the 260 project is done

I've been talking about building this gun for a while and I finally got around to doing it. The goal was to build a bolt action pistol to compete in rifle matches which would require fast follow up shots. Accuracy with the pistols is never an issue; they shoot as well as any rifle. Follow up shots are a little slower though because I run most of them as single shots. The idea was to build an SP which could run a 5 or 10 round box mag to make for quicker follow ups and reloads.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...85B6CA7B90.jpg
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...6DC19B3A96.jpg
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...33678F36EC.jpg
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...1A73B925CF.jpg
Here are the specs:
- Savage Left hand action
- 19" McGowen Varmint contour 1-8" twist 260 Rem barrel
- McRee Precision stock
- MDT polymer AI compatible magazine
- Killer Innovations muzzle brake
- Sightron S III 8-32x56 LRMOA scope

Total cost to build was about $800 without the scope.

Somebody asked me to try the polymer magazine so I picked one up. For less than half the cost of an Accurate mags of AI mag I think it works pretty well. I did need to sand down the corners a little so that it fit into the stock a little better though.

I took it out today and test fired it a few times to see how well the brake works. I don't typically like muzzle brakes and this caliber doesn't really need one. The problem with these guns though is that the muzzle jumps quite a bit when shooting off of a bipod, making it hard to stay on target. I installed one of the Killer Innovations brakes on both this 260 pistol and my beloved 284 Win Striker. I've only fired 5 shots out of the 260 and 3 shots from the 284 so far to test them. The results are very impressive so far. The bipods hardly leave the ground at all. I may actually be able to spot my own hits as close as 150-200 yards with the brakes on there. :tup:

It will be a few weeks before I get out to work up a load and really stretch it out a bit. I'll try and get some video with and with out the brake to give an idea of how the gun handles.

Andrew

Superb build. Thank you for sharing.

Love to see some targets when you are working loads up.

Especially would like to see 200 yard groups with and without the brake.

That build should cover everything. I like it.

You should post his on the Specialty Pistols Forum. Plenty of guys out there doing the same thing as you. Nice group to be a part of.

Yorke,
Very nice build indeed. Between you and snowgetter I am going to end up talking myself into a full stable of various Strikers.

I am still waiting to see you put together a Striker in 375BME, ;).

That is a really nice 260 and I am looking forward to seeing how she shoots.

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Originally Posted by sc1911cwp

You should post his on the Specialty Pistols Forum. Plenty of guys out there doing the same thing as you. Nice group to be a part of.

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I've never been over there. I'll have to check it out!

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Originally Posted by bootsmcguire

Yorke,

I am still waiting to see you put together a Striker in 375BME, ;).

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I'm still kicking around that idea. I'm having a 26" Black Hole Weaponry barrel made for the BME right now. I want to see if the polygonal rifling can help offset the velocity loss from the shorter barrel. If that works out, I think a 19" nitrided barrel is next on the list!

I'm going to try and get the 260 zeroed on saturday so that I can start some load work for it. I have a pile of 140 Bergers left over from the 6.5 Badger project so I'll start with those. I think that the 130 grain bullets are a better match for this gun though.

Andrew

I got a chance to go out and shoot this at 475 yards today. I fired 3 shots at 125 to zero and then we moved back. I still haven't worked up a load for it and I'm just running a randomly picked charge of H4350 and the 140gr Berger VLD. I'm extremely happy with the Killer Innovations muzzle brake! My shooting position was pretty bad. The bipod had to be too tall and I couldn't get a good rest under the pistol grip. I ended up shooting with a bag under my right wrist for support. The groups were still about .75 MOA at 475 yards so I'm pretty happy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yKrO3o5zbE

Andrew

Lookin good!

How do you shoot a "pistol" with a rifle scope. Seems to me eye relief would be a problem.

Was this built on a rifle, undesignated, or Striker action?

It's not s Striker. I was about to ask the same question as it is definately not legal to convert a designated rifle action to a pistol. I have done the opposite and converted a Striker to a left bolt right port rifle but I don't believe you can go the other way.

I do it all the time. You just have to get closer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hotolds442

Was this built on a rifle, undesignated, or Striker action?

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This gun meets all the legal definitions of a rifle and is built on a rifle action. It's akin to having a rifle with a folding stock or a pistol grip shotgun. The only reason that I didn't build it on one of my Striker actions is because nobody could make me a stock with the proper inlet that would still allow the use of the AI magazines.

