Winter project

[PaRn]

So I have two rifles in the safe that never get shot. I am looking to do some kind of build with one or both of the actions.

First is a Howa Mountain Alpine in 308. Thinking about a light deer/sheep gun without changing much so 260 AI, 7mm08, 7mm08 AI etc. Something that can get a 127g LRX comfortably over 3K.

Or, A 30-06 Howa 1500. Long action lets me utilize a much longer projectile obviously...6.5x284, 6.5 RPM, 6.5-06 AI, etc. Same goal with a 140 class projectile. Would add elk into the mix with this one.

Already have a 300 wm, and a 7mm08 that my kid and wife shoot. I just started reloading, so I am open to non factory chamberings. Would like to hear some opinions. I am really open to any/all suggestions that dont require a different bolt face.

 

[nhenry]

I vote for a 280 AI on that howa. 140gr TTSX at 3150 in mine with H4831

 

[VikingsGuy]

I vote to convert the Alpine to 7mm08AI with 18" threaded carbon barrel paired with a suppressor.

 

[p_ham]

I love the 260ai. Depending on barrel length you should be 3050-3150 for the 127s.
6.5-284 is a good one too. Make sure it's throated for what you want to shoot.

 

[KB_]

no rifle builds for me, but I would really like to finish up my welding shop and get started on a Spiderman art project. Also want to get my antelope horns mounted. Bout that time of year for flippin on the propane heater and getting some work done in the garage.

 

[Farmerj]

Anything 6.5 mm that does not include the word ackley or Creedmoor

 

[PaRn]

Anything 6.5 mm that does not include the word ackley or Creedmoor

lol

 

[Addicting]

I love the 260ai. Depending on barrel length you should be 3050-3150 for the 127s.
6.5-284 is a good one too. Make sure it's throated for what you want to shoot.

A Lilja 3 groove and the 127 LRX are a match made in heaven in my 260ai. N555 has mine at 3150 fps.

 

[PaRn]

I'm really leaning toward the SA, just because the 1500 is so heavy. All of my guns are hunting rigs first.

 

[std7mag]

6.5-250 Savage AI.
Hey, it would be something different at Band Camp.

If the long action Howa is too heavy, lighten it up!

A 6.5-284, or 6.5-06 should be an accurate game getter.

 

[PaRn]

I'm really leaning toward the SA, just because the 1500 is so heavy. All of my guns are hunting rigs first.

6.5-250 Savage AI.
Hey, it would be something different at Band Camp.

If the long action Howa is too heavy, lighten it up!

A 6.5-284, or 6.5-06 should be an accurate game getter.

Didn't think of lightening up the action. I wonder how much I could I could save. The recoil lug alone is massive

 

[buffybr]

Anything 6.5 mm that does not include the word ackley or Creedmoor

What do you have against Ackley?

 

[klampson]

I have a 1500 that I used to hunt with a lot, but it has been just sitting in my safe for 10+ years. I even pulled the scope off it to put it on a different rifle. This last spring I decided to either sell the rifle or build something off the action, and since I have a hard time parting with firearms, I chose the latter. Ordered a McMillan stock and #2 barrel from Brux. Still waiting on the barrel but I knew it was going to take awhile.

As for cartridges, 6.5-06 on the 1500 gets my vote.

 

[Farmerj]

What do you have against Ackley?

To me, it’s so much marketing hype. There are things I can do to get similar performance out of a cartridge, I don’t need to reshoulder the round I’ve got and toss all my current tooling away and start over.

Prime example.. for the change in shoulder, I’m not gaining much to improve over the .260 Remington. If I throat the chamber for the specific load I’m developing and push my bullet to only allow the boat tail in the case, I gain a LOT of case capacity back that creedmor really put a marketing effort to.

Barnes Match burner 140 gr and Hornady ELD-X 143 gr. Brown tip is a nosler partition 140 gr.
The difference in the red to green line is almost 0.280” in OAL. And it would force me out of a short action and into a long action magazine/receiver to feed them.

The red line is basically loading to saami specs. The green line is making it truly a custom chamber.



.243 Winchester, .280 Remington and .260 Remington are all cases where crappy saami specs (twist rates) and shitty marketing did them some serious harm development wise.

