Centerfire rifles - your path

[MinnesotaHunter]

You made me start to think about what my list would look like, so I'll play...

Savage 116 Bear Hunter 338win (bought in college when I worked at Gander mountain and thought I would be making a habit of moose hunting. Ended up being a lemon and Savage finally gave me a refund)

Tikka T3 Stainless 7RM
AR Build (Mil M4a1 upper, and Mk12 SPR upper)
Rem 700 VLS 243 Win (Sold)
Weatherby Accumark .270 Win (sold)
Ruger 77 RSM 375 H&H (Sold)
Kimber 84l Classic Select 30-06
Winchester 70 SS 300WSM
Northwest Actionworks Custom Rem 700 260 Rem
Rem 700 Stainless .223 (Sporter Weight)
Kimber Mountain Ascent 7-08
CA Mesa 6.5 CM
Nosler 48 .308
Seekins PH2 .308
Marlin 336 30-30 (Ruger built)

 

[Dougfirtree]

I'm such a lightweight.. BOLD means I still own it.

.30-06 Rem 700 ADL
.270 Thompson Center Icon
7mm-08 Winchester M-70FW
.30-06 Rem 7600
.308 Thompson Center Venture Compact (kids rifle)
7mm-08 Tikka T3x

 

[noharleyyet]

I'm such a lightweight.. BOLD means I still own it.

.30-06 Rem 700 ADL
.270 Thompson Center Icon
7mm-08 Winchester M-70FW
.30-06 Rem 7600
.308 Thompson Center Venture Compact (kids rifle)
7mm-08 Tikka T3x

The new adage is "beware the man who hunts with three rifles."

 

[Carl]

I bet it'll be nice once you become a man and pick up a 7 Rem Mag.

Eh...it's more appealing now that you can get ADG brass, but I can't imagine it ever being my first pitch for anything if I'm building one

My fickle list...bold still own

25-06 #1 (imprudently traded)
25-06 #1
.257 wby mag Wby Accumark
.257 wby Rem 700
.257 wby Rem 700 (son now owns)
.270 WSM Sako 75 (son now owns)
.270 Win Thompson ProHunter (traded for a pre-lok K frame S&W)
7 mag #1
7 Mashburn Rem 700
300 Win Mag Vanguard (SIL now owns)
300 Win Mag Sako Classic
300 Win Mag Sako 85 (SIL now owns)
300 Wby Mag FiberMark (prudently traded)
300 WSM Rem 700
45-70 1895 SBL Marlin
45-70 Marlin Octagon to Round MIJ
Rem Semi Auto 30-06 (son now owns)
Rem pump 30-06\ (son now owns)
5.56 AR

Super classy list, I can in no way hang with the class.

You made me start to think about what my list would look like, so I'll play...

Savage 116 Bear Hunter 338win (bought in college when I worked at Gander mountain and thought I would be making a habit of moose hunting. Ended up being a lemon and Savage finally gave me a refund)

That sounds similar to how I thought in & around college.

223 Rem - Tikka - was basically stock rifle in a KRG Bravo, expected a new barrel end of '23 so I sold the factory tube in December but still waiting on that ACE blank. Really freaking missing having a 223 bolt gun!

What are you changing up about the 223? Twist? Contour? Or just didn't quite group to the level you're looking for?

 

[Carl]

The new adage is "beware the man who hunts with three rifles."

Despite my extensive list of stuff I've HAD, I essentially have two hunting rifles, two competition rifles (for two different styles of competition), and two training rifles. I think there's 43 barrel's/rifle's on my list, but I only have six actions in service and one action salted away. I've gone through as much as I have due to being an optimizer, not a collector or maximalist.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

What are you changing up about the 223? Twist? Contour? Or just didn't quite group to the level you're looking for?

Barrel on order is an ACE tikka lite contour in 7.5 twist. Going to finish @ 18" and be a wylde chamber, maybe add a hair more throat. The factory barrel shot alright with some bullets, not great. Didn't like 75 ELDs. Just have a hard time settling for a barrel that doesn't shoot near everything tight without issue especially a high volume gun like a 223 so hoping that is what i get with a new tube.

