The first known Remington XP-100 in .45-70 Government built by Mike Abel at Rogue Precision Gunworks - Grants Pass, OR
Here is the information on the build I did where I had my Remington XP-100 transformed into a rear-grip Specialty Pistol in .45-70 Government.
When I was 18 I got a NEF Handi-Rifle for graduation in .45-70 Govt and fell in love with the cartridge. That rifle has taken more game in the last 20 years than any other rifle I own. Multiple deer, two bobcats, and countless varmints and hogs. I have always dreamed of a Remington Bolt Action .45-70 and once I became addicted to Specialty Pistols, I daydreamed of one in that caliber. Within that same time window I became friends with Mike Abel and through our conversations and hunts together, I let my dream be know to him, all the time thinking it an impossible task due to case dimensions. Mike let me know that it wasn't just a dream, but a real possibility. This was all it took to put me on the fast track to getting my XP-100 built in .45-70 Govt. At this point in the story, I will turn it over to Mike to give the exact specs on the build.
******************************
From my gunsmith and good friend Mike Abel at Rogue Precision Gunworks:
This was one of those builds that some said couldn't be done. But after a bunch of discussion, and a little bit of penciling things out on paper, I knew I could make it work. I suggested the .458 SOCOM, .450 Marlin or .458 X2 WM, but Cody really wanted a .45-70 SP to go along with his .45-70 rifle that he got as a grad present. This rifle has been one of his favorites, and if I could fulfill his wish of having a .45-70 SP, so be it.
Cody managed to get a donor gun lined up for the build, so at that point I was committed.
Parts got ordered, and as soon as they started showing up, I went to work in the shop. There were several issues to address seeing how the .45-70 is a rimmed cartridge that measures out at .605".
I fit a M16 style Lapua extractor from PTG into a mock bolt to check fit and clearances. That all worked out as planned. Seeing how the .45-70 headspaces off the rim, and not a shoulder, a coned breach would be needed. the issue with that is that the extractor needed clearance to ride over the case rim throughout the bolt swing. That's where the semi-circle relief cut into the cone came into play. The web of the case is still completely encased in the chamber, so no case wall was going to be exposed.
I was also able to check feeding from the factory follower to make sure the case didn't hang up while chambering. - No issue there.
I opened up the bolt face on Cody's bolt from the standard .308 bolt face to .612", and machined the bolt for the Lapua extractor.
Next up was to get the barrel chambered up and contoured. The APA brake that Cody supplied needed to be opened up from .338" through to .488" and I recut the threads on the tenon from 3/4-24 to 7/8-24 to give the .458" barrel a little bit more wall thickness.
A Lawton/Nosler bolt stop was added so the bolt could be pulled to eject loaded rounds. Cody went with EGW's HD 0 MOA 4 screw base, so the 4th hole got drilled and tapped through the receiver bridge.
I finally got her all buttoned up and got out to the range for test firing and barrel break in.
I'll admit on the first shot the pistol was at arms length not knowing what the recoil was going to be like? I was really surprised when the trigger broke! -Just a little muzzle hop! The APA brake is very effective. It also cleared all the cleaning patches and towels off the bench beside me.
**************************************
My small part in this build:
I took a Choate Ultimate Varmint stock, like I did with my 700 .308 SP and chopped it on both ends. Mike did all the hard work by adding a bedding block and the proper action bolt holes to fit the XP-100 Action to a stock that was previously designed to fit a Rem700 SA.
NOTE: Rogue Precision Gunworks will be offering this stock as a turn-key option for someone wanting a Choate rear grip stock for a Remington XP-100!
Once the stock machining was done, I epoxied and pinned the front swivel stud base into place for the bipod, added over a pound of brass, brass shot, and Devxon epoxy to the grip and barrel channel, and then painted it with a homemade dip swirl paint method. The end result put me on Cloud 9 and up to that point she was a looker, if nothing else.
Range time and load development took a few tries to perfect, as there isn't hardly any info on a 13" .45-70 Govt Specialty pistol pushing 300 grain match grade solid projectiles, but after some trial and error, I found a load that produced sub-MOA groups at 100 yards.
I wanted to shoot this bullet due to its BC value and bone penetrating ability.
Once loading was complete it was time to get some kills on the books as I am a hunter and care nothing else from my SP's other than their ability to bring home meat and a trophy.
Being a Texas boy, feral hogs are a year round option for target practice and offer a great litmus test for field testing hunting rounds and loads. Two hunts produced two boars who gave up the ghost to the .45-70 XP-100 and did so easily. The bone and internal damage was devastating to say the least and I knew I had accomplished my goal.
Thus "Doris", the .45-70 Govt. XP-100 was born.....
Specs:
Build by Mike Abel at Rogue Precision Gunworks - Grants Pass, OR
Remington XP-100 Action
McGowen 1:14 ROT barrel @ 13”
APA Fat******* muzzle brake
Choate Ultimate Varmint stock cut down and then modified to fit the XP Action by Rogue Precision Gunworks
Triggertech trigger
Tig-welded bolt handle
Burris Fullfield E1 2-7x35 rifle scope
Anyone interested in a similar build or to find out more about the Choate Specialty Pistol stock to fit the XP-100, call Mike at (541) 660-2773.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Here is the information on the build I did where I had my Remington XP-100 transformed into a rear-grip Specialty Pistol in .45-70 Government.
