A short and long action 700 build. Looking for tack drivers, what you recommend?

[Thisisyourcaptin]

I now have two 700 actions. Up front. The long action i paid less than 100 bucks shipped for. Its new and has no bolt. The short action I paid a little over 120 for and has not bolt. Both are blued and new.

For the long action I think I’m going to build as a 300 RUM as talked about in a previous thread.

For the short action I would like to build a straight up tack driver for 100 yard groups. Something that really just leaves a 1 hole or jagged hole. This will be the one that I use with my buddies as we shoot the Battle Ship targets at 100 yards. Tired of loosing these with my AR. Its good but by buddies bolt guns are better. Much better.

I have this stock in my hands now. https://wooxstore.com/products/chassis-furiosa Its for the short action and really sweet.

I know very little about the 700 only that I have one other in 35 whelen that is a blast to shoot and took its first griz last year.

What are good calibers and barrels to start with. This is where I know pretty much nothing.

Nate

 

[Varminterror]

Short action —> 6mm BR.

 

[troy fairweather]

2nd varminterrors chose.
The 300 rum is to long in the Remington to get it's potential. I'd do 300 prc.

 

[DocRock]

As VT notes above. If the goal for the short action is tiny groups at 100 yards, 6mmBR seems the obvious choice.

What is the goal for the long action? I take that since you are thinking 300 RUM, it is indeed a Magnum length receiver. If the objective is "go big or go home", 300 RUM will definitely let you stay out well after the street lights come on. But the 300 RUM is definitely a hunting cartridge rather than a target cartridge and, really, all the full length Magna are. 200 grs at 3150 fps is certainly going to be flat shooting and hard hitting. But the cost is pretty significant recoil, roughly 36lbs, or about the same as a 375 H&H chucking 270s at just under 2,700 fps...

The 300 RUM is definitely a statement. But unless you hunt elk at 500 - 600 yards, it seems a little shouty, a bit short, tubby, bald guy in a Corvette, I'm afraid. 375 H&H is much more EF Hutton; elegant, classic, the rifle equivalent of Roosevelt's "Speak softly and carry a big stick" . It will make anything the 300 RUM kills that much more deader, just not quite as far away.

In any event, food for thought.

 

[Thisisyourcaptin]

Short action —> 6mm BR.

EEEEK. That’s some pricey stuff. Not familiar with it but a quick look at ammo and its expensive.

As VT notes above. If the goal for the short action is tiny groups at 100 yards, 6mmBR seems the obvious choice.

What is the goal for the long action? I take that since you are thinking 300 RUM, it is indeed a Magnum length receiver. If the objective is "go big or go home", 300 RUM will definitely let you stay out well after the street lights come on. But the 300 RUM is definitely a hunting cartridge rather than a target cartridge and, really, all the full length Magna are. 200 grs at 3150 fps is certainly going to be flat shooting and hard hitting. But the cost is pretty significant recoil, roughly 36lbs, or about the same as a 375 H&H chucking 270s at just under 2,700 fps...

The 300 RUM is definitely a statement. But unless you hunt elk at 500 - 600 yards, it seems a little shouty, a bit short, tubby, bald guy in a Corvette, I'm afraid. 375 H&H is much more EF Hutton; elegant, classic, the rifle equivalent of Roosevelt's "Speak softly and carry a big stick" . It will make anything the 300 RUM kills that much more deader, just not quite as far away.

In any event, food for thought.

At most I’ve like to hunt a moose but mostly it will be fore hogs and ******* animals. I have my 35 Whelen that I am quite happy with for hunting. I really dont want to have to reload for this either. I’m just running out of time with work and family stuff. I guess 30-06 or 300 win mag can be down easily.

It is a long action not a magnum.

Nate

 

[ColtPythonElite]

With the accuracy you say you want, handloading may be your only option.

 

[Gordon]

6mm BR is real good to get tiny groups 100-200 yards for sure. No need for a fast twist to do it, go with what the winners use which is about 1 in 12" (or a little slower!) which won't stabilize anything over 75 grains I believe.
The long action will be pretty useless for 100 yard bug groups but if you want to go up an order of magnitude to 1000 yards then I would go .... surprise 6mm BR ! This time with a long action and about a 1 in 8" twist and use VLD 115 grain bullets seated out for the long action to increase case capacity . Then you only need to do all the match prep to one caliber cases and components except for bullets may be the same. Probably not as the 55-60 grain 100 yard benchrest bullets are gonna like a different powder probably. .
If you want to really have some long range horse power the .338 Norma magnum is probably the best choice for a LA 700 and can get superlative long range accuracy with 300 grain low drag bullets and hits like a freight train. The government is buying a lot of them these days so won't go away soon. The case is designed for accuracy from the ground up !

