consuming process, but it has yielded some excellent results on ANSCHÜTZ target rifles we have re-barreled in the past.
But what if I could leave the barrel on the receiver and pass a reamer through the rear of the action and slightly enlarge the chamber by cutting it wider and just a bit deeper?
Stripping down the rifle is pretty simple, and with the right reamer setup I could simply reach through from the rear of the action with an extension and perform the operation.
Since the barrel is already chambered, there is only a little bit of metal that needs to be removed. If I made a complete mess of everything I could just pull a new Lilja barrel out of the rack and re-barrel the action in a more traditional method. Knowing I had a plan “B” made me comfortable enough to give this a try.
The standard method of changing this would be to remove the factory barrel and install new custom barrel with a larger chamber which could accommodate rounds like the CCI Velocitor and other sporting ammunition.
It’s a time consuming process, but it has yielded some excellent results on ANSCHÜTZ target rifles we have re-barreled in the past.
But what if I could leave the barrel on the receiver and pass a reamer through the rear of the action and slightly enlarge the chamber by cutting it wider and just a bit deeper?
Stripping down the rifle is pretty simple, and with the right reamer setup I could simply reach through from the rear of the action with an extension and perform the operation.
Since the barrel is already chambered, there is only a little bit of metal that needs to be removed. If I made a complete mess of everything I could just pull a new Lilja barrel out of the rack and re-barrel the action in a more traditional method. Knowing I had a plan “B” made me comfortable enough to give this a try.
Uni Throater with sleeve installed
I got on the phone with Dave Kiff over Pacific Tool and Gauge and described my idea, and immediately he had the solution; the PT&G Uni-Throater.
As simple as it may sound, this tool is really just a standard reamer for the 22lr Sporting round without a rim cut.
Many would call this a “Throater” because that is the focus of the cutting tool; to allow you to decide where to place the throat and leade angle of the chamber. You can run this tool as deep as you like in a barrel.
What allows you to control the depth of cut is a sliding steel sleeve and adjustable depth stop collars on the back of the reamer.
By establishing the location of the two rear locking collars, the steel sleeve will stop the throater at some pre-determined depth that is adjusted by the user.
With some basic measurement, you can decide exactly how deep you want to cut the chamber of rifle without worrying about bumping into the rim cutter.
As simple as it may sound, this tool is really just a standard reamer for the 22lr Sporting round without a rim cut.
Many would call this a “Throater” because that is the focus of the cutting tool; to allow you to decide where to place the throat and leade angle of the chamber. You can run this tool as deep as you like in a barrel.
What allows you to control the depth of cut is a sliding steel sleeve and adjustable depth stop collars on the back of the reamer.
By establishing the location of the two rear locking collars, the steel sleeve will stop the throater at some pre-determined depth that is adjusted by the user.
With some basic measurement, you can decide exactly how deep you want to cut the chamber of rifle without worrying about bumping into the rim cutter.
Uni Throater inserted in demo barrel
The other part I liked about this throater is that it’s a little bit narrower than a traditional reamer, yet it still is piloted.
As mentioned before, the rifle is already chambered so the piloted throater will only have a slight bit of metal to cut away to allow the larger CCI round to fit properly.
With the right tooling on the way, I was ready to get the action stripped down to just the receiver and then pick out the right stock.
I know at this point there are some sad readers, wishing I would not alter this highly coveted rifle. Well, between the choices of letting it sit in the safe or getting it back out and shooting again, I choose to get it back out shooting again.
As mentioned before, the rifle is already chambered so the piloted throater will only have a slight bit of metal to cut away to allow the larger CCI round to fit properly.
With the right tooling on the way, I was ready to get the action stripped down to just the receiver and then pick out the right stock.
I know at this point there are some sad readers, wishing I would not alter this highly coveted rifle. Well, between the choices of letting it sit in the safe or getting it back out and shooting again, I choose to get it back out shooting again.
Marv Rings and Base
Current Rifle Setup
Just before the season ended with this rifle, I had swapped out the BKL rings for a set of Marv’s custom 20 MOA tapered rings and one-piece base.
Machined out of 7075 aluminum, these ultra-light rings and base incorporate the right amount of taper to keep the scope centered along its adjustment range, taking into account for the considerable drop of the standard velocity 22lr round at long ranges.
While expensive, they are very well made and ideal for long-range rimfire shooting such as NRA Smallbore Silhouette.
I also removed the small bloop tube and weight system which helped balance the rifle for off-hand shooting. While the bloop tube worked great on the silhouette range, it made the barrel’s overall length 30”, and that’s far too long to handle out in the field. The factory barrel by itself is 22”, and that was plenty long enough.
The original white McMillan stock had been sold off years ago and the new 1913 barreled action was sitting in the blue Robertson’s composite stock, forcing me to find a new stock for the rifle. After hunting around in the stock rack, I found that I still had an old thumb-hole stock for a different 54:18 barreled action.
While attractive, I never really liked the stock because the actual hole for your thumb to pass through was really small, pinching down the top of my thumb, and it just never felt quite right to me.
