Free Opinions needed...

[FlaBouy]

Alright guys, here is the plan.. A month or so ago, a deal fell in my lap on a nearly new Marlin XL7 chambered in an aught six wearing a Bushnell 4-12 x 40 Sportsman. The guy needed quick cash and threw in a sling, box and a half of ammo, and a soft case. I held it two days and traded the rifle only for a Remmy ADL in aught 6. I added the glass to the Remmy which already had a cheap slick bipod.

My plan is to swap in a B & C Tactical (with either BDL or DBM) and send it over to Hooper Ordnance to get the chamber/lug work done. I am toying replacing the stock 1:10 barrel with something else while this is being done and add a VAIS break... I haven't a clue about how to rebarrel this thing, but I would like to think that I can set up a sub MOA stick that I could put reloads through up to 600-800 yards. My range is only set up for 300 yards, so that is where the majority of my work will be done, but I would like to have enough legs to shoot out a bit further as the occasion arises. I don't forsee shooting anything but paper with this rifle, so I don't mind dressing it up since it will be a range queen.

Any suggestions on the barrel? I would like a unique look and have no issues with fluting, SS, paint, etc...

 

[BillCominos]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

Hard to go wrong with any of the big name tube makers like Rock, Lija, Schneider, Kreiger, etc... Watch the FS threads as they come up for sale pretty frequently, especially Rock....they seem to post up any over-runs pretty frequently at very fair prices.... Not real familiar with the Marlin barrel options though, that may limit your choice....

 

[FlaBouy]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

Maybe I did not explain that clearly enough. I traded the Marlin for the Remmy and no longer own it. What I am searching for is a barrel configuration for the Remmy ADL in the aught 6... I have been looking throught the Hart, Lija, Kreiger, Schneider, Rock, Shilen, etc. sites at match grade barrels and a upgraded recoil lug.

Maybe it is just my hard grunt head, but I get confused awful fast with all the options available. The stock I want to add will accept up to a 1.25" bull barrel without doing anything but minor fitting..

Just thought I would throw this against the wall to see what everyone thought. I suppose one could argue I don't shoot well enough to feel the difference between most of these barrels, but I am old enough to realize I only want to do this right the first time..

I would really like a stainless or CM barrel, but I don't know what it would look like with the blued reciever, so I am leaning towards a painted camo piece...

To be honest, this might just be practice towards building out a .308 piece in the future.. Not sure why a grunt would need more than one rifle, but I am sure a few of you guys on this site could explain that too me... lol...

Semper Fi

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

I think that most of the name makers will give you a barrel that will have you trying for a long time to find its weaknesses, if it truly has any.

I would add two names to your list. If your budget's tight, Pac-Nor could be a good option, and if you're looking for a Cadillac, try Lothar-Walther. I've seen several former, and acquired a pair of the latter, and they perform.

I will tell you that once the distances get seriously big, it's a lot more about the shooter than it is about the barrel. For me, that line gets drawn right about 300yd out.

Greg

 

[FlaBouy]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

I hear ya, but once I knew a snot nosed boot who stood on the firing line on a cold, wet, windy morning in March and shot a series high score with naked sights out to 500 yards... in fact, those 10 rounds fired at 500 yards prone were covered with a 4-6" spotting disk... I suppose with the advantage of a nice piece of glass and a matched barrel, one could argue that boot could improve on that a bit... even though he is now using the eyes and battered joints of a 50 year old beat down grunt...

I guess my realistic goal is to spent time with this build to keep the rust from building in my brain housing group. It is not so much of an economic limitation as going through the exercise of learning something new...

With all that said, let's talk barrel length. Most of the aught 6 manufacturers are selling 22" factory barrels, and I believe my ADL has a 1:10... It would seem to me, that shooting 500-800 yards, one could find an advantage in going to a 24" to 26" barrel using the slight increase in velocity. I am not concerned with this being a hunting rifle and wanting to keep in short and compact. If I am to stretch it's legs out, would it make sense to go to a say, 24" fluted barrel, or even a 26" fluted cut back to 24" with an added brake to reach out to the extended yardage... or am I thinking too much about this?

 

[deadly0311]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

FlaBouy, what i would recommend is gettin a hold of "MontanaMarine" on here and asking to see his test results for cuttin an inch of the barrel and the speeds he was getting. I believe he went from 26-16 or something like that in 1 inch increments. As for rebarreling i would get a 1:10 twist barrel and shoot 175 SMK or 178s, maybe even a 208 AMAX. Your goals and ideas are easy to achieve. I would also PM WNRoscoe on here and ask for some advice, great guy and a hell of a gunsmith or give Hooper a call and see what he has to say.

