need advice on barrel

[Bigeclipse]

All,
I am building my wife a rifle. I already purchased the donor action (savage110) with the proper bolt face for either a 7mm-08 or 260. She will be using a customized boyds stock. Since this will be a shorter range rifle, all shots under 300 yards, she will be sticking with a lighter weight rifle which means a sporter type contour barrel. I was thinking going to shilen, pacnor, or criterion. I am not sure what contour you would advise and length. Again, I know most people suggest 26inch for many long range rigs but this will be short range. Also, as far as contour goes, which contour is similar to a savage sporter contour for any of these barrel companies. She will be doing a lot of tree stand hunting or box blind hunting. I was thinking 22 to maybe a 24 inch #4 pac nor contour....not sure if all barrel makers contours are similar. I welcome all and any suggestions. Thanks everyone!

P.S. we are leaning towards 260 since I reload, it is a little flatter shooting and tends to have less recoil. She is a touch recoil sensitive but not really bad. I know 260 can be hard to find factory ammo but does it exist? Would most gunshops be able to order me a few boxes just to keep on hand for emergency? thanks again!

 

[just browsing]

Any of the barrels you listed are going to be fine, especially for the distance she's going to be shooting. Shillen would be my recommendation, either the 22" sporter or 26" heavy sporter. As I said before whichever one you choose really won't have that much of an impact on what she's going to be using it for. Dead is dead and the deer won't mind too much.

As for caliber, both are going to do the job and neither are going to be super easy to find, but the 7mm-08 is going to have better availability as far as factory ammo and reloading components go. It's also going to have the edge in "horsepower" but as I said before, dead is dead. The recoil difference between the two will most likely be negligible, but if she's a little sensitive to the 7mm-08 that's easily remedied with a limb saver and/or muzzle brake.

7mm-08 gets my vote.

 

[wwbrown]

I know ths is taking your message off track but since you reload I would chamber a 22" barrel in 6.5x47L. Inside of 300 yards the animals will not know the difference between this round and the two you proposed. The shooter and reloader will know the difference if you go with the 6.5x47L, the shooter as there will be less muzzle blast and recoil, the reloader because it is a very easy round to find a sweet load for.

Why 22" at the ranges you are talking about the loss in velocity will not be an issue, but a 22" barrel will make for a lighter rig and easier and faster to swing when acquiring a target.

Just my two pennies,
wade

 

[the jigger]

Check the Shilen web pages. They show "Savage Drop-ins". I have used them for a sporter weight Ackley. For your (or your wife's)application I would go with a Sporter
weight 22" long. I used the Heavy sporter 24" and a Boyd's laminated stock. My choices did not produce a light weight lady's rifle.
If you reload 260; if you don't 7/08.GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

 

[Wedgy]

Typical "sporter" barrels are ~22" and in the 2.5 lb range and are great for carrying but not for shooting long, although 300 yards is no problem. They heat up fast so load testing repeated shots takes a while. So going with a #4 would add a pound on the muzzle end, keeping balance in mind. Any caliber with that bolt face will do the job at 300 and beyond. I do appreciate having a gun with a short barrel in a small box blind.
This is Douglas's info

 

[Bigeclipse]

Check the Shilen web pages. They show "Savage Drop-ins". I have used them for a sporter weight Ackley. For your (or your wife's)application I would go with a Sporter
weight 22" long. I used the Heavy sporter 24" and a Boyd's laminated stock. My choices did not produce a light weight lady's rifle.
If you reload 260; if you don't 7/08.GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!

Her current rifle is a Ruger m77 mark ii in 243. For how small this thing feels it is freaking heavy! She does fine with it but dang it is heavier than the synthetic savage 110 we will be using by a lot. Im sure its because of rugers laminate stock. I don't have a scale and I do realize the Savage tupperware stocks are light but if we can keep this rifle build to no more than the weight of her current ruger she will be happy. I will look into the shilen sporter barrel for sure! I do reload and was thinking 260 but the first poster has me considering 7mm08

Will the shilen regular sporter contour barrels at least hold a decent 3 shot group? I can't see her needing more than that out in the field. She has shot over 8 deer so far and I think she shot 3 times once at 245 yards at her first deer...since then she has only needed one shot.

 

[just browsing]

Either caliber is going to do the job just fine, but if it were me I would go 7mm-08, that's all I was saying. The .260 is a great round, but when comparing the two side by side, the 7 is just a better overall round in my opinion. The most important thing to think about: dead is dead. The caliber isn't going to do her any good if she's not confident enough with it to make well placed shots, so that's how you should make your decision.

As for the barrel - I had a 22" sporter on my Winchester Model 70. It would shoot sub MOA at 100 yards and reach 300 yards pretty easily. I did have to wait a minute or two in between shots though. Keep in mind, this was with a 7mm mag, so that's a lot more energy (and heat) going through the barrel than what the 08 or .260 will bring.

 

[Bigeclipse]

Update...her current rifle is 9lbs 1 ounce with its scope and the Savage in its current tupperware version with scope weighs 8lbs. the laminate will likely add close to half a pound according to boyds website over the tupperware stock so sounds like sticking with the Savage regular sporter is best and not going for the heavy sporter contour.