I was confident that with some basic tools and a bit of careful fitting, I could modify that stock to make it a bit more comfortable and use it for this project.
Just before the season ended with this rifle, I had swapped out the BKL rings for a set of Marv’s custom 20 MOA tapered rings and one-piece base.
Machined out of 7075 aluminum, these ultra-light rings and base incorporate the right amount of taper to keep the scope centered along its adjustment range, taking into account for the considerable drop of the standard velocity 22lr round at long ranges.
While expensive, they are very well made and ideal for long-range rimfire shooting such as NRA Smallbore Silhouette.
I also removed the small bloop tube and weight system which helped balance the rifle for off-hand shooting. While the bloop tube worked great on the silhouette range, it made the barrel’s overall length 30”, and that’s far too long to handle out in the field. The factory barrel by itself is 22”, and that was plenty long enough.
The original white McMillan stock had been sold off years ago and the new 1913 barreled action was sitting in the blue Robertson’s composite stock, forcing me to find a new stock for the rifle. After hunting around in the stock rack, I found that I still had an old thumb-hole stock for a different 54:18 barreled action.
While attractive, I never really liked the stock because the actual hole for your thumb to pass through was really small, pinching down the top of my thumb, and it just never felt quite right to me.
I was confident that with some basic tools and a bit of careful fitting, I could modify that stock to make it a bit more comfortable and use it for this project.
Optics
With the tooling on order, I sent a note over to my Leupold contacts and discussed the scope of the project, looking to see which optic from their product line would best suit this rifle.
I had in my mind that the Leupold VX-3 was going to be the choice, with only the power range being the undecided option. After some discussion, I settled on the 4.5-14 x 50mm
magnification range.
As with my other hunting scopes, I opted for the Varmint Hunters reticle. This scope is a side focus style, with low-profile scope turrets that are ¼ MOA adjustments.
With the tooling on order, I sent a note over to my Leupold contacts and discussed the scope of the project, looking to see which optic from their product line would best suit this rifle.
I had in my mind that the Leupold VX-3 was going to be the choice, with only the power range being the undecided option. After some discussion, I settled on the 4.5-14 x 50mm
magnification range.
As with my other hunting scopes, I opted for the Varmint Hunters reticle. This scope is a side focus style, with low-profile scope turrets that are ¼ MOA adjustments.
Low Profile Turrets
Like other VX-3 scopes, the image is very sharp and the blackened edges of the objective lens really bring together the clean details of the target.
When you are hunting light-brown ground squirrels in cut hay or wild land, you need a sharp, bright image to pick out the little critters.
Some shooters have asked why I favor the low-profile target knobs over the tall turrets, and for me I don’t need the adjustments in the field. With the VH reticle, once the rifle is zeroed on the range, I never make any sight adjustments in the field.
The part number for this scope is 66485.
When you are hunting light-brown ground squirrels in cut hay or wild land, you need a sharp, bright image to pick out the little critters.
Some shooters have asked why I favor the low-profile target knobs over the tall turrets, and for me I don’t need the adjustments in the field. With the VH reticle, once the rifle is zeroed on the range, I never make any sight adjustments in the field.
The part number for this scope is 66485.
ANSCHÜTZ MSR 54:18 thumbhole stock
Stock Work
Pulling the stock from the rack, it was still in nearly new condition from the time I had purchased it years ago.
I did a quick check to see if the barreled action would drop in place, and with little effort it did so nicely.
Looking the inside over, I don’t think it had ever been installed on a barreled action for any length of time.
Unlike most American stock on rimfire rifles, this had a reasonable length of pull, right around 12.5”. What I really
liked about the stock was the solid, tall comb and cheek piece.
Pulling the stock from the rack, it was still in nearly new condition from the time I had purchased it years ago.
I did a quick check to see if the barreled action would drop in place, and with little effort it did so nicely.
Looking the inside over, I don’t think it had ever been installed on a barreled action for any length of time.
Unlike most American stock on rimfire rifles, this had a reasonable length of pull, right around 12.5”. What I really
liked about the stock was the solid, tall comb and cheek piece.
New stainless steel pillar installed
On the bottom of the stock, inside the magazine well is a factory installed half-pillar. To call this a pillar is using the term loosely, because it really is just a thick washer with a flange on the side to center the screw and improve the overall appearance.
Because so much wood is removed in this area for the magazine well, they need to place something there or the front action screw would crush though the small amount of wood remaining.
To remedy this, I took a scrap piece of SS barrel and spent some time on the lathe to create a more robust pillar for the action screw to load against.
This longer and larger piece was epoxied into the stock and centered for the front action screw hole, then finished off with some industrial flat-black epoxy paint from Brownells.
Because so much wood is removed in this area for the magazine well, they need to place something there or the front action screw would crush though the small amount of wood remaining.
To remedy this, I took a scrap piece of SS barrel and spent some time on the lathe to create a more robust pillar for the action screw to load against.
This longer and larger piece was epoxied into the stock and centered for the front action screw hole, then finished off with some industrial flat-black epoxy paint from Brownells.