 

[LoonWulf]

question.....what cartridge family are your actions feed rails sized for, and
Are you going to use single stack DMs or the boxes?

 

[troy fairweather]

question.....what cartridge family are your actions feed rails sized for, and
Are you going to use single stack DMs or the boxes?

think he said it was a 3006.

 

[LoonWulf]

think he said it was a 3006.

then getting even the relatively svelte 300prc to feed from the box will take some work.

 

[troy fairweather]

then getting even the relatively svelte 300prc to feed from the box will take some work.

Ya it dawned on me after I said 300prc that he had a 3006. Don't think he reloads which limits him more.

 

[LoonWulf]

yeah, that RUMs a no go for sure in an 06 actions. I agree, not handloading also limits options......

sooooo Id suggest a .280AI for about as much performance as a standard bolt faced long action can give!

The short for a non reloader, Id go with a 6 or 6.5 CM.

 

[earlthegoat2]

EEEEK. That’s some pricey stuff. Not familiar with it but a quick look at ammo and its expensive.



At most I’ve like to hunt a moose but mostly it will be fore hogs and ******* animals. I have my 35 Whelen that I am quite happy with for hunting. I really dont want to have to reload for this either. I’m just running out of time with work and family stuff. I guess 30-06 or 300 win mag can be down easily.

It is a long action not a magnum.

Nate

A few of my own thoughts.

Building a custom rifle is expensive too.

From my quick looking, 6mm BR costs less on average than 300 RUM.

The 300 RUM is a pretty aggressive choice for hogs and whatever ******* animals are. Especially when you consider the overlap with 35 Whelen. What costs a lot again?

6mm BR is a single shot rifle cartridge as well. Is this what you planned to build? Other cartridges will get you where you want to get but these specialized benchrest cartridges answer your question in the OP the best.

I don’t know how or why you ended up with two actions but if dead nuts accuracy is your goal for one of them then that by its very nature is going to cost. You laid out a better reason to have the super accurate rifle than you have the other one so I figure that one should take priority and you should probably do it right in whatever cartridge you choose and put the other build on the back burner for a bit.

 

[TonyAngel]

For the short action you’re describing your intended goal as being that of a straight up tack driver. How important is that goal? I mean, everyone wants a straight up tack driver, but how often are you going to be shooting in a manner conducive to all out accuracy? Shooting from a bench using a bench rest with a huge scope and a trigger that drops when you breathe on it?

I think what you’re looking for is a very accurate rifle that you can have fun with your buddies with. I’d also want one that is economical to shoot so I could shoot a LOT.

An accurate 100 yard combo is not hard to do. I’ve had two 700 short actions. One in .223 and one in .308 and at 100 yards both will shoot one hole groups with boring regularity. My favorite barrels are kriegers. And I really like detachable magazines.

 

[Varminterror]

EEEEK. That’s some pricey stuff. Not familiar with it but a quick look at ammo and its expensive.

[...]

I really dont want to have to reload for this either.

If you’re truly seeking “a straight up tack driver for 100 yard groups that leaves 1 jagged hole,” without hand loading, well...

Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

One trick would be to pick a particular (expensive) factory match load and have your gunsmith chamber/throat the barrel to match that particular load. Putting all of that money and effort into a custom rifle then relying wholly on inexpensive factory ammo to deliver “1 jagged hole” is mind-blowingly self-contradicting, however.

I’d recommend you just find yourself satisfied with sub-moa groups and live happy. Relying on factory ammo to give you “1 jagged hole” groups will be a rough road, at best.

Given a short action with a .473” bolt face and the fool’s errand to make it a 100 yard bughole rifle with factory ammo, but also an aversion for the price of 6mm BR ammo, I would go with Berger 105 Hybrid ammo, or at least Hornady 108 ELD ammo in 6mm Creed, or MAYBE - despite my disdain for the 308win AND for Federal ammunition, the track record for the FGMM 168 SMK load is hard to ignore.

