Guidance/Suggestions on two WSM A-BOLTS

[dciron]

Agree with the above also about the 270WSM. Great cartridge and with the proper twist, a 7 or a 8, you could shoot the 270 heavies or the light ones. Good brass support also from Nosler and Norma!! Decent factory ammo offerings in the 270WSM. LGS has a decent selection of newer offerings in my town. I like the 270WSM so much I'm building one as a project now.

Love the .277 caliber solid input.

 

[dciron]

Have you already found a source for A-bolt carbon stocks? It's pretty tough to find aftermarket stocks for the A-bolt. I know Bell Carlson makes some but I'm not sure if anyone makes a carbon stock in that inlet. I could be wrong though Something to check out before you commit to your new build.

I've been looking hard for a minute, found that McMillen stocks can be used they just don't inlet so I will have to have someone do that. Unless anyone else knows of something that is inlet for the ABolt.

 

[cjholler]

Check out unknown munitions I know they inlet stocks I am sure that they could do it

 

[JAYgs8163]

Love the .277 caliber solid input.

The one I'm building will be a 8twist. Just waiting for my barrel to come in.

 

[nwmnbowhunter]

If you are dead set on rebarreling these two....i agree on 300wsm and 6.5 prc.

Or keep those two as is. Buy a tikka action, get a good stock, and you can do a million different pre fits.

Rebarreling with a premium barrel is at least $800.

 

[dciron]

Check out unknown munitions I know they inlet stocks I am sure that they could do it

Thank you, I will

 

[Rick Richard]

The other issue you may have is finding a GS who will work on a Browning. I know there are many that won't touch them.

 

[Arkansasdad]

I would like to tap into the knowledge and experience of this forum to ask for some guidance. I have 2 A-bolt rifles, like new, a 7MMWSM and a 300WSM that my father and I purchased years ago. I am looking at re-barreling and installing them into new carbon stocks. Here is my question... I am looking at maybe getting a better spread between calibers to hunt from a large size of Elk/Black Bear, a middle of Deer Size game, to a small size Pronghorn/Blacktail/Coyote. Do I keep the 300WSM for the larger, if so should I throat it for the new longer/high BC bullets or stay with one of the many options offered in factory ammo from 180gr up? Then chamber the other in ???? 6.8 Western? 6.5 PRC? Fast 1/4 bore or 22? Do I keep the 7MM WSM, ammo a bit harder to find in factory form, for the larger game and out the 300WSM for smaller game? Or is there a combination of 2 that these Magnum bolt face, short actions, would be better built as?

I really appreciate the experience here to help me figure this out.

If these were your Dad's why do anything with them? If you want to have a certain caliber just go buy one, your going to spend more for a build than it is worth. Ever hear of the saying "don't look a gift horse in the mouth". There are very good rifles to be bought without going custom. Kimber, Weatherby, Sako, Tikka, Seekins, Bergara, Christensen, just to name a few. Take it from an old man, save those gifts and pass them on to your kids. If you cut them up you will regret it someday. Take this advise from someone that knows because I have done exactly that. I inherited a 30-06 that was my Grandpa's, well I had a safe full of them so I had it rebarreled and customized, I really regret it. I can't get the feeling now to shoot the same rifle my Grandpa shot, just like he shot it. It feels like I have done an injustice to me and my kids. Happy shooting.

 

[highfinblue]

I've owned several, and they all shot well. I hunted elk and whitetail with the 300 WSM for years and it always did its job if I did mine. Timney used to make springs for the trigger that made night and day difference in the pull weight. My 300 broke right at 2 pounds. Killed a super nice whitetail at 500 yards in Kansas was the longest shot I ever made with that rifle, but it was capable of more, just never had the right opportunity. Personally, I would shoot the 7 for a while, that's always been an intriguing cartridge that I've never owned, you might be surprised by its capabilities.

 

[smokey3]

Thank you that is a really good way to think about it. The stocks are the cheap original black polymer, lots of flex, so I want get them into something stiffer. The barrels are pencil thin and not threaded so that's why I was going to re-barrel them.

I put my 300 WSM in a Boyd's stock and bedded it, absolutely a tack driver with two different 180 grain loads.

 

[smokey3]

I've owned several, and they all shot well. I hunted elk and whitetail with the 300 WSM for years and it always did its job if I did mine. Timney used to make springs for the trigger that made night and day difference in the pull weight. My 300 broke right at 2 pounds. Killed a super nice whitetail at 500 yards in Kansas was the longest shot I ever made with that rifle, but it was capable of more, just never had the right opportunity. Personally, I would shoot the 7 for a while, that's always been an intriguing cartridge that I've never owned, you might be surprised by its capabilities.

MCARBO makes a good spring for the A Bolt, that's what I used

 

[btpaine]

Same, mcarbo for browning trigger springs.

 

[chav0_12]

If you want to re-barrel both of them to get a larger bore than 300 you could do a 325 WSM. I rally like mine, I can shoot the 220s, but I choose to shoot the 200gr AccuBonds and Partitions our of mine. It's a real shooter and the COAL limits of the A-Bolt don't come into play too much. In my 7mm WSM however, I feel like I'm stuffing the bullet so far in the case with the 162gr ELD-X. Going to something like a 6.5 SAUM or the like might be beneficial. Personally, I'm not changing the cartridges in my A-Bolts, since I have the 243 WSSM, 7mm WSM, and 325 WSM (6,7, and 8mm that's just fun in matching rifles). I have the Timney springs in all of mine and the triggers feel great. I have talked to Carbon6 and they did say that they could make me pre-fits for the rifles. If you find a good carbon stock for the A-Bolt I'd be interested in knowing where, maybe Stocky's?

 

[dciron]

If these were your Dad's why do anything with them? If you want to have a certain caliber just go buy one, you're going to spend more for a build than it is worth. Ever hear of the saying "don't look a gift horse in the mouth". There are very good rifles to be bought without going custom. Kimber, Weatherby, Sako, Tikka, Seekins, Bergara, Christensen, just to name a few. Take it from an old man, save those gifts and pass them on to your kids. If you cut them up you will regret it someday. Take this advise from someone that knows because I have done exactly that. I inherited a 30-06 that was my Grandpa's, well I had a safe full of them so I had it rebarreled and customized, I really regret it. I can't get the feeling now to shoot the same rifle my Grandpa shot, just like he shot it. It feels like I have done an injustice to me and my kids. Happy shooting.

The 7mm is mine, the 300 was dad's which he took his Elk with. You may be right about the cost and if that's the case I'll sell them and buy something else with the money. I love the ABolt actions not fired up about the barrel and stocks. Good points.