700 but not a 700

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mxsailor803

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So I’ve got a custom build kicking around in my head that I’m wanting to tackle. I’m a Remington 700 fan and I’m wanting to build a rifle around a custom action. My problem is recommendations on actions. Defiance is the main one that comes to mind but what other recommendations do some of you have? Weight is a concern of mine due to this will be a light weight hunting rifle with either a Proof Research Carbon fiber wrap barrel or a lighter sported taper 416 stainless cambered in 270-308. My reasoning for this build is actually a couple. I like short action cartridges as I typically hunt with one of my .243win 700’s but I also use my 700 in .270win (yea I know not a short action). No I’m not interested in a .308 or 7-08 as the .308 just never did anything for me and yes I have one in a 788. The 7-08 never interested me because I don’t have anything else that’s chambered in that diameter. Plus, this build is to pay homage to my grandfather. He’s the one that got me into reloading when I was a teenager and making .270IHMSA for his rifle that I actually have. More importantly, this will be a retirement build for me since I will be retiring from active duty in 2 years.
 
What you really want is a .308 or 7-08. :D:D:D
Seriously though. I used to love wild cats. They make life interesting. A .270 WSM is awesome.

Bat VR. Its a 700 thats not a 700.
 
I had a 6.5-06 built. Chamber was long throated for 140 Hornady at base of the neck.
129s@3070 and 140s@2935 in 24".
 
Reynolds, I’ve played around with the idea of a .270wsm but it doesn’t quite do enough for me. At least in the “dare to be different” category.

Geaux, sounds more like you had a modernized version of the 6.5 Swede. Bet that thing would be a deer slayer lol
 
mxsailor803 said:
Reynolds, I’ve played around with the idea of a .270wsm but it doesn’t quite do enough for me. At least in the “dare to be different” category.

Geaux, sounds more like you had a modernized version of the 6.5 Swede. Bet that thing would be a deer slayer lol
Click to expand...
What about the Bat action?
 
.270 Weatherby magnum. Dare to be different. :D It shoots much better than "popular wisdom"--you have my word on it.;)
 
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.270 WSM

I helped build some ammo for a friend’s .270 WSM. The rifle is a SA, M700 SPS in that chambering. This thing just shoots lights out, and recoil is moderate compared to my ‘06 ADL (with my elk loads). We used Hornady 150 grn. S.P.s and IMR 4350 propellant in the loads, and the book guesses the load to be around 2850-2900 fps. I’d never shot this caliber before, and I was very pleasantly surprised at the performance and handling. You may want to consider a good look at the .270 WSM. Reloading components were readily available, and I found a 50 bag of new WW brass for 30 bucks (with a little hunting). Looks to me the WSM is about the same as the old tried and true .270 Win., in the short action. At least that’s what the book ballistics showed me with our load.
 
I have no personal experience with custom actions, but have researched them. I decided Bighorn or Shilen would be my choice if funds are ever available. They are 700 pattern with the Savage barrel nut system and they have Savage's floating bolthead among other features.

Precisionrifleblog has a "what the pros use" about custom actions. It's a good read.

Thank you for your service and congratulations on being so close. I'm at 11.5 (active and reserves) so I have a while left! Haha.
 
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> 6.5-06

Seconded. Easily formed from .270 or .30-06 brass, barrels (or reamers) and dies are common and inexpensive since it's popular among some niche shooters, good 6.5mm hunting bullets available for almost anything you want to shoot. Not as many choices as 7mm or .30, but like the .25s, optimized over the decades without the confusion of endless 'fad' bullets and their marketing.

If "store-bought ammunition" were to be a factor, I'd recommend .25-06.

The large case volume-to-bore for the 6.5 and .25 are unfashionable now, but the large volumes make the cartridges very flexible as far as reloading, offering good ballistics without high peak pressures. And with new "bulky" powders the cases can be almost filled, which gives better accuracy than the older high density powders.

The 6mm-06 is a good performer, but since the OP already has a .243, I can't come up with a good justification for choosing it.
 
Several 700 clones to choose from. Bighorn Armory makes a 700 clone, as does BAT, Defiance, and PTG. PTG is the cheapest, but is a great action.

The 270 on a 308 should be very similar to the 270 IHMSA or 7-08 cartridges.
 
Scorch, I’m kinda hoping the 270-308 is close to the .270IHMSA but with more readily available brass.