Another option, besides reloading, would be to order custom ammunition from someone like Clay’s Custom Cartridge Company in Oklahoma. They’ll load with the components you choose, to your specifications. Ain’t cheap, but there really aren’t that many factory options which will truly deliver 1 jagged hole groups on a lucky day, let alone every day.

 

[Picher]

I had a .22-250 that won many 100 yard turkey shoots, both offhand and prone. Heavier-recoiling rounds cause more inconsistencies in hold-related variations in POI. Today, I'd use a .223, bolt-action for a couple of reasons...

1. Great ammo is more available and cheaper;
2. Recoil is almost non-existent, so small variations in hold from shot to shot will not affect point of impact as much as with cartridges that provide more recoil;
3. Barrel wear is less than with other higher pressure/velocity rounds;
4. If you reload, cases last longer than with the .22-250 and other higher-pressure cartridges that have more taper than the .223.

Good luck with your project. Sounds like fun!

JP

 

[edwardware]

. . . I would like to build a straight up tack driver

This means you're handloading.

EEEEK. That’s some pricey stuff. Not familiar with it but a quick look at ammo and its expensive.

You don't care, you're handloading.

If you're NOT handloading, skip the tackdriver talk, build a .223 Rem with a RemAge barrel, and enjoy pretty good accuracy with readily available inexpensive commercial ammo.

 

[Offfhand]

For bugholes 100 yard only? .222 Remington.

 

[MarshallDodge]

Short action —> 6mm BR.

Totally agree. If I am going for group size, the 6BR is what I take. Easy to load for, efficient, bullets are reasonable, and low recoil.

Mine shoots 105 blemished bullets into .3" groups at 100. Good enough shooting to 1000 and beyond.

Someone mentioned 222 Remington and that is a good choice as well at 100 but if you ever want to go further, you may want something a little bigger.

I would use a PTG bolt with the small firing pin no matter what caliber you choose.

 

[Thisisyourcaptin]

Well y’all have given me lots to think about. I’ve been talking it over with a buddy of mine. He suggest 6.5 creed or 308. Looks like with the short action I have either will work fine with the stock I ordered. One of the catches is that I don’t want an external mag if at all possible. Just not a fan. The 6.8 SPC seems to require it sounds like.

sounds too like either 6.5 or 308 will will deliver the groups I want if I do my part. Ammo price between the two seem similar and doable as well.

For the long action he suggest 300 win mag. I’ve never thought of it but hear good things. Truth is with the 35 whelen I already I might just sit on this build for a while as I don’t really need a another long action right now.

 

[Thisisyourcaptin]

This means you're handloading.


You don't care, you're handloading.

If you're NOT handloading, skip the tackdriver talk, build a .223 Rem with a RemAge barrel, and enjoy pretty good accuracy with readily available inexpensive commercial ammo.

I would really like to avoid reloading. I only reload 45-70 and 35 whelen anymore. Even then I have little to no time for that. I travel for a living and with my few days at home each week I’d rather shoot or spend time with the kid and fam. It would be great to reload for I just don’t want to spend time doing it anymore.

 

[MarshallDodge]

If you are only going to 100, 6.5 or 308 are a waste. 223 is all around a better choice if you don't reload. 308 has lost the popularity contest to 6.5C so if you build something and later decide to sell it, the 6.5 will hold more value.

 

[Varminterror]

If we’re talking about 6.5 and 308 and factory ammo plinking, rather than what was implied as a custom build meant for bughole group shooting, then I agree, straight up 223rem, 1:7-1:8” twist shooting 73 ELD factory ammo. Should shoot as small as anything out there reliably would under these circumstances. But would require a new bolt since you already have the .473” bolt face bolt.

Of the 6.5 and 308, I’d pick neither, and go 6 creed, and load it with light charges.

 

[Thisisyourcaptin]

But would require a new bolt since you already have the .473” bolt face bolt.

Of the 6.5 and 308, I’d pick neither, and go 6 creed, and load it with light charges.

don’t have bolts for either action yet. So I can be picky there. I really don’t want to load either. Just don’t have the time anymore for it.

I had not really give 223 much thought. But that’s cause I have an AR in it already. Was kind of hoping for a new caliber here.

going think about this for a bit.

 

[Varminterror]

@Thisisyourcaptin - how much are you intending to spend on your custom rifle? Really with the intent to shoot “1 jagged hole” with factory ammo?

Forgive my continued pressure on this question, but the desire seems quite naive for folks who have built rifles like this.