Project Savage .243AI is Finished!

Brian, nice, very nice job, well done.

My barrel is 1:9, enough for 105s and probably the 107s.
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I use the 105's in a 1:9.25 twist and they shoot very well although I have started to go to the 95 grain SST's for shooting. 243 common??, around here I am one of the only people I know of that uses a 243 Win. I do think we are in a minority there, most here are 308 fans.

Again nice job.
Jim
 
A lot of guys shoot 105s in a 9 twist. Interestingly, Sierra shows that the 107 requires a 7 or 8 twist. It almost seems like 7 would be too much. Meh, what do I know? They make it, they should know
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I've heard that the 105 A-Max were designed for a 1:9 twist and they shoot very well in mine. Several years ago I bought box of 107 SMKs and they started to show keyholing at 200 yards, so I put them aside and used the A-Max.

Several years ago, I made a screaming purchase on some 100 grain soft-point blems, and I'm using those for hunting. I went searching at the Accurate Shooter website and read their .243 Win page, and they recommeded Reloder 22 powder, which I had a stock of for the .25-06. I'm getting slightly better than 3000 fps with those 100 grain bullets, and I wish I knew who made them because they're wonderfully accurate. They look like Sierra softpoints, but there's no way to be sure.
 
Thanks for the compliments, Jim and others.:)

Hopefully she shoots. After all, only accurate rifles are interesting.:D


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QuickLoad likes Rl-22 with 100gr bullets. It thinks Alliant's data is a bit conservative though and expects you to be able to reach 3,100 in a 24" barrel.

Sounds like you better buy some Sierras and see if they match.:)
 
Did you install pillars and epoxy bed the receiver in the Boyd's?
That build deserves it...

I'm interested in hearing what you think of the Minox after you get a chance to shake it up a bit.

Nice work!
 
Nice. And remember that velocity in a cartridge's power calculation is squared. 75 to 175 fps is a surprisingly lot more energy.

Yes, .243 is great and AI is hotter and cooler.
 
IMO you don't need pillars in a laminate stock. Pillars are there to stop compression of the stock material, I doubt you'll have any problem with that. Just have it epoxy bedded and be done with it.

Not my type of optics or stock, but I'd still say you did good on building what you wanted.
 
taylorce1 said:
IMO you don't need pillars in a laminate stock. Pillars are there to stop compression of the stock material, I doubt you'll have any problem with that. Just have it epoxy bedded and be done with it.

Not my type of optics or stock, but I'd still say you did good on building what you wanted.
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Epoxy bedding doesn't sound any easier. :)

I'm not much on paying people to do things I "can" do. Since I don't know how, it's likely to stay undone. :D
 
Brian, I can tell you are excited and very proud of the rifle! Congrats. I finally just got my barrel. I'm rebarreling a Stephens 200 I bought about 5 years ago for the sole purpose of building it into a long range rifle.. It took a while thanks to buying a 28 year old CJ7, having another kid, moving, etc... life happens I guess!

I got a Shilen, in 260 Rem. I thought long and hard about the 243/243AI but in the end the 260 was what I had in mind when I bought the rifle and they had it in stock when I made the purchase, lol.

Range report!
 
Brian Pfleuger said:
Epoxy bedding doesn't sound any easier.

I'm not much on paying people to do things I "can" do. Since I don't know how, it's likely to stay undone
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Buy a kit, read directions, fully understand directions, prep the stock (i.e. tape, and maybe remove some wood), prep the metal, when you think you have the metal prepped do it again (i.e. you can't use too much release agent), mix epoxy according to directions, and bed the stock. It isn't rocket science, but I can't stress the importance of using the release agent generously enough. As long as you didn't glue the action into the stock you can always fix it without too much fuss.
 
Anyone offended by large, high-powered optics should look away now.
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I'm not offended by large, high powered optics on guns suitably stocked to use them- it just rubs me the wrong way when some goofus slaps a telescope suitable for studying the lunar surface on a gun stocked for iron sights .... as if spending 4 digits on a scope will make him a better shot than if he spent the same on some ammo and range time .....

Your build looks like it should work well .....

Now, to find someplace to shoot those 107's at a range you can appreciate them ..... I have been to the Northeast ...... large open spaces not covered in golf courses, water or airports were ....... not exactly common.
 
ndking1126 said:
Range report!
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Ha! Hopefully this weekend. I'm a little short on bullets so it'll have to be the little 55gr screamers.

Hurry up and finish yours so you can show us! (I know, real life is very inconvenient.;))

Taylorce1 said:
Buy a kit,...
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Yeah, I know.... I think it's one of those things that I have to psych myself up for. At the moment, the prospect of screwing it up freaks me out. Eventually, especially if the gun doesn't shoot very well, I'll get over it and try it. Reloading was the same deal. Being out of my comfort zone freaked me out a little so I avoided it for years. Once I started, boy did I get into it.:D

jimbob86 said:
Now, to find someplace to shoot those 107's at a range you can appreciate them ..... I have been to the Northeast ...... large open spaces not covered in golf courses, water or airports were ....... not exactly common.
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That's the other thing about my choices that always sends people over the edge... I can hardly imagine shooting a bullet that heavy. I always go light and fast. Maybe I'll see if I can find some heavy ones and see how they shoot. See what all the fuss is about.;)
 
IMO you don't need pillars in a laminate stock. Pillars are there to stop compression of the stock material, I doubt you'll have any problem with that. Just have it epoxy bedded and be done with it.
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Well, pine-is pine. Lamination aids in strength and stability, but it's still wood. It will change dimensionally with temperature and humidity. Just look at all the crazy color laminates with benchrest competition guns. You'll never see one that's not bedded. To extend your argument, composites certainly would be less subject to compression, yet every factory composite stock I've seen has pillars installed.

