Lightweight, Longrange 7mm Rem Mag ideas?

[montana_native]

I am wanting to build a lightweight long-range 7mm Rem Mag out of a 110 action to shoot 180 Bergers. I am currently packing a 110 action in 300 WM with a 26" McGowan barrel, Gentry brake, Duramaxx stock, Harris 6-9 bipod, NXS 5.5-22x56, NF rings and an EGW 20 MOA picatinny rail. The thing shoots great out to 1000 yards but is a little heavy to pack.

Any thoughts on a barrel contour that will be rigid enough but lighter than this Varmint contour? I am going to use a lighter scope, probably an older 4.5-14x50 Leupold tactical and a lighter base. Whatever barrel I end up using will get fluted. I'd like to stay around 27" with brake. What about the stock? Any other places to drop weight?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Der Verge]

When talking about rifles, "light weight" and "long range" typically are not found together.

[Eric in NC]

Any other places to drop weight?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Drop the brake too - no need on a hunting rifle (which this must be if you are worried about weight?).

[tammons]

The Barrel will be the heaviest part of the rig.
If you are not going to be target shooting, and will shoot 3 shots or less
get the lightest profile you feel comfortable with.
I would probably go with a sporter or a pencil barrel if I wanted it extremely light.

I dont know about you, but 99% of my shots are cold shots.

27" barrel is too long for me for a hunting rifle.
24" is about the max for me. 20-22" prefered.

You could change to a short action and 7mm WSM and save some weight.
That and the barrel would be the biggest weight savers.
The tupperware stock is a very light stock and cheap.
Maybe a carbelite stock but I have never tried one.

Put all that together with a UL scope and you should be around 7# or a little less.

To go beyond a certain amount then you get into drilling, titanium, flute the bolt etc and it gets expensive.

Other than that the scope. Leupold ultralights are about as good as it gets for ultralights, sub 9oz.
I had one on an AR. Extremly light, but the 33 objective was too small for me. Tradeoffs, dark at twilight and the top is a 3-9x, but super light and good eye relief. Matter of fact they are so light, you would not belive they can take recoil, but they can handle pretty much any recoil. Had mine on a 338 for a while.

Alum pict base, and alum rings of some sort.
Dednutz base would be fairly light and strong, but on a long action, dont work well with short scopes.

[arc1847]

I agree with Der Verge but would add the term "Magnum" doesn't go with "light weight" either. I've been reloading for 7mm for a while now and 180gr Bergers at 2800fps will give you somewhere between 27-30ft-lbs of recoil energy with a 16-18 ft/sec velocity in a 7# rifle (varies by the recoil calculator used). That's approximately the same recoil as a 7mm STW or 7mm Ultra Mag in an 8.5lb rifle. By keeping the rifle up to 8.5# you can drop the recoil energy and velocity by 20% and and have a much more manageable outfit, particularly if you are shooting at very long ranges. Heavy recoil is the enemy of long range accuracy.

[tammons]

One thing you have not mentioned is if this is primarily a target rifle or a hunting rifle.

When you said pack, that sounds like a hunting rifle to me.

[montana_native]

Hunting rifle primarily. I am starting to think about a heavy sporter barrel with flutes. Not sure on the stock yet.

Thanks for the replies

[tammons]

How light do you want to be ??

Not sure what a heavy sporter is. Is that a magnum cotour or between a sporter and a magnum contour.

For hunting going from a sporter profile to a heavy sporter profile will make zero difference
except it will be heavier.

