I admit that I have always had a desire for a light weight mountain type rifle in a caliber that offers efficiency and the ability to take deer and coyotes at longer ranges if the situation calls for it. A lightweight Remington with a mountain rifle contour and a fluted bolt just trips my trigger but I just have not had the cash to make it happen. If you had the same desires what direction would you go for the build? The easiest option now seems to be buying a 700SPS in .260 and throwing an AK Ti stock stock on it.

Though I have to admit that my perfect caliber would be 6.5 CM. I have dies from a previous rifle and as a round it just seems to make so much sense. Of course now we are talking about rebarelling and adding considerable investment to the rifle. The budget right now would be whatever I could get for my stainless heavy barrel 700 that sits in a Mcmillan A3 and shoots extremely well. It made since when I just had to have a heavy 308 but I now know that I don't have a good use for it...

It's an open ended question but what route would you guys go to accomplish the above goal for $1000-$1200???

Thanks,
Nick

I think Sticks Montana in 6mmBR is one hell of an idea but could see taking a Montana and rebarreling it into a 6.5 Creedmoor as well.

Why not just rebarrel the 700 with a nice light contour in 6.5 CM, dropped into an edge?

Buy a Montana in 7mm-08 would work as well.

That

If the 700 mtn SS in 7-08 doesn't trip your trigger, this would probably be the most cost effective route to go.

The 260 sps has a 24 inch barrel would you want that long of a barrel for a mountain rifle

You can cut barrels, just saying.

ADL=$380
IT&D retube to mountain contour=$425
BC stock=$225

$1,030

IT&D may or may not be your wisest choice, depending on who you ask. My experience with the recent crop of BC's is they are schit.

Makes a 243 Montana squirting 90 Scenars look pretty appealing if you ax me.

Or you can hold out for a LSS and take off, but good luck with the current 260 craze....

If you are a righty, the world is your oyster...

The real challenge is doing the above as a Lh'er.
For ultralight SS, it's tikka or nothing factory.

If I shot righty, I'd buy a Kimber montana and move on.

If you are going to spend $1000 - $1200 dollars. I think the Montana is going to be the best "value".

If you have $1200 plus an action to work with, you've got it made. Less than $600 will get the action sent to Douglas Barrels for the caliber/contour/groove/twist barrel you desire, installed and chambered for your ideal cartridge. Another $600 gets a Mc'Edge stock.

If you're not sentimentally attached to the A3 stock, and it is in good condition, you can sell it for $300 to $350. If the heavy .308 barrel is from a custom maker and in good condition, you should be able to sell it for another $200 to $250. At that point you're only out of pocket for $600 to $700. Money left over for a good piece of glass and/or after market trigger and/or plenty of ammo/components to sight in and practice.

YMMV...

All I know is.....I have a long action with a barrel in a cartridge I hate with a slow twist that I hate.....and I'm going to have it rebarreled in 6.5-06.....I'm thinking Pac-Nor in a Mountain Rifle 8" twist polygonal or maybe #1 contour tube cut to 22".......and stick it in an Edge stock I have on hand......and rock on with 140 A-Maxes.

I'd suggest you sell your 308....or use the action for a 260 or 6.5 Creed (your choice....I chose the 260) and rock on. Acquire a Ti 1st Gen takeoff or a Micky Edge somewhere along the way....and you're set.

Thanks for the advice all. A Montana does probably make the most sense given the requirements I have set forth but 100% of the Montana's I have owned would not shoot (1 to be exact in .257 Roberts) and it left a bad taste in my mouth. If I go the route of the SPS it will get cut to 21" or 22" which should fit my needs well.

Unfortunately the budget for the rifle will be what I can sell the current rifle for and that is all. Or what I can sell the barrel and stock for to rebarrel the action, that probably won't cover the work needed to make this work. I will be keeping my eye on the classifieds, who knows someone may be looking to trade for the .308...
Thanks,
Nick

Sell the gun and go to walmart and by an adl for 377. Send of your 35$ rebate and send it to itd custom for whatever barrel you want for $400.00. Sell cheap stock scope and barrel that came on the walmart special for 100.00. Then order you stock as soon As you decide your contour and your done for 1200.00.

