And I want to make it into a long range steel plate killer. In its current existence its a 30-06 hunting rifle that looks like it has had about a box of ammo through it. Picked it up on a sweet deal and now my feet are on the ground running with this. The plan thus far is to tear it apart swap the barrel for a high end heavy profile barrel of some sort, put a Choate Tactical stock (the better looking one, not the super sniper junk they have) or maybe a manners tactical stock if budget allows, slap a warne 20moa steel base on top, maybe get some sort of detachable mag set up, and a trigger from Rifle basix or Timney. The muzzle will be threaded for a brake or suppressor (if i ever get one). I think I have it pretty much figured out, except for the caliber. I am partial to the old 06 as I have a couple already and I like the cartridge. I was originally leaning toward the 300WinMag, but then remembered the 30-06 ackley improved. I see that people get some gains with this round, but most of the gains are in the realm of over pressure, but it still intrigues me. Would there be a problem with the AI round chambering on the Savage/Stevens action? I know that the shoulders tend to not feed as good as the more streamlined regular 30-06. The main reason I want to do this is so that I can maintain the same powders and bullets (for the most part) between all the guns that I reload 30-06 for. Plus I like the fact that I can lob 200gr bullets a loooong ways and still have enough energy to smack stuff with authority, and it puts bigger holes in paper which is always a good thing IMO. Thoughts? Suggestions? This will be a work in progress for the next few months as I get the funding and such.
I like your idea about keeping the 06. Everyone is caught up in the latest whizbang cartridge and forget what the old 06 can do. Just make sure you get a barrel with a twist that will stabilize those long 200 gr slugs. My M1 gets out to 600 yds with accuracy using issue 173 gr. bullets. A proper barrel and twist should do a lot better.
El Lobo
yeah, I am probably going to go with a 1 in10" twist. This seems to be the go to twist for 180-220gr bullets from what I have seen. I really don't want to shoot 150s in this gun. I want to see if I can get this thing to shoot good out to 1k or so. Would love to be able to pull a 1700yds, but most 06 will go transonic around 1400yds or so, so accuracy will drop off. But I am just trying to figure out what direction I want this project to go. I originally wanted to do this as inexpensively as I could, but now I am not sure. I am getting torn between getting a Pac-Nor or Benchmark barrel or just cheap out and get a mcgowen from one of the vendors on here. I am thinking about just nutting up and spending the extra on a benchmark. Plus they aren't that far away so I could just drive up and pick it up one afternoon, which could be fun. But I don't know why exactly, but I just love the 06. Easily one of the most versatile rounds out there.
Have you tried using the barrel that came with it? You might be surprised at how accurate may be.
I put a heavy 30-06 barrel on my Steven LA and it is a tack drive. The barrel is 22" and gets a bit better performance than .308 and it shoots heavies just fine.
I probably will go do some shooting with it. I know that the accuracy will probably be pretty good. But I got this for the purpose of making a long range rifle to hone my skills and just have a gun that looks mean and shoots mean. I already have a couple hunting rifles, but I dont have a precision rifle in the herd yet. Plus I like the idea of building a gun like this mostly myself. And I just like to be different.
If you are already setup to load for 30-06, then stay with the round. That way, you probably won't have to purchase more brass, or dies. Start with the max range you have and then start walking our farther. When you have maxed out what that cartridge will do, then go to another cartridge.
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
What about going to a 6.5-06 ackley. It should give you the performance you want without to much work case and reloading wise.
thought about this, but I like the energy of a 200gr bullet vs a 140gr. trajectory and ballistic Coefficient are good of the 6.5, but it doesn't have as much punch down range. Plus I am kind of liking the idea of commonality of components.
Your reasoning is logical. Stick with your ideas and the old 30-06 until it seems to not do the job, then consider something else. I think you will be happy with the results you get from that old warhorse.
El Lobo
I agree with El Lobo!
The 30-06 has a lot more going for it than the .308. Nothing wrong with a long action in a Savage.
I know that 6.5 is hot now and it is a great caliber. But if you can stand a little more recoil, the old '06 is great too and will cover the longer ranges very nicely. And more particularly if you have hunting in mind.
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