Short barreled hunting rifle build- opinions wanted

338 Fed or 358 Win??

If you reload and are willing to go with a less available cartridge, I'd re-barrel that 700 to 358 Win, 338 Federal. Forming brass form 308 is just a pass through the Die. You lose less performance in the larger bore, you have some nice heavy bullets to choose from. Still a good 300 yard shooter. IMO, if you're going to loose velocity, you might as well gain some bullet weight. 338 Fed is likely better as you can find it at gun shops or order ammo. Better selection of bullets. You can get JES reboring to rebore the barrel to either.

http://35caliber.com/2.html

If not, go with 308. I have a 16in 308 ishapore. I have no problem with the sound or the blast. Or at least it doesn't bother me.
 
I like the idea of a short, accurate, light weight, comfortable Rifle for hunting Deer and Bear. That is what I have in a Browning Lever Action (BLR) Mod.81.
Hear is how I think I can help you Steve. The BLR is perfectly balanced for it's short 22" barrel. So consider one of the chambering's for your 243.Win. The BLR is chambered in 243 Win., 7mm-08 Win, 308 Win. and 358 Win. all are accurate well balanced rounds for hunting. All are using 308 cases in various calibers. If you want to go with one of the above. All you would have to have to do is have the barrel chambered up to accept the caliber above you want then shortened to 20-22 inches. Although before you finish take a look at the Hogue stocks for the 700s they are hard to beat for a hunting rifle.
 
Rem. 700 BDL .308 LTR 1:10,235 yards with 165gr.Nosler Partition @ 2600fps. My short barreled rifles shoot better than longer barrel counterparts.
 
"Alright, I'm starting to lean more and more in the direction of .308. If I go with .308 I will more than likely never have the desire to load a bullet heavier than 150 grains. I know most factory .308 barrels are 1:10, but that seems too fast IMO for the lighter bullets. What would be the optimum twist rate for a 16.5" barreled .308 shooting 125-150 gr bullets? I'm thinking 1:12" or 1:13"?"

While Winchester went with the 1 in 12" twist when they brought out rifles chambered to the .308 Win., the only other company to do so was, IIRC, Browning. Most other companies just used 1 in 10" barrels for their .308s. Mt first .308 was a Remington 660 with 20" barrel. A goodly part of the muzzle blast problem lies in the choice of powder. I used H335 with the 150 gr. Sierra Pro-Hunter when I got that rifle and even with factory ammo the muzzle blast was ferocious. I wish I could remember the exact load but I lost all my reloading data when I moved from Nevada to Arizona. I also have a Ruger M77 RSI, the one with the wood all the way to the muzzle and an 18.5" barrel. The loudness of those two rifles seems to depend on the powder in use. Single base powders like 4895 don't seem to be as loud as the double based powders like H335, W748 and W760. While I like the .308 a lot, I haven't used mine in hunting for quite a few years now. Might have to do something about that if I'm lucky enough to draw a deer tag.
Paul B.
 
Alright, think I've decided what I'm going to do, let me run it by y'all.

I can get a new Remington stainless take-off barrel in .308 off of Ebay for $150. The barrel will be 1:10 but after thinking more about it I doubt I'll know the difference from a 1:12, especially with such a short barrel.

I'll have my gunsmith fit the barrel to my action, chop the barrel to 16.5" and re-crown, then duracoat the action to match the barrel. Then I'll order a Boyd's featherweight thumbhole with a shortened length of pull and a Pachmayr pad. I'm left handed and I really like Boyd's option of a left-hand stock/right-hand action.
 
It should be a short fast rifle. No doubt about what the .308 will do to deer or black bear. find the load it likes and feed it.
 
I ordered the barrel today. I'll order the stock after I get everything to the gunsmith. I've never had such a short centerfire rifle. I think I'm going to like the way it handles.
 
I'll have my gunsmith fit the barrel to my action, chop the barrel to 16.5" and re-crown, then duracoat the action to match the barrel. Then I'll order a Boyd's featherweight thumbhole with a shortened length of pull and a Pachmayr pad. I'm left handed and I really like Boyd's option of a left-hand stock/right-hand action.
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Here's my homebrew Savage that I did a few years ago. Word of warning on the Boyd's "lightweight"........It's not light! The gun locks into the shoulder real well but it's heavy and bulky. So much so that it ruined my idea of a light, short and fast rifle. It (the stock) now resides in the corner while the gun now wears a tupperwear (not a savage) stock painted camo. It;s no longer pretty but much closer to the original design intent.



