All Around Mountain Rifle Build

[Blueman]

There are 1 or 2 for sale here

I'm a lefty so that narrows the odd by quite a bit

 

[Blueman]

Curious....why doesn't a 280ai fit into the situation...
I had an older Remington mountain rifle 280 rechambered to 280ai and it is only about 7.5# scoped, sling and loaded....
Shoots good enough to kill critters....

Because the action I have is a magnum bolt face

 

[el matador]

Go with the 30 cal. for elk and shoot 180 grain bullets to keep recoil down. Heavier bullets won't offer much advantage until you're beyond that 700 yard mark.

 

[Hand Skills]

Most of the rifles I own and shoot are in the 7-8lb range (slung, loaded, with optics). So consider my comparisons below in that context. The reality of lightweight, high power rifles is muzzle jump. Even a 7lb .243 flips enough for me to loose sight picture in all but the most stable of positions. Using a sling can help a lot, and there are a lot of ways to use a sling!

A 270WSM with a brake is very manageable, akin to an unbraked .243 w/ light bullets. Probably a good choice if you're hunting solo (without a spotter). I actually don't have any experience with .270 WSM, but I have a fair amount of experience with a brakes 270wby shooting 150's and 160's.

Some brakes are designed to reduce muzzle flip and are ported on top as well as the sides. Might be worth looking into? I don't have any experience with these...

A braked 300WSM is quite shootable. The Kimber I shot had a radial brake, and jumped about like a lightweight .308. Then again, Kimber stocks have an exceptionally low drop at comb/heel. Stock geometry and overall balance play roles as well.

How did you find the recoil of your 300WM? Was it braked?

 

[WildRose]

Ok gents, here's the scoop. My brother and I are wanting to build some light weight mountain rifles. I have a 10.5 lb STW for when the terriain is more favorable. I hunt in some nasty steep terrain. I cannot afford titanium actions, so don't go there. I've got a tikka in 300 win mag that I want to re-barrel with a proof sendero light, and possible do some work on the bolt to lighten it up. I'm planning on using a MPI lightweight stock (or similar), and optics no heavier than 20 oz. The build will mostly be for elk and mule deer, sheep if I draw before I die. My questions is, what caliber should I go with? And how long of a barrel? I'm thinking 22"?
Some of the calibers I've been thinking of are:
270 WSM 1:8 for the 170 Berger, 165 matrix, or 150 LRAB (I like that it can go heavy, but no crazy recoil)
7 SAUM/7 WSM 1:8/9 for any 160-180 gn bullets, there are lots to choose from. (this is harder to buy in stores if I'm in a pinch and need ammo.)
300 WSM 1:10 for anything in the 180-210 gn range. (My concern with the 30 cal is the recoil)
6.5 cals seem a little small for elk imho, especially when shooting out to 6-700 yds.

I do plan to put a titanium break on to reduce recoil. I'm pretty set on these few choices, just want some opinions. I'm proficient at reloading so that's what I plan on doing. Also don't try to convince me of SS Mag, they are interesting, but I want something with no fire forming.

Thanks in advance

With that criteria I'd just build another, lighter STW, 300wm, or .300wsm, and a 24" barrel.

A few ounces would not be enough to get me to give up anything performance wise.

 

[cohunt]

I'm a lefty so that narrows the odd by quite a bit

Misunderstanding, What I mean was you could pm them and ask they how the recoil is, that's what you had asked about

 

[zr600]

Do you reload? For a scope I think the leupold vx5hd or vx6hd fits your weight requirements if it's in your budget.

 

[Blueman]

I do reload, and I shoot F-Class
I the 300 win mag with no break was not fun to shoot. I'm only 160 lbs and it kicked my butt pretty good.
To be honest I was kind of hoping I would get more people suggesting the 270 WSM. For whatever reason I feel that if I went the 300 route, I'd load 200-220 gn bullets. Something in my brain won't let me load lighter bullets...

 

[zr600]

Have you looked at any of the Sherman catridges? They look pretty good to me. They have the long action 06 based ones then the short action mag bolt faces. There's a 270ss which pushes the 170g Berger 3050. Could push 140 at 3300. Or the 7mm pushing 180 at 3000.

