What would you build?

[taylorce1]

Just got this old 1917 Winchester action.

It has been opened up for a magnum round, some of the other mods include filled duck pond, straightend bottom metal, new bolt handle, speed lock kit, and Timney trigger. I already own two other rifles that use the same bolt face, a .300 H&H on a 1917 Rem action, and .375 Ruger on a M70 action. I'm not really interested in going smaller than the .300.

So far my thoughts have been towards one of four chamberings.

#1 .375 H&H to match my .300 H&H. The .375 Ruger is my only problem with this choice.

#2 .416 Ruger for a Rigby in a standard action, plus I found a .416 unturned blank by Shilen for a reasonable price.

#3 .416 Taylor, again because of the cheap barrel, and can be made from .458 Win Mag brass.

#4 .458 Lott, multiple bullet choices over all the big bores over .375 and can shoot .458 Win Mag through the Lott chamber. If I decided to ever sell the rifle it might bring more intrest with the big bore crowd.

 

[SJB358]

It looks like a cool candidate for a 358 Norma Mag. All around NA game slammer. A lot of great bullets and it would be a great looking rifle. Scotty

 

[FOTIS]

416 something.........

 

[taylorce1]

416 something.........

Would that be a .416 Bee? :wink:

 

[R Flowers]

To heck with the 375 Ruger, build a 375 H&H to go with the 300. What a great pair of cartidges.

 

[jtoews80]

I'd concur with either a 375 H&H, which is only so and so interesting as you already have a 375 Ruger, but is a perfect match for the action if you want it to fit into the era the action was made.

OR, more to my taste, a 358 Norma is a very interesting & unique round perfectly suited to a full custom build with a little more money and/or time spent on the stock. Add in a 99% inletted AAA grade Walnut stock blank with whatever custom extras from Richard's Microfit(read that: I'm going to spend LOTS of time with a dremel tool, more like 90% inletting) and carefully glass bed the action to it after finishing it nicely and you'll have a hard hitting rifle that looks great and is an interesting conversation piece.

More than likely, it will be the one you reach for whenever you need a rifle that has a bit of authority. Not quite the big boomer that a 416 is, but more suitable for NA game.

JT.

 

[old #7]

338 LAPUA????

 

[taylorce1]

Not looking to do any long range work with this rifle. I'd like to keep the barrel around 22" and no more than 24". This would pretty much leave out the .338 Lapua or Edge and .358 Norma or STW.

 

[SJB358]

I think the 358 Norma would be right at home with a 22-24" barrel and still do relatively well, velocity wise. It is not burning huge amounts of powder and it has alot of bore to burn it. Scotty