Just retube it and let the stock pay for a good portion of it. At least your action will be SS

Typically I am not one with the patience to wait on a project but it has certainly cost me money and opportunity in the past. I am thinking that I am going to post the stock for trade and see what offers come through. Then just keep my eye out for a deal on a barrel, either a takeoff or from an abandoned project. That will give the me some freedom on caliber and let me really figure out what it is I want from this gun.

Lightweight and long range don't go together but hopefully you guys get the direction I want to go with this. Basically a small to medium caliber do everything rig, if one exists...

Thanks,
Nick

Depends on what you consider light and long range.

I suppose given the balance I am looking for here, a 7-7.5lb gun all up that I can feel comfortable to 500 on deer and much further on paper would be about ideal. Not an extreme lightweight but still lighter than most factory guns out there...
Thanks,
Nick

LVSF in 7mm-08 22", Mcmillan Classic, will ironically go 7#-8oz done up. Not mine, but you get the picture. 500 with a Faux is not a problem though..

I would call that the exact blueprint I am going after. Though a bit more budget minded. The B&C stock along with shopping for a deal on a barrel should allow this to come together. I have even been looking at Shaw's website, I am half tempted to give one a try just to be able to form my own opinion as it seems people are very polarized on their opinions. Any thoughts as to whether fire-lapping myself would increase my odds of solid performance with a Shaw?

Is that the factory LVSF? It appears to be fairly stiff and if not factory I would curious as to what contour it is???

Thanks,
Nick

After doing a bit more research it appears that lapping may not offer much improvement, you either get a good one or you don't without a lot of middle ground. Not sure how willing I am to take that chance though I have seen some very accurate factory rifles that I am sure had lesser quality barrels than what Shaw turns out.

Nick

LVSF is a Remington magnum contour thats fluted. This one is a copy of it and was in a BC SAUM Ti take off stock. 7#12oz as you see it, in 223AI. Barrel is a Doulas done by IT&D, around $425 I think. It was an earlier stock and was decent. The new ones I've messed with have all been schit. If I'd paid myself $10/hour to work on my BC stocks, I could have bought a 1/2 dozen McMillans. You won't regret a McMillan and you know it. Don't kid yourself. Sell some more schit and dig under the couch cushions.

The 260 Faux I posted earlier is 6#12oz, BTW...

I just bought a new B&C Ti stock, do yourself a favor and get a McMillan. I am far from knowing what I'm doing but it was many hours, a 3/8" drill bit through the pillars, about 37lbs of devcon, a sander to the barrel channel, and a complete exhaustion of every bad word I know to get it finished up.

That's a shame to hear. For a long time it appeared as though there was a reasonably priced lightweight option. Not the case any more from the sounds of it...

Thanks for the help guys, I'm starting to get dialed in on what this project might look like in the end. The stock will present a challenge but scouring the used market will most certainly turn up good options with a little patience.

A barrel question, any real difference between a lightweight profile and slightly heavier profile barrel fluted?? Theoretically I know the answer but unsure if real world findings.

Thanks
Nick

1st Gen is the way to go with the Ti stock. They come up every now and again. I just sold a LA and a SA. Replaced them with McEdges.

I have another that's been painted with a lot of texture. It will be for sale as soon as the Edge I ordered a few weeks ago comes in. May be 6 or 7 months of waiting.

PM me if you're interested in that one. It's a good one.

I'd just find a lightweight contour and forget about the fluting. Extra cost and the fluting may limit you in finish length. But a good blank will cost you $300 to $350.

"Dicks Special" ADL in 7-08, McMillan Classic, 6x42, Talleys, 24" Sporter tube. 7lb 11oz.


