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Light weight mountain rifle. Help me choose chambering

You could buy a new Barrett Fieldcraft in 7mm08. It has 21" barrel, same Bansner stock, and is fully bedded and will shoot great. At 5.25lbs you'd have plenty of leeway for a 20 oz scope.
 
If weight is your main concern, I would not build on the Howa unless you swap the bottom metal for their plastic DBM system. Even then, it will be a bit heavier than a standard 700SA BDL. Howa/Vanguards have a lot of extra metal on the action and the bottom metals are steel vs. some 700 aluminum options.

Cartridge wise, the velocity difference between the WSM and SAUM is about 100 fps give or take from the book. Do you know if your bullets will max out your mag length? That could limit powder space in a WSM or SAUM if the bullets are very long. The SAUM is roughly equal to the WSM if it had a 4" longer barrel. WSM with 20" barrel = to SAUM with 24" barrel. 20" barrel is lighter than a 24" barrel. See what I'm stepping in?
 
If weight is your main concern, I would not build on the Howa unless you swap the bottom metal for their plastic DBM system. Even then, it will be a bit heavier than a standard 700SA BDL. Howa/Vanguards have a lot of extra metal on the action and the bottom metals are steel vs. some 700 aluminum options.

Cartridge wise, the velocity difference between the WSM and SAUM is about 100 fps give or take from the book. Do you know if your bullets will max out your mag length? That could limit powder space in a WSM or SAUM if the bullets are very long. The SAUM is roughly equal to the WSM if it had a 4" longer barrel. WSM with 20" barrel = to SAUM with 24" barrel. 20" barrel is lighter than a 24" barrel. See what I'm stepping in?

Oh yeah I'm up to my ankles in it. Lot's of choices and trade-offs to consider. One reason I'm starting to favor the SAUM or 284 is that COAL issue. Do you know if you get the HOWA barreled action with the 20" #1 barrel, does that come with the lightened bolt and action/dbm found on their Alpine rifle?
 
Oh yeah I'm up to my ankles in it. Lot's of choices and trade-offs to consider. One reason I'm starting to favor the SAUM or 284 is that COAL issue. Do you know if you get the HOWA barreled action with the 20" #1 barrel, does that come with the lightened bolt and action/dbm found on their Alpine rifle?

Go to Legacy sports to check out the list of barreled action combinations. I do not believe you can get a barreled action similar to the alpine as the action has been milled to lighten it. They do sell the DBM separately.
 
I had a Winchester model 70 featherweight 280rem I'd give my right arm to get back. I got magnums fever and sold it to get a 7MM rem .
 
atl5029,
I had the bolt face opened up from .473 to .500 to use 9.3X64 Bennecke brass necked down to 6.5mm with the case blown out. It now matches a .264 Win Mag volume. Out near the muzzle the metal weighs less than an ounce per inch so I used a 24" barrel ending with a Terminator T2 brake. With a Swarovski z5 5-25X52 in Talley rings the rifle weighted 5 lb 11 oz on a postal scale.

Very interesting read. The fine and extremely powerful cartridge you formed yourself does exist already. It's the 6,5x63 Messner Mag. I have just ordered one and are looking forward to use it both for LR and hunting. The Messner Mag has very modern specs and is also CIP - licensed.
 
Varberger757,

That case hold more water than mine at 88 grains of water. I checked the .264 Win Mag and mine. Both are 82 grains. Based on the 4:1 of capacity to increase velocity the Messner Mag will produce about 1.5% more velocity than these two.

Since I can no longer find the brass I paid a guy to turn the belts off 200 Norma 7 Rem Mag brass and turn the rim to .485".

I accidentally hit something that stopped me writing more right after the number "200". Anyway the one on the left is a Norma 7 Mag brass and the one on the right is a Jamison 9.3X64. Both of these were fired in a junk barrel cut with my reamer. I won't have the rifle with the new barrel until December or January.

6.55LR..jpg
 
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Maybe off the subject, but you guys got me thinking...
What does a R700 action weigh? Both long and short if anyone knows.
Custom guys have their data on their site. Thinking of Ti and wondering how much weight I actually save.
 
@Rich Coyle
Fifteen minutes ago I was talking to M. Messner myself on the phone, and we have had a fantastic talk about his calibers, the 6,5x63 MM and 8,5 MM, and of course reloading, ballistics. He told me that I have to wait for my Rifle until March 2018 since Lothar Walther won't get the barrel done in a shorter deadline. 20 weeks ... Messner improved the geometry of the 9,3x64 in total, so it also takes more H2O. Don't you get any 9,3x64 RWS brass in the US?
upload_2017-9-29_17-48-0.jpeg
 
Thanks for posting that photo. It look really good.

I haven't been able to find any 9.3X64 brass. About three years ago I found some for about $3 each and bought some to play with. Having the machinist do mine actually came out cheaper. I run them in the Hornady hydro-form die and they are like closing a bolt with a factory load on an Ackley chamber. That way when they are fired there is no slop.
 
Maybe off the subject, but you guys got me thinking...
What does a R700 action weigh? Both long and short if anyone knows.
Custom guys have their data on their site. Thinking of Ti and wondering how much weight I actually save.

This was actually going to be my next question. I'd be interested in knowing a 700 vs Savage weight in short and long action
 
Pierce Engineering, have a titanium action that is 18.5oz for their short action, 9oz less than Rem. 700. I have used these actions with Bartlein 2B's and 3's, Manners stocks. they weigh 6 pounds Plus or minus a few ounces. Pierce is very good to work with.
 
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