The enlarged thumbhole opening creates additional clearance for your thumb.
Adjusting the Thumbhole
I took some measurements on the thumbhole opening and found that if I removed some wood from the top and the side, I could probably get a good fit for my hand.
After a few hours of slowly working away the wood, I had a very comfortable position for my hand on the stock. I also enlarged the area for my thumb to rest, creating more of a shelf than was present before.
With some light sanding and satin polyurethane finish, I was able to blend in the remodeled section of the stock into the existing finish for a nice look.
I took some measurements on the thumbhole opening and found that if I removed some wood from the top and the side, I could probably get a good fit for my hand.
After a few hours of slowly working away the wood, I had a very comfortable position for my hand on the stock. I also enlarged the area for my thumb to rest, creating more of a shelf than was present before.
With some light sanding and satin polyurethane finish, I was able to blend in the remodeled section of the stock into the existing finish for a nice look.
Pro Bed 2000 Epoxy in the stock
Once this was done, I finished off the stock work by bedding the action into the stock with Pro Bed 2000, placing the epoxy back until I reached the bolt handle slot in the action.
From there back the action is free floated.
During the final fitting process, I double checked the screw lengths to make sure they did not bottom out inside the rifle or poke through into the bolt’s pathway.
I also floated all surfaces of the recoil lug except for the front face.
From there back the action is free floated.
During the final fitting process, I double checked the screw lengths to make sure they did not bottom out inside the rifle or poke through into the bolt’s pathway.
I also floated all surfaces of the recoil lug except for the front face.
Gap between the Stop Sleeve and locking collars
Metal Work
As I sit here and prepare to tell you all what I did with the Uni-Throater, I know you are all going to cringe, but just bear with me on this.
At this point I had the barreled action stripped down completely and held vertically in a lead-jawed vice, muzzle pointing down and checked with a level.
With the Uni-Throater, one full revolution on the bottom locking collars is 0.0250” change in depth, so I worked in ended up working in 0.0125” increments and marked the sleeve with a sharpie to note collar position.
Anything less than 0.0125” change I would be there all day cutting, and if I went with 0.0250” change, I could easily cut too deep. The process was pretty simple and took all of 30 minutes with a tap wrench, some cutting fluid, vice, and some patience.
I started by inserting the Uni-Throater into a match chamber on a new ANSCHÜTZ 2013 take-off barrel and set the depth collars to “zero.” I took the measurement from the base of the Uni-Throater to the top of the second adjustment collar to have a reference point in the event I bumped the tool and moved a setting.
Then I selected a CCI Velocitor round from a box of ammunition and removed all the wax lubrication from the bullet with some Kroil and a soft towel. I inserted the Velocitor into that same match chamber and made sure it didn’t drop easily in. This is done more as a safety check, just in case I pulled the wrong barrel from the rack and started with a different chamber than I had expected. I didn’t go in very far, which is what I had expected.
With that checked, I rotated the locking collars back ½ revolution, which would create a cutting depth of 0.0125” deeper into the chamber. Knowing that the ANSCHÜTZ MSR chamber has worn back from all the ammunition it has seen over the years, I did not expect the Uni-Throater to remove much material on the first pass.
Now here is where everyone is going to get excited or shocked, so here goes. You can use a lathe for this project, but I did it by hand. Yep, with three nice lathes in the shop, I still did this by hand. Why? Because I could, and I also wanted to keep it simple enough for anybody to do this.
Look at it this way; why stick a barreled action in the lathe just to have it spin out of alignment, with the action wobbling around in the chuck jaws when it’s not necessary? I would have used a floating reamer holder anyway because I can’t indicate in the barrel off of three points from inside the bore; the action is still attached and prevents this. I could use some range rods, but there again I would be at least five inches away from the chamber mouth before I could measure it, which is gonna allow the rod to flex enough that there really is no actual accuracy to the measurement.
The Uni-Throater is piloted and I’m just removing a small bit of metal, so working in the vertical position with some care is really just fine. It’s not ideal, but it works. And not everyone has a lathe, so they can see how this will work without the use of a lathe and even try it themselves.
Or you all may end up avoiding this like the plague, depending on your take with the whole project.
So, with the locking collar set, I ran some cutting fluid down the barrel and dipped the entire Uni-Throater in a jar of cutting fluid and carefully eased it into the chamber. Once I felt contact, I carefully rotated the Uni-Throater clockwise, removing the first bit of chamber metal. During that first cut, the Uni-Throater grabbed a little, then began to rotate smoothly as I allowed the weight of the reamer and wrench advance the Uni-Throater down until it bumped into the stop-sleeve.
Once there, I carefully removed the throater, flushed away the fine gray slurry of metal filings, and cleaned out the chamber. Making sure the reamer is fully cleaned after each cut is important; the pilot must rotate freely and not have any metal cutting under the rim or hidden away. These bits of metal will pop out and ruin your barrel by becoming stuck between the pilot and the lands. This is commonly seen on barrels which are chambered in a single pass and not flushed during the process.
