Short-Barreled 6mm Dilemma?

[LipschitzWrath]

Alright guys, long time lurker here, need some expert advice. I have been wracking my brain for about 3 days straight, which usually means to me that I need some fresh perspectives from others. So here I go. And apologies if there is a better sub-forum that this should be posted in. Mods, please feel free to move.

I have a Model 7 chambered in 6mm Remington. Serial number indicates it is from the early 80's??? The gun holds serious sentimental value as it was given to me by my father as my first ever hunting rifle. His recent passing has only amplified this. Many mule deer and an occasional antelope fell prey to this gun, usually at short-intermediate ranges (150-350 yds). I used to be a very avid big game hunter but an engineering degree got in the way of that for 4 years and that absence from hunting continued for some time after that. It is only now that I am starting to get back into the big game hunting scene and have been faced with a dilemma.

I love the 6mm remington. I think if Remington had done some things differently, it may have enjoyed the same success that the .243 currently does. I handload, so I can take advantage of the 6mm's inherent case capacity. Problem is, this particular gun came factory equipped with an 18.5" barrel. I can't help but think I am leaving some velocity on the table for this cartridge.

My knee-jerk reaction was to take it to the precision rifle builder across town and have him fit a 24" tube. After initial discussions with him, he even suggested going to a 26" tube. I had heartburn with this for two reasons. First, the gun is incredibly light and handy in current form. It is only 2" longer than my AR15 with 16" barrel. Second, and perhaps more importantly, I loathed the thought of butchering such a prized family heirloom. This brought me to my next quest.

I began looking for a 700 BDL with 22"-24" barrel. To say that they are rare is probably exaggerating. However, I can say when I do find one, if it's in good condition they generally have it priced north of $700 (without optic). I can only surmise this is due to the fact no new rifles are chambered in 6mm remington from the factory.

If I were to spend that kind of dough on a rifle and then throw a suitable optic on it, I am looking at spending over $1,000 for basically a longer tubed 6mm.

My question to you is this - what do you think I should do? Am I overthinking how much velocity I am giving up with a 18.5" barrel? I was hoping for 3,000 FPS with 100gr bullets, which seems lofty given my short barrel. Why? Hell I don't know, because it's a nice round number. Which may be flawed from the starting line.

Should I continue my search for a longer barreled 700? I guess the way I looked at it was if I had a longer tube gun, I could relegate the 7 to varmint hunting with lighter bullets and leave the big game duties to the 700.

I plan to add several other calibers to my arsenal over the coming months including .260 rem, .280 rem, and possibly a 7 and/or 300 mag for the longer-range, heavier-bodied stuff. As you can see, I tend to root for the underdogs...

Gimme your guys' hard and fast honest opinions. Please bring sanity to my world!

 

[jonbearman]

You could make it a switch barrel so you could put a longer barrel on it. If it were me I would find or buy new a Remington 700 in a harder hitting caliber like .260 or my favorite 7-08 . If you want a good varminter you already have one with the 6mm Remington. The small game you hunt with it wont be able to tell how fast the bullet is in the first place.

 

[MrMajestic]

You do know barrels have threads? ;D
Just because you take off the original doesn't mean you can't screw it back on. As long as the smith doesn't modifiy/true the action and you use the original recoil lug it will return to the proper headspace dimension. Heck you can even scribe the bottom as a reference. Just order the new tube with the same contour and stock work shouldn't be needed. I think this is what Jon means by a switch barrel.

 

[LipschitzWrath]

You do know barrels have threads? ;D
Just because you take off the original doesn't mean you can't screw it back on. As long as the smith doesn't modifiy/true the action and you use the original recoil lug it will return to the proper headspace dimension. Heck you can even scribe the bottom as a reference. Just order the new tube with the same contour and stock work shouldn't be needed. I think this is what Jon means by a switch barrel.

Lol yes, I'm aware they have threads. I like the sense of humor here. My gunsmith basically echoed exactly what you said. If he didn't true the action, we could put a new barrel on it.

There were two problems with that. First, he quoted me somewhere in the 5-600 range to rebarrel. I believe a big portion of that is because he has to buy the reamer. Checking with pac-nor and others, it doesn't seem I would do too much better going with them. Second, my gunsmith mentioned that with the short stock of the model 7, a longer tube might look disproportionate on the gun.

Keep it coming guys, even with the sarcasm. I'm loving it!

 

[NickB1075]

Does that cost include the barrel blank? If it does, in my opinion, that is a fair price. He also can rent the reamer if he doesn't have one. If that is just the metal work you may want to shop for a second opinion.

Nick

 

[NickB1075]

Also, just my opinion I would keep it as is and shoot it how you got the rifle. When the barrel goes south then worry about a longer barrel.

Nick

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Keep it as is and start over. It wont feel so bad butchering a 30-06 from the pawn shop to make the rifle you want. Dont butcher up an heirloom over 350-400 dollars it would take to start over. And btw if you want another 6mm with a custom barrel go with a long action. That way you can use the long bullets. I have both and the 6mm is on the edge between a long and short action length.

