First day out with the Vudoo Ravage
Well ol' No.1313 arrived at my FFL yesterday and I had her out at the range. I was intrigued by the web photos of the receiver's vault-like construction and the idea of its being built to fit in a Remington 700 chassis. Customer reports of insane accuracy kind of pushed me over the edge. I plunked down my deposit and resigned myself to the eight-week wait. The version of the Ravage that I bought has the 20-inch barrel in Voodoo's Kukri contour style. I got the stock without an adjustable cheek rest figuring that I could add a cloth or leather one afterwards, if eye placement was an issue. The barrel is also threaded for use with a suppressor. More on that later. Finish on the stock is black with gray webbing. I have topped the rifle with a Leupold 6-18x40 in Burris Signature Zee medium rings sitting on a 20 MOA rail. The Vudoo website has the rifle's weight as 8.5 pounds. I think with the Leupold on there it is probably closer to 10 (not a bad thing for my purposes). I was tempted to put the action in a replica 40X stock. But at the end of the day, I am going to be shooting this off a rest while sitting at a bench. I have always found a sporter's rounded forearm harder to control than something that was purpose built to shoot from a bench. Well, today the wait was over and I went straight from my FFL to the range to see what No. 1313 was going to tell me.
Here's the way the rifle looks in its current configuration:
Here's what I mean by vault- like construction. Look at the thickness of the receiver walls:
The sharp - eyed among you will notice that the extractor cuts are at one o'clock and seven o'clock on the breech face. Dunno what this is about - but extraction was positive and strong. I'd say most cases three feet to the right; most of them were off my shooting table.
The trigger is a Timney, which I asked the folks at Vudoo to set at two pounds. It breaks crisply and cleanly like all Timney triggers I have used. Because the rifle takes any R700 trigger, you can replace the trigger with any R700 compatible trigger you like. Timney has some that will adjust down in the ounces . . Me? I am sticking with 2 lbs for now. Lighter just gets scary.
I am kicking myself for not photographing the magazines when I was at the range this afternoon. They are an ABS-type plastic, with an overall dimension which mimics a Remington 700 short action centerfire magazine, but hold 22 long rifle. I ran the bolt dry my first day out. The melanite coating on the action and the bolt gives a slightly gritty feeling, which I expect to smooth up over time. The only issue I had with the rifle, from a functional perspective was that with certain ammunition (Eley Bulk, CCI-SV) the rifle bolt needs to be pressed firmly home in order to close. In practical terms, this meant taking my cheek off the rifle butt in order to give the bolt the extra shove needed so that it was seated deeply enough that I could close it/cam it over. Otherwise the bolt binds with certain ammunition. Rather than simply closing, like the bolt on my CZ 455, it requires an extra forward push. I don't know if this is because those brands of ammo are thicker (a headspace issue) or whether this is something that will work in over time. I did not have an issue with Lapua, SK, or R50 (targets below). The good folks at Vudoo are at the NRA convention this week so I will check in with them on the technical side of things regarding the bolt when they return.
First-Day Accuracy.
Here's the funny thing. I shot five or six different kinds of ammo today and each of them produced at least one good, or in some cases great, group. I will post the whole strings of six targets (five-shot groups) below so that you can see what I mean. For instance with Federal 711B, I shot one target that was .448 inches edge-to-edge (.228 center to center), but the groups on either side are roughly a half inch. I decided to show all the targets rather than just the best groups so you all get a sense of my limitations as a shooter rather than thinking it is all the rifle one way or the other. I think the best targets tell you the most when viewed in context.
Midas+ gave me two groups that were .468 edge to edge/.248 c-t-c and one group that was almost an inch.
R50 gave me my best group of the day (.321 edge to edge/.101 c-t-c) ( lower left-hand corner below), with other groups on the card larger.
Eley Bulk's best group was .354 edge-to-edge (.234 c-t-c), but the largest group was at an inch or so.
Even CCI-SV turned in at least one good group (see below). Actually, the first group of the day when I was sighting in the scope was even better, but I don't have a picture of it. Man, did that put a smile on my face.
As you can see from the photos above, I was shooting off a Caldwell Rock BR front rest with a Protektor leather rear bag. I set the front rest fairly close to the magazine. I am not sure this is the best placement… more testing is surely needed. Also, I'd love to get this set up with a tripod and see how that works.
