A new build followed me home

[mtmuley]

WHO ARE YOU AND WHERE IS THE REAL MTMULEY?!

At least you’re not recommending an ELD-X, then we’d know you’ve been hacked!

Like I said, it was an accident. But that bullet really works on deer and antelope. You couldn't pay me to shoot any other Berger. But, the 80 grain Hammer has proven deadly, so I am Berger free. mtmuley

 

[Gojo03]

I load some 95gr TTSX for my 6.8SPC that might be nasty in a 270 win!

 

[MT_Chad]

I guess first off, if your kinda sorta planning planning on this build for your daughter would be to ask.
Is she left handed??

My vote would be the venerable 257 Roberts.
No real need to AI it, but you can if you want.
Shoots everything from 75gr varmint bullets to 120gr bullets suitable for elk sized game within reasonable distances with the 25 caliber standard 1:10 twist.

Plus for this cartridge is if she's recoil shy like my daughter, she'll easily handle the recoil. Just don't go ultra lightweight on the build.

I've witnessed a guy shoot a 50 (5X) at 1,000 yards (he only brought 6 rounds for that rifle. 1st was a sighter) with a Ruger 77MKII (factory barrel) in 257 Roberts with 75gr Sierra HP Varminter bullets.

Cases are easily made from 7X57 Mauser. I use PPU Mauser cases for mine and my AI.

And if she wants to go to 7mm for some reason (PA has minimum bullet diameter for elk) you can simply rebarrel to 7X57Mauser.
Load up 120gr Ballistic Tip for a light recoiling deer/antelope round.

This gun is going to be my gun, but I want them to be able to handle shooting this one first. If they prove they can pull the trigger, they will get their own rifles. My wife isn't convinced they can pull the trigger on an animal, so no specific guns for them yet. They aren't left handed, but I am. They will get non-backwards guns if they are into it.
I really wish the brass selection was better for the 257 Bob and 6mm rem, those intermediate length cases and long bullets would be great in this long action.
Have you had good luck with the PPU brass, I found lots of that out there for both. The reviews I found guys said it was better than Remington and Winchester brass. I see nosler is making 257 Bob brass but it is unholy expensive.

 

[std7mag]

This gun is going to be my gun, but I want them to be able to handle shooting this one first. If they prove they can pull the trigger, they will get their own rifles. My wife isn't convinced they can pull the trigger on an animal, so no specific guns for them yet. They aren't left handed, but I am. They will get non-backwards guns if they are into it.
I really wish the brass selection was better for the 257 Bob and 6mm rem, those intermediate length cases and long bullets would be great in this long action.
Have you had good luck with the PPU brass, I found lots of that out there for both. The reviews I found guys said it was better than Remington and Winchester brass. I see nosler is making 257 Bob brass but it is unholy expensive.

I use the PPU brass for what i can find it for.
7X57 Mauser for my daughters custom build and my 257 Roberts & 257 Roberts AI.
7mm-08 for my 7mm-08AI.
7mm Rem Mag.

With proper case prep, you can easily achieve ES/SD numbers that are on par with Lapua, ADG, Alpha & Peterson brass for a fraction of the cost.

I'm getting ES-6, SD-2 in my 7mm-08AI.

I've had some that have been reloaded 30 times.
My 7mm Rem Mag likes it towards the max loads. Doesn't matter whos drass i use, i get 5-6 reloads and the primer pockets start getting loose.

 

[MT_Chad]

I use the PPU brass for what i can find it for.
7X57 Mauser for my daughters custom build and my 257 Roberts & 257 Roberts AI.
7mm-08 for my 7mm-08AI.
7mm Rem Mag.

With proper case prep, you can easily achieve ES/SD numbers that are on par with Lapua, ADG, Alpha & Peterson brass for a fraction of the cost.

I'm getting ES-6, SD-2 in my 7mm-08AI.

I've had some that have been reloaded 30 times.
My 7mm Rem Mag likes it towards the max loads. Doesn't matter whos drass i use, i get 5-6 reloads and the primer pockets start getting loose.

That's good to know, thanks. I'm strongly leaning toward the 6mm Remington at this point.
I like making it hard on myself and having weird stuff. If I didn't like tinkering and making everything difficult, this thread wouldn't even exist.

 

[Caseknife]

I vote the 257AI. Think that I have the Nosler brass, but just looked on Midway, don't think I paid that much, hope I didn't anyway!

 

[Seamaster]

I doubt that you would ever regret a new barrel in the classy original 257 Roberts, unless you are stuck with factory ammunition. If you handload for it the old Bob does many, many things very well with very little drama.

 

[Gojo03]

No interest in the 6 creed? Might be more common these days if it has the following of the 6.5. You'd probably be able to load up on all the brass you want and be able to shoot the heavy 6mm stuff

 

[p_ham]

6mm rem in a 1:8 would be a good all around gun I think. Like @std7mag said, brass really isn't an issue if you don't need it to say 6mm.

 

[Jbotto]

I think the 6mm REM isn’t a bad choice at all. I haven’t done load development for the one in my gun cabinet as I have a .243 that shoots so well with 85gr TSX. I think when I get to it, my wife’s 6mm will get a run at the 80gr TTSX. I’ve loved the results!

Heck, if you still want to AI something, do it to the 6mm Rem case!