 

[buffybr]

I see your point about bullet seating depths and available powder space, but that can be said about any cartridge, Ackley improved or not. And your point about buying new dies, that's one reason why I haven't improved my .22-250.

Backl in the late '70s I only had one centerfire, a .30-06.

One day my neighbor and hunting partner gave me a .30 Gibbs case. I thought that it looked so cool that I carried it in my pocket for several months. The only literature that I could find on it was a short blurb in one of my P.O. Ackley books.

I finally had Les Bauska in Kalispell, MT re-chamber my .30-06 to .30 Gibbs. He didn't have a Gibbs reamer, so he just pushed an Ackley Improved reamer in deeper to the Gibbs shoulder. That became my elk and moose rifle for about the next 20 years.

For reloading dies, I sent 3 fired cases to RCBS and they sent me the dies.

I had a FFL back then and I bought a Mauser Mark X barreled action in .25-06 and another short action.

I then had Les re-chamber the .25-06 to .257 Roberts Ackley Improved and had Les make a tapered octogon barrel chambered in .22-250 for my Mauser short action.

A case forming error about 20 years ago ended the career of my .30 Gibbs and I replaced it with a 7 mm Rem mag and a .300 Weatherby, but that .257 Ackley has been my favorite deer, antelope, and mountain sheep rifle ever since.

 

[Farmerj]

There are SO many options out there for chamberings. I fell in love with the .260 Remington and the 6.5X55 Swede early in my gun days. I wished I would have gotten some of those cheap surplus Swedes when they were available now.

Always wanted a .260 Remington when it was released in 1997. And now I have it. Didn’t seem to matter to people there’s other things at play and it’s a turn off to be constantly told how it’s a junk cartridge and you need an ackley or creedmoor.

Army co-worker was the same way with me on my .280 Remington. With ballistics so similar to the 7mm Winchester Magnum, but in a .30-06 case, I didn’t want a belted magnum. But man talk about getting the lectures and not having anyone listen to my reasons for it.

So I got turned off on the ackley, creedmoor, and belted magnum crazes and went my own direction.

And glad I did.

 

[nhenry]

There are SO many options out there for chamberings. I fell in love with the .260 Remington and the 6.5X55 Swede early in my gun days. I wished I would have gotten some of those cheap surplus Swedes when they were available now.

Always wanted a .260 Remington when it was released in 1997. And now I have it. Didn’t seem to matter to people there’s other things at play and it’s a turn off to be constantly told how it’s a junk cartridge and you need an ackley or creedmoor.

Army co-worker was the same way with me on my .280 Remington. With ballistics so similar to the 7mm Winchester Magnum, but in a .30-06 case, I didn’t want a belted magnum. But man talk about getting the lectures and not having anyone listen to my reasons for it.

So I got turned off on the ackley, creedmoor, and belted magnum crazes and went my own direction.

And glad I did.

Yeah but imagine what you could do if you had the 280 ackley AND a custom throat

 

[Farmerj]

Yeah but imagine what you could do if you had the 280 ackley AND a custom throat

$800 less for powder and bullets that wouldn’t have given any net gain over what I currently run.

 

[nhenry]

$800 less for powder and bullets that wouldn’t have given any net gain over what I currently run.

I mean I dunno about you but my 280ai eats any 280’s lunch just as it sits at SAAMI length. If I seated the bullets out like you then it would be even more fun. That’s in no way bashing the 280 Rem because I’m rather fond of it

What’s more, I know plenty of guys who get massive gains from AI’ing 25-06s and 6.5-06s and 7-08s and a plethora of others.

I realize this is derailing the OP’s post, though. Have a good day

 

[PaRn]

I mean I dunno about you but my 280ai eats any 280’s lunch just as it sits at SAAMI length. If I seated the bullets out like you then it would be even more fun. That’s in no way bashing the 280 Rem because I’m rather fond of it

What’s more, I know plenty of guys who get massive gains from AI’ing 25-06s and 6.5-06s and 7-08s and a plethora of others.

I realize this is derailing the OP’s post, though. Have a good day

I don't mind. I'm enoynig the discussion. I'm interested in all options, and was considering just doing a standard 7mm-08 or 260 rem also.