Match grade Featherweight Barrels

Brambles

Brambles

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West Kootenays B.C.
OK you gunnutz. How many of you have rebarreled your rifles with pencil/ featherweight barrels? How did/does the rifle shoot.

Im having a Custom rifle built on my Remington m700 Titanium. No expense spared with the exception of the factory trigger is staying but being reworked to provide 3.5 - 4 lbs pull.

Here's whats going on.
Featherweight Lothar Walther SS match grade barrel finished to 23 3/4 inch
280 Ackley Improved Match chamber and Crown
Action fully accurized,True front of receiver, truing of the receiver threads and the bolt seating surfaces and the bolt lugs squared and the bolt face trued.
Tubb lightweight firing pin and spring
Cocking piece
Aluminium bolt shroud
Match SS recoil lug
Bedding the action in the stock
Bansner Hi-Tech Specialties Sheep Hunter stock
Redding Deluxe 280 Ackley Imp Die set.

So now this is the first rifle I have had built basically from the ground up and with a match grade barrel.

I know I have had things done that isn't really necessary on a hunting rifle, more of target stuff, but I want to make sure that this rifle is the best it can be for a lightweight hunting rig

What kind of accuracy do you think this rifle should provide 3 shot groups, allowing the barrel to cool of course. I don't plan on blazing until the barrel is glowing and still expect terrific accuracy but I'm curious as to what others have experienced with similar builds..

Thanks

Brambles
 
Well assuming whoever slaps all that together........i'd say you should be Pleasantly surprised ;)

Sounds like it's gonna be a Sweet Rig :onCrack:
 
ive got a rem 700 280 ai with bansner stock bolt has been trued ,bedded etc.and it shoots 140 accubonds and 160s into 1/2 in or less at 100 yards CONSISTENTLY i think you will like yours
 
As stated earlier, the barrel is up to it. How bout the fellow doing the barrell threading, chambering, headspacing, crowning, and also who's going to bed the rifle?
There is a lot more to a rebarrel job than the pipe, all things being equal most barrels produced for the after market, are better than we will ever realize. It is the human element of the gunsmithing that ultimatly will affect the accuracy potential.
 
Mag sporter is as light as I have gone, but any weight of barrel that is well made will be great, its not the weight that makes a shooter, thats just for many shots without wondering, has nothing to do with accuracy. Oh and a heavy long barrel will be easier to hold steady.
The bottom line, on a pencil barrel, is why, if your not hiking to the top of a mountain there is no need for a match pencil barrel. In the deer woods , any factory light barrel will work fine. But hey , if its out there, why the heck not eh!:D
The down side, resale sucks, you can have the best components, done up by the best gunsmith, and accuracy can be fantastic, you can't get back half what you put in, I tried on this site:D :onCrack:, I gave my head a shake, and pulled the post.:shotgun: .
 
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I have a gun very similar to what you are making, Rem 700 s/a in 7mmwsm
made up by Hart barrel is 24" flutted,action is trued etc,tubbs system, the only thing I put in a jewell HVR trigger the gun shoots 140gr noslers in one small hole if I do my part gun weighs 6.7lbs, not including scope, I think your gun will weigh under 6 lbs easly,or maybe even 5lbs ? very light.but with a 3+pound trigger, it will be hard to get small groups,
But my favorite hunting gun is a Rem model 7 18.5 barrel original factory in .308 I put a banser stock and bedded it worked some loads and it gives me .. 75" groups of three shots and total weight is 6.6lbs with a Leupold 1.75-6x scope. Like Levi said you can spend a lot of money and not really achive much better than tunning a factory gun and stil retaining value. I am interested in knowing total weight when finnished
Good Luck
 
Might want to confirm what "Match Chamber" means w/your smith... I always ask (check the neck diameter (neckturning ain't my idea of a good time)).

As for how it'll shoot...if it doens't shoot well under 1/2" I'd be not only suprised...but pissed!

Here are some typical 100yd groups I've shot w/my 7-08AI...dozens more like it that I never kept. It is 6lbs scoped w/VXII 2-7x33, and wears a mtn contour PENCIL thin 22" Gaillard SS 1:9.

P2250007.jpg


Last time I punched paper was 5 - 3 shot groups with my hunting load that averaged 0.37".

Nowadays I simply shoot jugs out past 570yds w/it and then go hunting...no more paper punching!

280_ACKLEY
 
Levi Garrett said:
The bottom line, on a pencil barrel, is why, if your not hiking to the top of a mountain there is no need for a match pencil barrel.
Click to expand...

Thats exactly what this rifle is for, Goat, Sheep and High country mule deer. I'll probably take it hunting for other animals to just for the hell of it

Levi Garrett said:
The down side, resale sucks, you can have the best components, done up by the best gunsmith, and accuracy can be fantastic, you can't get back half what you put in, I tried on this site:D :onCrack:, I gave my head a shake, and pulled the post.:shotgun: .
Click to expand...

I'm not building it to sell it, your right there is no way to make money on a rifle like this, I'll keep it till I die.
 
280 Ackley

very nice job, thanks for the eye candy. I'm kind of hoping that it will do 1/2 moa or better.

I remember taking to him about the chamber, can't remember the specifics right now since we have been talking about a lot of stuff but its something along the lines of it being a match chamber but still allowing the use of unturned necks and factory ammo. I'll have to clarify it with him to satisfy my own piece of mind. Thanks

Lefty ####

I hope he's up to it too:) All I can say is from talking to him he seems to know the proper way to do things. He's been doing it for a long time and does a lot of Police Dept stuff and 600 - 1000 yard benchrest rifles. All I can do is lay my money down and take my chances and trust that he does all that he says he's going to do.

Manitou210

I'm hoping for 6 lbs scoped but might actually be a touch less. Have to wait and see. If I would have been willing to cut the barrel down to 22 inches I would have lost a fair bit more weight but opted to keep the barrel length as long as possible to take advantage of he Ackley chamber
 
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I would be happy with 1/2 MOA at 500yds! There is a big difference.

For an accurate high country rifle, I want the ability to reach out cause I might have to.

That is where my extra money is well spent. Consistent, reliable, predictable hits at extended ranges on a cold barrel.

Hitting a coffee cup at 500yds with the first shot is enough accuracy for me.

Good luck with your build.

Jerry
 
mysticplayer said:
Consistent, reliable, predictable hits at extended ranges on a cold barrel.

Jerry
Click to expand...


Consistency is one of the biggest priorities for me too, From what I have read these 280 AI will shoot well with basically everything. And a nice 3 shot group out of a cold barrel is, to me, what a hunting rifle is all about.

If this rifle shoots 1/2 moa out to 500 yards I'll piss myself, I would be very very happy. Me thinks I'd need a higher power scope than my Leupold Compact 3-9x33 to do that though:cool:
 
My 280AI all-out sheep rifle wears a 24" M700 mountain rifle contour Gaillard barrel and weighs in at 6 pounds 11 oz with a Leupold 6X42 on board in talley lightweight rings. Light. The running tally for over 10 3-shot groups at 100 yards with 140 accubonds at 3150 fps is 0.55". A lightweight rifle can shoot.
 
Brambles,
Since this is obviously a hunting rifle, I really wouldn't go to any higher magnification than 10x. You will be suprised what you can see at 7x on big game animals I took my last moose @ 190yds and only realized after I shot him that my scope was at 2x. I never felt like I required more power to take that shot.

Just a thought, Homesteader
 
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