The older I get the more KISS principle I like. When I was younger my curiosity just about ran out of control the 35 whelen, 338-06, 338 win mag, 375h &h and a custom 9.3x62. The grass is allways greener on the other side of the fence even when it isn't. If that pre 64 stock isn't modified don't, find a lwt syn replacement. Get it bedded, don't bob the barrel, work up a 200 gr NPT load with RL-26. Switch scopes to the 2.5 x 8. It will do anything in the lower 48. At his point if you find it inadequate you can take it back to collector piece and do what ever with something else that probably won't work any better. I been busting my butt trying to find 9.3 x 62 brass, dies, and bullets not easy these days. 458 win says if you can' t get it done with a 30-06 "your unwittingly commenting on your marksmanship," he is right. If you can t handle a 24 " barrel
[quote=Magnum_Bob]The older I get the more KISS principle I like. When I was younger my curiosity just about ran out of control the 35
[quote=Magnum_Bob]The older I get the more KISS principle I like. When I was younger my curiosity just about ran out of control the 35 whelen, 338-06, 338 win mag, 375h &h and a custom 9.3x62. The grass is allways greener on the other side of the fence even when it isn't. If that pre 64 stock isn't modified don't, find a lwt syn replacement. Get it bedded, don't bob the barrel, work up a 200 gr NPT load with RL-26. Switch scopes to the 2.5 x 8. It will do anything in the lower 48. At his point if you find it inadequate you can take it back to collector piece and do what ever with something else that probably won't work any better. I been busting my butt trying to find 9.3 x 62 brass, dies, and bullets not easy these days. 458 win says if you can' t get it done with a 30-06 "your unwittingly commenting on your marksmanship," he is right. If you can t handle a 24 " barrel in the woods, stay at home and do what your wife tells you too. Mb
I can see the wisdom in everything you wrote.
Except the last sentence because I still want a 22” barrel. I never intended to cut the barrel or damage the stock because I always wanted to be able to put it back together if need be. I am gonna re-barrel even if I decide to stick with the 30-06 and if I ever sell it the buyer will have both the synthetic stock/sporter barrel and the factory stock and barrel as a package.
At the range I am looking at for where I hunted and intend to hunt again (300 yards or less and most likely 150 yards or less) I won’t miss the FPS I lose w a 22” barrel. But the ounce savings and ease of getting through the thick stuff is real. I am 62 years old and live at 750 feet of elevation so when I get to 10,000 feet where I was hunting every ounce feels like a pound. Hence my desire to get on a synthetic stock, smaller more compact lighter scope and the shortest feasible barrel. Hell I’m even looking into fluted barrels to shave another once or two.
All this said, fate seems to have clubbed me upside the head and said “Listen to Magnum Bob except you get your 22” barrel”
Last night I was at my gun club and saw that a buddy of mine had posted a takeoff barrel for sale. He also had bought a pre-64 model 70 in 30-06. He put it in a custom laminated stock which he glass bedded and re-barreled to .35 Whelen. He was asking $50 bucks for the 30-06 barrel that was on the rifle. He didn’t feel the need to save it because it wasn’t the factory barrel. Someone had already re-barreled it and the stock was pretty beat up so he wasn’t really concerned about trying to preserve the collector value of the Stock and barrel that came with it because basically there was none.
So I went to his house and looked at the barrel. It was practically in mint condition, bore was great, was 22 inches long, was a thinner contour than the factory barrel but not super thin and was stamped “Skaggs Gunsmithing 2011” I didn’t know [bleep] about Skaggs Gunsmithing” but a quick search on my phone found a place by that name in Oregon. My friend got the gun from a guy in Idaho so that seemed to make sense. Skaggs Gunsmithing has a Facebook page that is kind of outdated (no recent post) but it all about competition shooting so I figured it was worth snagging at $50. I had two $20s in my wallet so I offered him the $40. He rolled his eyes but he took it LOL. 😂
So now I have a 22 inch barrel for a pre-64 model 70 in 30-06. I had been pricing out Krieger barrels and Douglas barrels in the $1000 range, so I figured WTF…For $40 it was worth seeing what this Skaggs Gunsmithing stamped barrel is all about. I doubt he actually made the barrel but more likely bought it from one of the barrel makers, installed it and maybe did some accuracy of work on it (lapping?) 🤷🏻♂️
So it looks like the plan for now is to swap that barrel onto my action, drop it in Brown Precision stock, have the action checked and if need be trued up and work up loads with 200 grain Nosler Partitions and Accubonds and see what I got
We will see if Fate knows what she’s talking about. Worst case I can always put a Krieger or Douglas barrel on it later and even change the caliber if I do but I have a sneaking suspicion I’ll be just fine with this 30-06 barrel if this Skaggs guy knows what he is doing