Then I reinserted the same Velocitor round to check the depth change. Interesting, there was very little change. Repeating the process with another ½ turn of the collar, I performed the identical operation two more times until I reached the point where the Velocitor was just engaging the lands with 0.04” of the case sticking out from the breech face. This would give me a small amount of engagement into the lands without needing to crush down on the bolt handle.
As I sit here and prepare to tell you all what I did with the Uni-Throater, I know you are all going to cringe, but just bear with me on this.
At this point I had the barreled action stripped down completely and held vertically in a lead-jawed vice, muzzle pointing down and checked with a level.
With the Uni-Throater, one full revolution on the bottom locking collars is 0.0250” change in depth, so I worked in ended up working in 0.0125” increments and marked the sleeve with a sharpie to note collar position.
Anything less than 0.0125” change I would be there all day cutting, and if I went with 0.0250” change, I could easily cut too deep. The process was pretty simple and took all of 30 minutes with a tap wrench, some cutting fluid, vice, and some patience.
I started by inserting the Uni-Throater into a match chamber on a new ANSCHÜTZ 2013 take-off barrel and set the depth collars to “zero.” I took the measurement from the base of the Uni-Throater to the top of the second adjustment collar to have a reference point in the event I bumped the tool and moved a setting.
Then I selected a CCI Velocitor round from a box of ammunition and removed all the wax lubrication from the bullet with some Kroil and a soft towel. I inserted the Velocitor into that same match chamber and made sure it didn’t drop easily in. This is done more as a safety check, just in case I pulled the wrong barrel from the rack and started with a different chamber than I had expected. I didn’t go in very far, which is what I had expected.
With that checked, I rotated the locking collars back ½ revolution, which would create a cutting depth of 0.0125” deeper into the chamber. Knowing that the ANSCHÜTZ MSR chamber has worn back from all the ammunition it has seen over the years, I did not expect the Uni-Throater to remove much material on the first pass.
Now here is where everyone is going to get excited or shocked, so here goes. You can use a lathe for this project, but I did it by hand. Yep, with three nice lathes in the shop, I still did this by hand. Why? Because I could, and I also wanted to keep it simple enough for anybody to do this.
Look at it this way; why stick a barreled action in the lathe just to have it spin out of alignment, with the action wobbling around in the chuck jaws when it’s not necessary? I would have used a floating reamer holder anyway because I can’t indicate in the barrel off of three points from inside the bore; the action is still attached and prevents this. I could use some range rods, but there again I would be at least five inches away from the chamber mouth before I could measure it, which is gonna allow the rod to flex enough that there really is no actual accuracy to the measurement.
The Uni-Throater is piloted and I’m just removing a small bit of metal, so working in the vertical position with some care is really just fine. It’s not ideal, but it works. And not everyone has a lathe, so they can see how this will work without the use of a lathe and even try it themselves.
Or you all may end up avoiding this like the plague, depending on your take with the whole project.
So, with the locking collar set, I ran some cutting fluid down the barrel and dipped the entire Uni-Throater in a jar of cutting fluid and carefully eased it into the chamber. Once I felt contact, I carefully rotated the Uni-Throater clockwise, removing the first bit of chamber metal. During that first cut, the Uni-Throater grabbed a little, then began to rotate smoothly as I allowed the weight of the reamer and wrench advance the Uni-Throater down until it bumped into the stop-sleeve.
Once there, I carefully removed the throater, flushed away the fine gray slurry of metal filings, and cleaned out the chamber. Making sure the reamer is fully cleaned after each cut is important; the pilot must rotate freely and not have any metal cutting under the rim or hidden away. These bits of metal will pop out and ruin your barrel by becoming stuck between the pilot and the lands. This is commonly seen on barrels which are chambered in a single pass and not flushed during the process.
Then I reinserted the same Velocitor round to check the depth change. Interesting, there was very little change. Repeating the process with another ½ turn of the collar, I performed the identical operation two more times until I reached the point where the Velocitor was just engaging the lands with 0.04” of the case sticking out from the breech face. This would give me a small amount of engagement into the lands without needing to crush down on the bolt handle.
CCI Stinger feeds and chambers perfectly.
Once everything was cleaned out, I bore-scoped the chamber and barrel to inspect the results. The lead angle appeared fine and there were a few tool marks on the lands, but nothing
terrible.
It didn’t have the same smooth finish as a barrel cut in a
lathe, but it was not bad. There was no smearing of the metal and no chatter marks.
I short-stroked the chamber with JB cleaner and then JB Bore Bright, and this knocked down any burrs which I didn’t see.
After cleaning everything up, I reassembled the rifle and carefully loaded up a magazine of CCI Velocitor ammunition,
working them through the action.
To my surprise, they felt pretty good and I was able to easily extract a live round; an important function for any field or hunting rifle.
On the bullet were very faint engraving marks, actually less than I had expected. This leads me to believe that I removed more metal than I had anticipated, so I’m glad I stopped at two passes rather than cutting a bit deeper. I repeated the process with CCI Stinger and CCI Mini Mag, and the results were the same. At this point, I knew the rifle would cycle the ammunition, but would it be accurate?
terrible.
