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The decision to take a perfectly good rifle apart and start tinkering around with a wildcat chambering was a difficult one to make. However, in time I made my mind up that I had to have something unique and different. The choice was simple; it would be a .257 WSM. From hanging around this forum for quite awhile now, I learned how easy it is to build a custom rifle based on the Savage action. This is a real plus and was not apparent to me when I first started adding Savage rifles to my collection.
It is my goal to exceed the ballistics of the .257 Weatherby Magnum with 100 to 120 grain hunting bullets. My bullet of choice for all around hunting purposes is the Nosler 110 grain Accubond. The result should prove to be an excellent lightweight long-range mountain rifle for anything up to Mule Deer and possibly even Elk.
The first step was to decide which of my Savages I was going to sacrifice for this project. It was between my 300 WSM Model 10 and my 7MM WSM Weather Warrior. I decided that since the ballistics would be relatively similar between the 7MM and my project rifle that the 7MM would be the volunteer, I found it difficult to consider taking the rifle (300WSM) apart that served me well in Africa.
Next, I started tearing down the rifle and began to weigh out my options for action work etc. Removing the barrel was a breeze with the barrel wrench and the hardwood blocks that Sharp Shooter Supply (SSS) provided. The action was sent off to SSS for the standard timing and truing procedure, and I had Fred throw in one of his heavyweight recoil lugs and a new barrel nut. The factory trigger worked well enough for me after a bit of adjusting on my 7MM so I decided to leave it in place for now. My main reason for keeping the stock trigger was of course budget restraints.
My stock choice was based on my desire to keep things lightweight and within budget constraints. I decided to go with an out of the mold Stockade Hunting Sporter with a full aluminum frame, hand laid glass and an injection-molded cover. The stock required a fair amount of sanding and a good bit of material had to be removed from the barrel channel in order to fit the magnum contour barrel. Filling of the various low spots and or chips etc. was accomplished with typical auto body filler thinned slightly with acetone prior to adding hardener. A good deal of material was removed around the pillars and recoil lug area in order to make room for the bedding compound. Several 1/8 holes drilled in the area immediately surrounding the pillars allowed for additional grip for the bedding compound.
Bedding went smoothly for my first attempt and I am pleased with the results. The Pro Bed 2000 was easy to use and came with a decent instruction sheet. I ended up with a perfect cradle around the front pillar all the way to the recoil lug and under the barrel nut. The lug is bedded fully into the well, snug on both sides, and tight to the rear face of the lug. There is front and side clearance around the lug from a layer of blue masking tape. I was afraid this would be a little tight but it worked out perfectly. A couple wraps of tape around the barrel nut gave me plenty of clearance there as well. There was a slight void at the rear pillar near the bolt handle but a little extra dab of bedding material fixed that.
Next on the list was the finish painting of the stock. Duracoat was my finish of choice so I ordered several colors for a camouflage type finish. The Duracoat finish was a breeze to apply and the speckle finish with the last coat of black matte and the clear matte speckle top coat gave a real nice grip to the stock. It feels like it is wrapped in 220-grit sandpaper, just what I was looking for.
Barrel assembly and head spacing was relatively painless with the SSS action wrench and barrel blocks. One try on a necked down Remington 270 WSM case and I was good to go. I then tried the paper shim test to be sure the bolt would not close and found that to prove out as well. Final assembly of the trigger and safety went fine once I took my 300 WSM off the stock so I could have a look at it. Seems that a couple months in a zip lock bag and I forgot how it went back together.
Load data:
As this is a relatively new wildcat round, there was not a whole lot of data to be found. I did manage to find two starting loads in the bullet I am primarily interested in using (Nosler 110 grain Accubond). I was looking at 270 WSM data for some baseline data in near or similar bullet weights to consider as a starting point. Figuring if a 270 WSM can shoot X bullet weight with X powder charge than a smaller lighter bullet should be relatively safe with a slightly reduced charge of said powder. I also took a good look at some 25-06 AI data as well, some of those figures looked like a safe starting point also. I know I am not the first person to consider such logic but I feel confident that I will hit the mark safely.
In closing:
I am very satisfied with the results to date. The stock took quite a bit more work than I anticipated but I am sure a lot of this was due to my inexperience with this kind of project. I am quite certain that the next one will be a bit easier. The barrel was quite handsome in its bead blasted SS finish and after much procrastination, I finally decided to go ahead and shoot the barrel with a coat of black and green Duracoat. I am pleased with the way it turned out, sort of a military green color and very smooth. The action is noticeably easier to operate now and the lugs are in perfect contact with one another. load development is still under way to date, speed is coming real easy and I am satisfied that I have easily met my main goals for this rifle, that is to exceed the much ballyhooed 257 Weatherby Magnum in velocity with a short action with less powder, good accuracy and for far less money.
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