Light Weight Backpacking Rifle

[SES50]

I have been thinking of building a light weight backpacking rifle for a while. In my mind it need to be short action and a short barrel with the smallest contour possible. I am thinking bullet weight around 140-165 grain. Which puts me around a 6.5mm-7mm diameter. I know that Kirby built an xp100 pistol that had an 18" barrel that pushed a 140 gr 6.5 in a WSM at 2900 fps. If I go with the 7mm WSM and a 20" 3 groove Pac-Nor barrel do you guys think I can get over 3000 fps? Also is there any 7mm WSM wildcats that increase the case volume to take more powder?

Thanks for any info you guys have.

SES50

 

[ingotoutdoors]

I was going after a vary simular thing three years ago, here's what i came up with:

trued model 7
shaved down reciever
fluted bolt, drilled handle
H S stock (heavy, but very stable)
christensen carbon wrapped barrel 24"(shilen)
titanium brake
tally ultra-lite 30mm rings
swarovski 3-12x50 tds (first focal plane)
270 wsm running 140 accubonds AT 3200fps
total wieght=7.35 lbs FULL OF BULLETS AND A SLING
shoots pretty good (3.5"at 600yards, havent papered it any farther out) for being light, I've shot 4 animals at over 600 yards, 1 shot kills.could have dropped 1lbs+ by using a different stock but I already had it.

Its not exactly what what you asked for,but its what cured my problem

INGOTOUTDOORS

 

[3006savage]

If this is deer, sheep, bighorn rifle a Kimber Montana in 260 Remington might be worth a look. The 130 grain Berger and Scirrocco have .595 and .575 BC respectively and can be pushed to nearly 2900 FPS. These rifles are 5 1/4 lbs and the three I have shot have been accurate.

Kimber - Continuing The Legacy

This allows for a 6 lbs scoped rifle. The rifle only is in the $1,100.00 price range.

 

[SES50]

Thanks for the info guy. I have heard good things about the kimber but I would like to build this rifle myself. This is my second build and I learn new things everytime.

Any info on the original questions of speed or wildcats.

Thanks
SES50

 

[MagMan]

FWIW, the weight difference between a LA and a SA is only 3 ounces.

 

[SES50]

Hey, all the little spots to save some weight all add up. 3 oz here 3 oz there and pretty soon you have saved a half a pound. If I can get away with a short action I would go for it.

SES50

 

[rm76]

Here is what I have been thinking about building. Starting with a trued Rem 700 SA in .473 bolt face (ADL model for its blind mag), add a 20-inch sporter weight barrel chambered in .338 Federal (or even .338 Federal AI if there is such a thing), a McMillan Edge ultralight stock, and topped with Talley 1-piece lightweight mount and compact scope with a bullet drop indicators on the reticle (make and model of scope undecided at this point). This may not be the caliber of choice for many, but it would be suitable for large game (elk, bear, moose) and should be a package that is still shootable (moderate recoil), yet packable, and effective up to medium range.

 

[davewilson]

i'm currently doing a similar thing. well, kinda. i'm building an Edge that will hopefully come in under 9 pounds. my goals are Edge power and able to shoot elk at 800 yards. reason i'm saying this is i'm wondering what you want to kill and how far you want to accomplish it.

 

[rm76]

My proposed project does not involve the .338 edge (which is a long action). Rather I am thinking .338 Federal (which fits in the short action). I'm looking for something that I can get reasonable velocity out of a short (20-inch) barrel. Not looking for 800 yards -- but rather 300 - 400, maybe 500 tops. Thinking 200 to 220 grain bullets. I haven't yet looked at the ballistics closely, but I believe the key to making this work will be finding the right bullet drop reticle and zero for the elevation and temp of the terrain to be hunted. Because of the drop at these ranges, one will have to know the distance to target and really know his ballistics in relation to the bullet drop reticle chosen.

Any thoughts/experience on this type of project?

 

[davewilson]

i dearly love the 338 caliber but i don't think the 308 case is a good match. a 300WSM with a 20" barrel will do everything you want with 168TTXS bullets.

by the way, the action i'm using for my Edge is only 5.5" long. yes bolt, no repeater.

 

[SES50]

Deer, and i am in california so most of my hunting is blacktail in northern California. So except for the occasional trip to Colorado or Montana they are relatively small deer. I would be happy with 600-800 yards and am not at all oposed to a muzzle brake. I am in the process of finishing up the barrel break-in on my 6.5 Gibbs with a 26" barrel and if I could get that energy out of a shorter barrel that would save me a bunch of weight. That is why I was thinking 7mm because it would come out slower but would hold the energy longer. I do not expect this rifle to drop deer like my 338LM but also i will not be having to pack in a 12 pound rifle. I am not opposed to over boring this one because it will not be fired as much as my other as i will practice with the 6.5 gibbs or one of the other rifles i have. That is why I was also considering the 6.5WSM.

Thanks
SES50

 

[LongBomber]

I have a HS precision pro-hunter lite in 325 wsm with talley one piece aluminum rings and a leupold ultra light 3-9. This is a great light wieght rifle, although not really a custom job, more of a semi-custom (almost-custom??), but it gets the job done, and the waiting periods for stuff exported to canada is nuts...

I was thinking of something like this..
Remington 700 short action or a model 7 is one of the lightest actions to start with, blueprint the action and flute the bolt (diamond pattern), maybe put a flute on the left side of the reciever (right hand port). Timney trigger, a blind magazine well, a 18 inch light contour barrel (minimum for caliber) and a Lone Wolf summit XL stock. I was thinking of a 260 AI chambering...

But I just got a deal I couldn't refuse on a winchester wssm push feed action...now all I need is time and money...

 

[SES50]

Deer, and i am in california so most of my hunting is blacktail in northern California. So except for the occasional trip to Colorado or Montana they are relatively small deer. I would be happy with 600-800 yards and am not at all oposed to a muzzle brake. I am in the process of finishing up the barrel break-in on my 6.5 Gibbs with a 26" barrel and if I could get that energy out of a shorter barrel that would save me a bunch of weight. That is why I was thinking 7mm because it would come out slower but would hold the energy longer. I do not expect this rifle to drop deer like my 338LM but also i will not be having to pack in a 12 pound rifle. I am not opposed to over boring this one because it will not be fired as much as my other as i will practice with the 6.5 gibbs or one of the other rifles i have. That is why I was also considering the 6.5WSM.

Thanks
SES50

 

[rm76]

I am looking for something slightly larger than a 30 cal -- just for those rare times when one would feel better with heavier bullets (although I am not really a larger is better kind of guy). I thought about the 325 WSM and didn't really consider a .338 in the 308 case (.338 Federal) at first. However, as I thought about it more, with the right powder, light .338 bullets, a chamber such that the bullet can be seated out as far as possible (to increase powder capacity), the recoil factor, barrel life, etc., I became more intrigued with the concept of the .338 Federal in a light, short barreled rig. Certainly, as with anything, this has its limitations, but it just might work for short to medium range. Clearly, this should work well at moderate ranges, but my only concern would be the drop at the longer ranges within its effective range. However, I think this is where the right scope (i.e., reticle) and bullet drop chart (and practice) would be critical.

The are several wildcat possibilities for something similar, but there is a certain advantage for a factory chambering.