Help me choose me next project....

A

Anonymous

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Well folks...winter is coming on hard and I've just a little hunting left to do. With so many months of dark and cold I'm planning my next rifle project.

Just what should I put together? I've got a M48 in .300WSM and a Ruger Alaskan in .375 that I rather like in the field and I'm not looking to really replace either.

What would I do with it? Who knows? Options I've toyed with are:
.257 or .240 Wea...
280AI
45-70
7mm Mag (of some sort, Wea?)
.223/22-250

I dislike heavy rifles so I'm not looking at 14lb HB benchresters or any flavor of autoloader.
 
My heart says .280 AI, but with a .300 and .375, a varmint rifle would make more sense. Because of that, I'll say .223.

If you don't shoot varmints and don't have much use for light recoiling rifle to enjoy punching paper with, I would definitely go with the .280 Ack. That would also pretty much take out the 7mm mag category.
 
What do you hunt besides big game? Or are you looking for a target gun? A 6BR is a cool caliber if your looking for a plinker and small game. They are crazy accurate with almost no recoil. A .243 AI would be another good one that could be used for bigger game.

My next will probably be a 7mm-.300 Win. with a 26" #5 fluted barrel or a #4 unfluted barrel shooting 168 to 190gr VLD's. Most are getting around 3050-3100fps with 180's in a 26" barrel and around 3150 in 28" barrels. It's between the 7mm Rem. and 7STW for velocity but the loaded rounds work in a standard Remington mag.
 
Rovert...I've been looking at the .280AI for a while now and truthfully had it been available when I bought my .300, I would have gotten one of them instead. Hmmm....sell off the M48 to fund another or just build one on something else. Kimber is making a Montana 84L in that cartridge if they ever turn the starter on the factory- I've had good luck with Kimber but others haven't. A "custom" Montana 99 is probably about the same money....Hmmm.

Idaho CTD...can't say I'm much of a target shooter, more of a roving hunter but I do enjoy shooting when I can. Small game I've got covered with rimfires or shotguns so I'm mostly interested big game or predator rifles- the .240Wea is intriguing in that light but still mulling that one over. More than a passing interest in one of the new S2 Vanguards and some white Cerakote and Fusion for a dedicated winter rifle. Hmmm...

More ideas than money...typical.
 
hodgeman":34e302tc said:
Well folks...winter is coming on hard and I've just a little hunting left to do. With so many months of dark and cold I'm planning my next rifle project.

Just what should I put together? I've got a M48 in .300WSM and a Ruger Alaskan in .375 that I rather like in the field and I'm not looking to really replace either.

What would I do with it? Who knows? Options I've toyed with are:
.257 or .240 Wea...
280AI
45-70
7mm Mag (of some sort, Wea?)
.223/22-250

I dislike heavy rifles so I'm not looking at 14lb HB benchresters or any flavor of autoloader.
...................Such dilemmas uh?

I also have a 300 WSM and a 375 Ruger Alaskan. Several months ago I went went with a 338 to fill the void between the two.

Imo, a 280 AI and 7mm Rem mag overlaps too much with your 300 WSM. If you`re inclined to hunt deer sized and on down smaller game in wide open territories, then either the 240 or 257 Wby will make nice additions. If more varmits and such, go with the 223/22-250.

Unless you really need and want a lever, the 45/70 kinda overlaps with the 375 Ruger. Either the 240 or 257 Wby, or a 338 would fill the gap nicely with what you already have.

All depends on what you hunt and the shooting distances.
 
I'd say BS kind of nailed this one.

You have big and medium covered. Time to look for something smaller.

22-250 or .240 Bee would have my vote.
 
Big Squeeze... I've had a couple .338WMs and didn't care for them but nowadays lighter bullets like the 180AB will make one shoot as practically flat as a .300WM and the 250s make one hit nearly as hard as the .375... interesting.

Then there's the .338-06/.338 Fed to consider which I hadn't...yet.

