BRNO 602 .300 WM to .338 RUM mod?

S

sailor91

New member
EE Expired
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
Location
Duncan, BC
Got the urge to put some "sauce" on my 80's BRNO 602. It's the only .300WM 602 I've run accross, and I originally bought it for the "that's unusual" factor. I've since found that it's extremely heavy on the trail and heavier than it needs to be for a .300 WM. I'm planning to bump it up to .338 RUM. I was thinking .340 Weatherby, but I think the RUM ammo is better priced, even for reloading components. I'm also planning to bed it into a high-end synthetic stock, but I've been told that bedding the 602 action is a bit of a pain.
I'm looking for a rifle that will knock down anything at 500 yards plus, but still not require a gun carriage to lug around the woods.
Any thoughts? I'd appreciate some feedback.
 
The 340 would be a piece of cake to make feed and is a heck of a good round.

That action is a natural for a 375 Ultra. ;)

Never mind the brass the bullets are what make the big guns expensive to shoot.
 
Considering how strong the action is, I've certainly got some options. I've already got a 375 H&H Sako AIII, and I'm still working up loads for it.
I'm looking for something a bit flatter shooting with the .338 RUM.
 
The 338Edge is even more of a good thing and (other than a few grains of powder) isn't any more expensive to shoot.

Flat shooting doesn't mean anything at real distance...Just so you know.
At 500 yards you are correcting for range via a scope reticle or scope adjustment...No way around that.

The 375Ultra will hit anything the fast 338's can (I own several versions of both)...I have shot my 375 Ultra in practice out to near 700 yards.
 
In all honesty, it's the cool factor. I'm also looking for something a bit unusual (hence recycling the 602 action). For .30 cal, I'm looking for something like a M77 or Mod 70 in .30-06. I've been looking to build/buy a long range critter-buster for a while now, and I've just started checking out some options.
 
sailor91 said:
In all honesty, it's the cool factor. I'm also looking for something a bit unusual (hence recycling the 602 action). For .30 cal, I'm looking for something like a M77 or Mod 70 in .30-06. I've been looking to build/buy a long range critter-buster for a while now, and I've just started checking out some options.
Click to expand...

LOL! :D

I can relate to that!
 
When I had my 602 re-barreled from the factory .375 H&H to the Smith stainless .375 Ultra, it required no magazine or bolt face alterations. A .378 Weatherby, .416 Riby, or a .338 Lapua based cartridge will all carry a hefty price tag compared to the Ultramag/.404 Jeffery case.
 
The original stock failed, which is too bad as the rifle was a tad lighter, but it wasn't to be so I switched to a McMillan Express Stock. The McMillan was bedded and cross-bolted to ensure it would stand up. This stock has withstood heavy loads and a great deal of carrying over a number of years without a whimper. It has been carried so much the white fiberglass is visible along the forearm and the checkering has become pretty smooth.

My only two small complaints concerning the McMillan is the pistol grip doesn't sweep back far enough so it crowds the trigger guard and it rapped the knuckle of my middle finger when I shot. But this was easily cured with he addition of a nylon finger deflector fastened to the rear of the trigger guard. Secondly the Brno factory stock had lots of drop, as it was designed for shooting with iron sights, but the McMillan's comb is a bit high requiring me to mash my cheek into the stock in order to get a sight picture with the ghost ring, with the lively recoil this thing has, a very tight cheek weld is not particularly comfortable. The Leupold 2X EER that the rifle now wears has proven to be very resilient, so I haven't been forced to subject myself to the head snapping, tooth rattling jar I get from shooting with irons.

Suffice to say. if I was to build another rifle along similar lines the McMillan stock is one element I would keep, the fluted barrel, not so much. Nothing wrong with it, I just got tired of the look, everyone and their dog has fluted barrels now, and the additional forward weight of a non fluted barrel wouldn't hurt.

The 602 in it's element.
DSC03745.jpg


Detail of the finger deflector
spacer.jpg
 
Boomer said:
The original stock failed, which is too bad as the rifle was a tad lighter, but it wasn't to be so I switched to a McMillan Express Stock. The McMillan was bedded and cross-bolted to ensure it would stand up. This stock has withstood heavy loads and a great deal of carrying over a number of years without a whimper. It has been carried so much the white fiberglass is visible along the forearm and the checkering has become pretty smooth.

My only two small complaints concerning the McMillan is the pistol grip doesn't sweep back far enough so it crowds the trigger guard and it rapped the knuckle of my middle finger when I shot. But this was easily cured with he addition of a nylon finger deflector fastened to the rear of the trigger guard. Secondly the Brno factory stock had lots of drop, as it was designed for shooting with iron sights, but the McMillan's comb is a bit high requiring me to mash my cheek into the stock in order to get a sight picture with the ghost ring, with the lively recoil this thing has, a very tight cheek weld is not particularly comfortable. The Leupold 2X EER that the rifle now wears has proven to be very resilient, so I haven't been forced to subject myself to the head snapping, tooth rattling jar I get from shooting with irons.

