The architecture of this Weatherby rifle starts with a modular chassis machined from 6061 aluminum and adds a Luth-AR MBA-1 stock and a Vanguard barreled action. It all adds up to create a rifle guaranteed to create 0.99-inch, three-shot groups at 100 yards when using premium ammunition. The rifles includes a 20-inch barrel, free-floated and threaded for muzzle devices. (weatherby.com<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Caliber:<\/b> .223 Rem, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Win<\/span> |<\/span> Barrel:<\/b> 20 inches<\/span> |<\/span> Overall Length:<\/b> 39.25-40.25 inches<\/span> |<\/span> Weight:<\/b> 8.5 pounds (empty) |<\/span> Stock:<\/b> Luth-AR MBA-1<\/span> |<\/span> Sights:<\/b> None<\/span> |<\/span> Action:<\/b> Bolt<\/span> |<\/span> Finish:<\/b> Matte black<\/span> |<\/span> Capacity:<\/b> 10+1<\/span> |<\/span> MSRP:<\/b> $1,519<\/span><\/p>\n","post_title":"19 Affordable Precision Rifles That Won't Break the Bank","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","post_password":"","post_name":"affordable-precision-rifles-2018","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2023-10-31 22:40:33","post_modified_gmt":"2023-11-01 02:40:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.dev.athlonoutdoors.com\/2018\/05\/04\/affordable-precision-rifles-2018\/","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":131534,"post_author":"645","post_date":"2018-05-03 09:00:57","post_date_gmt":"2018-05-03 13:00:57","post_content":"\r\n\r\nDoubleStar is stepping into the increasingly competitive AR pistol market with its new ARP7.\r\n\r\n[in_content post=\"194348\" alignment=\"align-left\" \/]\r\n\r\nBilled in the press release as \"what an AR-style pistol should be,\" the DoubleStar ARP7 is chambered in 5.56mm<\/a> NATO and features a 7.5-inch 4140 chrome moly steel\u00a0barrel with a Big Timber Brake on the end. It also comes with the company's\u00a0Strongarm pistol brace; seven-inch Cloak MLOK handguard;\u00a0Backbone Billet charging handle paired with a\u00a0Strike Industries Tac Latch; ambidextrous selector; and Ergo Sure grip.\r\n\r\nMeanwhile, the flat-top upper receiver is is made from 7075 T6 aluminum and Mil-Spec hardcoat anodized. It features a brass deflector; M4 feed ramps; T marks; forward assist and dust cover. The lower is also made from\u00a07075 T6 aluminum and hardcoat anodized to Mil-Spec.\r\n\r\n\"This pistol is the ideal truck or trunk gun. Whether you are traveling or hitting the trails, I'm never leaving home without mine again!\" Nick Collier, DoubleStar's director of special operations, said in the presser. \"During testing, we used a small red-dot and were able to make quick shots with accurate follow up shots, thanks to the Big Timber Brake and the Strongarm Pistol Brace.\"\r\n\r\nWeighing in at 5.4 pounds and with an OAL of 24.5 inches, the DoubleStar ARP7 comes with a 30-round magazine. The suggested retail price on this model is\u00a0$1,299.99. Specs are below.\r\n\r\nFor more on DoubleStar, go to Star15.com<\/a>.\r\nDoubleStar ARP7 Specs<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n \t
DoubleStar Fury<\/b><\/h3>\nRob decided to enhance the machete concept in the form of the Fury. It utilizes 0.285-inch-thick S7 tool steel in lieu of the thinner spring steel typical with machetes. S7 tool steel is characterized by a very high impact toughness and resistance to shock. G10 handle scales and a bronze Cerakote finish complete the Fury\u2019s outward appearance.\n\nAs Rob explained, you do not want a blade too hard, with a temper bordering on brittleness. With a Rockwell hardness rating of 58, the Fury is balanced for edge retention while still allowing sharpening with basic files or stones. DoubleStar wanted the Fury heavy enough for breaching but lightweight enough to be useful in close quarters and kept on your person without causing discomfort. The Fury weighs approximately 28 ounces and measures 18.25 inches long, permitting belt carry.\n\nInput from Fort Bragg military operators was sought in the Fury\u2019s design. Rob drew from his background as a martial artist and land surveyor. The Fury has its balance point toward the front of the blade. This maximizes blade speed\/force towards the target. The Fury\u2019s handle profile is meant to keep the blade locked in your hand during high-velocity swings, even if your grip is compromised by sweat or blood. The textured G10 grips, with their raised, pinnacled knurling, contribute to this as well.\n\nThe Fury\u2019s front section offers a vicious, deep-penetrating stabbing capability. The top wedge of the blade could easily be sharpened to create a back cut. The knurled pommel is not just for applying a blunt force blow; it can also be used for pain compliance when applied to an opponent\u2019s face or other sensitive areas. The sharpened blade does not run all the way to the quillion in case a blunt strike is required.\n
Fury Results<\/h3>\nI whittled various objects to see if the Fury could handle the finer details of creating a snare or other types of animal traps. Feeling nimble in the hand, the Fury combines knife and machete characteristics. It performed more typical machete duties involving clearing brush or breaking a trail. Furthermore, the Fury\u2019s large blade handled all these tasks with ease\u2014a true complement to Cabrera\u2019s design.\n
