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Only 12 rounds down a previously scrubbed bore and I'm still patching.....




I noticed the other day that our old Remington 660 .243Win camp rifle was not shooting too well. It's not one that we ever really ran lots of ammo through, but MOA wasn't too tough, especially with varmint bullets. The last trip to the range with a freshly scrubbed bore gave me several groups in the 1.5 to 2 MOA range, using two different bullets. I ran another cycle of ProShot through it this morning and blue goop was running out. Half a dozen patches at 5-10 minute intervals and it's still dirty. The .270 Sendero and Broughton .257Roberts each slicked out with 2-3 patches recently, even though they had seen more than a dozen rounds each.

What should I do with this 660? I killed my first deer with a dog-leg 600, so I'm thinking of a new take on old-school. I want to keep the barrel at 18-20", so I'm leaning toward .338Fed or .358Win. Perhaps a McWoody M7 pattern, #3-ish SS barrel, and black Cerakote? Also, I know that lots of folks use the reversed 700 ADL triggerguard with McMillans and 600/660 patterns, but I've got a nice alloy 600-style setup that I bought here on the classifieds. Anybody know if McMillan will inlet for factory-style 600 bottom metal?

Like I really need another project....

Build it 308.

A 358 flinging 200 grain TTSX's. The definition of "a new take on old school".

Have a .308 Mohawk, so I really want something a bit different. That being said, the .308 is a good choice otherwise.

That sounds great to me.

I love the Mtn Rifle pattern, but it would probably look a bit funky with a 20" barrel. The Compact might be okay with a short tube.

IMO 20" Is Fine On Mt,Rifle Pattern I Run Several On My model 7's In Them..

Good to know. I'm still giving the 338Fed a think on this one. I would like a +/-3" trajectory out to 250-ish and it appears to be possible with the .338 offering.

the bottom two rifles are MR pattern. blued one is M7, magnum profile 22" .350 RM.

bottom one is 20" M7 in .223. tape on the muzzle makes the barrel look a little shorter maybe..



found another pic:

Those look pretty good. The 20" isn't too terribly short in that forend. Thanks for putting up the pics.

i'm thinkin' a heavier contour would make it look more balanced, too.

20" on a Compact

I remember that one. Nicely thought-out rig right there.

338 would have no flies on it, and the 185ish tsx type would blow through about anything, I know there used to be 185 ballistic tips if you want huge holes too.

For LA type brush and swamps would be ideal, but in your shoes I would think hard about the 358 too, just cause.... When I hunted East TX thickets I moved up to a 50 beowulf, large entry hole to start with was nice...

True, the .358 is a good option as well. I can think of several stands I have set up that cover 400-700yds of shooting lanes or open area, but have a max shot distance of just under 250yds. I've never played with a bolt gun over .30cal, so this sounds kind of fun. JBM shows that a 200gr .358 TTSX at 2,600fps can handle a 6" vital zone out to 255yds.

350 rem mag will get you a little more MPBR. Sighted mine today an inch high at a hundred - if i can shoot further than 200 yards i am carrying something else though. Prefer the 225 partition - ttsx does not do it for me at those velocities

Edited: but that would require a magnum boltface (duh)

JPRO, I have owned a few PITTED bore rifles, that did just FINE as long as they were fouled, minimal cleaning, patch on occasion did the trick.

L579 243, 600 in 243 and another in Deuce.

The first two shot nickel sized groups, the last dime sized.

From a CLEAN bore it shot worse, than once fouled - then they settled down. OH, add another deuce I had in 788.

Shame when old rifles get pitted bores....good thing for the old 1894/96 Mausers they stored w/cosmoline in bores...shiney as new, if it was a good bbl the day it was stored.

Good thought. 185 TTSX during initial load development with H322 yielded this group, not too shabby. Not a max load but very comfortable to shoot & consistent. MV was about 2500.



Going to draw blood with it this season.......

Fun shooting pistol bullets in the 358 and apparently Barnes is coming out with a 180gr TTSX 35 caliber.

No trick to push the 200's at 2700 from the 358, if so inclined.

Retire the 660 and upgrade to a better receiver as a build platform.