Don Cothran 308

[oneshot61]

Previous post on another site, but I thought I would share it here.
So, I have been blessed with the opportunity to own one of Mr. Cothrans creations in 308. Not only to own one, but because of my job I had the opportunity to meet him in person and pick up my new gun. I  Cannot say enough good things about Mr. Cothran. A pleasure to deal with, a craftsman that puts his heart into his work, and a real gentleman.
 I've not had but about an hour to shoot this gun but what a joy to shoot. I weighed the gun and stock on my bath scales (all I had at the moment) it says it weighs 5 lbs! TJ 1/20 twist barrel, 25'' in length, rear cocker with hammer spring adjuster and the hammer is adjustable for stroke as well. The valve is his balanced valve that he makes for the discovery. (He makes one for the marauder as well)
 As a bonus, this gun came with a custom stock, that upon research, appears to be a Michael Chavka stock, made on November 12 2012, and is either the first or one of the first thumbhole stocks that he made. In need of some tlc, I refinished the stock and laid on 4 coats of clear satin before reinstalling the action.
 The short hour I had at the range, this thing has some good power and accuracy for a 25'' barrel. 110 grain @ 841 with just a bit of adjusting and 102 grain @ 850 fps. These numbers are on a 3100 fill, and I can go a bit higher if I desire. Very easy to cock using the rear cocker and of course loading is a breeze as there is no tension on the bolt. There is a tipping point so to speak with this valve where more hammer spring really doesn't do anything but maybe waste air, (Mr. Sterne has a great post here on gta about this) I think due more to the length of my barrel and weight of the bullet. Backing off until at the tipping point, then using the clock as a reference, counter clockwise at one hour at a time (1/12) until I found a sweet spot. There is more power to be had for sure and spoke with Mr. Don about opening up the valve a bit more for the 308. I'm at .257 port now. Just for fun I put on a barrel extension and went 110@ 865, 102@ 890 on the original tune 
  We have an air rifle season for deer here in Alabama, anything .30 and over, and also can take hogs and coyotes year around. As this is a hunting gun, I'm not overly concerned with shot count, 2 and a follow up is fine with me and the accuracy is very good and consistent. A lot of testing is going on now with Mr. Cothran's valve (Mr. Sterne, Lloyd and others) so I'm sure there will be some advancements in fine tuning, and it appears good efficiency with a regulator. As a bonus, this shoots the 50 grain jsb extremely accurate any where from 800 to well over a 1000 fps  Hoping to get some shooting in this weekend and post some pictures if possible.
 Light, super accurate, powerful, easy to hand pump if need be, and beautiful craftsmanship, I could not ask for more in a hunting rifle.

[Airgunhunter73]

That is one sweet looking rifle congrats on scoring that one, enjoy an keep us informed on what you do with it.

[KnifeMaker]

S.W.E.E.T.!!!

Knife

[Tofazfou]

S.W.E.E.T.!!!

Knife

...aaaaannnnnd I agree!  Very Much So!

[oneshot61]

Thanks guys!! I am certified addicted

[Extreme .457]

    That's one Gorgeous gun!!

[dcorvino]

Wow!!
Great rifle congratulations.
Thank you for posting and the pictures

Dave

[oneshot61]

Thanks Chacho and Dave! It shoots as good as it looks. Just need some time to dial it in and I'll post some targets and numbers.

[dcorvino]

 Cool look forward to seeing your results.
Thanks again for posting

Dave

[jaraxle1zx]

Very nice.
Great looking stock!