Until quite recently my collection of firearms included a custom F/TR rifle that was built on a Barnard S receiver and chambered in .308. As is so often the case however something else caught my eye and – especially since my main F-Class interest lies not in the F/TR game but in the F/Open category – the Barnard S went off to a good home.

My Old Rifle – Purpose Built For F/TR

With the F/TR rifle sold all was good, I have many .308 rifles and the sale of the Barnard S freed up funds for other new and shiny things and, normally, there the story would end …… except for one teensy weensy little thing: You see, I am honor bound to take part in an annual ( and wagered !) F/TR challenge with an old friend who is a sometime shooting partner and sometime shooting competitor. The ongoing wager ? Why none other than a framed (and famed) $10 bill that has exchanged hands a few times over the years but currently resides, in its rightful place, in my gun room.

Taking Possession Of What Is Rightfully Mine 🙂

The ‘self-inflicted injury’ of lacking a F/TR rifle would be no excuse for denying my buddy the opportunity to wrest the prize away from me and even the merest suggestion of anything other than unbridled enthusiasm for the annual match would bring down upon my head allegations of cowardice, lacking of moral fiber and questionable parentage. A plan would have to be formulated…

Many consider the big drawback to using a factory or even custom tactical rifle in F/TR comes down to the issue of barrel length. Most competitors in F/TR will shoot rifles equipped with 29 or 30″ barrels and will say that the 20-26″ tubes found on factory/custom tactical rifles are not long enough to generate the a muzzle velocity sufficient to give the bullet the legs it needs to ride the wind to the land of V Bulls at the thousand yard distances many F Class matches are shot.

Traditionally the wager takes place at an annual tournament we attend near the Canadian city of Kamloops. The match, which brings together some of the best F-Class shooters in Western Canada, is held in honor of a gentleman by the name of George ‘Farky’ Farquarson who was not only from that fair city but is the individual who is recognized as the founder of the sport of F-Class – an event which, from simple beginnings, has grown into the internationally popular shooting sport it is today. Called the Frosty Farky due to the fact that in even in September the weather can get a little chilly, this annual match is only shot out to 500m so the barrel length considerations talked about above ought not to be a concern.

First thing necessary to get this project off the ground was to find amongst my heavy barreled collection of rifles one that is in a suitable caliber (F/TR is limited to .308 or .223 and military equivalents) and that with scope and bipod can still make the F-Class weight limit for F/TR of 8.25 kilos. Last but by no means least I need to pick a rifle that is a consistent half-minute gun as my wagering friend is no slouch behind the trigger and, besides the wager, I would like to finish well in the match overall and possibly even medal.

Out of a possible five rifles that are meet the requirements of chambering and weight, I have decided to focus on two of them and to put both through some final tests to see which will give me the best chance of success. The rifles selected are both in .308 as my only sufficiently accurate .223 is a beast of a rifle due to a 1.2″ no taper barrel and anyway I prefer .308 for distance shooting even though others find no trouble in getting that little .223 to work wonders for them.

Discounted – Too Heavy

The two rifles I selected are as follows:

PGW ‘Coyote’

This is a standard offering from Canadian company PGWDTI out of Manitoba and hasn’t been customized in any way. Having said that, all the PGW rifles are pretty much custom guns. I suppose one could say that they are ‘factory custom’ rifles even though that really is an oxymoron. Equipped with a 24″ PGW signature helical fluted Krieger barrel in a 1:10 twist and chambered for the .308 M852 match ammo, I have shot a number of groups in the .3’s and .4’s with this rifle and am very confident behind the trigger. As the base rifle weighs 13.5 lbs I have a decent ceiling to add a quality scope and bipod before I run into a weight problem. I will be making up a load using the Berger 185 Juggernaut and Varget and initial tests will be at 2.220″ which is a 10 thou jump.

Rifle number two is a custom rifle built off a Remington 700 by the Canadian company Alberta Tactical Rifle Supply out of Calgary.

