My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

[Trevor300wsm]

Last month I felt like I needed another .243 to add to the collection. I decided that it would be nice to have a shorter barreled rifle to use my suppressor on primarily. After some reccomendations by a few friends, I called up Russell at Scout Supply Company. From the very start I knew Russell was a good choice. I told him what I wanted, and he actually listened. I boxed up the parts and shipped them off to him. His communication was great from the start and he actually took the time let me know that my parts had arrived safely. Anytime there was a question that popped up, he'd email me or call me. When there was a minor snafu with the bolt assembly on my action, he quickly called me and offered a easy fix. You just don't see this kind of communication from many smiths anymore. He gave me a rough estimate on completion time, and delivered as promised even though there were couple of delays waiting on a few smaller parts we didn't expect to need.

Overall, dealing with Russell was a very pleasant experiance. I will certainly be sending him more of my business in the near future. I'd recommend him to anyone that needs a rifle built, or even a little tune up on a current rifle.

Anyway, on to the new rifle. Here are the specs on the new short barrel 243:

Remington 700 action (1969 model No letter prefix)
Action trued/squared by Russell
Badger mini knob
Gre-Tan firing pin and spring
Tuned Remington trigger (old style)
PTG lug
Krieger 1:7.5 twist SS barrel @ 20"
Barrel fluted by Kampfeld Customs
Scout Supply Company custom thread cap
Manners T3 w/ Mini Chassis
Seekings 20moa base
All metal coated in OD Green

Here are a few pics

I did some break in and initial load development today. I tested loads from 42gr to 43gr of H4350 in .2gr increments with the Berger 105 hybrids. It shot them all very well. There wasn't a bad load out of any of them. I was pleasantly surprised to see the 43gr load reaching speeds of 2,904fps with no pressure signs at all. From a 20" barrel, this surprised me. I'm going to do some further testing with the 43gr load at 300-600 yards and see how it performs. I'm pretty confident it will do well and I'm happy with that speed from a barrel this short.

Overall, I couldn't be happier.

 

[Oklahoma5-0]

Re: My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

Very, nice build. I have heard nothing but positive things about Russell and his company.

 

[Diablo]

Re: My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

Looks good.

Surprised about 4350 doing that well in a short barrel.

But that load probably fills to just barely under the seated bullet, doesn't it? That's seems like a good starting point when looking for accuracy.

Other powders for your situation might be Varget, N150, or RL15.

And RL19 (or 4350) if you decide to try the 115 grain Berger or DTACs.

If you want to try some DTACs, send me a PM and I'll get them to you.

 

[Jethro3898]

Re: My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

That is absolutely beautiful! Love the flutes.

Russell is the man and I'm proud to be able to say that he built me a rifle "before he got big". Trust me, Russell is headed to have a big name in gunsmithing. He does a fantastic job and treats you like you are important, even if you aren't getting a high-dollar rifle.

Everyone who shoots my rifle is surprised at how accurate it is and I don't even reload yet.....just shoot Southwest Ammo or FGMM. My dad, who has never shot past 200 yards before shot my rifle at 600 yards and shot about a 3.5" group. He was hooked and is getting into shooting with me now.

One day when I gather together a few more bucks, I'm going to have Russell build me a dedicated hunting rifle.

Again, that's a very nice looking rifle that I know will be a shooter.

 

[slowyellow]

Re: My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

I can't say enough good about my 260 that Russell built for me. It's a tack driver. I've had it for a couple of months now, and Russell just emailed me last night to check on it and make sure everything has been ok with the rifle. That's awesome customer service. When it's time for another rifle or a re-barrell I'll be giving Russell a call. And it came out of my great home state too, so that doesn't hurt at all! Thanks again Russell if you read this, and to the OP, you'll have a great rifle for many years to come.

 

[MoMopacksa45]

Re: My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

That is a slick looking rifle, love the flutes on the barrel.

Mike

 

[Boogaloo]

Re: My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

Agreed.... that is bitchen!

 

[SSC]

Re: My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

I have showed the pictures you sent me to a couple of prospective customer and could have sold that rifle 3 times already.

Now we just need some pictures of the rifle at work.

I appreciate the comments guys. I work as hard as I can to get rifles out in a timely manner and keep you posted on the progress. I take building a rifle for a guy very seriously. I know that you have been thinking about it for months and saving up money along the way. I know guys get excited about any update you can get and the anticipation of a new build is half the fun.

I am glad we got the velocity you wanted but if not, I know a guy that will gladly take that rifle off your hands

 

[Boydo]

Re: My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

I had russell build me a 700 in 308 win and it is an absolute hammer. I am having him build my father a 30-06 within the next few weeks. SSC is great to work with. Awesome product, great communication and fast turnaround time.

BTW Russell, bugholes had already shipped the blank. Itll be on its way to you as soon as we get it.

 

[TippyRacer]

Re: My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

Ok, you guys please stop talking about Russell! The more you talk him up the busier he is going to get! Some of us have things queued up with him to get worked on lol.

 

[E. Bryant]

Re: My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

OMG! A short-barreled .243! You can't do that - it won't work! Oh, wait... you say that it works just fine?

That's a great-looking rifle. I really like the T3 stock for a all-around field piece. Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but what is the barrel profile?

 

[Adam B]

Re: My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

I am curious on the loads you are using and velocity you are getting. All of my 243's are 26 inches and I would love to chop a few inches of them.

 

[Trevor300wsm]

Re: My new Scout Supply Company .243 shorty.

I've only done some initial load testing with this rifle from 42gr up to 43gr of H4350 in .2gr increments. Speeds on the low side were 2,850fps with the 42gr loads and topped out around 2,904fps with the 43gr loads.

Russell did indicate to me when doing the chamber work that my barrel had a tight bore and that I may see higher than expected velocities in this rifle.


As a comparison, my match 243 rifle has a 26" Melonite treated barrel and I'm getting right at 3,000fps with the 115 Dtacs with 44gr of H4831SC.