When I was 18 I got a NEF Handi-Rifle for graduation in .45-70 Govt and fell in love with the cartridge. That rifle has taken more game in the last 20 years than any other rifle I own. Multiple deer, two bobcats, and countless varmints and hogs. I have always dreamed of a Remington Bolt Action .45-70 and once I became addicted to Specialty Pistols, I daydreamed of one in that caliber. Within that same time window I became friends with Mike Abel and through our conversations and hunts together, I let my dream be know to him, all the time thinking it an impossible task due to case dimensions. Mike let me know that it wasn't just a dream, but a real possibility. This was all it took to put me on the fast track to getting my XP-100 built in .45-70 Govt. At this point in the story, I will turn it over to Mike to give the exact specs on the build.
******************************
From my gunsmith and good friend Mike Abel at Rogue Precision Gunworks:
This was one of those builds that some said couldn't be done. But after a bunch of discussion, and a little bit of penciling things out on paper, I knew I could make it work. I suggested the .458 SOCOM, .450 Marlin or .458 X2 WM, but Cody really wanted a .45-70 SP to go along with his .45-70 rifle that he got as a grad present. This rifle has been one of his favorites, and if I could fulfill his wish of having a .45-70 SP, so be it.
Cody managed to get a donor gun lined up for the build, so at that point I was committed.
Parts got ordered, and as soon as they started showing up, I went to work in the shop. There were several issues to address seeing how the .45-70 is a rimmed cartridge that measures out at .605".
I fit a M16 style Lapua extractor from PTG into a mock bolt to check fit and clearances. That all worked out as planned. Seeing how the .45-70 headspaces off the rim, and not a shoulder, a coned breach would be needed. the issue with that is that the extractor needed clearance to ride over the case rim throughout the bolt swing. That's where the semi-circle relief cut into the cone came into play. The web of the case is still completely encased in the chamber, so no case wall was going to be exposed.
I was also able to check feeding from the factory follower to make sure the case didn't hang up while chambering. - No issue there.
I opened up the bolt face on Cody's bolt from the standard .308 bolt face to .612", and machined the bolt for the Lapua extractor.
Next up was to get the barrel chambered up and contoured. The APA brake that Cody supplied needed to be opened up from .338" through to .488" and I recut the threads on the tenon from 3/4-24 to 7/8-24 to give the .458" barrel a little bit more wall thickness.
A Lawton/Nosler bolt stop was added so the bolt could be pulled to eject loaded rounds. Cody went with EGW's HD 0 MOA 4 screw base, so the 4th hole got drilled and tapped through the receiver bridge.
I finally got her all buttoned up and got out to the range for test firing and barrel break in.
I'll admit on the first shot the pistol was at arms length not knowing what the recoil was going to be like? I was really surprised when the trigger broke! -Just a little muzzle hop! The APA brake is very effective. It also cleared all the cleaning patches and towels off the bench beside me.
**************************************
My small part in this build:
I took a Choate Ultimate Varmint stock, like I did with my 700 .308 SP and chopped it on both ends. Mike did all the hard work by adding a bedding block and the proper action bolt holes to fit the XP-100 Action to a stock that was previously designed to fit a Rem700 SA.
NOTE: Rogue Precision Gunworks will be offering this stock as a turn-key option for someone wanting a Choate rear grip stock for a Remington XP-100!
Once the stock machining was done, I epoxied and pinned the front swivel stud base into place for the bipod, added over a pound of brass, brass shot, and Devxon epoxy to the grip and barrel channel, and then painted it with a homemade dip swirl paint method. The end result put me on Cloud 9 and up to that point she was a looker, if nothing else.
Range time and load development took a few tries to perfect, as there isn't hardly any info on a 13" .45-70 Govt Specialty pistol pushing 300 grain match grade solid projectiles, but after some trial and error, I found a load that produced sub-MOA groups at 100 yards.
I wanted to shoot this bullet due to its BC value and bone penetrating ability.
Once loading was complete it was time to get some kills on the books as I am a hunter and care nothing else from my SP's other than their ability to bring home meat and a trophy.
Being a Texas boy, feral hogs are a year round option for target practice and offer a great litmus test for field testing hunting rounds and loads. Two hunts produced two boars who gave up the ghost to the .45-70 XP-100 and did so easily. The bone and internal damage was devastating to say the least and I knew I had accomplished my goal.
Thus "Doris", the .45-70 Govt. XP-100 was born.....
Specs:
Build by Mike Abel at Rogue Precision Gunworks - Grants Pass, OR
Remington XP-100 Action
McGowen 1:14 ROT barrel @ 13”
APA Fat******* muzzle brake
Choate Ultimate Varmint stock cut down and then modified to fit the XP Action by Rogue Precision Gunworks
Triggertech trigger
Tig-welded bolt handle
Burris Fullfield E1 2-7x35 rifle scope
Anyone interested in a similar build or to find out more about the Choate Specialty Pistol stock to fit the XP-100, call Mike at (541) 660-2773.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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