I specified a 0.219 bore rather than 0.218. UM said that's no issue and they were to be shipped before xmas. In Jan or Feb i got notified that ACE doesn't have tooling for 0.219 bores yet but they were to be rolling them out in a couple weeks. Last update was they were going to start 219 bores finally end of April. I've been teetering on just buying another tikka 223 because of how this has been going and throwing the 6.5 barrel on it once I finally do have original one back.

Sure wish there were more fast twist sporter blanks available! It gets me a little ornery at times that the market is hoodwinked into carbon barrels so there's all these damn carbon blanks available for twice the $ but a guy cant find a steel sporter blank.

 

[Carl]

Barrel on order is an ACE tikka lite contour in 7.5 twist. Going to finish @ 18" and be a wylde chamber, maybe add a hair more throat. The factory barrel shot alright with some bullets, not great. Didn't like 75 ELDs. Just have a hard time settling for a barrel that doesn't shoot near everything tight without issue especially a high volume gun like a 223 so hoping that is what i get with a new tube.

I specified a 0.219 bore rather than 0.218. UM said that's no issue and they were to be shipped before xmas. In Jan or Feb i got notified that ACE doesn't have tooling for 0.219 bores yet but they were to be rolling them out in a couple weeks. Last update was they were going to start 219 bores finally end of April. I've been teetering on just buying another tikka 223 because of how this has been going and throwing the 6.5 barrel on it once I finally do have original one back.

Sure wish there were more fast twist sporter blanks available! It gets me a little ornery at times that the market is hoodwinked into carbon barrels so there's all these damn carbon blanks available for twice the $ but a guy cant find a steel sporter blank.

I've had a few factory Tikka 223 barrels, and while they shoot decent I haven't had one to write home about with ELD's either. Maybe 1.1" - 1.3" 10 shot groups, not bad but I am spoiled by better combinations on average. Have a brand spankin' new one to test out here shortly, if it'll do similar it will work for what I have planned for it.

Totally hear you on the sporter barrel/carbon barrel situation. I've had zero carbon's in the past and don't see that changing without new information. I'm in no way the biggest PVA fan, but I ordered a 2b Osprey .224 blank for my 22 BR. It shipped in the advertised 3 days, is a .219" bore, and it shoots 88 ELD's well. .8's or maybe .9's for 20, can't really tell the difference from my 20 lb Dasher's with Berger's if not on paper. Chase Fisher at Fisher T&C cut the barrel as a prefit without the action, he's been in the six week range for me on the last couple. It could be worth my money to pay PVA Josh to program me a contour of my preference in the future.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I've had a few factory Tikka 223 barrels, and while they shoot decent I haven't had one to write home about with ELD's either. Maybe 1.1" - 1.3" 10 shot groups, not bad but I am spoiled by better combinations on average. Have a brand spankin' new one to test out here shortly, if it'll do similar it will work for what I have planned for it.

Totally hear you on the sporter barrel/carbon barrel situation. I've had zero carbon's in the past and don't see that changing without new information. I'm in no way the biggest PVA fan, but I ordered a 2b Osprey .224 blank for my 22 BR. It shipped in the advertised 3 days, is a .219" bore, and it shoots 88 ELD's well. .8's or maybe .9's for 20, can't really tell the difference from my 20 lb Dasher's with Berger's if not on paper. Chase Fisher at Fisher T&C cut the barrel as a prefit without the action, he's been in the six week range for me on the last couple. It could be worth my money to pay PVA Josh to program me a contour of my preference in the future.

Probably doesn't want to do it for obvious reasons but if PVA just ripped off the PBB lite hybrid (tikka lite contour until it hits 0.75" then no taper to muzzle) i think it'd serve them well. Make it a 1.2 or 1.25 shank for m700 pattern actions. The "cant tell a difference if not on paper" thing is probably my downfall when it comes to not being satisfied. My home range only goes to 200 yards so there's a lot of paper shooting. Unless something changes the majority of my long range shooting will be at matches this year.

Chase Fisher caught my eye as a good price/good turn around option, i wondered if you used him. Manzella has my action for the 223 and I've burned up enough of his time that I feel I owe him at least a couple barrels at this point He's been very responsive.

 

[Carl]

The "cant tell a difference if not on paper" thing is probably my downfall when it comes to not being satisfied. My home range only goes to 200 yards so there's a lot of paper shooting. Unless something changes the majority of my long range shooting will be at matches this year.

Gotta go hit vs miss under time from various positions, or you start essentially shooting groups and get all neurotic like the benchies.

