What caliber to rechamber Rem 700 for tiny groups at 1000

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Shmackey

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I currently have a 700 in .308 that I shoot from 100 to 1000 yards. It will get to 1000 and hit my steel targets with 175 SMKs if I do my part and/or if the wind is behaving. But I'm realizing more and more that--boring as it seems--I much prefer shooting for groups as opposed to shooting for hits.

That's leading me toward things like F-class open and even long-range benchrest (even though I'm too young for an AARP card). So I'm trying to decide whether to rebarrel/rechamber the 700 in a more suitable caliber or just to get a purpose-built gun. (Those Savage F-class rifles look pretty good out of the box.)

Thing is, I don't see too many suitable calibers that would work in a standard 700 short action. It looks like the 6.5mm and (now especially) the 7mm cartridges rule the roost--but 6.5x284 is a little too long (I think), and 7mm WSM needs a magnum bolt face. I assume .284 Win also is a little too long. I could do .260 Rem in this action, but it seems more suited for the aforementioned "shooting for hits" than for printing tiny groups.

So, what calibers can/should I consider for this short action? Or should I just give up on adapting this rifle?
 
6mm creedmoor is proving to provide very tiny groups at long distance, as well as just fun to shoot.
 
6.5CM and 6.5x47 are pretty much the same as .260 Rem. They'll get to 1000 with way less drop than .308, but I think the typical F-class rounds are in a different level of oomph.
 
Sorry. You said short action. My apologies. 6.5x47 seems like a dandy caliber with little recoil. .243?
 
Your not going to get any more oomph out if a short action standard bolt face than the 6.5-6mm range of cartridge. The shirt action stand bolt face doesn't have enough behind it to push the heavy 7's to see its potential. IMHO I would change the bolt and go with a 6.5saum. Either way groups @ 1000 have alot to do with the shooters ability to read conditions.
 
Hmm.... Could I just swap out the bolt for a magnum-faced one and shoot 7mm WSM through the same receiver and internal magazine? (Obviously the barrel gets changed too.)
 
Internal mag would prolly have to be changed out, if going that route seriously look into the 6.5saum it's ballistics @1000 are amainzing.
 
The magazine is a non-issue. Long Range shooters don't load from the magazine in the first place. The minimum effort would be to put that action in a stiff stock with no magazine well and have a feed ramp installed in the cut in the action. Probably remove or reduce the ejector spring so it didn't throw your prepped brass in the weeds, too.

I don't know what the current darling of the LR BR clan is, but there has been some remarkable shooting done with one or another 6mm. I saw a 6mm Lap wildcat before I ever saw a factory 6.5 Lapua, for example.

Rather than chop up that poor old short 700, if you want a bigger bottle, get a bigger action. It will not add a large percentage to the cost of a first class target rifle.

An ace F-open shooter hereabouts uses a 7mm WSM or a wildcat 7x270 WSM. But that would call for a different action.
 
Yeah, the more I look at it, the more it makes sense to leave well enough alone and get a different rifle in a proper F-class caliber.
 
You could still do what you're wanting with a short action. A custom rebarrel in 6.5CM, 260, 6XC, 243, 243AI, and so on. IMHO all of those would be an improvement over your stock 308 and depending on how well you built it up and worked up the loads (critical) could potentially print some very respectable groups. My 6XC certainly does and I have friends with 260's and they do just as well. The other piece is reading the wind. The gun gets you half way. The other half is how well you judge the conditions. :)
 
6.5x284 would be swell, even a straight 284 Winnie. Maybe 6mmDasher or 6mm BR.

I really like my 6.5x47 Lapua, it is still a project in process. :)
 
A .284 win will work on a 700 short action, had a 7mm08 rechamberd to a .284. It shot lights, the .284 is fine cartridge that doesn't get a lot of notice. But when your going for groups, it's more about the barrel than the cartridge IMO
 
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