 

[7magcreedmoor]

I put together a custom this past year on a 111 action. My PacNor #6 contour 26 inch microfluted (10 grooves) barrel, a Boyds's Tacticool stock and Vortex Viper HSLR weighs 12 pounds empty. You mentioned recoil sensitivity, so I suggest NOT trying to make the rifle lighter. I am shooting 280 Ackley Improved, sending out Berger 168 grain VLDs @ 3015 fps, with a JP Industries brake and a Limbsaver pad, with very mild recoil. For a 7mm-08, 22 inches of barrel should give reasonable velocity, and save some weight length-wise, but I wouldn't go smaller than #5 contour for diameter. Getting her the right length-of-pull, and using an adjustable cheek-piece will go a long way toward giving her the best experience in long (I mean shooting more rounds, not farther) range sessions. If you want the rifle to be lighter than 10 pounds, go with your 260 case, or a 6.5 Creedmoor to lighten up the bullet, as this brings recoil reduction without giving up effectiveness at the ranges you specify. My Ruger M77 mk2 is in a Boyds laminate JRS, has a 25.5 inch ER Shaw varmint helical fluted barrel and tips the scale at 10lbs even. Recoil is very mild from the Creedmoor with 140 grainers at 2740fps.

 

[Bigeclipse]

I put together a custom this past year on a 111 action. My PacNor #6 contour 26 inch microfluted (10 grooves) barrel, a Boyds's Tacticool stock and Vortex Viper HSLR weighs 12 pounds empty. You mentioned recoil sensitivity, so I suggest NOT trying to make the rifle lighter. I am shooting 280 Ackley Improved, sending out Berger 168 grain VLDs @ 3015 fps, with a JP Industries brake and a Limbsaver pad, with very mild recoil. For a 7mm-08, 22 inches of barrel should give reasonable velocity, and save some weight length-wise, but I wouldn't go smaller than #5 contour for diameter. Getting her the right length-of-pull, and using an adjustable cheek-piece will go a long way toward giving her the best experience in long (I mean shooting more rounds, not farther) range sessions. If you want the rifle to be lighter than 10 pounds, go with your 260 case, or a 6.5 Creedmoor to lighten up the bullet, as this brings recoil reduction without giving up effectiveness at the ranges you specify. My Ruger M77 mk2 is in a Boyds laminate JRS, has a 25.5 inch ER Shaw varmint helical fluted barrel and tips the scale at 10lbs even. Recoil is very mild from the Creedmoor with 140 grainers at 2740fps.

She is not crazy recoil sensitive. My 3006 thumps her and she said it was more how loud and the muzzle blast that caused her to flinch than it was the thump on her shoulder. I'm not trying to build her an ultralight rifle BUT her rifle at 9lbs now is about as max I'd want to go for her when she's shooting offhand...this past year she stalked a deer...got to about 45 yards from it before she saw it. Went to shoot and had to get down on a knee to stabilize the rifle. She got the buck but did say it was somewhat tough keeping the rifle on the deer but it wasn't too bad. This is why I'm trying to keep max weight under 9lbs with scope and bases/rings. She is not a new shooter. Been shooting all her life but the 243 is the biggest she routinely shoots. She wanted to step up to a bit more horsepower without going crazy on recoil which is the reasoning for the 260 or 7mm08. The 260 with 120s or the 7-08 with 140s I'd think would be a good deal less than my 3006 but I've never shot either so don't know

 

[Bigeclipse]

I put together a custom this past year on a 111 action. My PacNor #6 contour 26 inch microfluted (10 grooves) barrel, a Boyds's Tacticool stock and Vortex Viper HSLR weighs 12 pounds empty. You mentioned recoil sensitivity, so I suggest NOT trying to make the rifle lighter. I am shooting 280 Ackley Improved, sending out Berger 168 grain VLDs @ 3015 fps, with a JP Industries brake and a Limbsaver pad, with very mild recoil. For a 7mm-08, 22 inches of barrel should give reasonable velocity, and save some weight length-wise, but I wouldn't go smaller than #5 contour for diameter. Getting her the right length-of-pull, and using an adjustable cheek-piece will go a long way toward giving her the best experience in long (I mean shooting more rounds, not farther) range sessions. If you want the rifle to be lighter than 10 pounds, go with your 260 case, or a 6.5 Creedmoor to lighten up the bullet, as this brings recoil reduction without giving up effectiveness at the ranges you specify. My Ruger M77 mk2 is in a Boyds laminate JRS, has a 25.5 inch ER Shaw varmint helical fluted barrel and tips the scale at 10lbs even. Recoil is very mild from the Creedmoor with 140 grainers at 2740fps.

Is there a reason you suggest not going below a #5 contour...that's pretty dang thick...getting into light varmint territory...

 

[7magcreedmoor]

I had three rifles with sporter contour barrels that shot really well, moa or better- but only for the first three shots starting cold. Once they were warmed up, the groups opened up and that got to be a drag when I want to shoot for a couple hours before packing up and heading home. Even switching rifles every three shots so they can cool a bit didn't really solve the problem. As hunting rifles, they were great. Carry all day and shoot once, no problem. But as fun rifles, I wanted better. My three favorites now are all custom barreled, one ER Shaw varmint in 6.5 Creedmoor, one EABCO varmint in 6.5/284, and my DIY home-built with a PacNor #6 fluted in 280 AI. They group as well warm as cold, and I believe it is due to the heavier barrels. I prefer to hunt with my play rifles, as familiarity breeds confidence. I don't mind the 12 lbs of the 280, knowing that I've beat steel reliably at distances longer than I am likely to shoot while hunting. I'd much rather trim a few pounds off my old butt than lighten up my rifle for the sake of climbing the hills....