Building my LR rig

[Schnyd112]

I have recently began competing for the first time with my rifle. I shoot a .220 swift that I have grown very comfortable with over the last few years. I shoot it at small four legged critters, and now long range varmint silhouettes. My issue is the little bullets I am limited to. Now I can push 55g vmaxs to 3800 fps, but get the best results at 3650-3680 fps depending on weather.

Now when I start pushing these little laser beams put to 650 yards, any sort of gusting winds have pretty disastrous effects. I am holding 40+" inches of wind drift at 600 yards and with blustery conditions, it's a bit of a hope and a prayer the wind is constant the length of the bullet path.

My solution? I am going to build a 7-08. I want a 22-24" tube, 1-9 twist (for heavier bullets) with a heavy contour. Similar to the sendero contour on my swift. From my reading, 7-08 still shines with the shorter barrel. I know I can get 2800 fps with 150ish grain bullets. I like the ballistics table, and with 7mm I have plenty of options to take game as large as elk, to 300 yards. I know the hot bullet right now is 6-6.5 mm on the little tiny cases. I also don't have the money to buy a dedicated LR rifle so I need a multi purpose gun.

So now the questions, from anybody who wants to read this. I want the shorter, heavy barrel so I can pack it into the far reaches of my areas. Am k handicapping myself here? Most of what I read only shows ballistics out to 300 yards, especially with the shorter tube. Do I really lose out on that much long range proficiency by going 7mm over 6.5? i have a quote to get a krieger barrel, blueprint the action, free float and bed the action, pin the recoil lug, and flute the barrel of 1300. To get a new bolt installed it would be a little more. Price seems fair to me but Am I missing anything? I am looking for any insight I can get before I send one of my best friends off to get made up.

Here is a photo, I still have the sendero type stock it came with, and a jewel varmint trigger. I bought an xps to shed about half a pound. Riding it is a vortex viper hst 4-16x44mm.

 

[Schnyd112]

Correction, the barrel will not be fluted.

 

[Schnyd112]

Fighting between 7-08 and .260 rem. looking for an all purpose gun, deer and antelope to 500-600 yards, steel/paper to 850-1000. Do I need 26" on the 7 or could I get away with 22-24" #4? I know the .260 likes the extra inches but also likes to seat 140 gr's too long to feed in a standard short action. Does the 7-08 have the same issue? I know the 168 bergers are too long, but would probably feed it a steady diet of 140's or 150's.

 

[Jud96]

I would do a .260 or 6.5 Creedmore. You have plenty of bullet options and you could always get a Wyatt's extendable mag box to allow long O.A.L. rounds to feed in your rifle. The .260/6.5 will have less recoil compared to the 7mm-08 and push the high BC 140s around 2700fps in a 24" barrel, plenty for what you are looking for. Another round you could look into is the .243 WIN or 6XC loaded with high BC 105-107s at 3000-3100fps.

 

[Schnyd112]

Lookong for more than .243 can offer me. I have a 25-06 that I can use for deer and antelope but it isn't my gun and I can't shoot it enough. I shoot about 100-150 rounds a month out of my swift and can't imagine there is much left. Add to that 52 gr bullets at 850 yards in 15 mph gusting winds are hard to reign in. Recoil difference between a 260 and a 7-08 is negligible, especially out of a 9-10 pound gun.

I am looking at 29-3000 fps out of 26" with 140's out of the .260. Can get about the same, 2900 fps out of a 22" sporter with 140's in 7-08. I know it is not the same bullet, and not the same barrel, but the capabilities between the two seem nearly identical. brass is solid, bullets are as good as they come, about as much as a person can ask from a standard short action. Is personal preference really the only thing setting these two apart?

 

[jsthntn247]

A 7-08 needs a long action to push the 168gr bullets. You can get by with a short action and the 140's because you can use a faster powder and don't need as much case capacity. With a short action I'd do a 260 with a .090 freebore which will allow the 140's to be shot at magazine length. Terry Cross uses this freebore on his reamers. I built my 7-08 on a long action and it had to be throated and extra .140 to get the 162 amaxs to seat above the neck shoulder junction. In a 26" tube I'm running them 2650 with 45.2gr of H4350.

 

[ramrod79]

Your thinking of getting 29-3000 with a 140 in a 260 with a 26" tube is a little off, that is what we are getting out of 6.5 284 with 140 GR bullets run hot .

Both the 260 and 708 are fine cartridges and can be loaded to shoot 1000 yards at paper or steel on game 5-700 yards but one thing to keep in mind is that the BC on a 6.5 140 Berger is way higher than a 7mm 140 Berger so you will carry more down range with the 260 than the 708 loaded with the same bullets ,and don't forget you could load 160 Matrix in the 260 for larger game great BC just need a Wyatts extended box . A few years back I had a custom 260 22" barrel using 130 berger 405 yards cow elk 1 shot never left its bed. my son shot the same rifle loaded with 120 Barnes ttsx took a great Mule deer buck at close to 500 yards took 2 shots the first one put him on a hard wobble so I had him fire again to end any suffering.

 

[shortgrass]

You're handicapping yourself, your numbers are off , too. Forget the pinned lug and save a few bucks there. The pinned lug does nothing to enhance accuracy. BR shooters use them on their glued in actions, where an alinement jig can't be used. Use a ground lug, just don't pay to have it pinned. Sunny Hill makes afforable ground lugs. Others are suggesting SA cartridges in LA. If you use a LA chamber in a LA cartride otherwise its kind of a waste. Think about the 280 Rem or .280AI for the velocities and distance you're considering.

 

[ohiohunter]

If you are building off a standard bolt face short action I would not hesitate to go w/ a 6.5creedmoor. Everthing thing else, even the 260 would probably be better off in a LA when loading the long bullets unless you plan to single feed... If you go the 260 route might as well make it an AI.

 

[ClaudDKLyons]

I would do a .260 or 6.5 Creedmore. You have plenty of bullet options and you could always get a Wyatt's extendable mag box to allow long O.A.L. rounds to feed in your rifle. The .260/6.5 will have less recoil compared to the 7mm-08 and push the high BC 140s around 2700fps in a 24" barrel, plenty for what you are looking for.

 

[ClaudDKLyons]

I would do a .260 or 6.5 Creedmore. You have plenty of bullet options and you could always get a Wyatt's extendable mag box to allow long O.A.L. rounds to feed in your rifle. The .260/6.5 will have less recoil compared to the 7mm-08 and push the high BC 140s around 2700fps in a 24" barrel, plenty for what you are looking for.

steel buildings

 

[desertbull]

7/08 with a 162 Amax

 

[Schnyd112]

How deep do you need to seat a 162 Amax so it will feed in a short action? I still haven't done anything, trying to get a 7 rum nobody likes to shoot to be a donor action now. Thinking .264 win mag or .280 for a better hunting rifle. Spending that kind of money to be limited with a short action doesn't make sense right now.

 

[desertbull]

You said you wanted to shoot an elk out to 300 yards with a short rifle, more compatible with packing into far away places.

Any of .260/.308/7mm short actions can double that range in a standard short action. With much better barrel life. Less weight and less recoil.

To me, it does not make a lot of sense to build a long action magnum rifle with a short barrel. You are then short changing yourself the other direction.