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6.5 Creedmoor

I have a good bit of hearing loss and prefer to avoid a muzzle brake. Right now I am torn between a Tikka, an MRC and a Savage, yes a Savage. My two most accurate guns are Savage.

Impressed. Tell me about the stock that might be available at a discount. Long action?

I could live with that. I'd have to find a used one. That rifle is available in 7-08 and 25-06 in current production and its is a consideration. Those calibers are also available in the Extreme Weather Stainless. They are priced in MRC territory though, and for that much money I'd probably go MRC.

I already load for my Hawkeye Predator 6.5 Creedmoor, so I have that going for me. If I bought a new 6.5 Creedmoor and it did what I wanted it to do, it'd make the old one disposable.

This is the old one.

http://www.ruger.com/products/HawkeyePredator/specSheets/47108.html

I love the looks of the Green Mountain stock, but it is heavy. I wonder how much weight I could drop with an aftermarket stock. With an aftermarket stock, 3 inched chopped off the barrel and barrel fluting, I'd be in heaven, but I also think I'd be beyond new gun territory with the money I spend on the mods. Any gunsmiths here or anyone know what it'd cost to get the barrel cut and fluted?

It should be obvious to everyone feeding me info that I really do have purchase paralysis. I am willing to spend good money on a semi-custom, or on good gunsmithing, but the practical part of me recognizes that a Tikka or Savage will do all I want it to do.

Paul, box up that 7mm-08 and send it off to Chet Brown at Brown Precision in California for a painted Kevlar stock. Those stocks weigh under a pound and are stronger than fiberglass. My scoped 7mm-08 Ruger M77 and 7mm RM Rem. M700 both are in the 7# range and both have variable 30mm diameter Euro 42mm objective scopes.

Of that list, I personally prefer the .257 Rbts

Here is a Winchester XTR Featherweight...
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/709336690

This Featherweight is like the one I own....
http://www.gunbroker.com/item/708926071

Paul:

Take this for what it's worth. I have both (Fwt and MRC) in 7x57. You're going to be hard pressed to get the MRC down to around 8 pounds since its 24 inch barrel is a "sporting contour," meaning that it has considerably more steel from about two inches behind the muzzle back to the face of the action than the Featherweight. But that extra weight might work in your favor since 1) it's muzzle heavy, giving it a steadier "hang" when not shooting from a rest - at least it does for me - and 2) the extra weight will help absorb some recoil, making it a bit easier on your shoulder. Even though I hunt mainly from stands and blinds, there are still places on our lease where there is a lot of walking and opportunities to still-hunt, and frankly I don't think the extra pound or so of rifle makes that much difference. I suppose if I was hunting sheep I might have a different opinion, but I'm not so I don't. Of course, you could always screw a featherweight contour barrel and composite stock on the MRC action, but you're probably going to be out of your budget by then, and I'm still not sure how close you're going to be to 8 pounds by the time you add scope, mounts, and sling. Mule Deer might be able to help here since his Kilimanjaro is built on an MRC action with 21 inch Douglas featherweight contour barrel, but the stock on his rifle is still wood. If you know the weight difference between wood and composite, you could do the math and come close.

As for loads, if you decide to stick with the 7-08/7x57, with all of the bullet selections out there it will be pretty easy to find something that will work for antelope, elk, and just about anything in between. I generally load middle of the road bullet weights (150-160) at middle of the road velocity (2500-2600). They certainly don't smack me around, especially when I'm shooting the heavier MRC. I use the bench for sighting in, then practice off sticks and/or unsupported field positions - which always results in less felt recoil, especially if I'm using reduced practice loads (2000-2200 fps). By the way, those reduced loads will definitely do a job on feral pigs (CNS shots), so I don't feel at all shy about slinging them at porkers inside of 100 yards or so.

I hope you find the combination you're looking for. Just bear in mind that as far as recoil is concerned there is always a trade-off between bullet weight/velocity and rifle weight, but I believe you'll be able to come up with at combination that works.

RM

Thanks for the response Mike. I am a bit puzzled or mystified by the MRC weight. The employee I emailed weighed one in 257 Roberts and it weighed 7 pounds. A member here said his 243 came in at 7 pounds 10 ounces bare. Both would be built on the same action and have the same barrel, as would your 7x57, so something seems out of whack. Did you weigh yours bare? I really want my final product with scope/rings/bases to come in at about 8.

Paul:

No, I never weighed it bare. But the differences in weight might come from a couple of places. First, even though the action lengths are the same (i.e., short), the barrel on the 7x57 is 24 inches, while the barrels on the .243 and .257 are 22 inches long. So there will be a few ounces saved there. Also, mine has a wood stock. Unless you specified otherwise, it might be that the one weighed by MRC was composite. That would save some weight as well. I can't remember what the factory says the wood stocked rifle weighs vs. the synthetic one, but my guess is that the shorter barrel and lighter stock would make up a big chunk of the difference.

RM

I am in the same boat you are and picked up a couple 6.5 cm's to play with. Same recoil as 243 but with a heavier bullet. Very easy to load for. Will let you know after the Fall how it kills.

Save yourself some change. Get a KDF muzzle brake installed on a rifle of your choice. It'll be loud, but definitely takes the sting out of any caliber outside of 22 LR.

Folks, this is answer to the question I asked. I liked the Howa barreled action enough to pump some money into it. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the conversation. The thrifty side of me thinks it's crazy to spend on a stock what I could have bought a Savage Lightweight Hunter 6.5 Creedmoor for after a rebate. Ultimately though, the hunting weight of this one is going to be right where I want it to be. The 6.5 Swede has a serious cool factor to me.

Threaded Barrett Fieldcraft, find the best muzzle brake and enjoy, 6.5 Creedmoor, low recoil.

I also like the idea of a 22-250 shooting the Nosler 64 gr Bonded load.

Rem 700 in .260

Wouldn't be a bad start to semi-custom build.

Kent

This thread title is misleading.




Dave

We got pretty deep into this before anyone spoke up.

That could lead to false charges.





Dave

Don't waste any more time, just get yourself a 257 Roberts and shoot 100 grain bullets in it. The 257 Roberts is the same magic to the 25 caliber as the 30-06 is to 30 caliber.