 

[FlaBouy]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

Thanks for the advice.. I was not only going to call Hooper, but I was gonna drive my stick to him when I get the pieces together so we could talk shop.. nothing like sitting eye to eye with someone to get a feel for things...

On the twist, I agree.. from everything I have read on the aught 6, the 1:10 seems to be the speed that fits the range I wanna have.. as far as the loads, I want to learn to roll my own, so we will "spearment with what this stick likes once I get a feel for her...

At some point I wanna do a glass upgrade to something with mildots, but for now, the Bushnell was basically free, so I plan on shooting the hell outta this thing until the glass starts limiting what I can shoot...

Last point and I will shut up and listen again... what advantages/disadvantages beyond unloading live rounds is there to staying with the blind magazine vs. going to a detachable mag... Is the upgrade worth the money or is it just one of those "preferences" calls?

Thanks for all the advice guys...

Semper Fi

 

[Hooper]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

If 3006 is your chosen caliber by all means go with it. However there are better options. Same goes for the long action.

I guess my point is to not build on something just because that is what you ended up trading for.

You will not see the true potential of any rifle using a bushnell scope.

You goals are reachable with handloads and a decent scope and rigid mounting system.

You could replace the barrel with a 7mm tube and have it chambered in .280 rem. Lots of bullet choices and that caliber does not burn a barrel too quick.

Long story short:
If you plan to use the HS type stock, you could sell the adl to a hunter and with a few extra bucks buy a nice Remington Police. You may break even vs. having to buy the stock and rebarrel. The Police will shoot sub moa out of the box with factory ammo and good glass.

 

[FlaBouy]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

Damn missed this last posting. Lot of advice in there I wish I had read that BEFORE I ordered the Kreiger... I guess I need to pick up the phone and call you before I make too many more "rookie" mistakes....


Semper Fi

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

The approach appears sound. Work with the assumption that life is long and there are bound to be a few more opportunities to try a build.

I shot Garand and .308 bolt for several years, and .223 bolt as well; employing varmint and various combinations of other skills that relate to Highpower.

I got interested in the .260, and have come to recognize that as .308 case capacity chamberings go, it's very versatile, and maybe the most efficient. These days, I don't actually own any .308's anymore, and my only .223 is looking like the barrel's getting tired.

Now I have the Garand, and two .30-'06 Sporters.

I also recently acquired a pair of .280's, a Sporter, and a Varmint gun.

As time unfolds and resources accumulate, initial handloading efforts are beginning to suggest the .280 handles the '06's case capacity in a way not so unlike the way the .260 handles the .308's. Just really getting underway, but it's already looking interesting.

There's really nothing that says that a lighter weight barrel can't be quite accurate, but you need to be a lot more careful about managing firing cadences and barrel heating. I never really liked to shoot fast anyway.

Greg

 

[FlaBouy]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

Yep, life is long... but not as long for some of us as others...

I have been sitting here thinking about this stick and here is my thought process... albiet, maybe a little misguided.

The finest fighting force on this planet used the aught 6 from WW1 through most of the Vietnam War for it's sniper platform, even beyond when the .308 came into the mainstream. So it is hard from this old grunt to break from that tradition even though the 7mm and the .300WM are probably better options depending on who you talk too.. I would suspect the 7mm would shoot flatter. The .300 would probably have better reach, but slightly more recoil based on the handload used... and costler than the aught 6 to shoot.

I have already collected a ton of data on the aught 6 with an eye on this particular build. Not saying I can't walk away from it, but I am of the same opinion that you are that I suspect this will not be my only bolt gun I build. I am very patient and approach this the way I do building my motors and superchargers... build more than one, but love them all... this gun will hopefully teach me a lot.. the next one even more..

I have a lot to learn about precision shooting. I want to teach myself to handload and build this rifle from scratch. It may not be the most cost effective way to approach things, but it is the path I have set for myself and I plan on enjoying the journey. I have already set several things in motion with this build and it has indeed started scratching that itch that needs to be scratched.... I am amazed at the amount of resources that are out there now... back when I was a strapping young buck, all we had was the C & G Sporting catalog... you basically had a handfull of choices... but I digress...

