What caliber to build? Savage Short action.

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gdcpony

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I have an problem.

I am not allowed to have two rifles of the same caliber. I can only get around this rule if one of my kids own the other one. So I do have three .223's.

So I am building a LR-308 into a .257Roberts. I love the round and most 7x57 based rounds beyond that. Oops I already have one in an old Mauser. Oh wait, now I have a Savage short action with the acu-trigger I scored cheap to play with and I don't care for the .243 it came in.

So I am deciding how to meet the rule, keep the guns myself, and stay happily married all at once. My best option is to choose different calibers for two of my rifles that I want to try. Oh, but which of the bolts to do in which?

One would be my old friend on many hunts the 7x57. What grade I would want that one- Long range, varmint, sporting, etc.- is unknown. It would be built on the Mauser once the "LR-257" is complete.

Now, another caliber that fills a gap I have. I already have a Varmint rig (.223) and a build in progress for the medium gun (.257Roberts), and a slight idea for my "big" gun (7x57). I can't see a real gap to fill.

So the Savage is left with its short action and .473 bolt face. What to do it in? I love old rounds, and not common ones either. I hate the .308 so much I can't believe I own one even temporarily. So a sub-30 caliber round that I can see some "need" for. Any ideas? I can wait years if needed to convert this little gun, so it isn't like this is a final decision that can't be changed. The other two would be done first after all.

Now if all my problems were this type!
 
7mm-08 if you like the 7x57, the two ballistics are so close you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. I don't see you have any holes, but this would solve the rule issue you are having...

CC
 
I'm in the process of making a Model 7 in .243 to a 6.5x47L. Should make a nice, handy little rifle.
 
Well you cannot convert a short action Savage into a true 7x57 but a 7mm-08 is a good option. If I had a spare short action laying around I would build a 6.5 Creedmore no doubt about it.
 
358 Winchester. Will kill anything on the continent, cases can be made from easily obtained 308 brass. It's also a great choice for shooting cast bullets, either 38 pistol bullets or heavy 35 caliber cast rifle bullets to their full potential.
 
My vote would be a heavy barrel in 6 norma BR. twisted for heavy bullets. with a heavy gun there is almost no recoil, and this has been a mainstay round with bench rest shooters for a long time. It is however a handloaders cartridge.
 
Yeah the 260 does fill a nice gap and those mid ranged 6.5mms are just about the perfect all around whitetail cartridge. I would give the 6.5 Creedmore a look first thought it is a bit more refined then the 260, longer neck, sharper shoulder, runs just a tad less case volume but can be pushed just as fast.
 
I don't really see the logic of denying that multiple rifles in the same caliber can be a good thing ... if you're looking for arguments to defend that position, you have to stock ammo/bullets/brass for every different caliber, and it's simpler if you have fewer calibers. That doesn't mean that you should have fewer rifles, because you need a brush gun, and a long range gun, and a varmint gun, and ... etc.

Oh, and the .243 is a really great round if you explore some of its capabilities. Besides, it's not a .308. :D
 
I'm gonna say 6mm Remington AI. You can easily use your already in hand 7x57 brass or .257 Roberts brass. It's a it different than the norm. And it's just a heck of an insanely accurate and fast round.
 
To fit the scope of your project, which if I understand correctly is:
  • Short action
  • Not 308
  • Uncommon cartridge
  • .473 bolt face

I would recommend the following:

  1. 250-3000 Savage
  2. 257 Ackley Improved
  3. 6mm Remington
  4. 300 Savage
  5. 220 Swift

You might consider that depending on the load, some are going to be most accurate where the COAL is just a touch off the lands but still too long for the magazine. I ran into this in my 300 Wby Mag last year. Of course, I'm assuming your handloading... which may or may not be the case. If you're looking at less common cartridges, handloading is the way to go. Good luck finding a box of ammo for some of the stuff I listed.
 
How about 6.5 Grendel? I was just considering what it would take to chamber that in a little light rifle.
 
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