New project- light walking rifle.

[mattri]

Decided to go in a new direction with current project- away from range rifles, long range varmint guns etc- a lightweight walking rifle. Something easy to carry, easy to shoot, handy and quick.

I thought long and hard about which chambering to go with, the 7.62x39 was definitely a contender, as were 6x45, 6.5 Grendel, 338 Whisper and a few others. As always it came down to form following function and went with 300BO. Proper bullet selection and super loads should support hunting medium game out to reasonable ranges, dispatching pests close to home and target shooting. I also wanted the ability to run subs accurately and hopefully this barrel allows that.

For optics I went with a Vortex PST 2.5-10 with their EBR-1 mil/mil reticle. 10x will be more than enough for my ranges, I like the graduated reticle for use with different loads and it is illuminated which with the lower powers can be handy for garden/trash raiders.

The stock was a tough choice. I've used Manners, B&C, Stockade and a few others, even went with a chassis system on 308 for a while. The big difference with this rifle is that it is intended to be used 99% offhand or with an improvised rest at best. That being the case the factory stock kind of fits as a light, quick handling option. I'll at least give it a whirl, with some pillar bedding and maybe a little stiffening up we'll see. I also have used Hogue's overmolded with the full al frame and it may be an option- open to suggestions.

At this point have everything but the barrel, which *should* arrive any day.
https://i.postimg.cc/JttVhFnz/20220207-191533.jpg (https://postimg.cc/JttVhFnz)

[Dave Hoback]

Awesome Man! Very cool stuff. Not a fan of the 300AAC...I didn’t like it the FIRST TIME it was released, years ago, either. It was called the 300 WHISPER back then. Funny thing...nobody else really liked it either. I guess “Black-Out” is a KEWLUR name though, LOL!

Seriously, awesome little project bud. Far as stocks, the MDT HNT26 is about TOP DOG in lightness department at 26oz, but they are ALSO on top in the $COST$ department at a staggering $1400! (WHOA-MOMMA!)

[Dave Hoback]

Oh yeah, guess it was a good thing I gave you back that GO gauge, huh?? LOL!:p:redface-new: J/K, Different cartridge.

[Fuj']

I notice your wanting to use AR/AK style ammo. Is this for doing a lot of shooting cheap ??
For a walking gun, I have this itch for a Marlin 1894CS .357 Magnum. Light and cheap to
shoot. Man I miss my 44/40 !!

[charlie b]

There was a LONG discussion on the Cast Boolit forum about a walking rifle. All of it centered around what you expect to encounter while walking and how light was 'light'. From .22LR up to .45-70. Single shot to semi-auto.

Yours is as good a choice as any and your selections for your intended use look great.

[mattri]

Thanks for the replies.

The choice in chambering was a process of elimination with compromises as always.

A pistol cartridge like the 357, 44 etc. would definitely work well in certain applications. As this build is off of a Savage platform and I wanted to keep the internal mag that set parameters re feeding etc. Straight wall cartridges have not fed well in previous builds and the 7.62x39- while superior in many ways also has enough body taper to cause the same issues. Many cartridges would fill this niche depending on intended use- the 300BO seemed to fit the bill with the least amount of re-engineering. Lot's of common components, good bullet selection, load data and ballistics that match the intended use- on paper anyway..

So to finally answer the question I wasn't specifically looking for an AR/AK round but some of those were right in the same wheelhouse.