Picked up my 30-06 XL7C today, cleaned it, mounted a VX-II 3-9x40 I got on campfire free classifieds

Gun $331.00 tax + state fees
Scope $185.00

Total $516.00

Trigger works smooth right a 3 lbs 2 ozs�..best price rifle I have....cant wait to try it out next weekend�then bore it out to 35 Whelen. I know dont shoot the donor, well I want to try it to see how well these guns work out of the box..

Let us know how it does!

First day at the range for my new XL7C 30-06 breaking it in using 180 gr corelokts I got at kmart for a whooping $10 last year. Groups were around less than 2 inchs for the first couple. Still stoping and cleaning every 5 shots, hope to break in a box or two of factory ammo then go to Barnes 168 TSX handloads.

Will have a better scope on it next trip also..

my XL7C 270 shoots about everything well including cheap federal factory loads-its favorite handload goes into one ragged hole repeatedly! the kicker is the 279.95 price that i paid for it!

Glad to hear they shoot well, because they look and feel great. Can't beat the price.

Dont ream out the barrel and rechamber to .35 Whelen. You have to remove the barrel to do that (I assume you have a barel nut wrench) so why not just get a replacement barrel from MidwayUSA. Thier Adams and Bennet barrels made for Savage will fit, same thread. Use a headspace guage or snug up on a factory loaded cartridge and tighten the nut. Marlin now uses the floating bolt head same as Savage. Make sure your barrel is free floated and it should shoot great.

Crazy

DO NOT rebore. Savage and Marlin barrels interchange and there are aftermarket barrels. All you need is a barrel vise, wrench and headspace gauge, all available from Brownells.

I have a Savage barrel on my XLC 270 that was a Savage 22-250 with a bad chamber. Now a 22-06 (55 gr @ 4000 fps). Barrel swaps take 20 minutes max. 22-06 shoots ok:



as does the 270:





IME The factory stock is fine with the following changes:
1. Pull off the recoil pad and glue it on
2. Free float the barrel from the action forward
3. Glass bed a 1/2" hardwood dowel in the foreend to stiffen it up.
4. Glass bed the action and, insofar as the recoil lug goes, insure ONLY the rear of the recoil lug is touching anything.
5. Torque the front action screw to 65 ft ins, the rear to 35.
6. Adjust the trigger as low as it will go (about 2.5 pounds)

After doing this my 270 XLC went from 2" groups to above:(5 shots freshly cleaned barrel)

If you plan on using a Savage barrel you need to accommodate for the .015" deeper boltface recess in the Marlin.

Check out the thread "Savage/Marlin" or "Marlin/Savage" in the gunsmithing forum here on the fire.

Myth.

Myth. A 22-06 with a max load or in its previous life as a 22-250 no slouch either. None of the cases showed anymore head expansion than when fired in a cone breached model 70 or 03 Springfield with just as much, if not more, unsupported case head. Further, factory 22-250s shot in the rifle showed no stretching at all.
Screw the barrel in on a go gauge until you can't close the bolt. Back it off a RCH and tighten the nut.The fact that you can screw it in on a go gauge until the bolt will not close, tells you that you are below minimum headspace.
To test this premise, when it was a 22-250, I FL sized the cases with the shell holder thumping the die bottom. Five full house reloads later, all FL sized that way. No "bright band" and no failing the paperclip test.
The really nutty idea of modifying the bolt head, has me shaking my head. If ANY adjustment is to be done, facing off the Savage barrel is the right way.
But not my problem anymore as I sold the rifle....ah, no I forgot the buyer sent me counterfeit money. Oh well that why we have the US Secret Service.....(GRIN)

I'm sticking with a stock rifle XL7C 30-06. It does fine the way it is.

Why on earth would you bed a rifle that comes with factory pillar bedding?

I guess people just need to tinker. When the gun will shoot groups like this [and my XL-7 '06 is nearly as good, why tinker?

These Marlins are the best gun for the mony IMHO and they are made in the U.S.A. too!