Ok, I'm Now Going Off The Deep End Big Time .... Long Range Custom Stuff !

[wlleven]

Well I have now decided that I NEED a long range rife. I think I'm going to buy another Hog Hunter, rip the barrel off and sell it !

I will then install a McGowen 28 inch varmint contour 6.5x47 and have it threaded for a Cooley muzzle break, (I don't want recoil). I will also sell the Hog Hunter stock and buy a MDT LSS stock.

I will not (not now anyways) shoot 1000 Yard competition, but I will have the gun that can do it ;- )

I like the fact that I can have a range gun that can reach out there and not burn the barrel up !

Guys, what are your thoughts, or should I commit myself right now........


wll

[stangfish]

The 6.5 is the way to go for what you want. The Creedmore, the lapua or the 260 Remington, none of them have recoil with a 28 inch barrel. If you want real custom stuff get a custom action and go from there.

[LoneWolf]

I agree I will one day rebarrel my Axis to 260 rem. I just want to start all my reloading on the 308Win. Probably 6 months or so down the road.

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[Maztech89]

What Stang said. Around here it's the 6.5's or the 7mag. My buddy recently switched from his 7mag to a custom Surgeon built Creedmoor and I don't think he could be any happier. All he does is the long range prone stuff, and does well too.

[BoilerUP]

I can almost guarantee a 28" varmint contour barrel is going to balance HORRIBLY in the MDT LSS chassis; you are asking a short, lightweight chassis to work with a long, heavy barrel...that's no bueno IMO.

Besides, you don't need that long a barrel to reach 1000yd comfortably; there's a guy on Snipershide getting 2690fps with 130gr Bergers through a 16.5" 6.5x47...

[LoneWolf]

I can almost guarantee a 28" varmint contour barrel is going to balance HORRIBLY in the MDT LSS chassis; you are asking a short, lightweight chassis to work with a long, heavy barrel...that's no bueno IMO.

Besides, you don't need that long a barrel to reach 1000yd comfortably; there's a guy on Snipershide getting 2690fps with 130gr Bergers through a 16.5" 6.5x47...

I agree I run a 26in Varmint on my 308. It is very front heavy. Not so comfortable for off hand shots that are thrown into comps now and then. I would probably run a 22 or 24 on it. Also at that length you start limiting the cases you can store it in! I like my precision rifle in a hard case!

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[stomp442]

I agree 28" has always been a touch to long for me. I really like a 26" barrel, they give you all the velocity you need and aren't quite so awkward when carrying around. I also prefer the 260 Remington over the 6.5x47 just because you get a little more case capacity and velocity. Since you are going to put a brake on it I think the 260 Ackley would be an even better choice. Velocity very similar to the 6.5-284 while using less powder and outstanding brass life.

[wlleven]

I may have gotten over zealous with the 28 Inch barrel, maybe a 24 would be more in line ? I'm looking at good downrange performance, and long barrel life because of the smaller amount of powder burnt. Do you think a 22 Inch barrel will give good velocity with bullets in the 120-140 range ?

wll

[stomp442]

It all depends what your barrel likes and the powder used. I would say with a 22" barrel you could expect right at 2700 with the 6.5x47 with a good charge of H4350. 2750 with a 24" somewhere in there. I'm not a fan of short barrels though and wouldn't go any shorter than 24" why build a nice long range rig in a cartridge built for long high b.c. bullets to buck the wind and then chop its nuts off with a short barrel and negate any ballistic advantage it had with lower than normal velocities?

[wlleven]

It all depends what your barrel likes and the powder used. I would say with a 22" barrel you could expect right at 2700 with the 6.5x47 with a good charge of H4350. 2750 with a 24" somewhere in there. I'm not a fan of short barrels though and wouldn't go any shorter than 24" why build a nice long range rig in a cartridge built for long high b.c. bullets to buck the wind and then chop its nuts off with a short barrel and negate any ballistic advantage it had with lower than normal velocities?

Yes, I think you are right. Would you get medium varmint to cut down on weight or heavy varmint, I think bull will be way to much.

wll

[LoneWolf]

Unless you intend on large strings of fire Varmint Contour is plenty. I get a good 10-15 shots with my McGowen Varmint Contour before it really heats up at a moderate pace of fire. Roughly a round or two a minute.

