7MM Barrel project

[Minesweeper3433]

I picked up a very old barrel blank at a gun show several months ago. This is a 1.250 inch straight blank 7mm roughly 9-10 twist made by I don't know. The man that sold it to me is an old school bench rest shooter that was getting out of the sport for health reasons. Anyway my project idea was to take a Mauser action that my dad donated to the project and a beautiful laminated stock I purchased here and make my first F class rifle in 7-08. However I also was working on a 700SA project with a shilen barrel that I didn't use in 6mm 8.5 twist. The 700 got used with a 308 barrel and shoots so well I cant touch it without feeling guilty. I also have my 700 LA built by Mike Bryant in 300 win mag. I guess what I am trying to say is should I use the bull barrel to chamber a 7mm magnum cartridge when the 300 win mag barrel wears out? The 700LA has the recoil lug pinned in place so doing a swap would be very easy to accomplish but I cant make up my mind about what barrels go with what projects! I have received immeasurable information and help with these projects and more from this forum and its members and was hopping to get the opinion of what other shooters would do with the parts.

List of parts are as follows

30 inch shillen barrel in 6mm 8.5 twist with heavy varmint contour plans to be chambered for 243 as I already have brass bullets and dies.

28 inch unkown barrel 7mm 9-10 twist as measured with tight patch. Straight blank

5 layer laminated stock inletted for 98K action 3 inch forrend.

mauser action complete, trued and barrel less

Rem 700 SA now in synthetic stock with 20 inch 308 barrel that shoots amazing. Originally planned on using shillen barrel in this rifle

Rem700 LA complete build by Mike Bryant in 300 win mag set up for easy of barrel swap down the line.

 

[bighorn06]

IMHO, Use the 700LA with the Mag bolt and chamber for 7 SAUM and don't look back since you don't want to mess with the 308. If you can't use a brake in F class better mess with the 308 and chamber for 284. Mike

 

[TonyR]

I would put a 7mm short mag, either RSAUM or WSM on the 700LA. You might also consider just selling the 7mm barrel and ordering a longer one if you are going to try F-Class with the gun. Most F-Class shooters are using 30-32 inch barrels with the short mags. You can get the speeds necessary with a 28 inch barrel but you can end up pushing the pressure limits to do so. You also run the risk of a slow barrel and unknown twist which might limit your bullet choices. Or you could chamber the longer barrel for one of the 284's or 280s and equal the speeds you would get with a short mag with the shorter barrel, but use less powder and get longer barrel life. You will end up spending a couple of hundred dollars to chamber and fit the barrel in either case. I've tried 7mm short mags with barrels between 28 and 32 inches and also the 284s and 280 type cartidges and I would go with the longer barrel either way for F-Class. Just my $0.02.

 

[Rtheurer]

Oh my. A Mauser action, A Laminated Stock and 7mm barrel blank. Hmmm. I love parts guns. Its like cookin Cajun food.. a little of this.. a little of that and Viola a new toy!!!!!
A nice 280AI would be fun to play with,Maybe a 7,08 AI. I dont know how this turns out.. but I had two Parts guns ( meaning a rifle made from extra parts laying around) turn into real tack drivers. A 30'06 and a 223. The ole 06' shot 200gr Match Kings into a raggid hole at 100yds. And shot real well at 1000 yds with a pull off Krieger barrel that had 4000 rounds on it from shooting across the course NRA matches. I sold it cheap to a brand new F class shooter who had nothing.
The 223 is now my Prarie Rat shooter.
Thats what I would do. I have a Model 70 action waiting for more parts to accumalate for another parts gun..

Best of luck... sounds like fun.
RussT

 

[Minesweeper3433]

Also forgot all gunsmithing work is free for me as I do work at several shops here and they let me use the tooling and I get free work.