Clone M40A1 By ATRS

I’ve owned a number of ATRS rifles over the years and they have all been very good shooters and this one is no exception. Looking a bit like a clone of a M40A1 this rifle is equipped with nice Timney trigger, sports a Rock Creek M40 profile barrel in 1:11 twist and housed in a McMillian M40 HTG stock. Coming in lighter than the PGW the M40A1 will allow for the mounting of a heavier scope such as the exceptional S+B PmII which is good but lacking anything other than the usual sling swivels attaching a bipod other than the ubiquitous Harris may be a problem. The load for this rifle will also be the 185 Juggernaut but having a longer throat than the Coyote the starting length to ogive will 2.270″ for the same 10 thou jump.

Ammo Development

Because load development isn’t about scope performance I will be using scopes of similar quality for this stage of the exercise. The Coyote wears a Sightron Siii 8-32×56 while the M40A1 clone wears a Sightron Siii 10-5-x60. Both these scope have 1/4 min adjustments and my match preference is for a finer adjustment so while I like the Sightron Siii series of scopes – they are very good value and perform as well as scopes that cost over twice as much – if weight permits the match scope will be my S+B Pmii 12-50×56 with P4F reticle and 1/8th clicks

Another Look At The Competitors

I will be load developing for the next couple of weeks and the rifle that turns in the consistently smaller average five shot group will be selected for the match. Stay tuned to follow this fun little experiment and to see which rifle is chosen and, ultimately, how it performs under match conditions against the custom-built F/TR rigs.

At a recent gathering with shooting buddies I was struck by a certain commonality – other than the obvious shared enjoyment of firearms, we all had one other thing in common; we all carried a pocket knife or, to use the modern term, an EDC (for, of course, Every Day Carry ). Realizing that shooters also often were aficionados of the blade I thought there may be an appetite amongst the readers of Rifletalk.org for an article about two of my favorite “going into town” EDC’s:- the Spyderco Paramilitary 2 and the Benchmade 580 Barrage.

Before getting into the meat of the article I should explain what I mean when I say about these two knives being my “going to town” EDC’s – living on a farm as I do there is often the need for a more robust knife and so my regular daily carry is either a fixed blade Ka-Bar or, if it’s a folder, either of the Spyderco Manix2 XL or the tank-like Zero Tolerance 0200 Military. A trip to the feed store or similar town chore does, however, usually dictate that I carry a blade that isn’t so much of a pocket hog as the Manix or ZT and so therefore the PM2 or 580 gets to take a drive with me.

Both of the PM2 and the 580 are knives produced from well-established, quality knifemakers. Spyderco is based out of Golden Colorado while Benchmade was originally from California it has, since 1990, been homed in Oregon. Both companies have well-deserved reputations and produce a variety of edged products besides folding knives. Naturally both of Spyderco and Benchmade have an online presence and can be found at : https://www.spyderco.com and http://www.benchmade.com

While it is certainly possible to buy quality knives made in countries other than the United States both of the PM2 and the Benchmade 580 are made in the US.

Besides the American-made PM2 and the Manix 2 XL I have a number of other Spyderco knives: I have the excellent and US-made Spyderco Military model which I often carry and I have two knives from their value line which are made in China. Of these Chinese-made knives I have the quite large ‘Persistence’ and the smaller ‘Tenacious’ and I find both of them to be really rather good and usually recommend them as ‘value buys’ to someone who doesn’t want to spend over $100 on a knife. I find all the Spyderco knives to be well packaged, sharp from the factory and irrespective of locking mechanism used to lock up tight with no play or wobble.

The PM2 is visually a beautiful knife but more than that it is a knife that just feel right in the hand. At least for my hands the ergonomics were just perfect.

Marketed as a mid sized EDC I think with an overall length of 4.8″ (a 3.4″ blade) and a weight of just 3.75 oz it to be just about the perfect size for carrying in a pair of jeans and isn’t out of place in chinos or dress slacks.

I am a real picky person when it comes to fit and finish and I’m happy to say that in the case of this PM2 I was totally satisfied – it was perfect out of the box and, yes, it arrived really very sharp.