NDKing, it’s been a long road lol. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
 
Why would you choose a wildcat cartridge with a .277" bullet when you will have the least amount of bullet choices for it?
You'd be better off choosing something in the 6.5mm or 7mm calibers when it come to bullet choices.
 
Well, there is always the PLAIN OLD REM. 700 action! I shot this 5-shot group today at 100 yds with my 7mm-08. It does have a after-market barrel on it.

 
What about the Bat action?
Click to expand...
Because he said weight is important to him. Generally a BAT is plus ounces.

Action: Have you looked at Zermatt Arms? They have one of the most popular custom actions right now. Defiance is also very popular. I personally would avoid a Curtis based on what I read/hear, but I don’t know that first hand. Borden also has made excellent actions for years.

Barrels: I would take a real hard look at barrel accuracy posted on premium SS vs wrapped barrels. Wrapped barrels deliver good accuracy at light weight, but SS still produces best accuracy. I went with a Brux #3 on a Win 70. I would do a #3 or #4 Brux, Bartlein, Shilen, Kreiger, Obermeyer, etc. Watch Bartlein’s contours. Same numbers can be much bigger than expected.

Stock: Don’t forget your stock! Nothing will impact your overall happiness with a rifle than the fit of the stock. After handling 100’s of stocks, the Winchester Super Grade is my preference at about 14” lop. Once you know that, you are good to hunt down the right stock.

Calibers: Why wildcat? I look for these things when choosing a caliber now....Do Peterson, Norma or Lapua make brass? Does Berger or Hornady make a bullet I like that will hit ~3000 fps? How will this thing fit in a magazine and how many? Where can I get a set of dies from without selling off a kid?
I’m assuming deer sized game. I like 6mm Creedmor, 6.5x55, 6.5-06 AI, 6.5 Sherman, 270 Sherman, 280 AI, 300 Sherman.....I went 300 Sherman because I want some elk, moose capability.
 
Txhillbilly, I’m wanting the .277 bullet because of preference. Are there more .30’s and 7’s? Sure. But seeing as how I don’t shoot much in a .30 size and don’t own anything in a 7 but I have probably 15-20 different bullets to select from in .277, I’m leaning that way. Nothing against say a 6.5, 7 or .30 cal cartridges, I just prefer something else.

Nathan, definitely right about the BAT action. If it was a bench rifle, no hesitation on the BAT. For barrels, the wrapped one from Proof was just a random idea. Most likely, I will probably go with another Shilen as I’ve had the best luck and performance from them. Stocks I’m still looking around at some of the carbon fiber or fiberglass ones. As for brass, I’m not really concerned about getting pre-made brass when I can just convert standard .308 brass. As for bullets, I’ve already got a big selection of Sierra, Hornady, and Noslers. As for dies without selling a kid, I don’t have one to sell off lol.
 
mxsailor803 what is your budget?

If light weight is what you want then Pierce Engineering TI action is what you want. If you don't plan on threading for a suppressor then I'd look at Lilja M700 mountain rifle profile barrel in stainless steel, Bartline 2b is another good profile in CM especially if you want a fast twist .277 barrel. Then for a stock I'd go with the Manners Ultra Classic it weighs in around 18 ounces finished, a McMillan Edge or Brown Pounder will come in around 22-24 ounces finished. MPI and Wildcat Composites make some pretty light stocks as well, but I have no experience with them.

With quality brass being offered in .243 Win and .260 Rem I would use that. I've found that necking up works better than necking down when working with wildcat rounds. Even thought going from .308 down to .277 caliber isn't a huge change you might have to turn the necks depending on the chamber used.
 
270-308 is normally called .30-06.
The 7-08 is just a 7mm .308 Win. Same cartridge base dimensions.
"...wanting to build a rifle..." To what with?
"Custom" actions tend to be copies of regular commercial actions with much higher prices.
You really need to decide how much money you want to spend before you do anything else.
 
O’Heir, wrong cartridge. Take a .308/.243/7-08 case and neck it to .277. The custom action is just because it’s going to be a “retirement” rifle for me. As for price, not really worried about it due to the fact it’s going to take me probably 2-3 years to get together. Heck, I’ve just started building a 700 in .458Socom that I’ve had a barrel for 4 years lol.
 
I like your taste in wildcats. Been wanting to build a 270-08 for a long time, but never got around to it.

Can't help you on your action choice however, as I prefer to use a Win 70 as the base for all my hunting guns. Good luck tho!
 
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