Here is a barrel weight calculator.

http://pac-nor.com/cgi-bin/pnb/bweight.cgi

[CJ in WY]

Your not going to do much better as far as light than the Stevens 7mag. If you replace the recoil pad, bed the action, make sure the barrel is freeloated and move the bipod stud back a couple of inches your gonna have a great carry gun that dont set you back very much at all. A hunting rifle doesnt need to put 10 rounds into a small group way out there...It just has to put the first one(maybe the second?) where you need it. Too many people get hung up on itty bitty groups when all that matters is that the first round hits what your aiming at.
If $$ is not an issue than the sky is about the limit and somewhere in between you'll find what your looking for but dont expect to find it on the first try.
Last year I carried my heavy long range prairie dog gun(6.5-284) with three # scope way too many miles to even begin to like it, ended up getting my deer @ 620 yards. This year I carried an old J action with a sporter 708 barrel and 3-9 Sightron mildot scope a lot farther with ease and ended up with a deer @ 673 yards. They where both just as dead as if I had been useing the 308 baer and 210 Bergers.
If Elk and moose tags need filling then the 7 mag or larger might be needed but a heavy barrel isnt??

[cutter37372]

CJ is right !! Buy a Stevens! 6.5 lbs from the box in any caliber. Change the trigger, scope it and go hunting. Or if you can live with the trigger, scope it and go hunting.
I have 5 Stevens rifles and ALL are EXCEPTIONALLY accurate. My 300 WM does 3/4" @ 200 for three shots.

[dcloco]

Odd post....as this is exactly what I just finished building.

Bought at 7 Rem Mag factory stainless/fluted barrel with always on brake, a 110 walnut stock (originally a sporter countour barrel channel, but had already been opened up), a 110 action, and a Japan/B & L made 5-20x44 scope.

Lose the NF and go hunting with your current setup.

[pd721el]

What does your current setup weigh? ???
There are not many if any true lite weight stocks for the savage. I have a few lite rifles and will tell you that there is normally a big savings in weight when one steps up to a true high end stock on a 700 or the like. I am in the market and have not found a true lite stock (other then the junk Tupperware) for the Savage. Have heard the Stockade Mule deer or hunter sporter at pretty lite.
From what is sounds like a 9 # rifle would be lite compared to what you have now. If that is so a SA savage with a .650 at 25" or so is 7 wsm. With a stockade, MPI or maybe a Manner UL would fit the bill. May even weigh a little less. Or add a ABS carbon wrapped barrel (never seen one for a Savage) and the stock of your choice?
If you are looking for ultra lite you may have to look at a 700 or clone and a UL stock for the like. B & C, Manners and Brown make great lite weight set ups if you go that route.
The down side is recoil. I have a 6 3/4 # 308 win 700 ready to hunt and a 8# 300 Win and i wouldn't call either enjoyable to hunt.

[montana_native]

Been giving the Stevens 200 some thought and reading reviews. Sounds like a good deal.

I think I am going to try one. I am going to add a Gentry Brake, stiffen up the stock and work on the trigger. I am thinking for the money I can't go wrong and I can always re-barrel at a later date. With a little Duracoat I might be able to make it less homely too. ;D

Thanks.

[tammons]

Before you put a brake on it, if you have not tried one, get a medium limbsaver slip on and a past pad.

I have a 338-284 on a stevens, plastic stock with a short barrel and its snappy.
Pushes 210 gr barnes to about 2650 or so. Also load 160 TTSX and 250 gr gamekings.

It weighs about 7.5# or maybe a little more.

At the range I use the recoil pad and the past pad together.

When hunting hogs in a tee shirt in the summer I leave the limbsaver recoil pad on the rifle.

In the winter when I have thick cloths on and more padding I take it off.

The stevens rifle has a pretty hard recoil pad.
A duromax goes a long ways to calming down recoil, but for the plastic stock the above works.

[wbm]

PM Sent. Just got through building a light-weight 7MM Mag.

[Blue Avenger]

Before you put a brake on it, if you have not tried one, get a medium limbsaver slip on and a past pad.
In the winter when I have thick cloths on and more padding I take it off.

The stevens rifle has a pretty hard recoil pad.
A duromax goes a long ways to calming down recoil, but for the plastic stock the above works.

only works if you have long arms. LOL

[tammons]

I got them.

Some people like my dad have to have their hunting rifle set just so.

3/4" makes little difference to me but I have monkey arms.