Snakeskin Shooter for Santiago — Reptilian Eliseo R1 Rig
A 7mm Snake for Santiago
Our friend Dennis Santiago has a reptilian rig in his arsenal. It’s actually an Eliseo R1 single-shot tubegun chambered in .284 Winchester. The eye-catching aspect of Santiago’s .284 bolt-gun is the snakeskin dip job on the exterior. This really creates a distinctive look. Dennis tells us: “It was Gary Eliseo’s idea to try a water-transfer printing finish for this rifle. There are many patterns to choose from — this is the WTP-260 Snakeskin Illusion-Fall Copper from WaterTransferPrinting.com. For a single shot LR gun, I figured something on the bright side would be interesting and pick up less heat from the sun in the summer.”
Dennis uses this eye-catching rifle in prone matches, where a single shot works fine. He says: “Underneath the hood, it’s a Rem 700 Long Action, chambered in .284 Win. Yes it’s a single shot! I don’t need anything else for a prone gun. Nothing to get in the way of building the perfect position.”
Dennis says: “Length of pull, offset and cast initially set the same as my similar RTS .308. My gun, my body dimensions.”
R1 Testing with Advanced Electronic Shot-Plotting System
Now that winter is here, Dennis plans to do some serious load development with this rifle: “I acquired a new ShotMarker electronic target system. I’ll be using that to test a variety of powders and bullets.” Dennis has previously loaded his .284 Win R1 with Hodgdon H4831 powder, but he hopes to test alternatives from Alliant and IMR as well. There are many interesting 7mm bullet options, such as Sierra’s impressive, factory-pointed 183gr MatchKing with 0.707 G1 BC, and Berger’s new 184gr F-Open Target Hybrid with 0.695 G1 BC.
The ShotMarker is a unique 8-sensor acoustic electronic target that instantly plots shot locations and transmits the data via WiFi to a mobile device. Dennis is eager to try his new Shot-Marker. The system can measure group size, velocity, and SD. The Shot-Marker App can then store your strings for later review, add notes to the target, and export data to spreadsheets.
A FFP 6-24x50mm Sightron Rides on Top
The optic is a Sightron 6-24x50mm, FFP MOA-2. Dennis reports: “I looked at many scopes (within my determined price range), and this is the one that had the best combination of features for for this gun’s particular application. The sight line sits about 3 inches above bore line on these guns. It’s been leveled, bore-sighted and pre-dialed for a 200-yard estimated zero for the ammo I plan to use. Those are Gen II A.R.M.S. rings. Super easy to tailor to different rail widths. Same rock-steady steel performance.”
Note: On the 