 

[stacy]

YES SIR SELL ME THE MOD 7 AND START OVER LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CaptainMal]

Toyed with the same issue for decades. My 6mm Rem is a Rem. 600. Same 18" bbl. Been killing deer, like again this year, with a 100 gr. Hornady at 2,800 fps (41 gr. H414). They keep falling.

Get 3,000 fps with the 87 gr. Hornady hp (44 gr H414). We all want more and I am "we". Keep thinking that action would be great if I used it with another stock and barrel. Of course, I have two, 257 Roberts rifles that need use and get it. Then there's the 6.5 AI that needs trigger time, the 270, 7mm, '30-30's , '06, 338 and more.

Forget it. You want another machine, go get another one? Keep the old one and switch back and forth for the next few decades deciding if you really need that extra couple hundred feet per second. Soon you will be old like me and full of memories. But - you will still have Dad's rifle.

 

[222 rem]

I agree to not re-barrel to gain a little velocity.
Keep the gun your father gave you, you will be glad you did when you get to be our age.

 

[LipschitzWrath]

I am kinda hijacking my own thread so maybe I should just start a new thread. If you guys think I should, let me know and I will.

First off, for housekeeping's sake, the Model 7 will stay just as dad gave it to me. Upon load research, it seems tons of people use the same load for deer as they do for coyotes so that makes it an even better dual-purpose gun, which I think was Remington's intentions.

I'm gonna throw it out that I am considering ordering a .280 Remington 700 Mountain Rifle SS with the Bell & Carlson stock. Why that particular model? Simple, it's the only one Remington (or any other mfr it seems) chambers in .280 Rem.

However, after comments here and elsewhere on the internet, I am concerned about the light contour barrel. Conflicting reports are everywhere. Some say they shoot fine and the LW barrel is a god send when you're carrying it, others say it's a one-shot wonder that heats up so fast your second shot is compromised and your third shot is pure luck.

Looking for opinions here.

In my mind, there are three options:

1.) Go forward with the .280 Mountain Rifle. Proponents of this option might say that the accuracy is fine with one or two shots, and that's all a true hunter needs. I have read others that say accuracy is par with any other 700. Price is $846 for the rifle, plus optics and any other goodies. My concerns with this option are accuracy and recoil. Accuracy for reasons already mentioned. I've never shot a bolt-action with .270/.280/.30-06 class of recoil. Closest thing is .308 in an autoloader. I am concerned the LW of the gun coupled with power will be a concern.

2.) Buy a cheap 700 in LA, scavenge the action, put a more standard contour barrel in .280 on it, and (possibly) replace the stock. Cheapest guns so far seem to be SPS models and, quite frankly, I am not a fan of the stock. Pros include getting the caliber I want with a heavier barrel that MIGHT be more accurate. Cons - COST! By the time I buy a gun for the action and have it rebarreled, I am likely up over a grand pretty easily. Stainless finish (which I'd like) probably a couple hundred more. If I want to replace the stock with a B&C, H-S, or Mcmillan, add another $3-400.

3.) Abandon the .280 altogether and find a 700 with a bit heavier barrel in another similar-performance caliber. The two front runners that come to mind are the .270 and the .30-06. Pros: better gun availability and cost is probably less. Case in point, I found a .30-06 stainless synthetic .30-06 with 22" barrel and Bushnell scope for $550 + shipping. Syn stock looks to be of questionable quality. Even if I replaced the stock, that puts me back in the ballpark of the .280 Mountain Rifle with a heavier barrel, and even comes with a scope (although a Bushnell 3x9 was not what I was going to put on it). Cons: Not a .280 (which in and of itself may not be a con).

So what do you guys think?

My plan is to have it be my all-around big game gun that I can use for antelope all the way up to elk, and maybe even a moose. There are probably some of you wondering why my fascination with the .280 rem. TBH, I hadn't even heard of it until after my father died wherein I inherited 3 boxes of .280 remington shells from my father. No rifle, and I don't recall him ever having one but I started researching the caliber and the more I read about the .280, the more I like it. Seems it was another underappreciated cartridge (like the 6mm) that can provide wonderful performance if you handload. And being a 7mm doesn't hurt either.

What would you do? I should probably start another thread and maybe I will.

 

[CJ6]

IMHO, Keep the Mdl 7 as is. For the Elk/Moose class animals if you're looking at a LA anyway 30cal (30-06, 300 Win Mag etc.) Not that the other .270/.280 won't work ..they will. But you have the option of heavier bullets with the 30's (IMO THAT MATTERS) with 800-1500lb animals (as does shot placement and bullet construction) I like bonded bullets.

 

[nockhunter]

Keep the Model 7 and get the Mountain rifle, you won't regret it. I have an older blue/walnut, M700 Mountain rifle in 7x57, and love it. Easy to carry and plenty accurate to kill big game.

Mike

 

[rangertim]

I had a 280 and loved it ,a tack driver with 140 grain hand loads , still mad I sold it , great Round "