Anyway, both my 20-inch semi-Ozark rifles (prototype Damaras) were sub-MOA accurate with factory ammo from the first rounds fired. I used the Ozark/Damara .270 WSM to take my first-ever B&C pronghorn in Wyoming at 384 yards, and I used the Ozark/Damara 7mm WSM in Namibia to take a half-dozen species of African plains game at ranges stretching to 454 yards.

The Damara's bolt design employs a three-position Mauser-type manual safety, a bolt-release button located on the side of the receiver , and spiral flutes that reduce friction and channel fouling or debris

I was particularly fond of their Model Seven-like semi-Schnabel forends, so I was therefore not surprised after I'd had them for about a year that Ed told me that stock configuration had proven extremely unpopular with his customers. One of the changes he was going to make with the new design was to utilize a new-design streamlined, round-tip, ultralight aluminum-pillar-bedded graphite stock made to his specifications by McMillan. Well, no real choice. I sent both rifles back to be restocked.

Then, in the fall of 2004, Ed called to say the final configuration issues had been settled. His new model lightweight rifle would be called the Damara (after the Damara people and their homeland in Namibia). It would be produced in five chamberings, with standard configuration featuring the McMillan-made ultralight stock and lightweight barrels with optional muzzle brakes (22-inch No. 11/2 on the 7mm-08, 23-inch No. 2 on the .270 and .30-06, and 24-inch No. 2 on the 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum).

I remarked that 24 inches was a bit long for an ultralight rifle design and added unnecessary weight. Ed replied that balance was more important than weight. I observed that he could get the same balance and weight with the shorter barrels of slightly bigger diameter that I prefer. He said if he built them that way nobody would buy them. Ouch. Conversation over.

The Damara's magazine floorplate is based on the Remington M700 design and is released by a spring-loaded latch located at the front of trigger guard. The Damara's trigger is fully adjustable for weight of pull and overtravel.

THE DAMARA CLOSE UP
A few months later Ed delivered a review sample of a new Damara in .300 Winchester Magnum with a 24-inch muzzle brake barrel already set up with a Swarovski AV 4-12X 50mm scope on Talley bases. I gave it a close going-over and benchrest workout with four different commercial .300 Winchester Magnum loads plus one of Ed's favorite handloads. The results are listed in the accompanying chart. The gun easily shot under 1 MOA, just like my two previous versions.

The key to what makes the Damara (and the entire Ed Brown rifle line) so good is his Model 702 action. Most custom rifle builders start out with one or another name-brand factory action, which they then modify to suit their own particular tastes. Ed designed and builds his own, from scratch, one at a time on CNC machining centers. I asked him to characterize it in terms of existing bolt-action systems. Ed happily terms it a "hybrid," combining features proven in several other designs. Inspecting a Brown action, an experienced rifleman will see a little bit of the classic Mauser, a little bit of Weatherby and Remington, even a little bit of the M16.

In general, the Brown Model 702 action is a classic Mauser-type turn-bolt, with a short 90-degree bolt throw and dual, opposed front locking lugs. The bolt locks directly to the action. The extractor is a nonrotating M16 type, paired with an internal ejector. The carbon-steel bolt is .700 inch in diameter, has a welded-on handle, and is spiral fluted to reduce weight, distribute lubrication, and channel debris. Each bolt is hand-fitted to each receiver.

The spiral flutes are a particularly interesting-and neat looking-feature. Because they reduce the surface contact area between bolt and receiver, they allow a much closer fit. And they also provide channels into which fouling and grit or dirt are moved by the natural opening or closing of the action.

Conventional bolts, if tightly fitted, become stiff to cycle from such fouling--a real problem in some dirty, muddy, or dusty hunting and/or tactical situations. Incidentally, all of Ed's bolts up to now have been push-feed actions. Beginning at the 2006 SHOT Show, he will introduce a new controlled-feed bolt that will help smooth some of the inherent feeding irregularities of today's increasingly popular fatter, shorter, magnum cartridges.