I have had a pile of parts laying around that needed a home. I was divorced last year which really took the wind out of my sails, and I didn't have time to get another rifle finished. I found a few hours in what remains of my once perfectly organized shop and decided to see what I could come up with. I had been on the hunt for a sa bolt to build a 260 on a 223 action setup I have trued up, but failed. I had a la edge stock and a 338 rem barreled action sitting in the donor pile, and a blued la bolt.....hmm, i had a 6.5x8 twist fluted #4 and enough trigger crap to come up with something....let's do it.
I trued up the action and bolt. After what seemed like forever, I managed to get into about 1.5 tenths...close enough.

I lucked out and my muzzle high point timed out nearly perfect with my flutes.

I fit the lug and surface ground it to square. Before it was over 1 thou out after....it was as potterfield says, [/URL]

I did the chambering with my hand fed reamer holder that I made. It measures 1.5 tenths out all finished....good enough for me...lol [img]http://i193.photobucket.com/al...ds/20141001_131513_zpsml8tzvtn.jpg[/img]
I used a 40x trigger and stole a bolt release from another. ..it cleaned up to break at 2#. I didn't have time to bed it or load for it, so I screwed it into the stock and took a handful of 260rem out to the trial by fire.... [img]http://i193.photobucket.com/al...ds/20141001_155754_zps6jjo4drd.jpg[/img]
The first 3 shots went to infinity.....This is the the 4th through 19th rounds down the tube. No bedding, no loaded Ai brass, just fire forming some junk...lol. [img]http://i193.photobucket.com/al...ds/20141002_133708_zpsycn5imla.jpg[/img]
I couldn't find my rest, so I rigged up a rickety bench and filled some jeans with corn cob media. The 2.5-8 zeiss has a #20 which isn't great for targets, but was minute of clay pigeon to 800 yds. [img]http://i193.photobucket.com/al...ds/20141002_134311_zpsdhq3r145.jpg[/img] I'll get some better pics soon, I had to leave town for work. I need to knock a coat of cerakote at it....it's too shiney. [img]http://i193.photobucket.com/al...ds/20141002_144543_zpso9bczxzw.jpg[/img]

All in all, I have a grand worth of parts in a gun that I am sure with the right ammo and some bedding will rip a .2" group easy enough.

Nice!

I dunno why the last pic failed.
I reamed it in 260 Ai .292 neck. Just pushing 140 match burners with rl17 to 2900 in formed rem brass loaded in Lee collet dies netted me some wicked groups, of course I didn't have the camera handy to prove it....but she's a chooter.

Click on the first image to see a quick video showing how close to zero the action began.....it cleaned up as close as it started.

HC- Very nice and thanks for sharing. Looks like it turned out to be a nice 260AI.

Damn! I wish I could do that. Very nice and you got skillz!

Sure he has skillz, He has a machine!!!!

Very nice work; looks like a shooter!

Shot a bunch of those 140gr Barnes Match Burners in my old 260AI. Very accurate bullet and was heck on deer in my experience.

My go-to load in my 260AI was 46.4grs of Ramshot Hunter in RP brass...averaged just over 2900fps.

thanks for the intel. I find myself with deer and elk season upon me so, I am gong to run the 42.3 grs of rl17 that is shooting into tiny groups today and I will start load workup after killing season.

ps, thanks for the kind words fellas. it does help having every tool under the sun. I guess all those days working in dads machine shop may be paying off.....

high_country, this is a post I made a while back about the Match Burners on whitetail.

Did a little bullet testing this weekend. Shot two doe, both one shot kills, out of my 260AI using Barnes new 140gr Match Burners. I'm fairly impressed with their performance on whitetail.

First deer was right at 265 yards. Ran about 15 yards and fell dead. Lots of blood.

Exit side:


Exit side undressed:


Inside. Entrance lower left, just missed a rib:


Inside, exit:



Second doe was shot broadside right at 200 yards. Ran about 30 yards and into the brush. Even though she had a 2" hole in her, there was very little blood, and we basically had to stumble onto her to find her.

Exit on her:


Exit side undressed:


Entrance on the left, exit on the right. Obviously hit a rib on the way in:
[img]http://dnjclark.smugmug.com/Hobbies/Hunting/i-M2SbxPm/0/X2/smugshot9605686-X2.jpg[/img]

I would say it is a scrap box masterpiece. Nice.

I had this luck on a 742 yd bull with a 142 smk. on and off side scapula shown. velocity at the impact was 2ish grand. bull tipped over at the impact and never twitched.



thanks again for the kind words......it will be nice when its done.

Been a slow elk season here, but I have managed 3 800 plus cold bore hits on rocks and beer cans. Yesterday was particularly fun, I cued up on a cantaloupe sized rock at 807 and missed twice with a spotter claiming not even close. The wind was about 30mph at 3 o'clock. I backed off to a 700yd rock the size of a tire.....center punched it. I went to my original rock and dug out my bullets, 3" right of the rock.

This thing is growing on me. I can't wait to finish it and do a ladder test.