Found a donor for my 7mm Express barrel.

[preacher]

I had donor recently, a pretty nice ADL 30-06 but got in a swarm and sold it. (At the time I was thinking of having a rebarrel job in 280 AI or even the 6.5/280 AI) I had been looking at a even nicer, late 80's ADL with darker wood and nice grain. It was someone's safe queen. I ended up working a trade for it ( no money changed hands, whoopee!) and I took it to my smith to have my 7mm Express/280 barrel put on. I'm having him blueprint it, pillar bed it, put a Timney trigger in it and have a nice pad put on. It won't need bluing either. I "know" what my 7mm Express/280 barrel will do, this 30-06 is an unknown but I don't want another 30-06 right now anyhow. I had been scratching my head if I wanted to rob the action off that .270 Mountain Rifle, but I got too good of a price for it as it was. I have my 270 BAR just about where I want it, and I like the fact I got the donor rifle in a trade. Sure, I could have left the 280 barrel in the Classic stock, but I wanted another 7mm Rem Mag and my smith had that 26" barrel, which, though factory, shoots like a house afire! He just opened the bolt face and installed an M16 extractor ( ala Sako style) ha. I am a firm believer in horse trading, swapping, experimenting, day dreaming about new rifles, shooting new rifles, ha. Sometimes I do redundant projects, sometimes I lose money, sometimes I make money, but I'm having a ball until I kick the bucket, ha! :grin:

 

[truck driver]

Preacher glad you found a donor for your project.

 

[Divernhunter]

I would like to find a donor Ruger M77 Tang safety rifle in 30-06/280/270/25-06 to rebarrel, restock into a 257Roberts for my granddaughter. They are getting priced too high for me anymore.

 

[preacher]

I see a few tang safety Mod 77s from time to time and those things are priced way too high! My first .280 was a Mod 77 tang safety I bought toward the end of '77. I hunted my firste season with it using the 150 factory load, killed one of my best whitetails at about 15yds away, ha. But that old corlokt worked great, complete penetration, good wound cavity. Then I started handloading and used the 139 Hornady. The nest season I made my longest shot...to date mind you!...on a whitetail 276 long steps down a pipeline right of way. Of course, then I got a 7mm mag and swapped the Mod 77 for a like new Colt Python. ( OMG are those babies LOUD!) I mentioned this as back then the Mod 77s were a gamble, Ruger paid about $17 ea for sourced barrels, ha. I had a good one. I'll keep my eye out for one locally for you pard. Meanwhile, that little Ruger 77 Compact may be your best bet for her.

 

[Divernhunter]

I would probably get her a Tikka in 7mm-08 or 260Rem if I did not want to build her a rifle just like I built her mom. I wanted to have matching hunting rifles like I have matching Marlin Model 60 22RF rifles for them. I got one and had her name engraved into the receiver.
I have some time as she will be 2 months old tomorrow.

I have 6 other Tang safety Ruger M77 and the only one that does not shoot is the 6mmRem. It shoot 55gr and 75gr HP bullets very well. Refuses to shoot 85-95 or 100gr Nosler PAR bullets. I would use it but it is a shorter action.

 

[preacher]

Sounds like they put the .244 Remington twist rated barrel on your 6mm Rem! If it were "me". I'd yank that barrel off so quick it would strip the threads, ha. It would work swell for the 257 Roberts ( but gosh, if something doesn't change, you'd have to neck up your 6mm brass to have cases! I haven't seen any 257 Roberts ammo/cases in a coon's age!

 

[preacher]

I hope after getting this barrel put back on a trued up action/pillar bedded it will still shoot the same recipes. Anyone ever done something similar? I wasn't using Bergers or SMKs crowding the lands, but cup n core, ABLRs, nothing closer than .030" or so from the lands with many others around .100" off. Think I will have to start my load workup over again? :?

