What to build, any ideas?

[ChadH]

So I have an "extra" Savage Weather Warrior in .243 (stainless, with accu-trigger and blind mag). I already have one in .243 (plus a .270 and a .300 win), that belongs to my son. This one is just taking up space, so I'm thinking I'll turn it in to something else. Any suggestions? I'm thinking a Deer/Antelope gun, could use for Elk in a pinch, and mild enough recoil my wife can shoot it. Obviously short action... There is the obvious 7mm 08, Not sure if a 7X57 would chamber in the short action (it is technically a short action round I believe, but with heavier bullets optimal for the caliber???), maybe a 6.5 Creedmore, anything else anyone wants to suggest?

What else would you do to it (stock, etc), just for the fun of dreaming?

And what barrel would you use (I am thinking the Shillen Savage drop in, Stainless Match grade Select...)???

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

First thing is that you eliminate a lot of really great calibers by saying "Obviously short action...". Yes you will save a little weight with a short action, but there are a lot of other ways to shave weight on standard length actions. When you talk deer/antelope & elk in a pinch, it means to me a .25 cal minimum. I have a .25-06 that I have shot for 35 years that does everything you could ask for in that area. It is an older tang safety Ruger M77 and after literally 1000's of rounds thru it, still shoots less than 1" groups. I have killed elk with it, but it requires good shot placement.

Barrels are like cars, everyone has their favorites. I like Shilen SS match and have 3 of them. I probably would consider a screw on muzzle brake, great for range work to keep recoil down and then screwed of when hunting. They are really noisy! (Thats what I do with my .300 Wby).

A really good composite stock, again your choice. I use a Bell & Carlson pillar blocked one on my custom >300 Wby.

If you want a really light rifle that is easy to carry and dead on accurate, look for an older M600 Remington in 6.5 mag. They havn't been made for years, but were a really great rifle for kids and smaller persons. I bought one in .243 for my son when he was 12 (he is 45 now) that was deadly accurate and easy to carry. He likes it so well he bought a used one in 6.5 mag also. Kicks a little more, but is really a great shooter too. Weighs in at around 6#.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.

 

[ChadH]

First thing is that you eliminate a lot of really great calibers by saying "Obviously short action...". Yes you will save a little weight with a short action, but there are a lot of other ways to shave weight on standard length actions. When you talk deer/antelope & elk in a pinch, it means to me a .25 cal minimum. I have a .25-06 that I have shot for 35 years that does everything you could ask for in that area. It is an older tang safety Ruger M77 and after literally 1000's of rounds thru it, still shoots less than 1" groups. I have killed elk with it, but it requires good shot placement.

All valid points CC. As I said, the donor gun is a Savage .243 ("obviously" short action) so I said "obviously" because I'd rather keep it to a do-able project "at home" and eliminate the major surgery it might take to turn it into a long action magnum which my wife wouldn't enjoy shooting anyway. I am not sure that a .25-06 will fit in the mag box without work. If it would, that would open up possabilities of course. But in any case, I am "stuck" with the Savage at this point. I bought it from someone for super cheap (so cheap that even though I didn't need it, I couldn't walk away from it). I only say stuck, because I already own it. I truly like Savage rifles, so it's a good thing in my mind.

What contour Shillen do you prefer? I was thinking Savage "sporter contour" which is almost light varmint to me.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Sorry, guess I missed the donor portion. Yes for what you are doing, that contour will do fine. I am sure the 25-06 is too long. In any case, for me at least, a .25 of some sort would be min. .243 are great for deer/antelope, but IMHO a little light for elk.

 

[digger11]

6.5x284norma and just get a savage barrel for cheap.I have one in a savage Long Range Hunter.Deadly accurate and a joy to shoot.
Antelope and deer beware.

 

[ChadH]

6.5x284norma and just get a savage barrel for cheap.I have one in a savage Long Range Hunter.Deadly accurate and a joy to shoot.
Antelope and deer beware.

Unless I am mistaken, I think I would have the same problem that would exist with CC's usggestion of .25 06. The 6.5 x .284 is a "long action" round... or at least "medium action". I am not sure how well it would fit in the mag box unless you seated the bullets deep or modified the mag, then would it come out the ejection port, or would you have a single shot rifle??? This is the reason I started this thread... short action kind of limits possabilities, especially for someone like me... not a "Master Gunsmith" by any stretch.

If I could make a long action caliber work out of it I would run .264 win (my personal "love affair") or 7X57, or perhaps 6.5 X .284... but being short action, I just don't know. I sure do appreciate all the advice I can get though.

