Savage 111 260 Remington Build Completed

[Airjunki]

I decided to get on the Savage do it yourself bandwagon.
I have been playin around with this project for a few months now and am finally pretty much finished. I may end up matching the barrel to the action which I semi dark grey parked and possibly darkening the stock but this is pretty much it for now.
Specs:
Pawn Shop special 30-06 long action reciever re-barreled to a
260 Remington Caliber (6.5mm-08) (Just in case some of you are wondering why a long action for a short action cartridge? Well, it's not just because I can! It's because I handload and I want the freedom of seating my bullets out further toward the rifling/lands for potentially better accuracy while still being able the utilize the magazine.)
25 1/2" magnum sporter contour Mc Gowen match grade barrel.
Stainless Pillar Bedded in a custom (lengthened) Boyds thumbhole laminate stock that I specially clear coated.
S/S Supply match trigger.
Xtra heavy stainless recoil lug.
Versa Pod sit down bipod.
Kick-Eez recoil pad.
Topped with a 6.5-20x44 Vortex Viper Scope w/ mil-dot

 

[Roughneck08]

I sure like do it yourself projects. I say you did a fine job and should be nice soft flat shooter. Can't wait for a range report. Do you have any hand loads worked up for this bad boy?

 

[Airjunki]

I sure like do it yourself projects. I say you did a fine job and should be nice soft flat shooter. Can't wait for a range report. Do you have any hand loads worked up for this bad boy?

Roughneck08, I do. I have two light loads to start out with using Ramshot hunter powder. One using the Nosler 130grn. Accubond and the other using the infamous Sierra 140grn. Game King. I'll see if I can get time to torch off a few this weekend and get a report written up. Thanks for asking and for the kind comments.
Best,
Ron.

 

[Roughneck08]

Well it seems as if you are covered then!

 

[Airjunki]

I took her out last Saturday and torched off a few rounds but weather was wet and I left my chrony on the previous trip so it was dead and I had no spare battery. I made the best of it though and was able to send a few down range at 50 and 130 yds. It only took five rounds to make me content to proceed to the 130 and then I was a bit tickled coz all the 5 next holes were touching at that range. Not to bad for in the midst of a rainstorm shootin out of the back of my pickup with the bi pod. Under an inch with mild effort and the first loads I tried. BTW- the loads are built from necked down Lake City brass filled with 40 gr. of Hunter pushin 140 grn. Sierra GK's.(Very mild loads) I think she'll be a coyote killin machine!That is, the ones the stock don't scare off! hehehe!

 

[Maverick223]

Nice rifle chambered for a marvelous cartridge.

 

[viking499]

That is a good looking homemade build.

 

[Maverick223]

Not to be critical, but wouldn't the 6.5x55mmSwede be a better fit in the long action? Nothing wrong with .260Rem. (a fine cartridge), but you might as well put that additional space to work for you (and you could still load it long).

 

[browningguy]

Very nice set up.

 

[Uncle Mike]

Very nice, very nice!

Good news for those of us without the time to put a nice 260 together, Savage will be bringing out several of their models in the 260 caliber, sometime this spring, so I'm told.

 

[788Ham]

Nice hot-rod Airjunki ! when I first saw the red, I thought, WHOA!! Now that I've taken a good gander at it, I like it. I'll bet that thing will totally smoke any coyote out to 500 and beyond. Thanks for the range report, look forward to seeing some of the paper-works!

 

[Airjunki]

Not to be critical, but wouldn't the 6.5x55mmSwede be a better fit in the long action? Nothing wrong with .260Rem. (a fine cartridge), but you might as well put that additional space to work for you (and you could still load it long).

Actually, no. The reason for a short action in a long action is to keep the rifle a repeater by utilizing the magazine & enjoying the luxury of extending/seating the bullets all the way out to (or close to) the lands. This is a kind of best of both world attempt. A single shot (properly set up) will most always out shoot a repeater and the fact that they have the freedom to seat the bullets out is one of the main reasons. On the downside, the long action will/can flex during ignition and affect accuracy a bit. I have attempted to remedy this a bit by installing an extra thick recoil lug and a very careful pillar bedding job. Another downfall is getting a short action cartridge to feed well in a long action magazine needs careful adjusting/tweaking to get right.
But it has been a fun project and I am really quite pleased at how it has turned out so far. I didn't build her for benchrest or competition. Just varminting, speed goat and paper.

 

[Uncle Mike]

On the downside, the long action will/can flex during ignition and affect accuracy a bit.

The action can 'flex' all it wants to 'behind' that floating bolt head......

 

[Airjunki]

The action can 'flex' all it wants to 'behind' that floating bolt head......

-----------------------------------------
Good point Uncle Mike. It's a Savage thing!

 

[Maverick223]

Good news for those of us without the time to put a nice 260 together, Savage will be bringing out several of their models in the 260 caliber, sometime this spring, so I'm told.

That is great news!

Actually, no. The reason for a short action in a long action is to keep the rifle a repeater by utilizing the magazine & enjoying the luxury of extending/seating the bullets all the way out to (or close to) the lands.

The 6.5x55mmSwede is about .25in. shorter in OAL than the average standard length cartridge (such as the .30-06Spg.) so you can still load it out to the lands. Nothing at all wrong with the .260Rem., just pointing that out.

 

[Airjunki]

That is great news!

The 6.5x55mmSwede is about .25in. shorter in OAL than the average standard length cartridge (such as the .30-06Spg.) so you can still load it out to the lands. Nothing at all wrong with the .260Rem., just pointing that out.

And I am glad you did. I honestly didn't know that and you know the old adagium, "You learn Something New Every Day" certainly stands true here.
I may have to try out a Swede barrel sometime. Especially if I run into a load of brass somewhere. It would certainly alleviate the mag feeding issue wouldn't it? With the 260, making my own brass from 308 was a bit of a selling point for me I must admit.
Thanks Maverick!

 

[Maverick223]

You are very welcome, might be a good option for a re-barrel down the road. Again, there is nothing at all wrong with the .260Rem.; a fine coyote (and deer, and hog, and paper, ad infinitum) buster you have there!