I agree the 280ai and the .300WSM basically scratch the same itch. I really like the .300WSM but a tack driving .338 might be nice when I see grizzlies on the next ridge when I'm caribou hunting. I'm primarily an open ground/ mountain/tundra hunter so I sometimes wonder what the .375 is really for since I frequently am outranged by critters for it.

.338, hmmm, nice addition to the list...
 
hodgeman":3lwdb218 said:
Big Squeeze... I've had a couple .338WMs and didn't care for them but nowadays lighter bullets like the 180AB will make one shoot as practically flat as a .300WM and the 250s make one hit nearly as hard as the .375... interesting.

Then there's the .338-06/.338 Fed to consider which I hadn't...yet.

I agree the 280ai and the .300WSM basically scratch the same itch. I really like the .300WSM but a tack driving .338 might be nice when I see grizzlies on the next ridge when I'm caribou hunting. I'm primarily an open ground/ mountain/tundra hunter so I sometimes wonder what the .375 is really for since I frequently am outranged by critters for it.

.338, hmmm, nice addition to the list...
.......................There`s all kinds of 338s to choose from. I just happened to go for the really big gusto in the Accumark.

If recoil was by chance your issue using your 338 W/Mag shooting the heavier bullets, the brake although louder, does reduce the felt recoil.

If you`re gonna own a 338 then you gotta shoot heavier bullets than 185s.. :p :p :p ...If not, then there`s really no point imo to owning a 338. A 185 gr bullet`s BC and trajectories in a 338 caliber, sure isn`t the best especially when you get out to the more extended ranges.
 
...what you are obviously lacking is a "walking varmint Quarterbore"...

...while the .257 Wby is impressive, the .25-06 is a much more reasonable cartridge & chambered in the Vanguards.
 
You NEED a woof rifle. I'd say an R700 donor in .243 AI, 6mmAI or .257 Weatherby, shoot for a ready-to-go weight of around 7-7.5 pounds, 24-26" tube, McMillan Edge or Brown Pound'r stock.

Or you could just wait for the Vanguard S2 in .240 Weatherby. I WILL have one.
 
I dont know about you guys but I have figured out that for me anyhow a walking around quarter bore is something that I definitely need.
 
I definitely agree. I have two, and I'm scheming how to get a .250 Savage and a .257 Roberts... and maybe AI versions of them too.
 
A really fun and interesting build, albeit a little more labor intensive... got to dive in a little deeper on this one.

Find a Swedish Mauser model 96. The 6.5X55 round would be a wonderful woof gun with lighter bullets and will dump caribou and smaller critters with ease with a 140 grainer. They are often great shooters as is. After you replace the stock, safety and trigger, shorten and recrown the barrel, replace bolt handle (I'm thinking Mannlicher style) and mount optics I'd see how it shoots with the swedish barrel. Most I've seen are MOA or better if the bore is not pitted. If it doesn't shoot, any of the intermediate cartridges such as .243, 257 or 6.5X284 are compatable with this action.

This would give you plenty of work with a modest cash investment for the long, cold winter and would make a classic light sporting rifle without much recoil.

A black rifle in 6.5 Grendl would be a lot of fun too!
 
On your list the 240 or 257 Weatherby would be my choice or you should consider the very versatile 6.5/284 Norma. With good bullets available from 85-160 gr it can take care of a lot of hunting situations plus it will be much more pleasant to shoot than your 300 or 375.
 
I have owned all of this other stuff, except the two Weatherby calibers and I want my .257 Roberts back, Bwaaaa!
 
For a predator gun the 6mm is tough to beat. Mine pushes 70gr Ballistic tips at 3824fps with the Hodgen superformance powder. It's well proven on coyotes. If I want to hunt game with it, I can switch to H4831 and push a 100gr bullet at 3150fps. I have a 25" 1 in 9 Kreiger on mine.
 
...then again, since you have "Thump" pretty well covered, maybe a "Fun Gun" is in order...

...say a medium weight sporter chambered in a mild recoiling, efficient chambering like the 6.5 Creedmore or 6.5X47, or even .260 if you are using a longer action. Lots to be said for a fun little 600yd. tack-driver...
 
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