It didn’t have the same smooth finish as a barrel cut in a
lathe, but it was not bad. There was no smearing of the metal and no chatter marks.
I short-stroked the chamber with JB cleaner and then JB Bore Bright, and this knocked down any burrs which I didn’t see.
After cleaning everything up, I reassembled the rifle and carefully loaded up a magazine of CCI Velocitor ammunition,
working them through the action.
To my surprise, they felt pretty good and I was able to easily extract a live round; an important function for any field or hunting rifle.
On the bullet were very faint engraving marks, actually less than I had expected. This leads me to believe that I removed more metal than I had anticipated, so I’m glad I stopped at two passes rather than cutting a bit deeper. I repeated the process with CCI Stinger and CCI Mini Mag, and the results were the same. At this point, I knew the rifle would cycle the ammunition, but would it be accurate?
Rifle ready for testing
Assembly & Tuning
With all of the modifications complete, I had to install the stock and optics to finish off the project.
I did spend a bit more time getting the right fit for the action screws, making sure again that the front screw did not bottom out against the barrel shank.
There were a few small spots of contact between
the magazine well and the bedding, but a few minutes with a file removed these contact points.
Overall I was quite pleased with the fit and finish of the project. With 30 inch-pounds of torque on the front and rear action screws, the barreled action felt solid in the stock.
To get the best possible accuracy on the bench, I added on the Sinclair Forend Benchrest adapter to keep the rifle running smoothly in the front rest. The textured forearm of the stock is terrible for shooting off a front rest, so this adds a smooth piece of plastic which is anchored though the front sling stud hole. The base is 3” wide and fits perfectly in the rest.
With all of the modifications complete, I had to install the stock and optics to finish off the project.
I did spend a bit more time getting the right fit for the action screws, making sure again that the front screw did not bottom out against the barrel shank.
There were a few small spots of contact between
the magazine well and the bedding, but a few minutes with a file removed these contact points.
Overall I was quite pleased with the fit and finish of the project. With 30 inch-pounds of torque on the front and rear action screws, the barreled action felt solid in the stock.
To get the best possible accuracy on the bench, I added on the Sinclair Forend Benchrest adapter to keep the rifle running smoothly in the front rest. The textured forearm of the stock is terrible for shooting off a front rest, so this adds a smooth piece of plastic which is anchored though the front sling stud hole. The base is 3” wide and fits perfectly in the rest.
Sending rounds down range
Testing & Accuracy
Testing this rifle out of the range was something I definitely was looking forward to doing, but I had no clue as to what accuracy I could expect from it.
Keep in mind I’ve changed the rifle from being in precision target rifle to hopefully being a precision varmint rifle. By cutting the chamber to a larger dimension, which as we know reduces accuracy, just how accurate this rifle would end up being is a bit of a guess.
I do not expected the MSR 54:18 to produce the same small groups as the rifle had produced in testing years ago, but I also didn’t want to end up with a precision shotgun.
In past tests, groups in the 0.2” to 0.3” range was common with quite a few different types of target ammo, and when I shot products like Lapua Midas, the rifle really impressed me.
To further complicate the evaluation, there was no point in comparing the before and after with the CCI ammunition because it wouldn’t fit in the factory chamber. This left me no “before” test to compare to, thus no starting point for accuracy changes.
As an additional frustration, most hunting and sport ammunition is not nearly as accurate as target ammunition, so fliers and large groups are not out of the norm with this kind of sporting ammunition. I have seen that even in a massive accuracy-testing rifle fitted with a custom barrel and carefully tuned, the sporting ammunition still throws out fliers and has a considerably larger group size on average when compared to target ammo.
So is asking for a ten-shot accuracy group of ½” at 50 yards too much? Maybe so. But if the groups are much larger than 1.0” at that distance, what value is the rifle in the field? Just because the rifle looks and feels nice, if it misses the target regularly, it’s no good.
Testing this rifle out of the range was something I definitely was looking forward to doing, but I had no clue as to what accuracy I could expect from it.
Keep in mind I’ve changed the rifle from being in precision target rifle to hopefully being a precision varmint rifle. By cutting the chamber to a larger dimension, which as we know reduces accuracy, just how accurate this rifle would end up being is a bit of a guess.
I do not expected the MSR 54:18 to produce the same small groups as the rifle had produced in testing years ago, but I also didn’t want to end up with a precision shotgun.
In past tests, groups in the 0.2” to 0.3” range was common with quite a few different types of target ammo, and when I shot products like Lapua Midas, the rifle really impressed me.
To further complicate the evaluation, there was no point in comparing the before and after with the CCI ammunition because it wouldn’t fit in the factory chamber. This left me no “before” test to compare to, thus no starting point for accuracy changes.
As an additional frustration, most hunting and sport ammunition is not nearly as accurate as target ammunition, so fliers and large groups are not out of the norm with this kind of sporting ammunition. I have seen that even in a massive accuracy-testing rifle fitted with a custom barrel and carefully tuned, the sporting ammunition still throws out fliers and has a considerably larger group size on average when compared to target ammo.