JMO, a match-grade barrel build in a wood stock that's not bedded just isn't going to live up to it's potential. It may still be "accurate" (whatever that is), but it will always be more accurate if properly bedded.

C'mon Brian, live dangerously!
Bedding is simple (really), just be liberal with the release agent as mentioned, tape off the stock well, and just make sure you get the plumber's putty where needed.

Go here ("bedding")..
http://www.midwayusa.com/general.mvc/index/videolibrary

and here:

http://www.accurateshooter.com/technical-articles/stress-free-pillar-bedding/
 
Great Job

Brian,
That looks great and I hope she performs great on the range as well. With all you .243 guys here I had a question I wanted to ask. I have a Ruger M77 MII that I inherited from my father-in-law when he passed several years ago. I reload for it and at this time I am looking to purchase some more powder for it. I have used H414, H380, and Varget in it so far with bullets from 70-100 grains with not the best results. I haven't given up on this gun yet and should take it in and have a gun smith examine the throat for erosion. Father-in-law bought this gun used and I'm not sure of the condition of the throat as I understand too many hot loads will do a job on the barrel. I got an assortment of bullets, brass, and powders with the gun. I'm leaning toward picking up a can of Varget when and if I can find it as there seems to be loads for it with several weight of bullets. I also notice a lot of loads using H414 as well. Do any of you have any suggestions on a good general use .243 powder? Thanks for your help.
Cary
 
tobnpr said:
Well, pine-is pine. Lamination aids in strength and stability, but it's still wood. It will change dimensionally with temperature and humidity. Just look at all the crazy color laminates with benchrest competition guns. You'll never see one that's not bedded. To extend your argument, composites certainly would be less subject to compression, yet every factory composite stock I've seen has pillars installed.
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Well first off, I've never seen "pine" used in a laminated stock. Most laminated stocks are made of birch which is a denser, stronger wood that resists compression more than most walnut varieties used in gunstocks. The lamination pretty much seals the entire stock making it more resistant to temperature and humidity changes. Plus if you've ever tried to shape a laminated wood stock with hand tools you'd know how hard it is on tools.

You're going to have to torque the action screws way past "Stupid" to get a laminated wood stock to compress. Usually a trigger guard and bottom metal are enough to keep the action screws from compressing a stock. However if you run a blind mag the front action screw is going to be where you get the most compression. In a wood stock simply inletting the wood to accommodate a simple flat washer is enough to distribute the compressive forces on a wood stock.

Benchrest stocks are bedded because the actions are usually glued to the stocks. Not all composite stocks are created equal, some have a softer core that compresses a lot easier than wood stocks. Most factory composites aren't the same quality as a McMillan, Brown Precision, or Hightech. Others which use an aluminum bedding block to avoid compression and save money like HS Precision, Stockade and some Hogue and Bell & Carlson stocks. The old B&C Carbelite stocks had a very soft foam core and benefited greatly from the addition of pillars.
 
I stand corrected, misspoke. They are indeed Birch plywood.
But I stand by my statement about dimensional changes due to environmental conditions- hardwood, is hardwood- and still subject to varying degrees to this.

Rutland says as much on their website.

Stratabond™ is a dyed birch plywood material. As such, users need to be aware of
factors that affect the material, both internally and externally. Factors that cause
variations in the product, include but are not limited to the following. These factors can
be both a cause and effect in the how the material reacts in a given situation.
• Temperature
• Packaging and Storage
• Moisture Content
• Thickness
• Excess Heat
• Product Design
• Color*
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Again, I'm not talking about compression due to action screw torque.

Torque action screws to a random value where the stock has resided in a 75 degree, conditioned room.

Then take it out into minus ten degree, very low humidity...

Or, one hundred degree, ninety percent humidity.

I am unconvinced there would not be dimensional changes affecting the torque values of those action screws.

And I believe that an argument suggesting that any bolt gun would not benefit from a proper pillar and receiver bedding job is unfounded.

JMO. YMMV.
 
That is a beautiful rifle and if it shoots anywhere near as good as it looks, you've scored. Can't wait to hear your range report.
 
Tobnpr,

I don't disagree.

There'll be two deciding factors,

One, how we'll it shoots now, under various conditions. It's not meant to be a "true" target gun, it's for hunting. So, technically* if its good enough for hunting it's good enough.

Two, that word technically. The technical part will be how my OCD holds up if it DOESN'T shoot like a target gun. I do love accurate rifles, far more accurate than what is "required" for my purposes. I'm reasonably sure that if it doesn't shoot under 3/4" 5 shot groups at 100, I'll be looking to make improvements.
 
Maybe I'll see if I can find some heavy ones and see how they shoot. See what all the fuss is about.
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"Velocity, like our paper dollar, is a depreciating asset.

Mass and efficient bullet shapes, like diamonds, are forever."
 
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