Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Straight wall m700???

Lol...checked into the action wrench for the barrel nut. It was on the original invoice. But somewhere along the line, it came off and I didn't pay for it...so I will have to order a savage wrench too.


Will need the vise and m700 wrench to swap barrels on the Kelbly too...so a worthwhile purchase. If it was just 1 barrel, I'd just have someone pull it off for me.



Did find a place that rents out gauges so I can set the headspace once the m700 comes back from its face-lift.


Have a bolt release coming for my Bix n Andy Dakota so I can use it on this rifle.


Just gotta decide on bottom metal. Someone has a black cerakoted BDL on here that would look good on it. Don't know that I wanna spend over $300 for the HS Precision DBM and be stuck paying the price for their mags...which likely won't be available forever.

I would like a 7600 ohio legal.

-Jake

For sure that’d be sweet in 450 BM or 350 Leg

That'd be interesting. Probably not out of the realm of possibilities either.

I used to love my remmy pumps but have left them due to weight. Even my ghost ring carbine 35 Whelen is a bit heavy.

I do a lot of walking...still hunting..tracking. I don't even put a sling on my rifles to make sure it's always in my hands and ready. I went to a Kimber Montana I had rebored to 358win. With the right ring height on the Montana, she comes up even faster than the pump guns. And doesn't feel like it recoils nearly as bad. The Monte Carlo stocks beat me up. My straight stocked carbine gun feels better.

This build is going to be close in weight. A little heavier but still looking at 6.5lbs scoped. And importantly, Ohio legal.

Off main point perhaps, on the .450 barrel subject. Moreover, I'd sure like to tap into the apparent expertise here!!! Evaluations if possible please!

Two very unique .450 barrels! Products of the now long defunct Sharon Gun Specialties Co of Sonora, California. To recollection x 16" rifling. Essentially, vintage NOS: "new old stock". Never threaded or chambered. Their exteriors make them quite special. Very much classic & traditional European sporter profiles. Each beginning with 3" round chamber areas... One, half octagon to round, full ribbed, presently about 29" length. The other, tapered octagon with elevated quarter rib continuing normal taper, presently about 27" length. Lot of precision detailed work there! Yet in the white.

I purchased these decades ago, from the Sharon folks at a small gun show in their area. (Notation on the back of their business card I'm just viewing, $100 each to fit, polish, chamber and install.) These barrels aren't flyweight! But professionally proportioned to heavy chambering sporter use. I'd always featured building a couple of pre '64 Model 70 action custom rifles. But "as ways lead to ways..."

No instant plans to sell. Just trying to get an idea of possible: a. chambering adaptations & b. value as is for custom build-outs.

Any observations concerning possible chamberings & relative value as is, would be highly appreciated!

Best & Thanks for help!
John

John, biggest thing is finding out if it's. 452" or .458" I'd bet its. 458" as thats the common diameter for rifle barrels.

Bushmaster, 460s&w and such, are .452" because they are considered pistol rounds.


That'd determine your clambering choices.


Good luck!

What's the latest on the 450 build?

Action wrench and vise are being delivered any minute. Will try to get the barrel off after work and in the mail tomorrow.


Once I get shipping notification that the action is on its way home, I will order the headspace gages.

Once it's together, bedding and paint.


Load development will take a bit I'm sure. All I have is 300gr Speer Deep Curls. And we all know the bullet situation. I do have dies, powder, primers and brass. Just not the bullets I WANT to hunt with...though I will if I need to. A 300gr deep curl at 2k or so will flatten most critters I'm sure.


So, it's gunna be a bit. But coming along.


Still have to decide on bottom metal too. I think I'm back to sticking with some form of BDL.

Keep us updated. I have a handful of straight wall rifles for Iowa deer. One is the BM in a Ruger Ranch. I've used the 450 the past two years with 250 Hornady FX and they have worked pretty well with Lil Gun but another straight wall on bolt gun sounds appealing...especially one with less plastic!

Thats where this was born. I'm not a savage or ruger fan. They work. I just can't warm up to them.