BTW, barrel is 18.5"
 
Yea there won't be any detachable mags. The gun is a BDL with the hinged floorplate and its going to stay that way.

As for the stock, I have an SPS stock that I took off another rifle that would be lighter, but I really hate how flimsy it is. I've ordered a couple stocks from Boyd's and while I agree they are pretty heavy, I really want a lefty thumbhole and I don't know anywhere else that makes one that would be any lighter. Also the weight may be a blessing in disguise when dealing with the recoil of a short barreled .308
 
I had a Remington 700 SPS Varmint 7mm08 cut from 26" to 20" and recrowned last season. I lost about 50fps from the same rifle I had in the full 26" version. Muzzle blast isn't really that different or noticeable IMO. Accuracy is a hair better by 1/16-1/8" at 100 yds. The tradeoff in maneuverability is significant though, much easier to move in the stand. Also much quicker to get on station and target. Since it was a HB to begin with, it shaved a bit of weight but still retains that solid feel you'd expect.
 
I hunt with a Remington 7600P. It was marketed to law enforcement agencies with a lot of success. It is a .308 with a 16.5 in. barrel and ghost ring sights.

I put a red dot on it and use it in thick woods for deer and pigs. It is very handy for getting in and out of blinds, boats, ATVs and vehicles. It is VERY loud. Fellow club members assure me that if I shoot it near their chronographs, they will shoot me and burn the body. It will blow away chronys two lanes on either side of my bench when shooting full pressure loads.

If I were going to explore a .308 bolt, I would buy a Ruger American Carbine and be done with it. The gun and a nice scope would probably be less than rebarreling and an aftermarket trigger and stock.
 
I'll have about $275 total in a new take-off stainless barrel and Boyd's stock with shortened LOP.

My gunsmith is going to fit the barrel, chop it back to 16.5" and thread it, and Cerakote the barrel and action. I may also get a Sako-style extractor for it. Since its just a hunting rifle it will keep the factory trigger, it's just under 3 pounds and breaks clean as glass with no overtravel. That's perfect for a hunting trigger.

I have nothing against the Ruger American except the stock is total crap and nobody makes an aftermarket one. If Boyd's or somebody starts making stocks for them I'll buy one of the stainless models for sure.
 
One of the pleasures in the shooting world is creating a rifle on your own.

As a hunter, I've done some of that through my years, one thing that I learned was to get the right trigger and safety for the proposed use as well as barrel length and everything else that is thought out in the process.

I've learned that a tang safety for me is the only way to go on a rifle needed for speed, cut my teeth on double barrel shotgunning for birds.
 
Steven. I built years ago a lightweight .308 based on ab Austrian Steyr Mauser action. Total finished rifle is 5.5 pounds with scope, sling and full magazine. It has a Lawson Mountaineer lightweight thumbhole stock. The rifle is accurate but due to the very light weight can sometimes be hard to hold steady on a hunt. Surprisingly, recoil is not all that bad. Muzzle blast is "noticable". The barrel has a fast taper to the muzzle and looks almost as thin as a soda straw.
Paul B.
 
It's kinda funny looking back on the types of rifles that have interested me since I've gotten more serious about shooting and reloading. When I first started out I was mostly interested in the overbore cases pushing light fast bullets out of long bull barrels. My interests have steadily evolved to include more efficient cases, heavy-for-caliber bullets, and shorter, lighter rifles for hunting. I also find myself being more interested in cartridges that are easier to find brass and bullets for.
 
Don't give up on the 30-30!

Back in the 1970's one of my buddies hunted with a custom Thompson Center short carbine chambered for 357 Herrett. The case is made from 30-30 brass by shortening and forming. Recoil is fairly light but this middle bore strikes deer sized animals with plenty of power!

Jack
 
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When I first started out I was mostly interested in the overbore cases pushing light fast bullets out of long bull barrels. My interests have steadily evolved to include more efficient cases, heavy-for-caliber bullets, and shorter, lighter rifles for hunting. I also find myself being more interested in cartridges that are easier to find brass and bullets for.
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Yep... and cases that last longer. Ding ding ding, we have a winner. :)
 
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