I guess the moral of the story is two-fold: 1) the rifle is clearly capable of great things, but the shooter can't relax (firm grip seemed to do best, even with the weight of that 700 stock), and 2) the rifle's best groups go from good to great with a variety of ammunition, but consistency is also about the quality of the ammunition and the skill of the shooter (improving, but not there yet, in my case). R50 is the current leader though for most consistently good group. I also tried some Lapua Polar Biathlon on a 50 dot target . . . I danced around the dot from shot to shot, but am not posting it here. The combination was not a "tack driver" in the RFC sense of the word, and I didn't finish the target before I had to leave the range for the day.
In sum, the rifle's first day performance put a big, big smile on my face. And let's face it: today marked the first couple of hundred rounds down range in total and I am still figuring out how to shoot the thing. The difference between a firm grip into my shoulder and a light grip was eye-opening. I haven't even tried a trigger-pinch/free recoil combination. So it is early days yet. I'd encourage any of you who think that the targets above are the definitive word on this rifle to just take a deep breath. It's the opposite. They are the first groups, and the poor folks at Vudoo are going to have to put up with a nOOby like me posting a review of this product for all the world to see. Seriously though, the experience I had with the rifle was comparable to my first day out with an Anschutz 1710-HB - these are tools where you don't have to wonder whether it is the rifle, the ammo, or you.
Finally, the rifle's barrel comes threaded from Vudoo . . . I am seriously considering a DeadAir Mask for this thing. Anyone who has had experience with one of those on a .22LR rifle, I'd love to hear your experiences - did adding the can change the barrel harmonics? Ah well, questions for another day.
[Edit: to respond to supersharp's question below, temps were in the mid-70's F, humidity was relatively high for VT, and there was a slight variable and intermittant breeze 1-3 mph (estimate only) breeze from my 6 o'clock. This accounts for a small amount of the vertical on the target IMHO. The key, I think, will be a precise return to battery. On the best groups, I felt like I was just laying them in there, with a consistent physical interaction with the rifle. Then I'd take my cheek off the rifle butt, reload or mess with the bolt and my next shot would be off. This is why I want to credit the shooter with the poor groups, and the rifle with the good ones. ]
Well ol' No.1313 arrived at my FFL yesterday and I had her out at the range. I was intrigued by the web photos of the receiver's vault-like construction and the idea of its being built to fit in a Remington 700 chassis. Customer reports of insane accuracy kind of pushed me over the edge. I plunked down my deposit and resigned myself to the eight-week wait. The version of the Ravage that I bought has the 20-inch barrel in Voodoo's Kukri contour style. I got the stock without an adjustable cheek rest figuring that I could add a cloth or leather one afterwards, if eye placement was an issue. The barrel is also threaded for use with a suppressor. More on that later. Finish on the stock is black with gray webbing. I have topped the rifle with a Leupold 6-18x40 in Burris Signature Zee medium rings sitting on a 20 MOA rail. The Vudoo website has the rifle's weight as 8.5 pounds. I think with the Leupold on there it is probably closer to 10 (not a bad thing for my purposes). I was tempted to put the action in a replica 40X stock. But at the end of the day, I am going to be shooting this off a rest while sitting at a bench. I have always found a sporter's rounded forearm harder to control than something that was purpose built to shoot from a bench. Well, today the wait was over and I went straight from my FFL to the range to see what No. 1313 was going to tell me.
Here's the way the rifle looks in its current configuration:
Here's what I mean by vault- like construction. Look at the thickness of the receiver walls:
The sharp - eyed among you will notice that the extractor cuts are at one o'clock and seven o'clock on the breech face. Dunno what this is about - but extraction was positive and strong. I'd say most cases three feet to the right; most of them were off my shooting table.
The trigger is a Timney, which I asked the folks at Vudoo to set at two pounds. It breaks crisply and cleanly like all Timney triggers I have used. Because the rifle takes any R700 trigger, you can replace the trigger with any R700 compatible trigger you like. Timney has some that will adjust down in the ounces . . Me? I am sticking with 2 lbs for now. Lighter just gets scary.