 

[preacher]

Well, my smith says it may not do what it did before because to fit it to this newer action, he has to turn it back a thread and run a chamber reamer in to dress it up. This will shorten its existing long throat ( the ones I had worked my loads up in) and the Lord Only Knows what it will do, ha. So, just for grins and since he was going to have to run a reamer in anyhow, why not run a .280 AI reamer in? ha. Yes, it only has a 22 inch barrel, but hey, with these newer powders ( although I have a wad of R22 which I used in my last .280 AI with aplomb ( nice word, 'aplomb" ) I might get a worthwhile gain, at least it will be another fun project. I don't know when my Kimber .270 is coming in and how long before I get it out of Layaway anyhow. This is another way for me to "keep my .270/.280 (7mm Express) ammo separate", with a 40 deg shoulder! ha. " If there's a cure for this, I don't want it"! ( reminds me of an old disco song! :grin: :lol:

 

[preacher]

I guess I just found a cure...we changed our church's CPA from a company here in Utah ( they bought out my retired CPAs co and they have zip/zero knowledge how to deal with a 501 (c)3 organization) After several major screw-ups we hired a company in Oklahoma ( bible belt buckle!) and between the two, with one closing out and the other starting up, and end of summer slow time...well, let's just say NOW is not the time to do what I wanted to with this rifle, it will get a Timney/reg bedded & floated, new pad and stay a 30-06 for now. Maybe I'll get back to it later, ha. It reminds me of when I was in the Army, training at Ft. Sill. Everytime I took a dip of skoal ( I was a dipper back then) someone had something for me to do in a place where I couldn't spit! ha I was not one to swallow tobacco juice at any time either, so out it went. Wasted. Maybe I should not "say out loud" what my projects are until they are "done", ha. What a world!

 

[truck driver]

Preacher just how much free bore were you going to loose by setting the barrel back one thread? you could always have the throat lengthened and still have your cake and eat it too.

 

[preacher]

Whatever the length of one thread is. Not much, but enough to start over and double check. Heck, one time,I had a local guy just unscrew the barrel on my 1917 Eddystone to check the Rockwell hardness of the action to see if I could have it rechambered to, say, 308 Norma ( it was too brittle, come to find out) but it messed with my handloads I had set up. I had to start over. go figure. This situation with the 7mm Express is purely financial...no denero! ha

 

[preacher]

Well, I cancelled my back ordered Kimber 84l .270 and put this project on hold. I got the 30-06 ADL back from the smith, but I am still not excited about it. I think I am going to find a factory take-off Mod 700 barrel in .270 ( 24" length) and have it screwed to this action and convert it to a BDL, have it put in my spar CDL pillar bedded stock. I like the looks and feel of this CDL stock better than the ADL stock. This way I can wring out the .270 easier than I can with my BAR .270 with 22.4" barrel. I like the BAR, but it sure is loud when you load it. A bolt gun is just easier for me to hunt with for coyotes on up. We shall see...

 

[Whitesheep]

You had me at reaming it for AI!

 

[preacher]

That would be fun for sure, ha. I can always do that later, but I have this "urge" to see what I can get a good, 24" barrel, .270 to do with these modern powders. I have a bid in on a new take-off Remington barrel on an auction site, if it falls through, I may still end up having this '06 restocked at least. I love the old '06, but have access to two others at my SIL's.

 

[SJB358]

Sounds like a good plan buddy. I'd love to see your work with a 270 Win.

 

[preacher]

Well, I went up to my LGS and traded this ADL and a Glock 30S in on a NIB Mod 700 CDL in .270! I still owe a tad, not much and will get it out soon. It has nice Fit & Finish, just right for a hunting rifle. I'm "finally" going to get a 24" decent rifle to wring out the 270 in! ha I talked it over with my Smith and he is going to pillar bed/blueprint it, and see if that new trigger they have will go down to 2.5# safely & consistently. If not, it might get another Kepplinger Single Set trigger. I plan on starting with the 140's, then progress to the 150's and finally the Nosler 160. Hot dog.

 

[preacher]

Paid it off, picked it up yesterday. Nice looking, not a lot of fancy grain but really good fit/finish as mentioned. Will drop it off at my smith's tomorrow. I had only one CDL before, a 2006 30-06, tricked out the same way. It shot like crazy, but It went "the way of all the earth"..at Rev Jim's house anyhow, it was sold to pay on my MI hog hunt, ha I hope this one shoots as well. I have had a lot of .270s but never really gave one a lot of time at either the bench or in the field. Since I don't keep the hides, I have no problem using it as a "Keith Dang Good coyote rifle!" either, ha. I will be elk hunting in a few weeks with a younger hunting buddy who has used a stock .270 BDL for 20+ yrs on both mule deer and elk, all with 150gr factory loads. He has used the Federal Fusion 150 for many years now...because they are cheap, ha! I always tease him about his using it on elk, trying to talk him into the merits of a 35 Whelen AI, but he doesn't handload, alas.