And, I've had everything except the barrel collecting dust.

Yep-I hear you. As a NR I probably shouldn't care as I can only draw every other year or so, but I take almost as much satisfaction in the gun as the hunt...well, almost. I too, have a varmint weight 700 that could be a candidate. This is a VS that could be sent to JES, I suppose, but wonder how heavy it would be shortened with a big hole bored out.

Honestly, you'd probably be better off to go a route I did with a Remage barrel nut deal. McGowen, Criterion, NSS etc do them. A little extra cost opposed to a rebore. But you can choose the contour and everything...I don't have a ton of money in the barrel. I upgraded to stainless and had it cerakoted and I'm pretty sure I was in the 300-400$ range.




I FINALLY got the barrel off the action today. That sucker was on there.



Somewhere my math was a little heavy. I came out to 6lb 2oz without the trigger, mag box and action bolts. Should finish out right around 6 1/4lbs. Shoulders great. Handy little sucker. Balance is nice. Half my hand is on the bottom of the mag. So that probably means I'm sticking with a BDL setup.


Made up a dummy round and made sure it'll function. It feeds and ejects just like it aughta.


Action will get sent out this week. Probably going to have my bottom metal and scope base/rings cerakoted to match the barrel. Can't stand 8 shades of black. Lol.

Do you recall what McGowen contour you went with?...I believe you indicated the muzzle needed to be .700"

#3 and in the notes I put "I would like as light of a profile as possible. I spoke with someone via phone who told me to order a #3 contour"

They did tell me .700-710" for the muzzle due to the bore diameter. In their notes during the review process it says "McGowen #3 contour approximately. 705" at the muzzle"


I'm not sure if that is why the profile is slightly off at the chamber area or if the stock was made for a barrel with a bigger chamber area. There's a bit of a gap on each side of the channel there...enough I am going to fill it when I bed it. I bought the stock used...just because of the price. So, no big deal..I can bed it and give her a new paint job and it'll look like a brand new rifle...



I'm considering having them make me another barrel for the rig. Something fun to shoot in the off season. I think that'd be fun...good training. Lightweight rigs are definitely different to shoot.

Have you been able to get an idea of balance with it put together? With the light Brown stock, that should help. Interesting idea with the nut-having a switch-barrel rig. I like that.

Yep. Only thing I didn't put in was the actual mag box and the trigger..so...2 or 3 ounces..

Balance point is just forward of the bottom metal. To carry in 1 hand I have a finger or 2 on the bottom metal. Feels really good in the hand and comes right up to the shoulder and eye.


Have a vx3 2.5-8x36 on top in a DNZ Game Reaper medium height. Scope sits a bit above bore but I learned on my Kimber Montana that I like a medium opposed to low or extra low. Thatll probably be how it stays. I like that scope and mount and have used them for years without issue.



I kinda fell into the Remage deal. It was a cheap no gunsmith option. I want a custom rifle without a custom price lol. And, I like working on guns so having the tools and learning just leads to future projects. I have about double the price in a shouldered Bartlein. Comparing apples to mangos I know. But from a price prospective, that's what it shook out to. Don't need a match grade barrel for this build.


Think it'd be fun and good practice to work on steel out to 1k with a different barrel on this rig. I'm really considering it. Gotta kick around clambering options. Somewhere between. 243 and 284. Really leaning towards a 6 dasher or something as thatll likely be my next barrel for my precision rig. I know I'd left likely be single feeding the BR variants. That's OK for a fun range rig to shoots while the other rifle cools.

That sounds like a wicked project. Looking forward to seeing how it shoots and functions for you.

Yes sir...a pic or two would be nice as well.

Couple pics of it roughed together.


Like I said, the weight is still minus the trigger, mag box and action bolts...so maybe a couple ounces off.


Looks like a heavier barrel....till you see the hole in the end. Lol. Cool little rifle. Going to play around with paint and texture. That's important to me and my hunting style...being able to grip the rifle. Nothing worse than a slippery gun.

Whoa...that looks nice! So much nicer than my plastic 450.