308win to 7mm wsm?

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Bucknasty009

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I have an older Remington 700 bdl chambered in 308win(older being from the 70's i believe) Can I use that action to build a target rifle in 7mm wsm? If so what would have to be done? Besides changing the barrel and refacing the bolt.
 
It's a complete waste of money and labor to do that much work to a rifle that's already chambered in a useful popular cartridge.

Use or sell the rifle as it is and buy another rifle that's chambered like you want.

Those rifles are not the best design anyway.
 
I want to do it because 1. I already have a target rifle in 308 cal 2. I would like to build my own rifle. 3. The gun just sits there not being used and it's been in my family for a while so rather than selling it I would rather give it new life.
 
I have an older Remington 700 bdl chambered in 308win(older being from the 70's i believe) Can I use that action to build a target rifle in 7mm wsm? If so what would have to be done? Besides changing the barrel and refacing the bolt.
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Opening up the bolt on a 700 can actually be harder than you think.
There are two different extractor designs.
Both are little circular pieces that hide in a recess around the boltface within the bolt "nose".
The old style were retained with a rivet.
The new style are retained by just snapping into a couple cuts.
When you open up the boltface, you remove that area where the extractor goes.
It would be difficult to duplicate the cuts again.

Your best bet is to order a replacement bolt body and handle from PTG for $125 and sell the original bolt.
You can move the original firing pin assembly over to the new bolt.
Then your gunsmith will just have to set the handle in position on the bolt and solder or weld it into place.

If you are gonna have the gun all apart anyways and replace the bolt, that is also the perfect time to true the action.
Since the bolts PTG bolts are made to order, you can order it oversized to remove the excessive play in the receiver.
If you go to a detachable magazine setup, there are 7wsm magazines.
If you stay with your existing stock, you will need to change out the internal box magazine and maybe re-cut the feed lips on the action a little bit.

If you need more advice on such a project, email me through my profile.
I do a lot of this kind of work for local guys in Los Angeles.
 
Thanks a lot. That was very helpful I have a pretty good understanding of what I am doing but I am a professional gunsmith by no means. I will probably end up buying the new bolt. And have to find a good local gunsmith.

Another question: is there any other short action calibers I should consider besides a 7wsm? My buddy got me going on this whole idea he is building a 6.5 stw Out of a Mauser. But I don't want to get a caliber that is really expensive and/or impossible to get. I know the 6.5 is a good long range caliber but some of the 7mm bullets I see out there now have pretty high BC's.
 
Many 7mm bullets have very good BCs. Many 6.5mm bullets have good BCs plus light weight to keep recoil to a minimum. I personally think the 7mmWAM is a better round than any 6.5mm, there are people who would argue and the discussion would go on and on. Long story short, pick one. Build it. Post pictures.
 
Reading and field reports from F class mention some number of .284 Win. target rifles, in factory and slightly improved chambers. They are trading a little velocity for longer barrel life and less recoil.
 
Another question: is there any other short action calibers I should consider besides a 7wsm? My buddy got me going on this whole idea he is building a 6.5 stw Out of a Mauser. But I don't want to get a caliber that is really expensive and/or impossible to get. I know the 6.5 is a good long range caliber but some of the 7mm bullets I see out there now have pretty high BC's.
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Some of my buddies on team GAP are shooting 6.5 RSAUM with 140gr Berger hybrids.
Less recoil than a 180.
 
Bucknasty009 said:
Another question: is there any other short action calibers I should consider besides a 7wsm? My buddy got me going on this whole idea he is building a 6.5 stw Out of a Mauser. But I don't want to get a caliber that is really expensive and/or impossible to get. I know the 6.5 is a good long range caliber but some of the 7mm bullets I see out there now have pretty high BC's.
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If you're building a target rifle, ammo availability is irrelevant. You'll be loading your own ammo just like every other even semi-serious target shooter. So long as you can get or form cases, nothing else matters.

If I wanted a dedicated target rifle, I'd probably be building either a 6mmPPC, 6BR.
 
Fellas, no 6.5 or 7 mm bullet's G1 BC equals what Sierra's 30 caliber 240-gr. HPMK has at .711
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According to www.shootforum.com bullet database, the JLK 7mm 180 gr VLD has a BC of .735, and the Lost River 7mm 160 gr J36 has a BC of .715. According to the same database, a 30-cal Powell River Labs 250 gr tungsten alloy BT has a BC of .84, and the 240 gr Sierra HPBT MK has a BC of .699. Regardless, when you get into heavy bullets, it starts to take a toll on the shooter in recoil. That is one advantage of the 6.5mm and 7mm bullets, they are lighter.
 
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