Can you put my rifle on a diet?

"...If you want a big game rifle, buy one..." Exactly. However, you have far too much scope for that cartridge. Lose the a Vortex Viper 6.5-20×50 and put something with no more than 8.5X and a 40mm front ocular on it. Most of the weight is in the barrel though.
 
Sounds good in theory, but all my buddies with PALs have wives that are close friends with my wife.

you have much to learn my young grasshopper. But soon you will be wise in the ways of acquiring positive things, while your wife stays in her happy place.
 
Or you could grow a pair and say "YO! WOMAN! This is my new rifle. Now go make me a sammich!"


...and then after the divorce you may get to keep the rifles. :p
 
Quote Originally Posted by freddyfour View Post

To be honest I don't think I would be happy with a $500(new) bolt gun. Does a decent new $500 bolt action even exist today?

yes but you have to be patient , the marlin xl7 is a good sample of what can be good for not that much ...
 
I'm thinking if I am going to save up for a new bolt I may just buy me a CRF rifle. I have never owned one and would like to try, so probably going to look at the Ruger as they can be found factory 260
 
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you could also do what I'm thinking about...buying a Savage 11/111 Lightweight hunter. standing wet, the short action 11 are 5.5lbs and the long action 111 are 6.5lbs. Add a scope and the ammo in the mag, you're looking at 7 or 8lbs.
 
To be honest I don't think I would be happy with a $500(new) bolt gun. Does a decent new $500 bolt action even exist today?

Yes, on the new market you need $700-$800ish IMO (new model 70 would be my choice), but on the used market you can find lots of gems for $500ish. A Ruger mkII perhaps? Great rifles, I got one off the EE for $600 including a nice B&C stock. Put on a Zeiss conquest and for a shade over $1000 it's an ideal hunting rig.
 
you could also do what I'm thinking about...buying a Savage 11/111 Lightweight hunter. standing wet, the short action 11 are 5.5lbs and the long action 111 are 6.5lbs. Add a scope and the ammo in the mag, you're looking at 7 or 8lbs.

I looked at those, but I found bad reviews. I was surprised because savage usually makes an accurate rifle


Yes, on the new market you need $700-$800ish IMO (new model 70 would be my choice), but on the used market you can find lots of gems for $500ish. A Ruger mkII perhaps? Great rifles, I got one off the EE for $600 including a nice B&C stock. Put on a Zeiss conquest and for a shade over $1000 it's an ideal hunting rig.

I would love a Win 70 but they do not chamber 260
 
I looked at those, but I found bad reviews. I was surprised because savage usually makes an accurate rifle




I would love a Win 70 but they do not chamber 260

Why not go .308 or 7mm08? As mentioned, you should segregate your brass between different rifles anyway. You won't use match bullets while hunting. So you're really only out $45 for a set of dies.
 
You could shave close to three pounds from that rifle. The barrel could be heavily fluted and shortened to 22" or 23", and a lighter stock purchased. A different scope for your hunting situations could be mounted as well.
It is possible.

R.
 
As per above, you could modify it, take some material out of the stock, flute the bolt, the barrel, and drill the center of the bolt knob out or flute it, though I bet you would be into it for around 400-600+ and I think you would be better to buy another rifle to carry at your shoulder for hikings, and get something like a eberlestock pack for that rifle if you plan to go to a blind or wait along a field for first/last shooting light.

I did the same thing with a rifle, thinking I would have an uber cool hunting/target rifle, mine is more of an anchor then yours, and I was mistaken in thinking it would work for both applications, but I still had fun getting some custom work done and still really like the anchor, I mean rifle.
 
Why not go .308 or 7mm08? As mentioned, you should segregate your brass between different rifles anyway. You won't use match bullets while hunting. So you're really only out $45 for a set of dies.

I really do not have a solid argument for staying with the 260 other then I really like it and I am stubborn ( so my wife tells me)

Hell I almost picked up up a Ruger 300 RCM a couple weeks. Compact, good iron sights and a decent price but I stopped because not sure I wordlike the 300
 
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I really do not have a solid argument for staying with the 260 other then I really like it and I am stubborn ( so my wife tells me)

Haha fair enough. Just an FYI the reason people say pencil thin barrels, like on the savage lightweight hunter, don't shoot is because they don't like or don't know how to play with them. A combination of bedding the first 3"-6" of the barrel and possibly a pressure point will usually make them perform very consistently.
 
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