Revamping my 111 .300 Win Mag

[haulinbass08]

Gents, first time posting here, I've got some training and experience in LR shooting and am actually wanting to build/rebuild my 111 into my long range/tactical rifle.
A new stock is first because I require a shorter pull stock to fit me comfortably. Not quite sure which one it will be but the McMillian is looking awful nice.
Secondly, I want/need to replace the barrel with a heavier contour barrel. I'm not sure which one to get as my main requirement is that it can be threaded for a suppressor.
Is a varmint contour from Shilen going to work or do I need to go to their bull barrel?
I've shot the Remington 700 SPS tactical in the past and from everything I can figure it is basically a varmint contour unlike the M24 which uses a true Bull barrel contour.
Not sure if there truly is THAT much difference in the barrel performance from varmint to bull but want to get beat performance for my money...


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[SageRat Shooter]

HB,

Had a similar dilemma myself not too long ago. I'm building a 260 rem using a Criterion Varmint Barrel. I asked the same question, Varmint or Bull. Some of the other guys on here told me this: take a pair of calipers and open them up about .17. That is about the difference in contour between the Criterion Bull and their Varmint... (at the muzzle) There's barely a hair's width difference, But the bull is about 1.5 lbs heavier. The Varmint will be sufficient for anything you'll probably want to do.

[haulinbass08]

Ok then my next question is, should I buy an off the shelf McMillian or Choate stock or have the barrel tunnel formed to match the barrel profile precisely minus what is needed to free float? IIRC the McMilliam are designed to fit "most" varmint profiles, I just don't want it to look like a one size fits all stock if you know what I mean.


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[SageRat Shooter]

I understand what you mean, by "one size fits all", however I can't help you with either one of those stocks. I went with a Boyds Laminate in Coyote design for mine and I will have to Sand my barrel channel (1" dowel and sandpaper) to open it up enough to accommodate the Varmint barrel.

I've seen a few guys that have gone with a Choate, but I just don't like or trust the synthetic stocks unless they are from HS Precision or a McMillan. But if you're going to go with a McMillan, perhaps you might consider the XLR chassis also....

[RC20]

Like SageRatS, I had the same question.

What it boiled down to decision wise, cost was the same, I was only going to bench rest with the gun and Heavier is more stable even if I might be able to tell, and it does not hurt and may help (hot day and a lot of shooting though not likely in my locale)

So I went with the Bull, no regrets.

I have put the 308 Savage Varmint on my play gun and shooting side by side I am not seeing a heat build up difference though again temps here are significantly lower than many places and have not done so on what would be a hot day for us (70 deg)

I can say while the Bull take longer to heat up, it also takes longer to cool down.

The Varmint is in between, heats up quicker but also cools down quicker. Heat up means fairly warm, not hot so far.

Both shoot the same cold as warmer.

[haulinbass08]

I think the key for me is weight vs performance. Cold bore is obviously very important and typically a heavier barrel will have a more consistent cold bore. But as long as you know what it does then you know how to manage that first shot.
I don't plan on making this a bench gun so it needs to be able to be carried without too much cumbersome weight.
Like I stated earlier, my main concern is being able to thread it for a suppressor. Shilen told me the Savage varmint profile has enough to do that. I really need to make sure before I drop that kind of money on one.


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[haulinbass08]

Ok I need to bring a dead horse up, given that my rifle is a LA with DBM, there doesn't seem to be many drop in ready stocks out there? Or am I just not looking in the right places? I'm trying to keep this very reasonable.
At this point I am considering a HS Precision tactical stock with a CDI bottom metal and having them inlet the action.
The barrel tunnel will depend on the barrel I get. I may start with a smaller tunnel and open it up for the Varmint contour myself....


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[SageRat Shooter]

At this point I am considering a HS Precision tactical stock with a CDI bottom metal and having them inlet the action.
The barrel tunnel will depend on the barrel I get. I may start with a smaller tunnel and open it up for the Varmint contour myself.... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's what most of us have to do... It's not hard as long as you have a 1" dowel and sand paper...

[psharon97]

I wouldn't get too hung up on the barrel channel. Too much barrel channel won't affect things like too little. The choate is a one size fits all IIRC. I have one in the UV and the stock is functional. It's not my favorite stock, but is very functional. If I needed a practical stock that I didn't care if I beat the crap out of it, that is the stock I would reach for.

Barrel diameter: The main question to ask is, how much will you carry the gun? If you plan on carrying your gun in the trunk to the range, then weight's not a big issue. If that's the case, get a thicker barrel. It will take longer to heat up and be more consistent in shooting strings; the POI, in theory, won't shift as bad. If you do plan on carrying the gun, then I would get a varmint contour. It's the middle of the road contour. It will heat up quicker, cool down quicker, and be lighter.

Another question is recoil. The lighter the recoil. the more the magnum will beat you in the shoulder. You mentioned a threaded barrel, I'm assuming you want to put a suppressor or brake on the rifle.

[haulinbass08]

I wouldn't get too hung up on the barrel channel. Too much barrel channel won't affect things like too little. The choate is a one size fits all IIRC. I have one in the UV and the stock is functional. It's not my favorite stock, but is very functional. If I needed a practical stock that I didn't care if I beat the crap out of it, that is the stock I would reach for.

Barrel diameter: The main question to ask is, how much will you carry the gun? If you plan on carrying your gun in the trunk to the range, then weight's not a big issue. If that's the case, get a thicker barrel. It will take longer to heat up and be more consistent in shooting strings; the POI, in theory, won't shift as bad. If you do plan on carrying the gun, then I would get a varmint contour. It's the middle of the road contour. It will heat up quicker, cool down quicker, and be lighter.

Another question is recoil. The lighter the recoil. the more the magnum will beat you in the shoulder. You mentioned a threaded barrel, I'm assuming you want to put a suppressor or brake on the rifle.

My plan is a suppressor. I believe the tactical stocks being heavier plus the added weight of a larger contour barrel will help with the recoil an I not correct? More mass to absorb it?
I will go varmint barrel most likely, it will not be a bench gun for sure so it needs to be middle of the road for portability and stable, consistent tack driver.


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