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[sinman]

I thought you wanted to shoot long range? 1,000yrds is just the start of long range. If you want to shoot really far I would up the cartridge but that would be fine for 1,000yrd comp. If you wanted a competition rifle of sorts I would go with a Stiller action (or other high end actions) and get a mcm or manners stock, cut rifled barrel and the best optics you can afford. If you want to just mess around shooting at 1k you can go with a trued 700 or Savage and what ever stock you want.

[wlleven]

I thought you wanted to shoot long range? 1,000yrds is just the start of long range. If you want to shoot really far I would up the cartridge but that would be fine for 1,000yrd comp. If you wanted a competition rifle of sorts I would go with a Stiller action (or other high end actions) and get a mcm or manners stock, cut rifled barrel and the best optics you can afford. If you want to just mess around shooting at 1k you can go with a trued 700 or Savage and what ever stock you want.

Long range for me is 1000yds. I don't plan on using this gun for competition, just long range gong stuff. Maybe a shot at a yote if it presents itself, that type of thing. The reason for 6.45 is I don't want the recoil of my 308 (even though it has a Cooley break on it) I will put a Cooley break on the 6.5 also.

It will be a fun great looking range gun, fire a couple of rounds, chew the fat with the guys, that type of thing.

I have had to much competition stuff in my life, practicing 6 hrs a day while competing in Silhouette matches, shooting air pistol and air rifle, took my hand at free pistol also.

wll

[jbjh]

If you do the Hog Hunter in .223, I'd be interested in the barrel for sure. This is a good way to dip your toes into LR without selling a kidney.

That said, there are advantages in doing any of the 6.5's in a long action, mostly the ability to load long in the mag. You also expand your cartridge choices to include 6.5x55 and 6.5-06, among others (being a Savage, you can reconfigure as wanted).

[BoilerUP]

why build a nice long range rig in a cartridge built for long high b.c. bullets to buck the wind and then chop its nuts off with a short barrel and negate any ballistic advantage it had with lower than normal velocities?

Because you can have a shorter, lighter, handier, lower recoiling rifle with long range ballistics that are STILL superior to a long-barreled 308?

I have a 20" 260 and run 140s @ 2700fps; it does just fine out to 1100yd, and is a hell of a lot better for offhand shooting and hunting than it was with a 26" barrel.

[stomp442]

Yeah it does fine and I agree beats the pants off of a 308 but it could still be better. If the OP wanted a walking around hunting rifle I could see a short barrel but he's specifically asking about 1000 yard shooting not packing it through the woods and over the hill. The difference between 2700 and 2800 is 4" of drift and over 2 feet of drop. This could easily be the difference between a hit or a miss. I understand drop is easily accounted for but the advantage of having that extra 4" of wind drift is a big deal.

[wlleven]

Yeah it does fine and I agree beats the pants off of a 308 but it could still be better. If the OP wanted a walking around hunting rifle I could see a short barrel but he's specifically asking about 1000 yard shooting not packing it through the woods and over the hill. The difference between 2700 and 2800 is 4" of drift and over 2 feet of drop. This could easily be the difference between a hit or a miss. I understand drop is easily accounted for but the advantage of having that extra 4" of wind drift is a big deal.

Ya, this gun will never see the field unless it is on a bench of some type, no I won't be lugging this around for sure ! It will be a fun bench gun without the boot of my 308. Like I mentioned earlier it may be used for an ocasional long range preditor shot if the opportunity presents itself !

I have a host of field type varmint rifles that I would use for walking around.


wll

[BoilerUP]

I still don't think you're gonna like the MDT LSS with anything over 22" or so...but for prone or a bench, maybe it won't matter.

[wlleven]

I still don't think you're gonna like the MDT LSS with anything over 22" or so...but for prone or a bench, maybe it won't matter.

Ya, I don't know, I would sure like to see someone that has a 24 inch tube on that frame !

wll

[cheezie]

Not to throw the thread too far off track, but I have just built up a single-shot 6.5-06 on a CF short action, a 26-inch varmint contour barrel from GunShack, and a Choate varmint stock bought used here on the forum. I am using an aluminum single-shot insert from Jim at Northland to get around the cartridge length issue. Yes, I have to remove the bolt to extract an unfired round, but that's not such a big deal. My point is that we don't need to be rigid in our thinking about what works!