Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats 6.5 GAP 4S?

Yes, that's the one. My rifle is basically the Xtreme in a different stock with traditional bottom metal.

What's that?

I thought about going extended mag box with traditional bottom metal but then I realized I don't know enough to try for my own awesome blueprint, I just need to copy someone else's!

Plus... while the 7 WSM I built with a Wyatt's extended feeds like butter, it's a little finicky to load the magazine. Flat follower and all (I guess).

How do you like that VAIS? Do you shoot from prone much? Seems like it'd be a dust storm waiting to happen.

I've only shot from the bench so far. Trigger man is pretty protected but I do see a lot of muzzle blast bouncing off the tin roof and angling back. I expect some dust.

I saw a video of Pat shooting, I think with a brake, and couldn't believe the lack of recoil... Not positive if this is the vias:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qoXjq2LO2d4

I saw that video (with George cussing a blue streak, haha) when absorbing those huge 'Hide threads...... a key part of my indoctrination into the cult of 6.5 GAP 4S..... grin.

I got into this chamber earlier this spring after much research. You might also want to check out the 6.5 GAP facebook page for more info. I love mine, launching 140 ELD-M's at a miserly 3150 fps (could go faster easily).

Given one of your stated criteria as being availability of brass I hope you don't overestimate that! The next run of stamped brass may coincide with your build or it may not. The runs of the Hornady stuff are FAR from an everyday occurrence. Also, I am not sure it is the preferred brass; don't know cause it has not been available.

A lot of guys have to go the 300 SAUM or (better option) 7MM SAUM conversion route. Even then it is by no means a 'gimme' that it will be there the day you want it. Not trying to put a fear in you but, were it me, I'd want a stock in hand prior to the parts arriving...can't bare the idea of having a new toy that I wouldn't be able to shoot that day!! You might also want to start stocking up on some H-1000. Personally, I'd not consider this cartridge if I weren't willing to accept making my own cases.

You can get custom dies or just order 7MM RSAUM Reddings and put in the appropriate bushings. They work great.

Hope your project comes together for you.

West side, what barrel length?
Thanks!

Gardner and Sikes are out in my backyard (Unit 14 in Alaska) killing caribou with the 6.5 Squirrel Shyte (6.5 GAP/SAUM)
! seems to be working out great for 600+ yard shots on giant caribou so far........

Westside, yeah, I've been following the SAUM/GAP brass saga in hindsight so to speak as I read through the massive threads on the Hide. I don't do Facebook but I've been talking with Dustin at Gap; the next batch of 6.5 GAP brass is imminent. I intend to buy some and put it in my secret squirrel stash for later <g>...... if I can get it. It's gonna be a mad scramble when it comes out. This batch totals 100,000 more pieces. If I miss on that I'll buy enough of the 7 SAUM that is out there now to get me rolling and try to get in on the next batch of GAP brass.

Mainly, in conversations with Dustin and from reading up on it, George and crew are completely committed to this round and as time moves forward, there "will" be GAP headstamped brass available. They say.

My bare M700 receiver gets here later this week as does my PT&G bolt... that'll be cool as I can get to work truing the action and fitting the bolt. But it's still a long time before I get the Barlein barrel and the stock from Manners.

Have you looked at what's "out there now" for 7SAUM brass?

If you keep a vigilant eye out for Rem 7SAUM brass you can occasionally find it. I just got a few hundred of off gunbroker for less than what the Hornady will sell for. I'd rather have Hornady brass that I can load and shoot without all the work, but don't want to wait on them to figure out how to make it match the hardness of the RP brass.

Yes. Plenty of REALLY EXPENSIVE Nosler/Norma.

Always expensive, NOT always available. There are at least a few sources now but they were not when I got started. Fortunately I stumbled on to some Nosler blems on SPS for something like a paltry $40/25...never did see what the blem was.

Play it how you like.

[img][IMG]http://i326.photobucket.com/albums/k427/ben_falk1976/DSC00860_zpsf1eoarqy.jpg[/img][/img]

Speaking of the recent 7mm short mags it would seem ONE of them has to survive! I have a 7 WSM reamer so it'd be nice if it was that one. Probably not. That leaves 7 SAUM. If Nosler sells out of this batch, one would presume they'd re-up the order; just makes sense on the face of it. But who knows.

With the 6.5 GAP 4s I'm just gambling I can procure enough brass to use up a barrel... ill take that bet <g->.

Jeff,
200 pieces will do it easily.

Not if your feeding 5 of them, I've had one built for each of my 3 sons & 2 for dad. (Me)

You must be out hunting! Be sure to report back.

Progress... I'll definitely update as I go. I got the BARE action and PT&G bolt on hand now. I'll probably blueprint the action next week. I made a couple bolt knobs just to have something to do, a small stainless one and a bigger aluminum one. These are making the aluminum one:





.... and then polishing it:



I made it with my radius turner on a 5/16" mandrel. Radius turners combined with tapers will MESS with your head!

Looks like this, and there's the smaller stainless one too:



Finally, Remington is putting different marking on their receivers now... weird.



I'll take some pics when I'm truing up the action. That'll be fun.

Trued up the action today. My hoof is busted so I needed to do something that didn't involve walking anyway.

This is the action jig I made. Making the brass tipped screws is a pain; the black Allen screws are hardened.



Here it is, mounted up in my action jig:



I use a mandrel to establish the the centerline of the action relative to the bolt race. I make them myself. It's finicky, as the ID of the bolt race varies by a few tenths between actions- or at least it has for the 3 I've done. Anyway, one of my mandrel a from a different action worked fine in this one, except that I had to reverse it. Cool!

Here's a video of the action dialed in in the jig. Hopefully it'll work.



I squared the action face, squared the lugs, opened up the ID of the threads by .010", and recut the threads.

I used the term "blueprinting" earlier. That's probably an overstatement as I didn't ream the bolt race and fit an oversize bolt. This is better described as a "truing", I think.

Other than building up the receiver (bolt innards, ejector, extractor, trigger, bolt stop, and so on) I'm about out of things to do until the stock and barrel are done.

Second run of Hornady brass looks great per George testing it
Should have very soon

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