The PM2 blade is made out of one of the newer super steels – S30V – which is an excellent material that stays sharp, is rust resistant and isn’t too hard to sharpen. Blade shape is the classic Spyderco drop point. A very comfortable choil and thumb jimping makes the knife feel really at home in my hand.

Opening and closing the PM2 is easy and fast – almost as fast as an assisted opening – and the oversized, 14mm, Spyder hole allows for this to be done with gloves on. Locking up is super tight and achieved by way of a compression lock.

If there is a downside to this knife it isn’t apparent to me – if I really had to think of something to complain about then I’d say that the blade point might be a little thin for some applications but, really, I’d be stretching to say that and what I’d really be saying is that the knife isn’t suitable to be used as a pry bar.

For any cutting, slicing and, yes, defensive or tactical needs you’re likely to throw the way of your EDC the PM2 has to be considered amongst your shortlist of knives There is a lot of hype around this knife and quite often it isn’t in stock anywhere but in the case of this knife I think the hype and popularity to be fully justified. A cautionary note though – please be aware the popularity of this particular Spyderco knife leads to a preponderance of fakes and counterfeits on Ebay and Amazon so do be careful and buy from reputable dealers ( I got ripped off very recently from a company out of Florida that sold me a second PM2 via Amazon and which, when arrived, was revealed to be a pure fake !).

Note – Fake Knives Abound. Fake with cheap liner lock on the right

The Benchmade Barrage 580 Axis Assist is actually the Fourth one I’ve owned. My original is now retired and sits in the glove box of one of the pickup for emergency use, another other is used by my wife who appreciates the one hand opening and the third is my alternate EDC to the PM2.  Number 4 is a collector that I like to take out and play with now and again.

Introduced at SHOT in 2009 the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the 580 was ‘classy’ – this is a knife that to my eye at least exudes taste and refinement.

The 580 blade is made out of the very good 154CM steel which, while arguably not as good as the S30V used in the PM2 is nevertheless a very, very good material. Measuring 3.6″ the blade style is a modified drop point. There is no jimping on this model.

The blade handle is made out of a lightweight nylon like substance called Valox which looks nice but, honestly, feels a little bit cheap if I have to be really picky.

Blade deployment of the 580 is where this knife really shines – wickedly fast and snaps into place with a quite audible ‘click’. The lock up turns this knife into basically a fixed blade so strong is the Axis mechanism. While blade deployment is impressive ( or scary if you are afraid of such things ) closing it takes some practice – it isn’t difficult but needs practice to make one-handed closure perfectly smooth. For a while I almost exclusively carried the 580 model and found it to be at equally at home in the pocket of a pair of jeans, 5.11 Tactical pants and the trousers of a suit ( yes, a suit – one of those things usually associated with ties and well polished shoes ). To prevent any ‘accidental discharge’ there is a safety on top of the spacer that can be employed by those concerned about such things

Which do I prefer ? It’s a real tough question as both of these knives are excellent but they are quite different. The PM2 is classic Spyderco and is thought by many to be the ultimate all-round EDC whereas the 580 while a bit longer and heavier seems a bit more delicate but we have put our 580’s to the test here on the farm and they are pretty capable at everything we have asked them to do. Cutting, slicing and stabbing tasks have all been carried out without a hitch.

Deployment of the 580 is unbeatable but it isn’t really discrete and it does take up a wee bit more pocket space than the PM2 though the smooth nylon handle is likely easier on material than the grippier G10 of the Spyderco. Both would make short work of any everyday task though maybe the PM2 would be better as a weapon if you had to use either as a defensive tool. At the end of the piece if I absolutely had to choose I think when it comes to a ‘going out’ EDC that the PM2 gets the nod by a hairs breadth. Thankfully I own both so I can pick according to my mood !

Next time I’ll take a look at the two folders most carried when I’m here at home – the Spyderco Manix 2 XL and the Zero Tolerance 0200