So is asking for a ten-shot accuracy group of ½” at 50 yards too much? Maybe so. But if the groups are much larger than 1.0” at that distance, what value is the rifle in the field? Just because the rifle looks and feels nice, if it misses the target regularly, it’s no good.
10-shot groups at 50 yards.
Starting with the rifle set up in a Magnum Metal front rest and Edgewood rear bag, I zeroed in the scope using Lapua Center-X ammunition.
Like all good testing efforts, I started with a clean barrel and then subsequently cleaned between each ammunition type, and also allowed for fifteen rounds to foul the barrel and establish a level of bullet lube for consistent performance.
I started with SK Standard Plus and was pleased to shoot a reasonable group with just a small amount of vertical present. This could easily be tuned out
with tuner of some type, but since it is a field rifle and going to be shot from multiple positions, the last thing I wanted to do was hang a long piece of aluminum tubing off the end of the barrel.
Moving on to the Lapua Center-X ammunition, I dropped straight down on the target and fired another ten-shot
group. Because the lubrication on the bullets is the same, I did not have to clean the barrel between groups.
Not surprisingly, the Center-X made a nice cluster on the target, giving me confidence that my project was going to be a success.
Switching over to a series of CCI products, I cleaned the barrel and re-fouled with fifteen shots before I started working on groups. Both the CCI Select and CCI Small Game Bullet (SGB) produced some very good looking groups for non-target ammunition. I was shocked as to how well the SGB performed in this rifle.
Right then and there I knew I had reached my goal. From here on was just finding out what ammunition type the rifle favored.
The next two rounds tested were the CCI Velocitor and the CCI Mini Mag HP loadings. Both of these rounds perform well in the field, but they are no known for a high level of accuracy. Surprisingly, they did not throw shots wildly on the target, even though they printed groups obviously larger than the target ammunition.
Like all good testing efforts, I started with a clean barrel and then subsequently cleaned between each ammunition type, and also allowed for fifteen rounds to foul the barrel and establish a level of bullet lube for consistent performance.
I started with SK Standard Plus and was pleased to shoot a reasonable group with just a small amount of vertical present. This could easily be tuned out
with tuner of some type, but since it is a field rifle and going to be shot from multiple positions, the last thing I wanted to do was hang a long piece of aluminum tubing off the end of the barrel.
Moving on to the Lapua Center-X ammunition, I dropped straight down on the target and fired another ten-shot
group. Because the lubrication on the bullets is the same, I did not have to clean the barrel between groups.
Not surprisingly, the Center-X made a nice cluster on the target, giving me confidence that my project was going to be a success.
Switching over to a series of CCI products, I cleaned the barrel and re-fouled with fifteen shots before I started working on groups. Both the CCI Select and CCI Small Game Bullet (SGB) produced some very good looking groups for non-target ammunition. I was shocked as to how well the SGB performed in this rifle.
Right then and there I knew I had reached my goal. From here on was just finding out what ammunition type the rifle favored.
The next two rounds tested were the CCI Velocitor and the CCI Mini Mag HP loadings. Both of these rounds perform well in the field, but they are no known for a high level of accuracy. Surprisingly, they did not throw shots wildly on the target, even though they printed groups obviously larger than the target ammunition.
5 shots at 50 yards
I continued to work with the rifle, testing out various target ammunition types and some other hunting rounds. Interesting, while the CCI Stinger fit into the rifle with just a bit of bullet engagement, giving me the impression that it would shoot well, in fact it shot poorly.
I tried a number of groups with the Stinger, but to no avail. The MSR just does not like Stinger.
But, what did surprise me was how accurate it remained with the same lot of Lapua Midas + ammunition that I have been shooting for years.
I was able to shoot some nice five and ten-shot groups that day, and I opted to pick out a good one to include in this article.
When I chamber the target rounds, there is no bullet engagement at all into the lands. When I remove a live round from the chamber, there is not a single mark on the bullet lube from the leade angle. I find this very interesting.
Looking back as to how simple the re-chambering was done, I’m surprised as to how accurate the rifle remained.
I tried a number of groups with the Stinger, but to no avail. The MSR just does not like Stinger.
But, what did surprise me was how accurate it remained with the same lot of Lapua Midas + ammunition that I have been shooting for years.
I was able to shoot some nice five and ten-shot groups that day, and I opted to pick out a good one to include in this article.
When I chamber the target rounds, there is no bullet engagement at all into the lands. When I remove a live round from the chamber, there is not a single mark on the bullet lube from the leade angle. I find this very interesting.
Looking back as to how simple the re-chambering was done, I’m surprised as to how accurate the rifle remained.
Excellent Ejection
During the testing day at the range, I was pleased to experience no problems with feeding or ejecting. The bolt closed smoothly, even with the CCI Velocitor and CCI Stinger ammunition.
Unlike other target rifles where it takes some force to close the bolt on domestic target ammunition, I was able to smoothly cycle both CCI Standard Velocity and CCI Select.