 

[Murdy]

I like the obvious myself (7-08), but if you don't, how about .260 Rem.

 

[ChadH]

The .260 Rem is certainly an interesting option... as is the 6.5 Rem (which is a short action version of, like I said, my "love affair with the .264 win).

What do you think the optimal barrel length for a .260 is?

And relative to 6.5 Rem, I am pretty sure the bolt face would have to be opened from the .243 to accept it...??? Anyone know for sure?

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

Chad,

.260s are like the rest of the 08 family - they only really need 20-22 in. barrels for good performance, and going over 24 doesn't have good gains at all.

I have had good luck with douglass barrels.

Either the .260 or 7-08 are sound choices. I have a 7-08 and would lean that way.

 

[ChadH]

Chad,

.260s are like the rest of the 08 family - they only really need 20-22 in. barrels for good performance, and going over 24 doesn't have good gains at all.

I have had good luck with douglass barrels.

Either the .260 or 7-08 are sound choices. I have a 7-08 and would lean that way.

BB, how much fitting is involved with the Douglas barrels? Are they pretty much drop in and headspace?

I agree on the 7-08... I have a .280 in Weatherby Ultra Light, so it would have the benefit of me having bullets around for it. On the other hand, a .260 is different from what I have (with the exception of the other 6.5 I own... a Pre 64 .264 WIN that shoots unbelievably well, but is in such good shape I hate to take it out of the gun safe much less drag it around the mountains).

 

[Bitterroot Bulls]

Sharp Shooters Supply sells pre-fit Douglas barrels ready for you to headspace onto the action. They aren't cheap, but are high-quality barrels.

Tough to go wrong with the 7-08 or .260.

I actually have a factory 260 rem savage barrel and the go-no-go laying around.

 

[canvsbk]

.257 Roberts AI

 

[ChadH]

.257 Roberts AI

Good idea Can. Have you personal experience with a .257 Bob in a short action? I know it will work, and work nicely in this exact rifle model, just wondering if AI-ing would yield meaningful results in a short action.

I'm also not sure a .257 Bob would be as effective as a .260, with pretty much the same recoil and rifle weight/barrel length... but it is certainly one to consider. I also thought about "Old School" Savage... and going .250 Savage.

Good thought Can.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I'm a big fan of the work P.O. Ackley did. He was way before his time. I have all his books and have read them all. Some of his improved stuff works really well, some is only marginal. Bur one thing to remember when considering one of his improved cartridges, he did not have the really great powders we have today, most of his original data is really different from today. Google .257 Ackley Improved and you should find a lot of stuff with current powders. I have a .220 AI Swift that is just awsome. I did a lot of research before I decided to build it.

The .250 Savage (also called 250-3000) is really close ballisically to the .257.

 

[WYcoyote]

I have a 6.5 x 284 in a long action Savage build, to get a great round in a short action how about the parent case, the original .284 Win.?

 

[canvsbk]

Yes, I just happen to have a .257AI that I originally built for my daughter on a Rem model 7 action. If I had it to do over I think a 24" barrel may have been better than 22". Recoil is minimal and it's about as good as you can get for deer sized game but my personal opinion is it would be an absolute minimum for elk, but that's just me.
With the powders available today it can really be amazing what you can get out of a lot of cartridges. For a while I thought my chronograph was broke....
RL 17 and 110 Accubond are the ticket.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

I really like Alliant's RE powder series, they all seem to really perform well for me

 

[wapiti66]

I bought my wife a Model 7 in .260 Rem a few years ago. It's a good fit for her and she shoots it well, she shot a nice mulie with it but no elk yet. I think it's a good option for a lady/youth gun shooting deer, elk, and antelope. I loaded some 140 gr. Hornadys for the deer and can go down to the 95 gr. v-max for coyotes...which is pretty lethal. I also shoot a dpms in .260.

 

[wapiti66]

My experience with powder is limited, I have been using varget. My second option on hand would be 4350. again, I mostly shoot/load .260 and a little .223. Any good books/articles on powder out there? Although I think any powder "on hand" these days is a good powder.

 

[Fish]

I like the Roberts but not a great fit in a short action. I have a long throated Ruger #1 with a 26 barrel and I get 3,200fps with a 100gr. Barnes TS I been shooting a 7x57 since 1976 and it has taken caribou, antelope, a bear, mt goat, lots of deer and a few african antelope. Would not hesitate to shoot an elk with it with the right bullets, again maybe not the best fit in a short action.