LA 102 in 308

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LA 102 in 308

Post by PaddyT » 02 May 2019, 11:37 am

Thinking about one of these, despite being a lefty I am inclined to go Australian made, specifically looking at the laminate stock. Ive currently got two L/H Tikkas in 6.5 Manbun and 223 but feel that the 308 will top off my centerfires nicely (maybe a lever and a shottie after this but will see). I like the feel of the LA102 . As i have the 6.5 which shoots 140 grainers very accurately was mainly going to look at rounds in the 160plus weight range, thoughts appreciated. I am comfortable shooting a r/h rifle (had to do it in my younger years anyway).
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Re: LA 102 in 308

Post by sungazer » 02 May 2019, 12:31 pm

I dont have one but have shot one on several occasions. I thing the design and build quality are very good although the extractor maybe a little weak.( Have a spare one ) His broke once and it was replaced under warranty within a week. The rifle itself shoots very accurately it is a 1;10 twist so 185s could be used however a 155 traveling a little faster will probably be more accurate and still deliver more than enough knock down power.
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Re: LA 102 in 308

Post by JimTom » 02 May 2019, 8:15 pm

Mate a .308 will compliment your .223 & 6.5 CM nicely. Whilst I don’t have a LA102, I have had the chance to use one on several occasions and think they’re a really nice bit of kit. Thinking of getting one myself.
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Re: LA 102 in 308

Post by MontyShooter » 02 May 2019, 9:07 pm

I've got the LA102 in 223 laminate and it's a great gun. It's a heavy stock and I definitely wouldn't walk around with it. Great bench gun though.
The bolts on these guns are just ridiculous. It dwarfs all my magnum bolts.
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Re: LA 102 in 308

Post by JimTom » 03 May 2019, 8:13 am

Yes they are a well made item for sure. I had one on order in 6.5CM which I cancelled due to delays. Would be still waiting.
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Re: LA 102 in 308

Post by PaddyT » 03 May 2019, 8:15 am

Weight is 3.7kg which is a tiny bit more than the CTR I carry around- ill have a feel again. I dont find the CTR overly heavy the only annoying thing about that rifle is the magazine stabs me in the kidneys here and there when its on my shoulder - would love it if there was a flush mount 5 or 6 shot mag for that rifle. I read about the broken extractor Sungazer's mate had but havent heard of it being a common problem?
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Re: LA 102 in 308

Post by solarpak » 03 May 2019, 7:55 pm

Hi Paddy,
I have a LA102 with the titanium cerakote finish and the polymer stock and that rifle bare tips the scales at around 3.65 kg. The rifle is made to a very high standard and shoots factory loads very well - and handholds even better.

Mine currently wears a Hawke Endurance 4-16x50 and all up weighs 4,5 kg on the dot.



CK
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Re: LA 102 in 308

Post by PaddyT » 06 May 2019, 10:33 am

went and had another pickup of the timberstock LA102 on friday- its very nicely balanced BUT after a chat with the sales guy at the LGS i have another question- Timber vs Laminate? my understanding was that the laminate stock was pretty much a no to low maintainenece option vs the timber, and my internet research still says that but the guy in the shop said youve still got to oil etc a laminate stock (possibly because he had a timber LA102 right there and wanted to sell it rather than order me a laminate) anyone got any thoughts?
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Re: LA 102 in 308

Post by Kumaabear » 06 May 2019, 12:22 pm

From what i understand:

Modern timber stocks: usually they now have a urethane type finish on them, you don't really have to oil them. The manual for my timber stocked CZ suggests using a wood furniture type wax polish on it to clean it. I would probably go ahead and do this very occasionally maybe twice a year if that but everyone does their own thing.

Laminate stock: i would just wipe it down after using it with a damp cloth to get any dirt and grime off it, then again with a dry one to get the moisture off being sure to not get the metalwork wet and leave it at that. if he is saying to oil it then he doesn't know what he is talking about or is plain not telling the truth.

Laminate stocks are made by layering super thin layers of timber together saturated with an epoxy type glue. you can think of it more as a solid lump of wood colored epoxy than any kind of "timber". There should be no way for a lump of epoxy impregnated wood to absorb oil or water for that matter (this is the whole point of its existence), at best it would do nothing but make it oily, at worst it might negatively affect the finish.

Laminate gives you one less thing to worry about when it rains as it will not absorb water

The main negative to laminate is that it is usually heavier than either natural wood or synthetic stocks, and to some they do not like how it looks although this is extremely subjective. Also I believe they are very hard to modify and repair if they are damaged tho they are quite hard to damage in the first place.

As others have mentioned, the LA102 is rather heavy for a carry around gun but that's entirely up to you. 3.7kg will quickly turn into 4.3-4.5kg once you load it and put a scope, rings and sling on it. It is actually what ended up pushing me away from it
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Re: LA 102 in 308

Post by PaddyT » 07 May 2019, 8:26 am

thanks for that , pretty much what i understood laminate to be , might just go timber .
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Re: LA 102 in 308

Post by FredSmith » 18 May 2019, 9:16 pm

Hi Fellow Shooters.
I had a look at the LA102 in synthetic stock today at the big "C" , Margate QLD today. I must say I was VERY impressed with the rifle. Exceeded my expectations by the proverbial country mile. What a rifle, and what a price.
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Re: LA 102 in 308

Post by JimTom » 19 May 2019, 1:30 pm

Yes mate I don’t think you can go wrong.
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Re: LA 102 in 308

Post by MontyShooter » 19 May 2019, 1:32 pm

I have an la102 in laminate and it's a heavy beast.
I use it as a range gun and certainly wouldn't haul it around on my shoulder all day.

It shoots lights out for the money which is why I have a couple of them. If the woomera was in store I'd walk in and pick up the 6.5 today.
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