Donor rifle acquired - What caliber? Suggestions please.

[Bad Mojo]

Well, since only one person had something positive to say about the Creedmoor, I went with the BR. Nothing about the Creedmoor was negative but too little information and too much mystery.
I called both SSS and Stockade. Kevin at Stockade is easy to talk to and hard to get off the phone. Man, that cat can talk but I love it. I went with him. I ordered a stock and barrel from him. He's going to do the complete workup. He expects 6 months or less.
One of the things that sold me was how he's willing to share everything he knows. He's going to help me get started in reloading and give me advice on that as well as other things. I liked the guy and I like his style so I decided to stop deliberating and get it on.

Thanks to all that lent a comment or advice. Now I have to switch forums and begin my education with 6BR.

Bob

 

[280nosler]

There are a number of things to look out for when deciding.

Availability of components (read this as brass right now). Number of manufacturers of brass. Availability of specialty primers (small rifle magnum come to mind as being the current unicorn).

There have been a number of good ideas thrown out. I have a 7-08 and think it is great, but hot loads kill brass (especially cheap brass) in under 5-6 loads even with annealing.

6mm BR - I have a friend getting a custom rifle made currently and I have heard rumor of people getting upwards of 16-20 reloads from brass, which is great. 6mm bullets are also pretty easy to get. Downside is limited brass, with Lapua being the best, and currently available.

I am building a 6.5x47. I don't know yet what kind of a shooter it will be - I'll tell you in October when I get it back from the smith. Downside is brass is currently made by only Lapua (so I have been told), but I solved this by buying 500 pieces, which should last me most of the barrel life.

260 Remington - another good choice built on the parent 308 cartridge. Brass is tough to find as everybody with a 260 is buying brass by the pickup load. Ballistics are good, and if you are ever in a jam, you can neck 243 up, 7mm-08 and 308 down (but you have to ream the neck afterwords.

308 - if your bored and have no interest in reloading, or just are not feeling creative.

30BR - if you desire using a 30 cal bullet, don't plan on shooting past 5-600 yards, and like a very light recoil.

Fact is there is a number of options available, and there is no real bad answer. I can recommend a few smith's, but they are all backed up 6-8 months.

 

[grottyyachty]

Don't buy a reamer, go to your local gunsmith and ask him what he has. I have four custom made rifles; a 308 built on a M17 bought that way, a 308 Norma Magnum built on a FN Mauser 98 action, a 338-378KT built on a M17, and a 7mm-08 built on a Interarms Mark X action (modern commercial Mauser 98) For the 7mm-08 I went to see a friend who does gun-smithing as a hobby. We went through his reamer collection and I decided on the 7mm-08, ordered a 7mm barrel blank, and when it turned up went to his place and we threaded, chambered, and crowned the barrel, fitted it to the action. Later I finished the 95% inletted stock, fitted the kickpad etc. Then took it to a the local gunsmith to get blued. The 338-378 KT, I was talking to my local gunsmith asking him about building me a 264 Win Mag, and he did not have that reamer, but he told me that a M17 action would make a great 338-378 KT. He had built one 20 years ago and it was a real screamer. So I ordered a 338 barrel blank and a thumbhole stock from the US and gave the lot to him to build. The 308 Norma Magnum, happened when my hobby gunsmith mate got the barrel when he took it out of a BRNO 602 action to make a 460 Weatherby. He also had this FN Mauser 98 action that owed him $50 so we built it, picked up a Timney trigger for a few dollars when a gunshop was closing down; and I built a stock from a piece of local timber felled and milled when it was still legal to cut down emu apple trees (beautiful timber if a bit heavy, but that tames the recoil). See what you local gunsmith has in stock before you buy a reamer, that you will use once. If you ever shoot out the barrel you will probably will rebarrel to some thing different. For us in Australia it takes up to 4 months to get a reamer either from the US or Europe, so we see who has got what before we buy.

owner of 2, 22Lr, Sako 222 Rem Mag, Rem 788 6mm Rem, Zastava 264 Win Mag, 7mm08, 308 Win, 308 Norma Mag, 338-378KT, BRNO 375 H&H Mag, 12 Gauge Single Shot.

 

[normmatzen]

If you want to build a beginning rifle, I would buy a pre-fit barrel. That way you can buy a match quality barrel for your Savage and head space it yourself with a go-no go gauge.

Check out the commercial venders on Savage Shooters.com for Northland or check his web page in tadays 6mmbr forum.

This way you will have a very fine shooting gun and no expense for a reamer or gunsmith. That makes for a $350 barrel instead of $600!
All you have to do is pick the caliber.
6BR or 308 would be good choices. You can get loaded ammo for both and both are easy reloading.

 

[bheadboy]

now come on fellows you know he needa a 17x 338,

Bob

 

[Bad Mojo]

Hate to dig up an old thread but I really hate to say I don't have my rifle yet. First it was 6 months. Then, 3-4 more. Then June. Long about Aug (14 months or so after I sent it to him) I get a call from him like he's about to wrap it up. I've called once a month unless he tells me "2 weeks..." He says 3 weeks, I wait 4. Well, it's been 2 weeks about 4 times again. I'm pretty sure I've been really patient. What could be going on that he's not telling me when I call? He's a nice guy and I don't want to be a jerk but what can I do to give him the hurry up?

Does anybody have any info on Kevin at Stockade Stocks? I don't want to run the guy down but I'm on month 18. His last "2 weeks" is up the end of this week. My empathy for what troubles him is drying up. Hindsight being 20/20 and all, what I know now, I would have just gotten a McGowen pre-fit as was suggested and an XLR chassis. I would have been shooting it for the last year and learning. And probably saved $1000.

Any advice?

 

[dedogs]

MoJo, I can certainly emphasize with you. I have been waiting 2yrs. for my smith to finish a project and it's paid for. Don't really have any advice but I definitley feel for you. dedogs

 

[SierraCJ5]

Maybe you can start over. If so, call Jim Briggs at Northland. You won't regret it.

 

[nastynatesfish]

Been better off doing it yourself on a savage action. I just did my 6-06 in about a week it was finished

I've got almost 650 bucks into it minus the scope and finally got a decent load worked for it with 105 hornady bthps

 

[justinp61]

I bought a stock from Stockade three years ago. I was told mid December, early January, I got it late March. It's a great stock but every time I called someone was sick or some other excuse. I'd like to buy another for my model 16 but don't have to deal with the BS.

 

[Mikey_P]

Maybe you can start over. If so, call Jim Briggs at Northland. You won't regret it.

Bad Mojo - Not sure how practical it would be at this point to retrieve your incomplete project from the 'smith. A tough call. They say "patience is a virtue" but dang, everybody has their limits. I think we can all feel your frustration...

And, +1 on Jim Briggs @ Northland - a straight shooter (no pun intended) and a go-to guy for the Savages. He recently fixed me up with a Criterion 6.5X47 barrel for my Savage. Despite being a bit of an oddball request (large shank, med. Palma contour w/.750 muzzle tenon) it was delivered about 3 weeks ahead of the projected delivery date. Excellent service!

 

[joejo]

I feel for you. I had a gunsmith keep my rifle for 3 years after a quote of 3 Months.
After I demanded it back it came back unrepairable. Lesson learned. I only use a local Smith now. I have had Dave Bruno build me 2 rifles, basically ground up and they took about 6 months. I hope you get it back. Its very discouraging and makes you want to sell and get out.