DoubleStar Wrath<\/b><\/h3>\nDoubleStar further upped the ante with the Wrath tomahawk. The goal with the Wrath was to combine both the utility of a crash axe with a fighting tomahawk\u2014something not often found. This was accomplished by using the same S7 tool steel used in the Fury and a keen eye during the design process.\n\nThe Wrath\u2019s head has a distinctive face and beard configuration for durability and lethality. Cabrera purposely created a front edge profile with upper and lower edges coming together to form a point. This is done to focus kinetic energy to assist in breaching metal. By gripping the Wrath\u2019s handle near the head, the sharpened edges can be wielded with the efficiency of a knife, especially with the extended beard. The same technique would facilitate the field dressing and skinning of a harvested animal for food.\n\nThe Wrath weighs 33 ounces pounds and measures 16.5 inches long. Its handle thickens toward the bottom to help maintain a steady grip even as fatigue sets in after heavy use. G10 textured scales finish off the tomahawk. Like the Fury, the Wrath\u2019s G10 handle scales are easily disassembled for thorough cleaning of any blood-borne pathogens. This is something not to be ignored in a survival or CQB situation environment.\n\nThe tomahawk is as distinctly an American as the kukri is for the legendary Gurkhas. For many task, such as constructing shelter, digging, breaching and hand-to-hand conflict, tomahawks have earned their place as gear worthy of having around. Our military personnel use \u201chawks\u201d in the same ways as the men of Roger\u2019s Rangers and others involved in settling the Ohio River territory. Combat engagements are often close-range affairs where an enemy could appear suddenly. The extra power and reach of a tomahawk over a knife is invaluable.\n
Wrath Results<\/h3>\nI was surprised by the relatively light weight of the Wrath when I held it. You want the majority of the weight towards the head for efficient chopping, but you do not want it to feel like a sledgehammer, either. The proper handle-to-weight ratio translates into less fatigue and wrist strain when the tomahawk is employed. You want something light enough to carry but still heavy enough to chop and slash efficiently.\n\nTo test the Wrath\u2019s capabilities, I used the Echo Valley Training Center\u2019s range vehicles for breaching purposes. A professional firefighter was invited to assist. Laminated front windshields could not resist being methodically carved out for removal. Side doors, trunk lids and A-frames were cleaved through after a few well-placed strikes. The force and intensity required for getting through a vehicle\u2019s sheet metal and bracing has to be experienced to truly fathom it. A tomahawk intended for this role has to be stout. The DoubleStar Wrath is such a tool.\n
DoubleStar Drakon<\/b><\/h3>\nThe last DoubleStar blade I tested is the least auspicious, especially when compared to the larger-than-life-looking Fury and Wrath. But don\u2019t let its looks fool you\u2014the Drakon is just as deadly as its larger peers in the right hands. The blade is 3.9 inches long while the entire knife is 8.25 inches long. The Drakon is created from 0.25-inch-thick 1095 carbon steel coated in DoubleStar\u2019s Dragon Hyde DLC finish for durability.\n\nWhile it would be optimum to be a trained martial artist with years of dedicated effort emphasizing hand-to-hand or knife work, unfortunately this is not the case for most of us. With that said, there is nothing to say you can not still be effective with a knife using aggression and force. The DoubleStar thought process for developing the Drakon treats the knife as the blade world\u2019s stealthy equalizer.\n\nAttending multiple knife training seminars illustrates that there are various schools of thought of how best to end a knife fight efficiently, i.e., a thrust or slash. The DoubleStar Drakon, with its aggressively scalloped blade, is perfect for slashing and slicing. Devastating on flesh even when under layers of thick denim-like material, Rob Cabrera describes the scallops as being oversized serrated edges. The scallops offer more surface area than traditional serrated edges to power through layers of dense materials to get to an opponent\u2019s flesh. Rob reports that tests with the Drakon against multiple layers of Carhartt-covered pig hide exceeded his expectations. Cuts penetrating down to the bone extended for over 24 inches. Also, the Drakon proved very capable of penetrating deeply into the densest mass areas of test subjects, including the cranium. A reverse edge grip is easily accommodated with the Drakon\u2019s finger ring.\n
Drakon Test<\/h3>\nThe Drakon falls into the edge\/slash methodology where the quickest and most efficient way to stop your attacker with a knife is to stop the specific body parts that allow them to be dangerous to you. This is accomplished by cutting the structures that instantly disable those body parts, like muscles, tendons and nerves. Pressure cuts are emphasized for getting the most effectiveness out of your blade against specific structural targets. The Drakon\u2019s finger ring loop ensures secure retention throughout the cut.\n\nI decided to employ the Drakon against a \u201cpork man\u201d as an ideal way to demonstrate its proficiency as a \u201cflesh carnivore.\u201d I became aware of this simple test during a Mike Janich seminar I attended several years ago. During the course, Mike did a demonstration involving a pork roast butterflied around a broom handle, wrapped in plastic and covered in multiple layers of clothing. After starting out slowly to get a feel for manipulation, the Drakon slashed through the \u201cpork man\u201d without hesitation. The broom handle was deeply scarred by the Drakon\u2019s edge as it passed through the simulated limb.\n\n[in_content post=\"184433\" alignment=\"align-right\" \/]\n\nI spent a considerable amount of time proving whether or not a fixed blade the size of the Drakon was practical for discreet carry. In the end, I can safely say that it is capable of personal defense on its own or paired with a gun. There is no doubt that the Drakon would be at home on web gear or the chest rig of any soldier, law enforcement officer or security-conscience civilian with a chance of coming into direct contact with a foe.\n
Final Thoughts<\/h3>\nWith its new edged weapon line, DoubleStar has bridged the gap between custom knifemakers and production manufacturers. The attention to detail here is evident, filling an important niche in the marketplace. Professional grade is a good way to characterize DoubleStar\u2019s edged weapons.\n
DoubleStar Edged Weapons<\/h3>\n