Kimber Montana 270 WSM, 24", 3.5x10 Target Turrets, 7lb 2oz



Tikka 30-06 6x42, Talleys, 22" tube 7lb 2oz


Dang, trip down memory lane.....anyhoo

After going through the 223AI Faux SAUM, 7-08 McSwirly, 260 Faux Ti, and 6x45 Faux Ti, I'd pull my favorite parts from each.

1:8 260
22" Rem Mag contour
McSwirly Classic
Talleys
M8 6x42 M1 Elevation

(Should be 7lb 10oz'ish)

and get the hell out the way....

I chased ounces on rigs, but 2 tears in a bucket, mother phuggit. Boots and chit in your pack can fix weight "issues". Or fewer cheeseburgers.

and here a few modern faux woes. Green new, black Ti take off...BC "Barely Capable"

Mine looks like that and add the fact that the rear pillar looks like a skate board ramp and the action holes were off enough that both action screws were in the stock nearly like this \ -- \.

Nothing like trying to walk a drill but through a brand new stock. Mine were well off center. The early one I have is sweet. Worst part of it all is I like the grip and cheek weld / alignment. But I'm done with them. After posting the pics and info for the OP, I know exactly how I'd build my next rig and am sooo tempted to do it.

Meant to add that I also ended up using 60gr sandpaper with double sided tap on a piece granite counter top to "shave" down the top of the stock so I didn't weld the barrel into the stock when I bedded it. Turned out decent, but damn...

That green stock is all fouled up. That could have/can be professionally fixed for the cost of a bedding job. A smith would have removed the factory pillars, built new ones and rebedded it with the loading port flush and the barrel at exactly at 50% depth. They would have had a max of an 2 hours in the whole job. McMillan is not immune to the same issue.

That's basically what I did, but took the stock down to match the action instead of lifting it so the tang fit in the ass end and action sat on the block. I'll try to get some pics of the finished deal. It finally shoot well, so a little primer and paint and she's done.

A faux Ti is always the answer.

Skim bedding on top of the bed block is even easier. Nothing wrong with thick epoxy with an aluminum support. That would have saved a lot of fitting and sanding.

Lots wrong with an action not level in the stock and a tang not flush. Buy all the BC's you wish, they are chit on all levels and their best was long ago. Isn't a person on the planet that wishes they'd gone BC over McM.

Woulda been nice if the stock were "professionally" built to begin with....

16 bore, your perfect blueprint sounds about right though if I shave a few more ounces I can keep eating those cheeseburgers, right???

I have a line on a first gen Ti takeoff so hopefully I won't have to deal with these new issues, though it's a shame that anyone has had to deal with them. I also gave Mark Chanlynn a call today and I believe he will be the person truing the action as well as making and installing the barrel. He is a great guy to talk with and a wealth if knowledge on builds.
Thanks for all the help.
Nick

Pics when its done!

If you can finish them yourselves a Bansner stock is a quality alternative to a Ti. About the same landed cost up here, assuming you can live with your own paint job. I've had a few and like them a lot.
We also have access to Wildcat stocks at slightly less money. Same deal as a Bansner to finish, though he will paint for a fee. Both are pretty highly regarded up here. I believe the Wildcat for a Remington 700 is a copy of the classic stock, not a bad starting point and bare blanks are about 18 ounces, IIRC from his website.
Going through the mental gymnastics myself currently for an early blued mtn rifle that is showing promise.

Yep.

I believe there's a 260 Tucky on GB. Easy peasy.

One can live with the factory Rem stock for quite awhile, if necessary due to budget restraints, as it is stiff enough to be floated and has decent ergos.

It's awfully easy to buy a Remmy (stainless if available), snip the barrel to length, bed it, and get going with no problems.

I used to have a pile of the original ti stocks, and many of my rifles wore them. Now, everything I own wears a McM, all but 2 being an edge. I really like the edge stocks.

I'd love a nekked edge on my faux.