Would like to pick your brains......

[potatohead]

I am about ready to have another rifle built or an existing rifle modified. I just got my first 6BR and so far I am really liking it! I am thinking on another in a 14 twist. The one I have is a 12 twist and I'd like to shoot the 55-58 grainers and have a repeater that is lighter than what I have now. Id have to say the new one weighs in at 13-14lbs with scope. I was ignorant and bought a browning varmint stalker last year in .243WSSM. I really like the feel of the action and the stock. It's not a great stock I'm sure as far as stiffness but I like the feel. I have thought about converting this to a 6BR but I know the bolt head would need modified and the magazine as well in order to make this work. Should I cut my loses and sell this thing??? I think if I could make it work and not have it cost an arm and a leg or two I would be really happy. It is going to be a coyote/truck rifle. No more than 24" barrel and varmint taper.....that's what it is now and it feels good. Maybe need some weight in the butt. Can I change the bolt face on a browning? I have some ideas on the mag but will wait on the finding out about the bolt face before I start tinkering.

Also I guess I need some input on the 55-58 grainers on yotes. I think its a little on the small size but I know it will do the job.....If needed I'd go with heavier and put a break on. Not worried about the kick............it's all about my viewing pleasure.

 

[Laurie]

Potatohead,

sell the Browning. I had a Winchester Stealth II in .243WSSM - same action - which I donated to a friend who managed to rebuild it as a 6BR, but with difficulty.

As you note, the problem is the bolt-face diameter which is dimensioned for the WSSM's magnum dia. case-head and is oversized for the 0.473" dia 6BR case. This was sorted by installing a ring / bushing onto the bolt-face.

However .... on the Stealth version at any rate, and I presume your Browning is the same, it uses a hybrid push / controlled feed extractor / ejection method that leaves the bottom of the bolt face 'open', and the action's blade ejector rides in a slot machined into the lower left face of the bolt-head (lower right if looked at from the front). The bushing inserted therefore also has to be 'open' at the bottom and the fired case / round drops downwards and off from the bolt on extraction sliding out from under the extractor blade. The answer to that was to instal a small peg into the bolt face at the 6 o'clock position and use the action purely in push-feed mode.

Rebuilding the rifle in this form as a repeater is impossible - I doubt if 6BR cartridges would feed reliably from a WSSM configured magazine anyway. If your action is purely push-feed with an ejector button as on .223 and .243/308 etc Winchester / Browning models, conversion is simpler (apart from the bolt-face bushing having to fit around the button) and maybe could be kept as a repeater.

The other problem in converting any Winchester / Browning to 6BR and 6/6.5X47 Lapua is that the design uses a very blunt and fat firing pin. You get appalling primer cratering and then piercing at relatively low pressures and MVs thanks to these cartridges using small size primers. You would have to get Gre-Tan Engineering or somebody else to turn the pin diameter down and bush the bolt-face. I can speak with authority here having rebarrelled a .308W FN Special Police Rifle (Winchester 70 WSM receiver with pre-64 type controlled feed bolt) to 6.5X47L. The cratering problem is so bad I'm having the rifle rechamebered to .260 Rem and using another action as the basis of a replacement 6.5X47L rifle. (The smaller dia. pin / bushing option is not a cheap or easy one here in England as we don't have any Greg Tannel equivalent set up to do these conversions, so it would be a one-off and very expensive gunsmithing job.) Incidentally, the small rifle primer cratering problem applies to Remington 700 actions too, albeit to a lesser extent, if you decide to use that instead of the Browning.

Sorry to be a bearer of bad news, but I really wouldn't recommend this conversion. Incidentally, my old Stealth performs quite well in 6BR form despite everything, although loads have to be kept modest.

Laurie,
York, England

 

[DOGCAPPER]

I have a 6 BR 14 twist...got in multi barreltrade....Good shape..Threaded for Borden Rimrock..Shank is 1.052 diameter by 1.105 long..unsure if tpi...looks like 18 tpi...21.5 inches long..100.00 shipped US except Cal..LT

 

[potatohead]

Laurie,
Thank you for the helpful information! Over my head a little but I got the point. Think I will just sell it and cut my loses. To Dogcapper I appreciate your offer but probably not going to be able to use that barrel.

Now for the next question. I need to build a nice truck/yote stick. I have 3 high volume vermin exterminators. As well I have a new 6br with 12 twist for longer bench time in prairie dog sit downs. I'm wanting another 6br repeater for lighter 55 grainers. I just bought 4k noslers for a steal!!! Where can I get an accurate rifle built for about 900-1200 that fits this bill? I'd like a lighter shorted rifle.

Was thinking of buying a Howa and sending it to PacNor to have them work it over and put one of their barrels on it. I would come in under a grand on this but not sure if it will be a shooter or not. Any thoughts on this adea? I have to say I have a CZ 527 that I really like the feel of....it's built by James Calhoun in his .19 badger. I think that would be another great rifle to to build it on but think I'd run into a feeding problem from the thin magazine. Also I will say the action is not as smooth as I would like. I have 2 Savages and really like them but damn they are heavy for what they are. Remington action is a choice yet seems expensive after truing is done.

Any thoughts on this are welcome. Thanks averyone.