 

[antelopedundee]

Hey guys, so a new project followed me home from one of the local gun shops yesterday, the price was too good to pass up. It's a left handed Rem 700 in 270 Win, based on the date code it is either a 75 or 2005, I'm going with 75 since it had iron sights on it at one time. It is in a B&C carbelite (I think) stock and has a Leupold Vari X-iii 3.5-10x40 on it.
The trigger is very good, I need to pull it apart and see if it is the original or if it is an aftermarket.

Some background to this build. My oldest daughter is 10 and will be able to hunt next year. My wife isn't convinced she is going to be able to pull the trigger on a deer, so she doesn't want me to buy any guns specifically for the girls yet. My plan is to get them started on this gun to see if they like it, if they do I will buy them their own nice rifles. If they don't like big game hunting, this will be my deer and smaller rifle to fill the gap between my 7mag and 223.

On to the build! I already found and ordered a BDL wood stock for it and will cut it down to the appropriate length for them to use, so I have the stock planned out.
The barrel and cartridge are another story though and this is where I have some questions for the hunt talk crowd.
As stated, the rifle is currently a 270, so a long action. I want to bring this down to either a 6mm or 257 for low recoil shooting with the girls, I also really like the 6mm as a deer and antelope bullet. I'm weighing the pros/cons of these cartridges currently.

25-06 - Love the round, always wanted one. 257 bullet selection sucks outside hunting bullets, especially light varmint bullets for the girls to learn on.
257 Ackley - My dad has one, so I already have the dies and am quite familiar with it. Cool round, more efficient than the 25-06, less trimming cases. Bullet (same as above) and brass selection sucks. I have had a hard time finding Roberts brass for the old man.
6mm Remington - Brass selection sucks and I would need dies, but that is minor. I have tons of 6mm bullets so I'm good there and the selection of 6mm bullets is way better than 257. Since I have a long action, I have plenty of room for the 6mm Rem.
243 Win - I love the 243 Win, always owned one since I was 12, until today when the Model 70 went down the road. I have everything to reload the 243, lots of brass and bullets. Only downside, it looks absurdly small sitting in that long action.

Here's a pic of the rifle.View attachment 258294

If it still has the factory trigger it is probably one of these. Easy to tell; if the bolt is locked with the safety on then you have one of these. It's a nice feature.

 

[std7mag]

If it still has the factory trigger it is probably one of these. Easy to tell; if the bolt is locked with the safety on then you have one of these. It's a nice feature.

I wish my Savages were nice & contained like that!!

 

[Irrelevant]

Or leave it a .270 and shoot 117 grain Hammers. Low recoil. mtmuley

This is what I'm doing. Been good so far.

 

[Seamaster]

I have a nice little 700 Stainless Mountain Rifle chambered in 270 Win that will be wearing a Douglas premium barrel chambered in 257 Roberts in a few weeks. I do not need yet another 270 in the safe, and I currently only have one 257 Roberts and feel the need for a second one.

The long action 700 would work for all the short action cartridges mentioned above, but it is just about perfect for a handloaded Roberts.

 

[MT_Chad]

6mm rem in a 1:8 would be a good all around gun I think. Like @std7mag said, brass really isn't an issue if you don't need it to say 6mm.

This is exactly what I was thinking.
As @Jbotto mentioned, the AI would be pretty sweet.
I called one of our local smiths this morning and he told me he has a reamer for 6mm AI. He built the exact same gun a few years ago for a guy in town here.
I'm curious what kind of prices others are seeing for custom gun work. He told me $500 all in to install a new barrel plus the cost of the barrel. So $700-$1000 based on the barrel cost.

 

[Addicting]

This is exactly what I was thinking.
As @Jbotto mentioned, the AI would be pretty sweet.
I called one of our local smiths this morning and he told me he has a reamer for 6mm AI. He built the exact same gun a few years ago for a guy in town here.
I'm curious what kind of prices others are seeing for custom gun work. He told me $500 all in to install a new barrel plus the cost of the barrel. So $700-$1000 based on the barrel cost.

If it includes a new precision ground lug and the bolt face trued up that is about going rate.

If it’s just threading the barrel and slapping it on then it’s high.

 

[p_ham]

This is exactly what I was thinking.
As @Jbotto mentioned, the AI would be pretty sweet.
I called one of our local smiths this morning and he told me he has a reamer for 6mm AI. He built the exact same gun a few years ago for a guy in town here.
I'm curious what kind of prices others are seeing for custom gun work. He told me $500 all in to install a new barrel plus the cost of the barrel. So $700-$1000 based on the barrel cost.

For a rem 700-
True action and bolt- $195
Thread and chamber barrel- $275
Reamer surcharge- $75
Muzzle thread- $100

+ parts cost

 

[Addicting]

For a rem 700-
True action and bolt- $195
Thread and chamber barrel- $275
Reamer surcharge- $75
Muzzle thread- $100

+ parts cost

Around here it’s 300 to 350 for a thread and chamber. You should raise your prices for the quality you do. Inflation was 8.7% last quarter.

 

[p_ham]

Around here it’s 300 to 350 for a thread and chamber. You should raise your prices for the quality you do. Inflation was 8.7% last quarter.

I know it, I'm going to re evaluate my shop pricing with the new year.

 

[antelopedundee]

I wish my Savages were nice & contained like that!!

I still have a Rem 700 LH rifle/action from 1975 and that's the kind of safety that came with it. Not sure when it got changed. You could get a Shilen trigger sans safety and mount the factory safety on it. I suppose a gunsmith could mill the appropriate groove into a current action and still use the "old" trigger. Properly tuned they make a pretty decent trigger.