The ability to extract a live round is important in any field rifle, and the MSR was able to do this with all the ammunition tested.
The factory ANSCHÜTZ magazines smoothly fed all of the ammunition tested, and proved a flat surface with a
slight angle to the follower, allowing for single-feeding of the rifle with relative ease.
By the end of the first day of testing, I had fired approximately 700 rounds through the rifle without problem.
Unlike other target rifles where it takes some force to close the bolt on domestic target ammunition, I was able to smoothly cycle both CCI Standard Velocity and CCI Select.
The ability to extract a live round is important in any field rifle, and the MSR was able to do this with all the ammunition tested.
The factory ANSCHÜTZ magazines smoothly fed all of the ammunition tested, and proved a flat surface with a
slight angle to the follower, allowing for single-feeding of the rifle with relative ease.
By the end of the first day of testing, I had fired approximately 700 rounds through the rifle without problem.
Pigeon Relocation
Field Notes
My first day out in the field with the rifle was a not under ideal
circumstances. Once again the weather man’s spinning dart board picked the day to be overcast with some sun, but it turned out to be a flat gray sky with a constant drizzle.
That first part of the morning, only a few squirrels came out to play. For those who did give me a target, they all fell quickly to the MSR shooting the CCI Mini Mag HP round.
I had the rifle sighted in for 75 yards, and the Mini Mag rounds easily found their mark.
With a slight drizzle of rain, there was almost no wind, so all that I needed to adjust for was elevation.
As the morning dragged on, I found a flock of pigeons hiding away near a grain silo and storage facility. The owner had mentioned that it would be much appreciated if they were relocated, so I took it upon myself to help the pigeons find a new home.
Using the various pieces of farm equipment as cover, I worked my way in close and took a few off the roof line with the CCI Mini Mag rounds. For the closer work, especially under the roof, I switched to the CCI Segmented Subsonic HP round.
This bullet breaks apart into three pieces upon impact, and prevents neat little 0.22” caliber holes from appearing in the sheet metal.
The hold for the subsonic round was a bit lower at 50 yards, but not by much. I had made note of this earlier, so as I pulled thought the second stage of the 5018 trigger, the pigeons exploded in a puff of feathers and dropped to the dirt floor.
Because of the quiet muzzle report and my semi-concealed positions, the pigeons did not take long to settle back down on the rafters. After knocking over the 4th pigeon, the rest took note and vacated the area for the remainder of the day.
My first day out in the field with the rifle was a not under ideal
circumstances. Once again the weather man’s spinning dart board picked the day to be overcast with some sun, but it turned out to be a flat gray sky with a constant drizzle.
That first part of the morning, only a few squirrels came out to play. For those who did give me a target, they all fell quickly to the MSR shooting the CCI Mini Mag HP round.
I had the rifle sighted in for 75 yards, and the Mini Mag rounds easily found their mark.
With a slight drizzle of rain, there was almost no wind, so all that I needed to adjust for was elevation.
As the morning dragged on, I found a flock of pigeons hiding away near a grain silo and storage facility. The owner had mentioned that it would be much appreciated if they were relocated, so I took it upon myself to help the pigeons find a new home.
Using the various pieces of farm equipment as cover, I worked my way in close and took a few off the roof line with the CCI Mini Mag rounds. For the closer work, especially under the roof, I switched to the CCI Segmented Subsonic HP round.
This bullet breaks apart into three pieces upon impact, and prevents neat little 0.22” caliber holes from appearing in the sheet metal.
The hold for the subsonic round was a bit lower at 50 yards, but not by much. I had made note of this earlier, so as I pulled thought the second stage of the 5018 trigger, the pigeons exploded in a puff of feathers and dropped to the dirt floor.
Because of the quiet muzzle report and my semi-concealed positions, the pigeons did not take long to settle back down on the rafters. After knocking over the 4th pigeon, the rest took note and vacated the area for the remainder of the day.
Hunting Jackrabbits
I headed out into a different area which was known to hold a good population of jackrabbits.
Most of this hunting is on foot, so I wandered around looking to scare up some long-eared targets.
Much to my surprise, I found only a pair of adult jackrabbits, and with the MSR I quickly dispatched both critters.
The shots were standing, but at a relative close range, I can’t take any credit for a trick shot. In all honesty,
they were hunkered down under some shrubs and I had a clear image in the scope.
Years of smallbore silhouette competition made these easy targets.
Most of this hunting is on foot, so I wandered around looking to scare up some long-eared targets.
Much to my surprise, I found only a pair of adult jackrabbits, and with the MSR I quickly dispatched both critters.
The shots were standing, but at a relative close range, I can’t take any credit for a trick shot. In all honesty,
they were hunkered down under some shrubs and I had a clear image in the scope.
Years of smallbore silhouette competition made these easy targets.
On Target
A few days later I headed over to a farm which had a few ground squirrels running about at the end of this season.
I had figured I was just about done for the year, but this farmer wanted me to make a final pass to get rid of a few stragglers.
