Modification suggestions?

[Gary Kaney]

If you want to change out the stock, give Stockade Stocks a call in Chadron Neb.They have a stock called the Monet Saver. It can bought for aroud 200.00. It's a piece that is right out of the mold, and is inletted. You have to do the finish work on them. As in sanding and paintind etc. I've got one on my 243. I Dura Coated mine OD Green. They are a good stock.

[Derek M.]

Your 30.06 does not have a bolt face for a 7mm Rem Mag. You can talk to a smith and see if they will open it up but you likely need a new bolt. I don't like modifying bolts. If I have a standard LA like a 30.06, I'm keeping the new chambered barrel in the same family. I love my 7mags but if you want to change less and get very close to 7mag ballistics, get a new bbl, have it chambered in 280 Ackley Improved and make barrel 25" long, even 26" if that floats your boat.

[Gary Kaney]

I'm setting here thinking. I bought my first hunting rifle in 1968. A Winchester Model 70 30/06. All i've done to that rifle is bed the stock and tune the trigger, and to this day it hold 3/4 MOA with my reloads. If i wanted i could fine tune those loads a little more, but i'm happy with the way it shots. Rocknwell give me a call around the first of may. I'll be P Dogging down aroud Draper. May lay over in Spearfish and go over to Beulah Wy. for a few brews.

[rocknwell]

Derek, I will have to look into this .280 AI. obviously, i am a newbie, but how do I know what calibers are in the same family? and when you say "same family", does that mean the casing is the same size and any cartridge in the same family will fit in the same rifle (as long as the barrel can support that cartridge)?

Gary, i'm always up for going shooting if I can make it. I'll try to remember! If i don't, give me a call.

[Scot E]

Here is what I would do. I am guessing you will be shooting mostly deer in SD right? And out to 500 yards the '06 can do anything you need it to, even on elk. So I would first find out if it is a shooter. Some stock guns are very good out of the box. And Remington has this potential.

I would get some 160-168 loads or even 150's and see if she will shoot. If you hand load, all the better. If your scope is at least good enough to hold zero you should be able to shoot groups at 1-200 yards and know what the potential is. Remember you may have to try a variety of loads to find one that shoots well in your gun before you can make this determination. Make sure the stock, base, and ring screws are torqued to spec so you can eliminate variables. If it is a shooter, under 1MOA, then I wouldn't spend a whole lot of money truing the action or adding a custom barrel. Just go shoot it and use your cash for lots of shooting. This will be your biggest learning curve anyway.

If you do want to tweak things a bit or if it doesn't shoot well. I would personally start with optics. Find a good solidly rated scope that is dead nuts tough and repeatable and make sure you get good rings and bases so you know there are no issues there.

If that still isn't enough I would personally look at bedding the stock and free floating the barrel, I don't think that stock has any bedding block or anything correct?, This alone can do wonders to accuracy all by itself.

Of course the flood gates open from here on. But the above is a good place to start IMO.

Good luck and have fun!

Scot E.

[Gary Kaney]

What Scot said. My 06 has a Burris that i put on it back in the early 80's. Don't need nothing big an fancy for deer and elk under 500 yds. The furthest i've shot elk with my 06 is 300yds. That's hunting. You don't to get them out to 1000. Just put the sneek on them and go.

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

New stock first and foremost, new trigger(unless your trigger is not an xmark then have it tuned) Scope base and rings.