I just called Bushmaster customer service yesterday to get these very questions answered. I was told that the "hybrid SAAMI Spec. chamber" is 223 SAAMI spec EXCEPT it is made with a longer "leade" (spelling?) so it can handle the longer heavy bullets.
I also asked about the weight. He said that where the Varminter weight is aprox 8.75 Lbs, the Preditor will be just a hair over 8 Lbs.
I also had a question about the barrel used on the Preditor Vs. the Varminter. Whereas the Bushmaster website said that the Varminter barrel was 'machined to same specifications as our DCM Competition Barrel with tolerances twice as tight as regular barrels", it said that the Preditor was a "20 inch barreled version of our Varminter" but went on to say it had the "hybrid SAAMI Spec. chamber" mentioned above. Bushmaster said that the Preditor barrel has the exact same barrel as the Varminter except it is a 20" version with a 1 in 8 twist.
I got to hold one of the BM Varminters at the local gun shop yesterday afternoon and really liked it. It was a little long, but still balanced well and I didn't think it was too heavy. I really liked the BM competition trigger. It felt like is was set perfectly with a 3 1/2 Lb take-up & 1 Lb let-off.
I'm in the market for a preditor calling / carry rifle and after handling the Varminter, I think the BM Preditor @ 8LBs with the 20" barrel is going to fit the bill perfictly.
Has anyone got one of these yet?
firstshot
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