I agree with the stock Win trigger, just tuned up a little. Was thinking 24" Fluted #3 or #4 with VIAS to keep weight down a little, I do agree that the 1:10 would work great for intended ammo (190 AccuBond-LR). And yes your right the 26" will have the MV advantage, was only thinking 24" for the weight reason, will keep my options open have lots of time to figure this out. Thanks for the help!
Coltster,
A 1-10" twist will actually stabilize the newer 225 and 230 gr. VLD type bullets coming out now.
I understand about wanting a .300 Win Mag as well. A little harsh on barrels if you shoot a lot, but solid performance.
I would also concur with Engine 22 in going with the 26". Getting a magnum then not optimizing it seems counter-productive on that point. I would recommend an even longer barrel, but as you mentioned, light weight is still a high factor on your list. It's free horsepower the .300 WM can give you, you just gotta have the longer barrel to be able to use it with a wider range of bullets and powders. 24" works, but you are then limited in effectiveness with the slowest powders. I say this because in a pinch you can use surplus .50 BMG powders and get the same velocity as with faster commercial powders. In my 7 WSM, I went from it being a 'pinch' situation to using it for a while as a competition load. 8 lbs. and some change worth. So, it works pretty well.
I still say I like the idea of either Winchester action, 'pre' or 'post'. The lug is what's critical to me. However, I will also say one very important factor is overall stiffness. While they have a lot of material in the front ring, the thinness of the middle of the action leads to just a little too much flex under really heavy loadings. For that you might look at one of the actions that the top is not cut out. Where it just has a port on the right or left side. These actions are inherently stiffer than our old standby's (Rem, Sav, Win, and Mauser) where the top of the action is machined out. That kind of stiffness and the minimal amount of movement would only apply to a benchrest gun though. It just depends on how critical your accuracy needs are. Any of the open top actions can, made and trued correctly, produce 1/2 moa groups consistently. I know some people on here can't stand shooting groups. I love doing that. But, I also use it as a measure of how good a rifle is. The perfect way to see how good a rifle is, is to take all the human factors out that you can. Precise bench loadings will show you that your rifle is capable of some very fine accuracy. It's up to you to sort out the human factors and make the correct calls.
In any case, the Win trigger is pretty good. There are better, but if not needed don't spend the money. Bartleins are great barrels. You don't hardly ever hear of one going wrong. You do see a lot of them in winners circles.
As far as stocks go, get the stiffest one you can with the lowest profile. Build it up with padding or added composite until it fits just right. One of my frustrations with pre-fitted stocks that you pay a lot of money for is you always have to sand or add to get them to fit you right. It's nice having them because they are stiff but it doesn't do any good if you're straining when you shoot.
Let us know what you finally decide on.
