Lightweight stalking rifle build (with pics!)

When Academy was selling the Steven's rifles for $179.99 :o I picked one up in 7mm/08. I knew I wanted a 308, so I bought a used sporter weight barrel from a member on here for cheap. I chopped down the forend of the stock as short as possible. I worked up a load, went to the range, and with a cheap 4x32 scope, I could keep them all in 1.5 inches. Then I decided what the heck, I want something different.
Next I chopped down the barrel to just under 18". I used an angle grinder with a cutoff wheel, a file, drill, and dremel. Is it perfectly square? I doubt it. But the crown looks good and I believe it will shoot well also. This is all new to me and I like to experiment with this stuff. I have been painting the stock and barrel the last few days, and the stock is done. I've attached some pics of it, along with the paint I used. This stuff is neat. It's got a rough texture and looks like sand. I'll probably put everything together tomorrow and put up some new pics. My scope mount from Midway will be here later today. Pics as promised:

[img width=600 height=450]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/ddsr5/DSC03228.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/ddsr5/DSC03230.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/ddsr5/DSC03229.jpg[/img]

The way that barrel was cut makes me want to cry, I would be amazed if that will even group I like the stock though

is your name Bubba by any chance? im interested to see a grouping.

We shall see! I plan on sending it in to have it threaded for a suppressor in the next month or so, so it's really not that big of a deal.

Impatient as I am, I spun on the barrel, loaded up some rounds, and went and shot it today. UPS man hadn't come yet, so I put the 4x32 Bushnell scope back on it. The crosshairs cover about 1.5" at 100 yards.

I was experimenting with some reduced recoil rounds (youth loads) using 4895 and 125 grain Hornady V-max. These all seemed to shoot about 1.5". I then tried "the load" that was working well before I cut down the barrel. The last group I shot before all of this measured about 1.5". To my delight, the 3 shot groups are running about an inch with this load. I did go from 2550 fps to 2450 fps, but this was expected with 4" less barrel. This load was downright obnoxious to shoot with the muzzle blast. I think I'll stick with the youth loads, which is what I had planned on in the first place, when I'm not shooting subsonic.

When I got home from the range, I had a box waiting for me, so I went ahead and mounted up the Vortex Strikefire that I plan on keeping on this rifle. It definitely looks odd, but I think it will work well, as I don't plan on using the rifle past 100 yards anyways.

4x32 Bushnell
[img width=600 height=450]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/ddsr5/DSC03232.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/ddsr5/DSC03236.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/ddsr5/DSC03237.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/ddsr5/DSC03238.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/ddsr5/DSC03239.jpg[/img]



As it currently sits
[img width=600 height=450]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/ddsr5/DSC03233.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=450]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/ddsr5/DSC03235.jpg[/img]

Seems your idea is working for a mid range stalker but I would have left a bit longer forearm if I were making a similar one and a slightly longer barrel.
Good luck.

i really like the idea..... but what kind of recoil do you get with that light of a rifle. Looks like a great truck gun.

Keep us posted on the groups. I think i read somewhere that you can crown a barrel with a lyman case trimming tool. Just a thought but it would be interesting to see if it would work. Also if i remember right its only like 50 bucks to have a crown redone at a local guns store so it might be best to check that out.

What was your reasoning for cutting the stock off so short on the forearm?
Was it because the new bbl is a varmint profile& the stock was for a sporter profile?

The barrel is a sporter profile. I cut off the forend because it got rid of 6 ounces that I didn't need. I always hold my rifles right under the action anyways. A longer forend could come in handy if I needed to rest it on something that I can't get close enough to, but I don't see that happening. The recoil isn't bad at all. I'm shooting a youth load of 38 grains of IMR 4895 pushing a 125 Hornady ballistic tip to about 2150 fps. Even with a full power load, the recoil isn't terrible, but the muzzle blast is. As it sits, the rifle weighs 6.5 pounds (the Strikefire weighs 8 oz)

I was thinking, "boy that barrel looks fat for a sporter profile" then I remembered your cut off part of the taper, giving the illusion that it is a thicker barrel than it is. :-[

Barrel is only 18"

This is the target from sighting in the Strikefire:

[img width=600 height=450]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/ddsr5/308sightintarget.jpg[/img]

The first shot was from 25 yards, and is at the bottom right.
After adjustment, second shot is from 50 yards and above target.
3rd shot is 1" high, and right where I want to be. My girlfriend was shooting with me that day and bet I couldn't hit the little orange center of the target, so I held the red dot so that I could just see the top of the black and the center shot is the result. I wouldn't have thought I would be able to hit that close to center considering the target is 3" and the Strikefire dot covers 2" at 50 yards.

I am not surprised the barrel shot just fine with the redneck chop job, over on the accurate reloading site a few years back they did a test abusing the crown, a hacksaw and a deburring tool and the rifle shot just as tight a groups as a lathe turned crown. however often it will move POI dramatically.

I could not stand having the stock that way, there is nothing to grab on to, what if you want to lean over a fence post to take a shot. I also carry shooting sticks with me most of the time and that would be a no go with that gun.

You can wrap your finger around that barrel like a pool cue. :o

How is the paint holding up? Any chips or is it hanging on pretty tight.

Adrian

Interesting..looks good too. I'm not familiar with that scope/mount setup. How's it hold up to recoil/carrying? Don't post anymore about this or you'll have me modding my model 7 after season... ;D

I have one of the Vortex Strikefire dot scopes on an AR and it works great. Don't know about 308 class recoil in a 6.5 lb gun though.
Charlie

I. Think. You. Are...Brilliant!

1. Lightweight.
2. Cheap.
3. Accurate.
4. Low-recoil.

Seems to me the deer don't stand a chance.

I chopped my barrel to 19" and never looked back
and I can still get 2500 fps with 208 gr amaxes and 2400 with
220 gr prohunters.

I think eventually I am going to change to a SS action and an 18" SS barrel
and when I do I am going to have a pencil barrel made for it.

Mine is not as light as yours.
Mine weighs 7#4oz in a full size tupperware stock, with an EGW
base Burris extreme rings and a Leupold 2-7x.

I could probably lose about 6 oz just by changing to a ultralight leupold scope, and light base
and rings, but to me its not worth the $.

Its really nice set up on my duromax stock and weighs 8# even and the duromax stock
has a great recoil pad on it.

To me the OAL is more important than 8 oz or so. A 19" or less barrel makes them a lot more handy.

My woods walking rifle is a 458WM for now and I dont want that too light. I cut that one to 21".

painted my stock with same paint/texture you did and love it. was glad i found it instead of regular paint. better grip due to texture.

The only problem I'm finding with this paint is that if I fire 4-6 shots in succession, then lean the barrel against something, the paint is soft enough to "mush." It's not designed for high heat. This is ok on this rifle, as it is set up for hunting, but something to consider if you plan on painting the barrel of a target type rifle, though I don't know why anyone would want to.

Fusion paint is designed to bond with plastic.

For metal you should be using one of the paints designed for metal from brownells etc.
I think alumahide is one. Maybe duracoat ??