I bought one last year in .204 Ruger, thumbhole model. So far I am pleased with it.
Slapped a Simmons 6-18x40 SF ProHunter Master scope in Millet Angle-Loc rings, on it, because that is what I had on the shelf at the time. Out of the box, the bluing with the high polish looked great, but for a varmint rifle, I would've preferred a more matte finish. The barrel is fluted, 26" in length, with a 1:12" twist, and is fully floated the entire length. It has a 3 round detachable magazine, that is plastic, but it is solid and feeds fine.
First range trip was to break the barrel in, so I loaded up 25 rounds with Winchester cases, 28.5gr of BLC-2, and 32gr V-maxs. I did soem what double duty to zero and break the barrel in. To break the barrel in, I fired 1 round then cleaned 10 times, then fired 5 rounds then cleaned 3 times, making scope adjustments in between shots. Really didn't shoot for groups that range trip.
The second range trip was to try more loads with BLC-2 and 32gr V-Maxs. Started at 28.6gr and worked up to 30.2gr in .2gr increments. Found two loads that shot pretty good, 29.8gr and 30.0gr, with the first 3 shots going into mid .4's and high .2s, respectively. The 4th & 5th shots, would open the groups up to around 3/4" and a tad over. The barrel heated quickly with just 3 rounds and that seems to be why the 4th and 5th rounds opened up, eventhough I was waiting a couple minutes between shots. Still wasn't showing pressure signs, so I may try 30.4gr & 30.5gr to see if groups will tighten up some more.
The 3rd trip to the range was with Benchmark and 32grV-Maxs. Starting at 26.6 and going up to 28.0 in .2gr increments. Right the bat, the 26.6gr load printed a 5 shot group at about 9/16", not bad I was thinking. The next few loads just seemed to open up more and more, with the largest being around 2", then the 28.0gr load seemed to tighten up, to around 3/4". Still wasn't showin excessive pressure signs, so I may try 28.2 and 28.4 to see if they contiue to tighten up.
I am also going to try some Nosler 32gr Ballistic Tips and Sierra 32gr BlitzKings as well in future range test. I carried it to the field just to see how flat it shot. Not to bad, with a 1" high zero at 100yds, I was busting 20oz soda bottles at 200yds and 300yds, without ever taking the crosshairs off the bottle. That thing is awesome flat out to 300yds. Recoil is basically non-existant.
All in all, for what I paid for it, which was below distributor or wholesale price, I think I got more than my monies worth. I think with a little fine tuning on the loads, I can get a legitimate 1/2" out of the box rifle. This would appear to be a very good affordable entry level lightweight varmint rifle.
