My first rifle project...Some dumb questions

[Crop Damage]

I've got an action to use for my first custom rifle. The donor is a Rem 700 BDL, currently chambered in .270 win. Will this action work for a .300 RUM, or do I need to stay with a non-magnum cartridge?

How do you decide on your barrel length? This rifle will be built strictly for shooting whitetails out to 600 yards. Usually from sandbags on a bench, occasionally from prone using bipods or a backpack to rest on. I'm not at all concerned about weight or overall length, a 25 lb rifle with a 36" barrel would be fine if it shoots tight groups.

I was hoping to shoot either 190 or 210 gr VLD's, which require different twist rates according to Berger's website. 1/12" and 1/11" respectively. Which twist rate would allow for a little flexibility in bullet weight?

 

[J E Custom]

I've got an action to use for my first custom rifle. The donor is a Rem 700 BDL, currently chambered in .270 win. Will this action work for a .300 RUM, or do I need to stay with a non-magnum cartridge?

How do you decide on your barrel length? This rifle will be built strictly for shooting whitetails out to 600 yards. Usually from sandbags on a bench, occasionally from prone using bipods or a backpack to rest on. I'm not at all concerned about weight or overall length, a 25 lb rifle with a 36" barrel would be fine if it shoots tight groups.

I was hoping to shoot either 190 or 210 gr VLD's, which require different twist rates according to Berger's website. 1/12" and 1/11" respectively. Which twist rate would allow for a little flexibility in bullet weight?

There are a lot of standard bolt face cartriges available that will work and the first one that
comes to mind is the 280 Remington. It will work in your action with no modifications, It is a
.284 (7mm) with lots of bullet choices and will definitely kill deer @ 600 yards.

If you wan't a 300 RUM the bolt face will have to be opened up and the rails in the receiver
will have to be opened as well. (Nothing that any good smith cant do). also the rum will need
a heaver barrel than the 280 if you don't want to have a break installed.

For the 300 RUM I would recomend a 24" to 26" # 7 taper or contour (.850 to .925 at the
muzzle) stainless ,1 in 10 twist. this barrel will handel any bullet weight and reduce recoil
to a very pleasant level + It will shoot very well.

For the 280= a 24 to 26'' # 5 or #6 contour 1 in 9 twist would be my choice for accuracy and
performance.

J E CUSTOM

 

[kiwi3006]

I built a 7mm mag off a rem 700 30/06 action. The bolt face needed opening and a sako style extractor was installed. It has easily taken deer and tahr out to 600 yds +. The feed rails did not need opening, however the gunsmith did supply a new magazine liner.
If you're only going to shoot deer out to 600 yds the 7mm mag would be a calibre worth considering. Excellent BC with bullets like the 162 a-max and 168 berger, and a lot less recoil than the 300 RUM.

Otherwise I agree with J E Custom's advice.

Stu.

 

[Crop Damage]

Thank you for the info. My buddy and I had talked about the .280, or maybe a .270 AI or .280 AI. I'm sure either of those or any 7mm (rem/rum/stw) would work. It would be nice to use my action the way it is. My thoughts about going bigger were because I've already got a 7STW. Its a hunting rifle though, and I keep it limited to 350 yards, sometimes 400 on a good day. It would need to be accurized, have a better scope, and be fed better handloads to reach out farther.

I had figured I'd just use my Rem. action as a starting point, and have a long heavy contour barrel installed, a Timney trigger and an A5 style stock. I think that would be a fun rifle to shoot deer with. A lot of my buddies are shooting factory senderos, I'd like to have something a little different, just to keep them on their toes. So many decisions.

 

[kshunter]

Don't forget about the old 30-06. This cartridge has been used in 1000 yd competitions for eons. Not to popular anymore however. my current set-up is a savage 110 w/ factory contour barrel shooting 168 A-max bullets good to 600 yds. I am planning on switching to a 208gr A-max and a Shilen or Douglas barrel, med contour, 28 in. Havent tested this yet but should be good for 2700fps with this bullet barrel combo and produce 1000 pounds of energy at 1k yds! this is purely calculations in a computer so not proven combo yet. Pros to the 06. Cheap brass will, handle up to 210gr bullets, less recoil than magnums, enough power to handle anything in the lower 48, forgiving to reload, in a pinch factory ammo is readily available. However there are many other cartridges that autshine it ballistically. At the end of the day there are many cartridge choices that will handle medium size game out to 750 pick the one that is most interesting to you.

 

[Crop Damage]

Now I'm starting to realize that a big nasty caliber like the 300 rum is probably not what I'm going to want. My buddies are shooting it, but it pounds them pretty hard. Something milder but accurate and deadly will be a lot more satisfying for me. I did a search on .280, and a bunch of info popped up on here that I hadn't seen. Sounds like some other folks have had the same idea in the past. I'll probably still own a RUM in the future, but I think this rifle is gonna be a .280 or 7 mag.

I'm so excited over the idea of my own custom rifle that I've been just running around in circles and waving my arms. In my mind it looks just like all the .338 AM and Edge rifles that I've seen pictures of on this site. A 7 mag is not nearly as intimidating, but at least I'll be able to pick deer off with style.

So now it will be 140 or 168 VLD's. Sorry for the waffling, but you all have helped me a lot in getting it narrowed down so far.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I vote for 280AI or 6.5-06. I don't think the 6.5 needs to be improved, but it looks much more impressive if it is, and there is some advantages. Not as much as other chamberings get from the AI.

These will get you the 600yrd plus killer you want, and let you watch bullet impact through the scope. Your boys will never admit it, but they will be envious of your ability with out abuse.

Steve