What lightweight SA all around cartridge build?

[18whlsrolin]

A lightweight 30-06 firing 150gr all copper bullet behind RL16 or H4350 is hard to beat out to 600 with a 22" barrel. 150gr copper 308s have pretty good velocity/power out to 500 for sure and required speed could be accomplished with 20" barrel. Nothing wrong with a lighter 280 build and just use a fast powder with medium weight bullets to optimize a 22" tube. Overall I love the 30-06 high velocity 150s that are very similar to necked down magnums out to 500 or 600. Lots of good advice already posted, I just wanted to make some suggestions with cheaper brass prices. Good luck

 

[JAYgs8163]

If I'm not mistaken none of what you listed will work with your existing action. Different size bolt head is required and most will require a different internal box mag. Are you wanting a new barrel for your existing action or are you building from the ground up? To do a 6.5 PRC properly you should also use medium length action at least in my opinion to seat the heavier bullets out further. This also requires having you chamber cut accordingly. I'm building a PRC now and opted for a long action, but that's me wanting the extra space and the option to change cartridges if I want at a later time.

 

[Hawkeye Pierce]

Well to fit your 6.5 barrel, look at the Defensive Edge 260 terminator. I started my build before I learned about the Sherman short cartridges, but I will be doing one of those also. Shawn will extend the bottom metal of the action to get a longer box if you like or you might not. But with 140 gr he is advertised 3000 fps with my medium action i am expecting 3100.
If you want something a little bit different, check out VA Silent Arsenal, Ritchie and the guys are doing some really cool stuff necking up 300 wsm to 338, 358, 375, 458. In your distance it will hit like a truck.

 

[Kimber7man]

7mm08
7mm08AI
7SAW
all short actions

 

[Quintus]

Case head aside, the title of the thread is What Lightweight SHORT ACTION All around Cartridge build. This is a long range shooting site to be sure, but there is a purpose and a place for the short cartridge IN a short action rifle.

 

[jpndave]

I'm not a Savage guy so if any want to correct this, please do. Aren't their bolt heads replaceable? So Creedmoor to Mag face is easy. I did a quick search that showed their mag boxes are just under 3.0". If that is accurate, a 6.5 PRC would go for a hunting rifle.

I still think lightening up the 6.5 CM might be a good option. Depends on the balance and how you like the rifle/cartridge. The 280 is closer to a "one rifle" gun. Like I said, I'm going light 6.5 CM then to a 300 PRC or SI. I'll probably use the little Kimber most of the time.

Here's the quick first run on the forend of the factory (now semi-custom) stock.

 

[LongWalker]

Be interested in the pic of where you're lightening the stock (doesn't look like your pic attached). Mine is a Hogue full bed block that I opened the barrel channel for. I'm thinking the factory Accustock/Accufit is lighter. The Hogue is around 2.3 lbs if I recall.

FWIW for everyone who shared which I greatly appreciate, I've looked really hard at a Tikka T3x lite in 270 WSM. It seems like a great heavy hitting hunting cartridge that can go lightweight w/o a carbon barrel. But when I start adding up new dies, brass, magnum primers, new projectiles, etc. It makes less sense. Plus I don't think here in the SE I need that big a hammer with I'm sure significantly more recoil than the 6.5

I agree with several folks that a lightweight 280AI might be as close to a do everything rifle as you can get. If Savage, Christensen Arms, Proof or even Kimber would make a lightweight 280AI in a 1-8 twist it would probably be to hard to resist.

 

[JAYgs8163]

I'm not a Savage guy so if any want to correct this, please do. Aren't their bolt heads replaceable? So Creedmoor to Mag face is easy. I did a quick search that showed their mag boxes are just under 3.0". If that is accurate, a 6.5 PRC would go for a hunting rifle.

I still think lightening up the 6.5 CM might be a good option. Depends on the balance and how you like the rifle/cartridge. The 280 is closer to a "one rifle" gun. Like I said, I'm going light 6.5 CM then to a 300 PRC or SI. I'll probably use the little Kimber most of the time.

Here's the quick first run on the forend of the factory (now semi-custom) stock.

It would probably work but a short action in my opinion is not the best option for the 6.5 PRC. Medium or Long Action. These longer 150+ 6.5 bullets are seated further out. If you read on some other threads some have been experiencing feeding issues using a short action. Just depends what bullet you're going to run and how far out you seat your bullets. Also the internal box mag would need modified to handle the fat PRC case as I believe as the feed lips will not work. The cartridge would not get passed the feed lips as it's too narrow.

 

[LongWalker]

Agreed. The bolt head is an easy swap but the standard mag box and length would choke out the PRC

 

[JAYgs8163]

I'm in the middle of a 6.5 PRC build now using a Defiance Tenacity LA. If it were me and I was going to put a new barrel on this rig I'd keep it a 6.5 Creed and have the cut the chamber with more free-bore as to seat the bigger bullets out. With RL26 you can really get some of those larger bullets humming. I would still hesitate shooting a elk though at longer distances.

 

[LongWalker]

Mine has a 22" barrel and w/RL-16 I'm getting 2860 with the Berger 140 EH. It's picked up almost 40 fps since I first worked the load up when the barrel was new. Plus while I'm not recoil sensitive, it's the only bolt gun my wife will shoot other than her .223. She won't even get behind one of the .308s.

But put her AR around her neck and her Glock 19 on her hip and heck sometimes she scares me.

 

[JAYgs8163]

Mine has a 22" barrel and w/RL-16 I'm getting 2860 with the Berger 140 EH. It's picked up almost 40 fps since I first worked the load up when the barrel was new. Plus while I'm not recoil sensitive, it's the only bolt gun my wife will shoot other than her .223. She won't even get behind one of the .308s.

But put her AR around her neck and her Glock 19 on her hip and heck sometimes she scares me.

Careful, your getting me excited! That's some nice jewelry.

 

[jpndave]

Sorry, been one of those days... Here are the arrow shafts bedded by the lug and tensioned. The forend on this rifle is more rift figure and had moved slightly. This is to straighten it with the barrel.

And this is with the channel bedded with micro balloons to keep the weight down. I used MAS epoxy. I like it for working with stuff like this. The bedding is Devcon Aluminum putty (gray that arrows are in ahead of the stock bedding) the Kimber factory bedding (brown) is still in these pictures and has been re-done with the same Devcon now. The carbon shafts with micro balloons did stiffen up the forend a lot and should be much less temp/moisture sensitive. I would have taken off a little weight if I hadn't added the ebony tip. I like the shape and look of the new profile stock better.

 

[elkaholic]

Sorry, been one of those days... Here are the arrow shafts bedded by the lug and tensioned. The forend on this rifle is more rift figure and had moved slightly. This is to straighten it with the barrel.
View attachment 186861

And this is with the channel bedded with micro balloons to keep the weight down. I used MAS epoxy. I like it for working with stuff like this. The bedding is Devcon Aluminum putty (gray that arrows are in ahead of the stock bedding) the Kimber factory bedding (brown) is still in these pictures and has been re-done with the same Devcon now. The carbon shafts with micro balloons did stiffen up the forend a lot and should be much less temp/moisture sensitive. I would have taken off a little weight if I hadn't added the ebony tip. I like the shape and look of the new profile stock better.
View attachment 186862

Pretty innovative!