- Oct 30, 2004
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Any input on these?
colt light rifles?
- Thread starter FOTIS
- Start date
Dr. Vette
Handloader
- Apr 16, 2012
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Dubyam has one and is probably the one to ask.
Had one in a 7mm Rem mag. It shot really well with 140 or 160gr accubonds, nice and light. I really liked everything except the safety. It pushed into the fire position really easy, to easy for me to be comfortable. I had my gunsmith drill out the detent hole for the ball to go in to see if he could firm it up and add a slightly heavier spring but I still didn't like it. It rubbed into the fire position and unlocked the bolt so my action could come open. Even with the chamber empty it exposed it to debris. I ended up selling it for that reason, went to only 3 position of tang safetys. Other than that one complaint it was a really nice rifle.
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- #4
- Oct 30, 2004
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Thank you
G
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Sorry for the late response, Fotis. It's been a heck of a day. Taking a moment before I crash to check the forums, and found this. I'll keep it short, but to the point.
I love my CLR. It's my second favorite rifle. The trigger took a little getting used to, as it is crisp and breaks clean, but has no overtravel stop, so it feels spongy after the shot. I think being a Weatherby shooter made this less an issue, but you'll likely notice it the first few times you squeeze it off. Mine is good for less than minute of angle accuracy from a sturdy set of shooting sticks or prone, or the bench, out beyond the 300yds I've tested it. Under 200, it'll print enough groups better than half-minute to let me know the bigger groups are not the rifle.
I worked up a single load in mine (a 30-06) - H4350 under a 168gr BT. I got excellent accuracy with shots number 7, 8, & 9, at over 2900fps, and have not needed to work up anything else. This has accounted so far for a nice doe at 181yds according to my rangefinder.
I will add that I've trekked all over my mountain lease in northern Alabama without noticing any sort of issue regarding the safety, as McSeal noticed. My rifle has climbed up and down the bluffs with me, crawled through the brush and grass to close the distance to that doe from ~400 to 181, and been roped up and down going in and out of treestands. Never had an issue with the safety at all. I've also known a few other guys who have them and have not had that issue reported from them, either. Perhaps McSeal got a bad one, but all the ones I've been around or heard reliable info first hand are superb rifles.
One day I'll blow the $600-700 and get Melvin Forbes to update/upgrade mine. He'll bed it into one of his stocks, change out the striker spring, and change the trigger out to one of his Timneys, and generally accurize it. It would basically give me a clone of the new Forbes Rifle at under 2/3 the price, considering what I've got in this rifle so far.
If you have the opportunity, I'd say you should own one. What chambering are you considering?
I love my CLR. It's my second favorite rifle. The trigger took a little getting used to, as it is crisp and breaks clean, but has no overtravel stop, so it feels spongy after the shot. I think being a Weatherby shooter made this less an issue, but you'll likely notice it the first few times you squeeze it off. Mine is good for less than minute of angle accuracy from a sturdy set of shooting sticks or prone, or the bench, out beyond the 300yds I've tested it. Under 200, it'll print enough groups better than half-minute to let me know the bigger groups are not the rifle.
I worked up a single load in mine (a 30-06) - H4350 under a 168gr BT. I got excellent accuracy with shots number 7, 8, & 9, at over 2900fps, and have not needed to work up anything else. This has accounted so far for a nice doe at 181yds according to my rangefinder.
I will add that I've trekked all over my mountain lease in northern Alabama without noticing any sort of issue regarding the safety, as McSeal noticed. My rifle has climbed up and down the bluffs with me, crawled through the brush and grass to close the distance to that doe from ~400 to 181, and been roped up and down going in and out of treestands. Never had an issue with the safety at all. I've also known a few other guys who have them and have not had that issue reported from them, either. Perhaps McSeal got a bad one, but all the ones I've been around or heard reliable info first hand are superb rifles.
One day I'll blow the $600-700 and get Melvin Forbes to update/upgrade mine. He'll bed it into one of his stocks, change out the striker spring, and change the trigger out to one of his Timneys, and generally accurize it. It would basically give me a clone of the new Forbes Rifle at under 2/3 the price, considering what I've got in this rifle so far.
If you have the opportunity, I'd say you should own one. What chambering are you considering?
Good review. I added the Timney trigger to mine and looked into the Forbes stock but never bit. I should have probably clarified on the safety a bit more also. When I ran into trouble was mainly when I packed the rifle slung over my left shoulder so the safety could rub against my pack. I tend to switch shoulders when carrying a rifle slung depending on terrain or fatigue. If you don't do this it might not be an issue, or like you said I may have just got a bad one. I've never been around one other than the one I had.
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- #8
- Oct 30, 2004
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I am considering a 7mm rem mag New for 650
G
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It has, ajvigs. When I bought mine, it had been sitting for literally a decade, gathering dust, on a gun rack in a rural gunshop in northern Alabama. There are hundreds more still sitting in other rural gunshops around, though not nearly the number as a few years ago. I bought mine on a deal as the shop wanted to clear it out, and nobody but me had ever expressed any interest in the rifle. I paid less than their cost, but they needed it off the books. I'd certainly consider one NIB as a $550-600+ rifle, depending on the circumstance. I keep hoping to run up on another one (I have seen a few, just never had the cash onhand when I saw them) and buy it. I'd like a 7mmRemMag and have even thought about getting a 270Win and having Melvin Forbes rebarrel it to something unique just for fun.
I don't know if they're worth $650 NIB, but maybe. It depends on how many are around, and how bad you want it, I guess, Fotis. It's likely to be a great shooter. All but one I've seen/known of firsthand have been half-minute or nearly so.
I don't know if they're worth $650 NIB, but maybe. It depends on how many are around, and how bad you want it, I guess, Fotis. It's likely to be a great shooter. All but one I've seen/known of firsthand have been half-minute or nearly so.
Mine was capable of 1/2" groups with either weight AccuBond. I worked up a load with 140gr accubonds at 3000fps that shot to the same point of aim as my 160gr load at the same speed. It was nice, lighter recoiling deer/practice load and the heavier elk load that were interchangeable. That is one of the reasons I tried to hard to make it work for me.
Fotis,
Didn't you own at one time?
What I remember is that Colt bought UltraLightArms from Mel Forbes, then 'economized' several different things - materials, manufacturing processes, and quality control. They were an unmitigated sales disaster and were discontinued promptly.
George
Didn't you own at one time?
What I remember is that Colt bought UltraLightArms from Mel Forbes, then 'economized' several different things - materials, manufacturing processes, and quality control. They were an unmitigated sales disaster and were discontinued promptly.
George
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- #13
- Oct 30, 2004
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That was Brad's. I worked up a load for him.