 

[Blueman]

Have you looked at any of the Sherman catridges? They look pretty good to me. They have the long action 06 based ones then the short action mag bolt faces. There's a 270ss which pushes the 170g Berger 3050. Could push 140 at 3300. Or the 7mm pushing 180 at 3000.

The SS Mags are interesting, but I don't want to fire form anything because this is strictly a hunting gun.

 

[el matador]

The 270 WSM is an awesome cartridge for deer. Too bad hardly anyone makes bullets for it. For any kind of long range gun I would recommend staying away from .257, .277, and 8mm calibers. I personally think the 270 and 7mm are perfect for deer and a bit light for elk. But if you go that route I would stick with the 7mm over the 270. Options for that would be 7 Rem Mag, 7 SAUM, 7mm-300 WSM, 7mm-300 Win Mag, or 28 Nosler. I'd shy away from a straight 7mm WSM due to brass availability. Given your modest range requirements of 700 yards I'd narrow that further to the 7 Rem Mag or 7 SAUM.

I still think a 300 Win or 300 WSM shooting 180s is the perfect fit for your needs though. Go and compare the ballistics of some 165/168 grain, 178/180 grain, and 208-215 grain bullets. You'll see that at 700 yards they're all going the same speed and the wind drift is very close. Even with a 5mph error (which is a ton) on your wind reading the 168 grain is drifting only 2 inches more than a 208 grain. At 500 yards its only 1 inch. I can tell you from experience that a 168 grain bullet kicks way less than a 208 from a 300 win mag. The difference is huge. And if you put a brake on this gun you could shoot heavy bullets no problem.

 

[dougduey]

Go with the 300 WSM. I have a Sako 75 in 300 WSM, and it's my dedicated elk rifle. Fully loaded with scope, sling and bipod, it weighs 8.5 lbs. I don't notice it on my shoulder while humping up and down the mountain all day. With a 180gr Accubond or 200 gr ELDX, it's a hammer on elk and mule deer. And definitely put a muzzle brake on it.......it's much more fun to shoot and practice with when it has a brake.
I have plenty of other cartridges to choose from (243, 6.5-284 Norma,30-06, 7 STW, 338 Lapua) but the 300 WSM is my go to mountain rifle

 

[Hand Skills]

I do reload, and I shoot F-Class
I the 300 win mag with no break was not fun to shoot. I'm only 160 lbs and it kicked my butt pretty good.
To be honest I was kind of hoping I would get more people suggesting the 270 WSM. For whatever reason I feel that if I went the 300 route, I'd load 200-220 gn bullets. Something in my brain won't let me load lighter bullets...

The difference between the 3 is incremental at best.

Personally, what I don't like about the .270 is bullet selection. ESPECIALLY if one has to buy factory ammo. Due to the smaller bore it's inefficient with a 22"bbl, and you're essentially working with .270win performance at that point.

30cal has the best bullet selection. If buying ammo from a store is part of your requirement, 300WSM isn't even a choice. It is your huckleberry. Bigger bore means a better expansion ratio, and 22" bbl doesn't totally cut the nuts off of it. Still, I would go with a 24", just to get the balance point forward of the mag well. This helps control muzzle rise. I've shot some very light rifles, and I feel prioritizing portability over shootability is a slippery slope. For me anything under 7lb, out the door is TOO light.

7mm offers the best ballistics. Is having the edge in the wind worth necessitating handloading? Only you can decide.

Was my recoil comparison helpful at all? If not, here is a calculator;

http://www.handloads.com/calc/recoil.asp

Muzzle brakes generally Provide a 40% reduction in recoil. Some are better, some worse.

 

[Danehunter]

My "Lottery Build" mountain rifle:

ACTION-> SAKO 85 stainless short action (for 6.5 Creedmoor)
BARREL-> Proof Research hunting profile carbon fiber wrapped in 6.5 Creedmoor
STOCK-> SAKO Carbonlight
SCOPE-> Vortex Razor AMG 6 - 24 x 50 W/ Nightforce one-piece titanium rings

So yeah, I have to buy the Carbonlight rifle, sell off the barrel and get the Proof Research carbon wrapped barrel. As I said, I need to hit the lottery for this build.

The Razor AMG is only 28 oz. for a high quality, long range scope. The rings are light but strong ti and one-piece. Precision made NF rings need no hand lapping.

Eric B.