(Any benchrest shooters, love you, but the last 10% that's required to win in your game gets lost in the noise for most field shooting).

Chase Fisher caught my eye as a good price/good turn around option, i wondered if you used him. Manzella has my action for the 223 and I've burned up enough of his time that I feel I owe him at least a couple barrels at this point He's been very responsive.

I know a picky MT guy who likes Manzella. I don't know him and haven't used him but that communication report is certainly positive.

Chase used to be local and is still close-ish, sometimes it works out I can pick up or drop off barrels at matches. I gave him a shot due to the convenience and he's been solid ever since and is hip to prefits.

 

[tzone]

More than I can possible list or remember.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

That sounds similar to how I thought in & around college.

When I bought that rifle I had never killed a big game animal with anything other than archery equipment, but I went to college in Duluth, MN, and got to tag along on some moose hunts/packouts from the Boundary Waters. At the time it seemed like it would be a big part of my future, so when Savage offered a pro-deal to everyone in the store it was too good a deal to pass up.....

 

[Waspocrew]

My current bolt rifles:

Tikka CTR .223
Zermatt TL3 22 Creed
Terminus Zeus 6 Creed
Rem 700 6.5 Sherman
Gunwerks Magnus 7 SAUM
Zermatt TL3 300 BLK
Stiller Predator 338 RUM

 

[Mallardsx2]

I started hunting with a Winchester 94 30-30.
Then I moved up to a 760 gamemaster 30-06.
Then I bought a A-bolt 300 WSM.
Now, I hunt with the gamemaster 30-06 unless I am rifle hunting western game (which isn't very often), then I use the 300 wsm.

Mostly prefer bowhunting. Nothing against rifle hunting, I just prefer bowhunting.

 

[Chingon]

Barrel on order is an ACE tikka lite contour in 7.5 twist. Going to finish @ 18" and be a wylde chamber, maybe add a hair more throat. The factory barrel shot alright with some bullets, not great. Didn't like 75 ELDs. Just have a hard time settling for a barrel that doesn't shoot near everything tight without issue especially a high volume gun like a 223 so hoping that is what i get with a new tube.

I specified a 0.219 bore rather than 0.218. UM said that's no issue and they were to be shipped before xmas. In Jan or Feb i got notified that ACE doesn't have tooling for 0.219 bores yet but they were to be rolling them out in a couple weeks. Last update was they were going to start 219 bores finally end of April. I've been teetering on just buying another tikka 223 because of how this has been going and throwing the 6.5 barrel on it once I finally do have original one back.

Sure wish there were more fast twist sporter blanks available! It gets me a little ornery at times that the market is hoodwinked into carbon barrels so there's all these damn carbon blanks available for twice the $ but a guy cant find a steel sporter blank.

I'm getting the 219 bore 18" from Ace as well. Nathan told me a couple weeks again Monday. I'm going 22 Creedmoor though.

I did order a pre-fit from Carbon Six for a 17" 223AI. But now I'm debating not touching my T3X compact 223 that shoots so awesome and just getting another 223 to play with. Have a few months to make that decision I guess...

 

[Carl]

Now, I hunt with the gamemaster 30-06 unless I am rifle hunting western game (which isn't very often), then I use the 300 wsm.

I shot my first deer with a 30-06 Gamemaster that was borrowed from my uncle. Popular choice for that place and time.

 

[TrumpkinTheDwarf]

Two pages and not a single photo... this disgusts me

 

[klampson]

I’m addicted to rifles and different cartridges, that is all I will say…..

 

[jt13]

The first few are the only ones that matter.

Remington Model Six, 30-06; Marlin 336C, 35 Rem; Remington 760, 223 Rem; Browning A-Bolt European, 7mm Rem Mag.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

I'm getting the 219 bore 18" from Ace as well. Nathan told me a couple weeks again Monday. I'm going 22 Creedmoor though.

I did order a pre-fit from Carbon Six for a 17" 223AI. But now I'm debating not touching my T3X compact 223 that shoots so awesome and just getting another 223 to play with. Have a few months to make that decision I guess...

Can get a 223 t3x compact for sub $700 right now, still might do that but my shooting season is mostly over. Spring has come and now it's habitat improvement season on my land. Have a pile of 223 ammo that was supposed to get burned up Jan-April..

 

[Mallardsx2]