I am kicking myself for not photographing the magazines when I was at the range this afternoon. They are an ABS-type plastic, with an overall dimension which mimics a Remington 700 short action centerfire magazine, but hold 22 long rifle. I ran the bolt dry my first day out. The melanite coating on the action and the bolt gives a slightly gritty feeling, which I expect to smooth up over time. The only issue I had with the rifle, from a functional perspective was that with certain ammunition (Eley Bulk, CCI-SV) the rifle bolt needs to be pressed firmly home in order to close. In practical terms, this meant taking my cheek off the rifle butt in order to give the bolt the extra shove needed so that it was seated deeply enough that I could close it/cam it over. Otherwise the bolt binds with certain ammunition. Rather than simply closing, like the bolt on my CZ 455, it requires an extra forward push. I don't know if this is because those brands of ammo are thicker (a headspace issue) or whether this is something that will work in over time. I did not have an issue with Lapua, SK, or R50 (targets below). The good folks at Vudoo are at the NRA convention this week so I will check in with them on the technical side of things regarding the bolt when they return.
First-Day Accuracy.
Here's the funny thing. I shot five or six different kinds of ammo today and each of them produced at least one good, or in some cases great, group. I will post the whole strings of six targets (five-shot groups) below so that you can see what I mean. For instance with Federal 711B, I shot one target that was .448 inches edge-to-edge (.228 center to center), but the groups on either side are roughly a half inch. I decided to show all the targets rather than just the best groups so you all get a sense of my limitations as a shooter rather than thinking it is all the rifle one way or the other. I think the best targets tell you the most when viewed in context.
Midas+ gave me two groups that were .468 edge to edge/.248 c-t-c and one group that was almost an inch.
R50 gave me my best group of the day (.321 edge to edge/.101 c-t-c) ( lower left-hand corner below), with other groups on the card larger.
Eley Bulk's best group was .354 edge-to-edge (.234 c-t-c), but the largest group was at an inch or so.
Even CCI-SV turned in at least one good group (see below). Actually, the first group of the day when I was sighting in the scope was even better, but I don't have a picture of it. Man, did that put a smile on my face.
As you can see from the photos above, I was shooting off a Caldwell Rock BR front rest with a Protektor leather rear bag. I set the front rest fairly close to the magazine. I am not sure this is the best placement… more testing is surely needed. Also, I'd love to get this set up with a tripod and see how that works.
I guess the moral of the story is two-fold: 1) the rifle is clearly capable of great things, but the shooter can't relax (firm grip seemed to do best, even with the weight of that 700 stock), and 2) the rifle's best groups go from good to great with a variety of ammunition, but consistency is also about the quality of the ammunition and the skill of the shooter (improving, but not there yet, in my case). R50 is the current leader though for most consistently good group. I also tried some Lapua Polar Biathlon on a 50 dot target . . . I danced around the dot from shot to shot, but am not posting it here. The combination was not a "tack driver" in the RFC sense of the word, and I didn't finish the target before I had to leave the range for the day.
In sum, the rifle's first day performance put a big, big smile on my face. And let's face it: today marked the first couple of hundred rounds down range in total and I am still figuring out how to shoot the thing. The difference between a firm grip into my shoulder and a light grip was eye-opening. I haven't even tried a trigger-pinch/free recoil combination. So it is early days yet. I'd encourage any of you who think that the targets above are the definitive word on this rifle to just take a deep breath. It's the opposite. They are the first groups, and the poor folks at Vudoo are going to have to put up with a nOOby like me posting a review of this product for all the world to see. Seriously though, the experience I had with the rifle was comparable to my first day out with an Anschutz 1710-HB - these are tools where you don't have to wonder whether it is the rifle, the ammo, or you.
Finally, the rifle's barrel comes threaded from Vudoo . . . I am seriously considering a DeadAir Mask for this thing. Anyone who has had experience with one of those on a .22LR rifle, I'd love to hear your experiences - did adding the can change the barrel harmonics? Ah well, questions for another day.
[Edit: to respond to supersharp's question below, temps were in the mid-70's F, humidity was relatively high for VT, and there was a slight variable and intermittant breeze 1-3 mph (estimate only) breeze from my 6 o'clock. This accounts for a small amount of the vertical on the target IMHO. The key, I think, will be a precise return to battery. On the best groups, I felt like I was just laying them in there, with a consistent physical interaction with the rifle. Then I'd take my cheek off the rifle butt, reload or mess with the bolt and my next shot would be off. This is why I want to credit the shooter with the poor groups, and the rifle with the good ones. ]