Getting low in the grass, I had to wait them out until they worked their way around the base of the fruit trees, rummaging through the fallen fruit. This was the only place where the grass was low enough to see them running about.
The squirrels took care to stay in the tall grass as much as possible, but at some point their interest in the fruit drew them out into the open.
Because the grass was too tall for prone shooting, I took the sitting position and let the stock rest comfortably on my arm.
Again using the two stage trigger to my advantage, I pulled through the first stage and settled the reticle on the target, paused for moment, and pressed thorough the second stage. At these shorter ranges, I went 10/10 squirrels.
I had figured I was just about done for the year, but this farmer wanted me to make a final pass to get rid of a few stragglers.
Getting low in the grass, I had to wait them out until they worked their way around the base of the fruit trees, rummaging through the fallen fruit. This was the only place where the grass was low enough to see them running about.
The squirrels took care to stay in the tall grass as much as possible, but at some point their interest in the fruit drew them out into the open.
Because the grass was too tall for prone shooting, I took the sitting position and let the stock rest comfortably on my arm.
Again using the two stage trigger to my advantage, I pulled through the first stage and settled the reticle on the target, paused for moment, and pressed thorough the second stage. At these shorter ranges, I went 10/10 squirrels.
A Silhouette stock makes this shot easy
Throughout the day, accuracy seemed to be outstanding with the rifle, without any issues of feeding, cycling, or ejecting spent casings.
There were a few instances where the bullet struck a bit to the side of the point of aim, mostly on the side of the squirrel, but the hollow-point bullet did its job and anchored the squirrel on the spot.
As the afternoon continued on, I opted for some off-hand shots. The scope ring height was perfect and the stock felt comfortable in my hands.
As long as I had a few loaded magazines in my pocket, I felt that little could keep a squirrel safe that day.
There were a few instances where the bullet struck a bit to the side of the point of aim, mostly on the side of the squirrel, but the hollow-point bullet did its job and anchored the squirrel on the spot.
As the afternoon continued on, I opted for some off-hand shots. The scope ring height was perfect and the stock felt comfortable in my hands.
As long as I had a few loaded magazines in my pocket, I felt that little could keep a squirrel safe that day.
End of the day
Conclusion
Overall I feel the project turned out pretty well, and also relieved that I don’t need to re-barrel rifle.
Knowing the limitations of mass-produced domestic hunting and sporting ammunition, being able to produce 10-shot groups under an inch and 50 yards consistently is very pleasing.
It’s not the same accuracy as I had come to expect from the rifle when shooting target ammunition, but when I did shoot a few test groups with Lapua and SK, the results were reasonably accurate.
Out in the field I was very pleased with the accuracy. Out past 75 yards there were a few missed shots which could either be attributed to a shooting error on my part or the inconsistencies of hunting ammunition at that extended distance.
It happened with such infrequency that it didn’t concern me much at all. Being a repeater, I just cycled the action and made the second shot count.
What I did particularly enjoy was the feel of the ANSCHÜTZ MSR; that’s what stood out to me the most. The excellent 5018 match trigger, the modified silhouette stock, excellent Leupold scope, and the smooth function of the repeater made it a pleasure to shoot.
Once this factory barrel finally wears out, more than likely I will re-barrel the action with a Lilja match barrel and make it a dedicated target rifle again. Until then, I plan on getting the most out of the remaining life from the factory barrel.
I hope that for the readers out there that may have an older target gun, whether it be single-shot or a repeater sitting in their safe, may consider this project as something they could do on their own. The PT&G Uni-Throater retails for around $100, and the only thing needed besides some cutting oil and a vice is just a little bit of patience.
S.
Overall I feel the project turned out pretty well, and also relieved that I don’t need to re-barrel rifle.
Knowing the limitations of mass-produced domestic hunting and sporting ammunition, being able to produce 10-shot groups under an inch and 50 yards consistently is very pleasing.
It’s not the same accuracy as I had come to expect from the rifle when shooting target ammunition, but when I did shoot a few test groups with Lapua and SK, the results were reasonably accurate.
Out in the field I was very pleased with the accuracy. Out past 75 yards there were a few missed shots which could either be attributed to a shooting error on my part or the inconsistencies of hunting ammunition at that extended distance.
It happened with such infrequency that it didn’t concern me much at all. Being a repeater, I just cycled the action and made the second shot count.
What I did particularly enjoy was the feel of the ANSCHÜTZ MSR; that’s what stood out to me the most. The excellent 5018 match trigger, the modified silhouette stock, excellent Leupold scope, and the smooth function of the repeater made it a pleasure to shoot.
Once this factory barrel finally wears out, more than likely I will re-barrel the action with a Lilja match barrel and make it a dedicated target rifle again. Until then, I plan on getting the most out of the remaining life from the factory barrel.
I hope that for the readers out there that may have an older target gun, whether it be single-shot or a repeater sitting in their safe, may consider this project as something they could do on their own. The PT&G Uni-Throater retails for around $100, and the only thing needed besides some cutting oil and a vice is just a little bit of patience.
S.