As I alluded to before, I just ordered a big ole fat stick of stainlees steel with fluting to add to the front of this rifle. I suppose we will just have to wait on the next one to build something I can compare my first attempt to... One of the other hide members decided to donate a slightly used B & C to the cause so I guess I will be looking into a BDL kit since someone cut a hole in the bottom of that stock...

And as far as shooting fast, that's what my .22 is for.. this one is more about making every round count....

I appreciate all the responses... this is a trully amazing sight with all the knowledge you guys have on various builds. I just wish I had started this 20 years ago... Maybe I can catch up in a hurry...

Semper Fi

 

[FlaBouy]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

Alrighty then.. I spent a couple hours rethinking my position on the rebarrel configuration this morning. I looked at a lot of trajectory, BC, and relaoding info on the 7MM, aught 6, and even the .300 WM... BC between 7MM and .300WM is almost a wash and depends on the reload... the 7mm provides higher velocity, flatter trajectory, and less recoil (I suppose)..

So, I guess my question at this point is.... what's not to like about the 7MM configuration if there is no addtional cost involved except slightly higher ammo prices while I learn to reload.

Is there something I am missing here?

Thanks for all the advice so far..... I might be calling Kreiger to change that caliber on the pipe to a 7mm.

Semper Fi

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

Well, there's this. If the 7 Mag produces less recoil, it's probably not by a lot, and IMHO, not by enough.

I have seen both on the line at 1Kyd, and simply put; after 40 rounds for score plus unlimited sighters, no brakes allowed in comp, the shooters were just plain tuckered. F Class is fired prone; and without a brake, an hour's worth of 40+ rounds of recoil doesn't leave much energy for the drive home.

Something else to take from that old '06 warhorse's heritage is the fact that the best minds at the time selected it because they honestly believed the avaerage soldier couldn't repeatedly handle the recoil of anything more.

I will tell you further that if one intends to become good with the wind at such a distance, a lot of shooting is necessary. I blanch at the thought of that sort of regimen behind either of those magnums. If you're gonna go and do this thing, build a heavy gun.

While I have good reason to respect recoil, better than most; I just think you're asking for more than is truly necessary. The '06 is great, and I think that with development, the .280 may turn out to be even a tad greater.

Greg

 

[FequalsMA]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

284 Win? Less powder!

 

[FlaBouy]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

Just got back in town from Cajun Country and have a chance to think about this again....

I hear ya on the recoil issue, hence why I selected a big ole fat 26" MTU barrel that weighed 7 pounds before the fluting. Kruger calls it 6.5#'s after the fluting. Like I said before, this rifle will mainly be a bench queen so I don't mind the length or the weight if it will help settle the rifle in... and I do plan on a brake day one...

I did a little more research while I was out of town and looked at the 25-06, 6MM, .270, 7MM Mag, .300WM, .338-06 and the 35 Whelen cartridges all based on the aught 6 cartridge...

I have decided to stay on track with my initial build and leave the tube that I ordered alone.. She will begin life as a 30-06, for better or worse...

I am comfortable with the aught 6's I have shot before and with the additional weight that is being built into this I don't see it as an issue. I can always build another stick if my needs change.. Hell. that will probably happen even if my needs don't change because I have been eyeing this Sig 716 gasser chambered in a 7.62.. that thing appears to have cured a lot of my resistance to a gas gun by adding the piston.. but I digress...

I have a B & C on the way for the remmy and have enough 150 & 180G rounds to get the existing glass dialed in, so with the decision made to stay with the Kreiger as ordered, there is nothing left to do but wait... and exercise my trigger finger..

Semper Fi

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Free Opinions needed...

I like your thinking, especially on the '06 case relatives. Switch barrel and not much else needed.

BTW, if you're looking for an '06 case with flatter LR performance, look at the .280 Remington/7mm Express. 7mm/.284" LR projectiles have experienced some needed evolution in recent years, and offer more than once they did. Shooting a 140gr Nosler Ballistic Tip and arriving at 1Kyd doing 1300+fps is nothing to sniff at. There are also 175gr match bullets that do even better. I'm imagining they could give the FagMag a run for its money.

Using a .280, .30-'06, and .35 Whelen; I'd not be feeling deprived in any way. Once you do the math, you get the feel for case capacities and capabilities. The '06 case holds way ample performance, yet does it with less wear and tear on the rifle, and less abuse upon your person.

Greg