My first custom rifle

[Dug]

I want to shoot at 600-1000yds. Informal stuff for now. I have a Rem. 700vs short action.

I plan to use the H-S Prec stock for now.

Hart or Krieger barrel, approx. 27" .850 muzzle dia. fluted, .243 AI, 1 in 8 twist for up to a 107 grain MK. Action trued with barrel installation.

Jewel HVR trigger, long range scope base, and a hi power Leupold or nightforce scope.

I have so much to learn about longrange shooting, I thought this would be a place to start. Any major, or minor for that matter, flaws in my choices? I am really open to suggestions.

Hart & Krieger both have about a 20 week wait. Is there someone a bit quicker?

Thanks, Dug

 

[Spotcheck_Billy]

If you are looking at a great quality cut rifled barrel without a long wait you might try Bartlein.

If you're going to choose between Nightforce and Leupold, the Nightforce wins hands down. I've got both!

Best of luck on your project.

 

[Forum Boss]

Dug,

Overall, you have a good plan. Here's some thoughts.

On barrels: Bartlein has been making some great barrels and they have a faster turn-around than Krieger. Bartlein is run by ex-Krieger guys. Also consider PacNor and Broughton and Lilja.

On barrel diam. I'd go with a HV type taper, maybe 1.25" for 5" tapering to .90-.920". 27" finished is fine, but I'd go 29" so you can have the barrel set back in a year or so. The .243AI is known to be a barrel-burner.

Stock: The HS Precision will work, but I'd invest in a Long Range BR type stock with a 3" fore-end and a flat or nearly flat run on the underside of the buttstock. This will be MUCH more stable on bags than a hunting style stock and it will track much better.

 

[PJ]

Guys,
Bruno's shooters supply shows a couple Kriegers for sale. One a lv 1-8 twist 31". The other a lv 1-8 twist 29".I think that may eliminate your wait on Kriegers.
I also noticed that they had a few 1-7.5 twist barrels. Might want to look at them. If you want to shoot the 115 grain bullets that is. Hope this helps.

I ordered some stuff from bruno's monday late afternoon. I was told that it should be there thursday. Got home thursday to a package sitting waiting for me. That is what i call service. With other companys i ask when will i get it. They say a few days i get it like a week later. Not cool.

 

[DesertLefty]

A couple of days ago, Broughton said that the wait for their barrels was "8-10 weeks".

Amen on the Jewell HVR trigger and the Nightforce.

"Lefty"

 

[Dug]

All the barrels mentioned seem to have a good reputation, so any would normally suit my purpose. But I have no smith at this time, so looking at barrel makers that install. Some do, some don't. Some don't flute, And I think I want fluting. But, you've led me down the right path, Pac Nor has what I want, at a reasonable price, and a better lead time than a few others. Thanks.

Do you think the H-S varmit stock wiil support and have room for the barrel weight mentioned? I allready have it, and aside from saving a little money, it might be better suited for bipod use if results permit that. I understand the merits of a benchrest stock, just thought I'd wait and see if my ablities will warrant a formal match.

Barrel life? I use good cleaning technics and intervals,and hope to be able to use a slow burning powder. So, am expecting a life of approx. 1500 rounds, am I being too optamistic? The extra weight in the chamber area for future setback was a great suggestion.

Hopfully, I'm wiser today than I was yesterday. So your guidance and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Dug

 

[tightneck]

I think the moderator is right on with his post. Sell the HS stock on Ebay,you will be surprised at how much it will bring)and get a BR stock. As far as the 243AI, it's an impressive performer, but it eats throats for lunch. 1500 is possible, but cutting edge accuracy will be long gone IMHO. I'm going to give the 6mmAI a shot but it wont be that much better on throat wear. Really depends how much you will shoot it and how deep your pockets are. With any barrel burner you should have 2 of them chambered up so you aren't scrambling when the first one starts to go downhill. Heck, this should really be done with any new build if you can afford it. Oh yeah, you can't go by Bruno's website to see what's in stock, cause it does'nt get updated very often so you'll have to give them a call. They may have just what you need especially if you aren't picky about which brand. I believe most all of them will do very well.