Sako rifle conversion 7mm rem mag to ???

aroshtr

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Oct 2, 2007
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I have an older hunting rifle that I would like to re-barrel into a larger magnum cartridge for long range shooting. It is a Sako AV in 7mm Rem Mag. I have nothing against this cartridge, however my current rifle has taken its place with similar or better ballistics. The new gun is a custom 270 WSM that is shooting a 140grn accubond at about 3300fps. I was thinking of going with a 7mm RUM for the Sako, but don't know if the action length will handle the cartridge. I also don't know what size case will work with the current bolt face. From my readings on here, I think the 7mm to the 338 RUM look to be a good option, however I want to keep costs down, by just being able to re-barrel the gun. Any suggestions on calibers would be appreciated. Also suggestions on twist rates and barrel length would be helpful. I plan on shooting bullets in the higher end of the weight spectrum like 168-180 in 7mm, 200-210 30 cal, and 250-300 in the 338 cal.

As for gunsmiths, I realized that I am within 30 miles of "Kirby", but do not know if he works on guns in other calibers than the allen mags, which I don't think will fit into this action.

Thanks for the help!

aroshtr
 
having Kirby in our backyard is awesome!!! (i live in great falls, 30 miles from Kirby) initially, i had him place a brake on a rifle i had. this led to a rebarreling of a remington to .308. my next project he is working on is a savage to be rebarreled to a 338 edge. i know of another guy in town that had Kirby rebarrel an action, i think it was a mauser to 6.5 x 284. he does great work and answers all questions.just email him and ask.
 
I have a new stainless 26" Sako barrel chambered in 300 remington ultra that was taken off a rifle after less then 40 rounds. this barrel is perfect. I was going to build a custom off it but couldnt find a sako action. it would screw right into your action just have a gunsmith check headspace. looking to get rid of it cheap!
 
With a 26" barrel I've seen the 7mm Rem mag toss 160's at 3100 fps, and 175's at a bit over 2900 fps - which seemed to have plenty of long-range punch. Especially with those sleek 175 grain Sierra SPBT bullets. Berger VLD's in 180 hang onto even more of that velocity and can be accurate as all get out.

A very, very easy conversion is to run a 7mm STW reamer into your existing 7mm Rem mag chamber... Considerably more powder capacity results. I have little experience with the STW though. Others here have written about their rifles. I'd think a fellow would want a good longish barrel for it.

Good luck on your project, those SAKO rifles can be very nice! Talked with a fellow yesterday while we were looking at a great custom 7mm Weatherby on a Sako action. Beautiful rifle!

Regards, Guy
 
JPRITT, If I end up deciding on a 300 RUM, I may be interested. It sounds like a factory barrel, and I was planing on a top end barrel just for the added accuracy. Is it a light, medium, heavy, or varmit countour? Would the factory twist rate handle the 200-210grn long target bullets? I will surely keep it as an inexpensive option.

Guy, I like the idea of the 7mm STW because a friend of mine just had one built, and buying new dies would not be needed. I don't think I would want to just run a new reamer in my current barrel, as it is only a 24" barrel, and has at least 500 rounds out of it. Also it is factory, and I have to work hard to get 1 moa (bench/sand bags) out of it.

If the STW would fit in the action, then I would think the RUM would fit as well. Is there much difference between the 7mm STW and the 7mm RUM?

I like the idea of having a 338 rum or edge (if they fit into the action), but the recoil is going to be pretty high. I do not want a muzzle brake, and want a final gun weight of about 12lbs to help a little with recoil.
 
If I lived 30 miles from Kirby Id already dropped it off! said "surpise me", wrote the check, walked away and waited.
 
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the sako barrel is probably the same weight as yours,i would call it a medium sporter. it is a 1-10 twist which will handle 200 grainers fine. i shoot a 27 in lilja 300 rum with 200 accubonds into about 5/8in all day. I'm sure the 210 vlds would fly good too with that barrel. they come with a factory less than 1 moa garrentee. I piad 75 bucks for it, its yours for the same if you like.
 
Thanks for the info JPRITT, I will keep it as an inexpensive option.

I would really like someting to buck the wind as much as possible, and the BC of the heavy 7mm's and the 338 are desireable. However, I did some recoil calculations, and the 338 just seems a little more than I want/can handle. My current gun combination only has 14 ftlbs of energy, which is a real ***** cat to shoot. I would like a slightly lighter gun (13.5lbs currently), and a little more power. The 338's with a 12lb gun are over 30 ftlbs!!!! I think I might want to be in the low to mid 20's to still have a "fun" gun to shoot.

It sounds like most guys really like thier 7mm STW's. But it would seem that the 7mm RUM might be a bteer choice for two reasons, The RUM is not belted, and can handle slightly more powder. Is the RUM not as popular since it is much newer than the STW???? Or, is there actual benifits to them. When comparing the cases side by side, they look nearly identical. Kirbys 7mm Allen Mag looks like a cool option, but the extra cost for brass/reloading dies bumps the price up a little. I am not sure if I want that much recoil, but I could always load down a little as well.

I guess I am thinking way too much.... I should just drop the gun a Kirbys and get his prof. opinion on whic way to go in this situation.:D

"Hunny.... can I have the check book this weekend!":D:D:D
 
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