Guys I have a question, im sure this has been talked about but I have read this site until my brain hurts and Im not sure I have found the answer. My goal is to take my old deer rifle that sitting in the closet and make it a shooter again. I have two boys 10 and 13 both interested in shooting. My savage is in 30-06 and well it packs a pretty good wallop. I want to change to something small and fun to shoot like say 6mmbr. Besides the obvious parts like a new barrel,wrench and gages. what else do I need? My understanding is the bolt face is the same? So no parts needed there right? I read on another thread the older models have a different firing pin? So would I need to change that? And is it possible to go to such a shorl casing like a 6mmbr in a long action? Would I have to do something to the internal mag so a 6mmbr could be a repeter? I really wouldnt want a single shot, perhaps another caliber? I appriciate any direction yall can give me. I believe my rifle is a early 90's model 110 long action stagger feed blind mag.
I believe that all you'll need is a barrel and headspace gauge. The case head diameters are the same (.473) and I don't see any reason to change your firing pin unless you're changing to a different bolt head. As far as feeding, it may work, may not. Probably will though I'd guess. The 6BR is sweet. You should enjoy it. Good luck.
If you want a repeater go with a 243 or better yet a 250 Savage or 250AI if you are rolling your own ammo. The 6BR is a pain to get to feed in a SA let alone a LA. You will most likely be stuck with a single shot if you go 6BR.
204, 22 K-Hornet, 222, 223, 22-250, 22-250AI, 6BR, 243, 243AI, 6-06, 6-WSM, 250-3000AI, 270, 7-08, 7RM, 30BR, 308, 30-06, 375 H&H, 444 Marlin, 450BM, 458WM
The 6 BR won't feed from a stagger feed mag, period, long or short.
"As long as there's lead in the air....there's still hope.."
Yup, missed the SF part. As always Fred has the eye for detail. Thanks for the save there.
204, 22 K-Hornet, 222, 223, 22-250, 22-250AI, 6BR, 243, 243AI, 6-06, 6-WSM, 250-3000AI, 270, 7-08, 7RM, 30BR, 308, 30-06, 375 H&H, 444 Marlin, 450BM, 458WM
Thanks for the reply guys, I'll take a look at the other calibers and weigh my options. Info much appreciated!
The 243 would be great for the boys as would the 250 boots suggested and you shouldn't have any problems feeding it out of a LA. Of course if ya really want a 6br, good reason for a new build. If you join as a paid member, there seems to be lightly used 243 barrels come up pretty often in the classifieds, that would keep cost down if thats an issue.
Scooter
I'm the Boss. I make sure what she wants gets done.
I am in a similar situation with a mdl 110C J series ,243Win intermediate action. I was hoping to go 6mmBR as well. The inability to feed from a staggered mag is a showstopper for me as well.
I wonder if the Norma 6mm x C would be an alternative caliber?
The 6XC is a fine cartridge however if you don't want to pay 1.00 plus for each case then stick with the .243.
Willing to give back for what the sport has done for me!
+1 on that. I'm having problems getting 243 rounds to feed in a long action that was originally 270 Win.Originally Posted by sharpshooter
I would go w/ a 25-06 - light recoil and shoots flat. I would think a 6mm Rem or a 257 Roberts would also work.
Think about this. What kind of shooting are you wanting to do with your kids? Most forms of informal, and even many competitive, rifle shooting sports don't really require a repeating rifle. Why not consider going ahead with the 6br, and just installing a single shot adaptor? The only time I ever load a magazine anymore is during deer season, and even so I can easily count on one hand the times I've needed a follow up shot (please don't interpret that as bragging, thats not at all how it's intended). All my range shooting is loaded one at a time. Single shot for me is really not a big deal. Your situation may be different, I realize. But also, consider this. As the father of three boys ages 9-16, I insist on having control of the situation when we go to the range, for safety's sake. Even though my boys are well behaved and safety conscious, this is much easier to accomplish if they are shooting one at a time, with one rifle, and single loading. Also makes the ammo go a lot further, and teaches them to focus on the shot they're making now, not to be even thinking about the next one. There's always a pause from shot to shot. I believe this makes kids better marksmen, and more safety conscious in general.
I'd still encourage you to go with the 6BR, especially if you're a handloader. The other rounds mentioned above are all better than your '06 for teaching kids to shoot, but they all recoil more than the 6BR, all use more powder, with correspondingly less barrel life, (especially the .25-06, and to a lesser degree, the .243), and none have the reputation for extreme accuracy that the 6BR enjoys. Not saying there aren't extremely accurate examples of each of the calibers listed above, but just that your average 6BR from a quality barrel maker is more likely to be very accurate than any of the larger rounds that are mostly used for hunting. Just something to think about.
Just an update to this post. I decided to go with the 6mm br. I'm very happy with the results, its taken several months to put everything together but I finally got to shoot the rifle yesterday and I'm pleased. First off it has very light recoil which was my primary concern, and its pretty accurate too. I still got some things to work out but I wanted to post an update for anyone looking to do the same thing. I went with a Shilen barrel and a Boyds thumbhole stock. I also used the Score high single shot follower and it works flawlessly. It still has the original trigger and a two piece scope base with an inexpensive Bushnell banner 3X9 scope, these are next to be upgraded.
Boy was the barrel a pain to get off, we tried all the tricks. Heavy duty vice, wood blocks (I went through several sets). Penetrating oil, Heat torch. Finally I ended up cutting an aluminum Ar15 barrel block in two and drilling it the correct size to fit the barrel. After cranking it down, adding a heat torch for about a minute and beating the wrench with a hammer it finally broke free. That was the worst part of the build I thought it would never come off. The rest was a piece of cake.
I was kinda nervous to shoot the thing to be honest. I used the go/no go gauge and read everything thoroughly but was apprehensive because I did everything myself. I bore sighted the rifle at 60 yards then adjusted my crosshairs to the bull on the target which I couldn't really see at 60 yards. I placed the gun on some sandbags looked through the scope pulled my head back as far as I could, closed my eyes and pulled the trigger. lol Would you believe the bullet went dead center of the bullseye. lol I couldn't believe it. I was really surprised by the lack of recoil too. I had a grin from ear to ear. I spent most of the day breaking in the barrel cleaning after every shot for the first 15 shots. Anyway my last group measured .677 at 100 yards. I used factory Lapua ammo 90 grain HPBT. I almost have all the reloading equipment I need to start reloading for it. I decided to just purchased one box of ammo to test the rifle. A word to anyone that wants to go to this cartridge, you must reload for it ammo is very expensive!
Anyway I wanted to say thanks to everybody that posts on this site. I couldn't have done this project without your knowledge.
Thanks for the update.
Glad to hear it went well. Now you're hooked. Welcome to the addiction, support group meets here 24/7 lol.
You are correct about reloading. Once you have brass on hand, quality handloads can be made for less than $.50/apiece. Quality Lapua brass runs $80-100/100 pieces, depending. But treat it right and you'll get 15 or more loads from it.
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