As far as the rifle scope goes, you just shoot closer to the scope than you would if it were a handgun scope. I've never found a handgun scope that would give me a comfortable amount of eye relief. I still run regular LER pistol scopes on my Contenders, but all of the bolt action pistols wear rifle scopes. That might change if somebody would come out with a pistol scope with some decent optics instead of the muddy, washed out lenses that all of the manufacturers seem to use.

Andrew

Nice job Andrew. You will enjoy Specialty Pistols site, several members from here.

For those looking for actions; my last one was ordered from Savage custom shop, undesignated small shank, left hand and it came with bottom metal and mag...and wish I never sold it! That was three years ago and the prices are sure to have gone up, there is new management so who knows until you call Effie and ask. Hope she is still there because she is one of the best customer service folks I've ever talked to.

Got my first Striker almost done. I got the 7finger stock, wish you had posted this before I bought it. The 7finger is 450.00, do you mind telling me how much your stock cost?

TJ

The McRee was about $350 shipped as you see it. Pretty reasonable.

Looks nice but just my opinion, not really a Striker, A striker is factory stock and trigger linkage, These are short rifles with rifle scopes, when you builds a hand gun and use a hand gun scope it is a striker !

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Originally Posted by smlzerolimit

Looks nice but just my opinion, not really a Striker, A striker is factory stock and trigger linkage, These are short rifles with rifle scopes, when you builds a hand gun and use a hand gun scope it is a striker !

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Handgun scopes are poor quality compared to a rifle scope. The best handgun scopes are still mediocre rifle scopes, and I've tried them all. But just to show that I love the traditional Strikers too, here are some pics of the traditional Strikers in the safe:

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...psc6676bbb.jpg
284 Win

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...623916B76D.jpg
300 RUM (Weaver scope broke after about 40 shots)

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...y/100_0928.jpg
338/375 Ruger (Burris scope broke after 10 shots)

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...y/100_0475.jpg
300 WSM (Burris scope broke after about 50 shots)

Somewhere I have a picture of the 243 Striker as well, I'll dig it up. There's also a 6mm BR, but that's built on a PTA so it doesn't count.

Handgun scopes just don't hold up when you get into the heavy calibers. They're great on 223s and 243s, but that's about it. Rifle scopes allow me to use the gun to it's full potential. Why limit a 1000+ yard handgun by throwing a 200 yard scope on there? Handgun scopes do better on TC Contenders and revolvers which are more compact and portable. The bolt action pistols are already heavy and cumbersome; adding a rifle scope really doesn't make it significantly worse. The center grip stock is great but the necessary trigger linkage makes for a rough trigger. The 284 Striker is my go to gun for shooting out to 1400 yards, but the trigger makes it a little trickier than it should be to shoot that far.

I'll be sure and throw up a picture of my 338/408 Chey Tac improved pistol when that's done in a few months. I was actually going to have a trigger linkage made that I could fit to the BAT action because I do like the center grip stocks on the pistols. I'm just not willing to sacrifice trigger quality for a mid grip stock though on a gun being built to shoot past 2000 yards.

Andrew

Yorketransport, I still don't see a 375 BME Striker.........;)

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Originally Posted by bootsmcguire

Yorketransport, I still don't see a 375 BME Striker.........;)

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Once I get my reamer back from Black Hole Barrels I'm going to get on that! :) At the moment I'm hung up on the Chey Tac pistol build. Why burn 114 grains of powder in a 19" 375 BME when I can burn 135 grains in the new 338 BME?! The goal is 2900 fps with a 300gr Berger OTM from a 19" barrel. I think I can make this happen. ;)

Andrew

I saw this list this morning and had to go to a local gun show just to find a Striker. No luck.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by yorketransport

Once I get my reamer back from Black Hole Barrels I'm going to get on that! :) At the moment I'm hung up on the Chey Tac pistol build. Why burn 114 grains of powder in a 19" 375 BME when I can burn 135 grains in the new 338 BME?! The goal is 2900 fps with a 300gr Berger OTM from a 19" barrel. I think I can make this happen. ;)

Andrew

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Ok, Ok, I can totally see that. And the 338 bullet really makes more sense I think. Looking forward to seeing both become a reality. Better get exceptional brakes for those, or reconstructive wrist surgery maybe in your near future. :)

Never seen that break before, look like it does the job. I might try one out.