Suffice to say. if I was to build another rifle along similar lines the McMillan stock is one element I would keep, the fluted barrel, not so much. Nothing wrong with it, I just got tired of the look, everyone and their dog has fluted barrels now, and the additional forward weight of a non fluted barrel wouldn't hurt.

The 602 in it's element.
DSC03745.jpg


Detail of the finger deflector
spacer.jpg
Click to expand...

Very nice rifle. That's the exact same stock I was thinking of using, but I decided to keep the original wood stock for my build. I like the feel of it, and hopefully it holds up. Also, I've heard from some gunsmiths that bedding the action in an aftermarket stock is something of a pain. Who did the build for you? It looks like they did some sweet work.
 
Boomer said:
spacer.jpg
Click to expand...

Wow!
That stock is really short in the grip.
You've mentioned this before, but the picture says it all...What was McMillan thinking?
That stock would be a bitter disappointment (and pain) in something like a 500A-2! :eek:

McMillan's "Remington Sporter" is so near perfect it is ridiculous.....How the same company came up with that 602 design is beyond me.
 
sailor91 said:
. . . Also, I've heard from some gunsmiths that bedding the action in an aftermarket stock is something of a pain. Who did the build for you? It looks like they did some sweet work.
Click to expand...

My "go to" guy is Dave Jennings in Pritchard BC, but Lyle Linkaitis in Selkirk Manitoba also did some of the early work on it, including chambering and fitting the new barrel, and building the quarter rib which he inletted for Talley QD rings.

The difficulty of inletting a stock for an action and barrel is related to the inletting of the stock, some are designed as "drop in" others are not. IMHO, even a drop in stock should be properly bedded, or you are not getting the most out the the investment you've made in a high quality stock. Cross bolting in a wood stock needs to put the wood in compression so when properly installed the bolt heads are visible on the sides of the stock, but when installed in a fiberglass stock, the cross bolts act more like rebar in concrete and can be hidden. Naturally, the more work the gunsmith has to do, the greater your cost will be.
 
X-fan said:
Wow!
That stock is really short in the grip.
You've mentioned this before, but the picture says it all...What was McMillan thinking?
That stock would be a bitter disappointment (and pain) in something like a 500A-2! :eek:

McMillan's "Remington Sporter" is so near perfect it is ridiculous.....How the same company came up with that 602 design is beyond me.
Click to expand...

According to McMillan's web site the Express stock was supposed to share the lines of the traditional English safari rifle stocks, but when viewed side by side they seem to have little in common, to my eye anyway. Oh well, I have adapted pretty well to the stock I have, which gives up nothing in quality. Still, it would be nice if they built a stock with a more swept back pistol grip and more drop at the comb. I also have a fully adjustable McMillan A-5 on my target rifle. Its too bad they didn't put as much thought in their classic hunting stock as they did premier sniper stock.
 
martinbns said:
Given the BRNO is european, why not a euro cartridge?

338 Lapua
358 Norma Magnum
Click to expand...

The .338 Lapua has some attraction, but unless the donor action was originally for a .416 Rigby, the feed rails might need to be adjusted for the fatter cartridge. As for the .358 Norma, I am not particularly comfortable loading powerful rifle cartridges in a much longer magazine length after Pounder experienced a .458 round fire in his 602's mag box. That rifle was repaired and put back in service, re-chambered for the Lott. Although he's never admitted to not trusting that thing, more often than not he's now packing a long barrel 95 Marlin or a Benelli M-2 shotgun.
 
Boomer said:
The .338 Lapua has some attraction, but unless the donor action was originally for a .416 Rigby, the feed rails might need to be adjusted for the fatter cartridge. As for the .358 Norma, I am not particularly comfortable loading powerful rifle cartridges in a much longer magazine length after Pounder experienced a .458 round fire in his 602's mag box. That rifle was repaired and put back in service, re-chambered for the Lott. Although he's never admitted to not trusting that thing, more often than not he's now packing a long barrel 95 Marlin or a Benelli M-2 shotgun.
Click to expand...

I agree. Frankly, .338 Lapua is more than I'll ever need. The extra power is tempting, but the upper limit of my offhand killshots is 500 meters or so, and 800-900 from a stand (mind you, I took my last deer at 25 yards with my BRNO in it's current chambering of .300WM..lol). At the ranges I hunt, the .338 RUM is more than enough. Besides, I've still got my Sako AIII in .375 H&H for heavy brush hunting (might actually let this one go, but I'm still debating). I foolishly unloaded my '58 Mod 70 in .30-06, and I'm looking for another .30-06 CRF rifle as my "backup".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom