Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Looking for ideas on a re-barrel

I currently own 2 Colt Light Rifles. Both are chambered in 30-06 (they are about 60 numbers apart in serial number). My intention is to send one of these rifles to Melvin Forbes in the next few days to get the standard NULA treatment of new stock, trigger, follower, firing pin spring etc. I will leave the gun in .30-06 for use. I ive in Northeast Wyoming which is open prairie, the Black Hills, The Big Horn, Owl Creek, Snowy Range Mtns etc. I currently have several Tikka rifles I hunt with, along with a Kimber Montana, a Remington Mountain Rifle, Model 70 Extremem Weather, Browning X-Bolt along with a bunch of standard weight rifles. Calibers range from .243 to .325 WSM in light guns, and from 17 hmr to 35 Whelen in standard weight guns. My question is... I would like to send in the second Colt Light Rifle to Melvin for the same treatment, plus a rebarrel. Looking for ideas for a caliber for rebarrel, that would work on a long action. I pretty much have all the bases covered, but I do not have a 257 Roberts. I do not have a light weight Whelen either. I was thinking of looking for or building a Kimber Montana in a ,257 Roberts, maybe this would be just as good? I dont know that I would use a Whelen to hunt moose / elk. I would be more likely to use .325 WSM or 300 Rem or something similar.

Thoughts? Would the Roberts feed well in the long action? I could build a .25-06 but I have so many light .280, 280 ai, 30-06 and .270 that I would like something different. If I didnt have a few good ones, the .240 Weatherby would be a fun option. I dont really have any needs, but I would like something that was desireable when it was complete and would have value. I would still use it, and have some fun with it.

Well, it sounds like you have everything covered pretty well except a light 35 Whelen.

There's your answer.

6-06 twisted for the 115 dtacs and the like?

When I read Wyoming I thought antelope and 6mm-06

Was going to say .240 Weatherby.

I probably wouldn't go Roberts but I'd like the Whelen or 338-06 or 6-06

Same here, might as well fill the gap with a nice 338..

I echo these two gentlemen. 6-06 is where I'd be looking. Some interesting bullets available in that diameter on both the long/heavy side and the light side.

That’s what I was thinking. I had a Rem 700 30/06 rebarreled to a 240 wby. It a great long range coyote, antelope and deer rifle. Brass is spendy and currently scarce.

The 257 Roberts isn't all that much different than the 25-06 in practical field performance when they have the same barrel length, at least that has been my experience.

I was a 257 and 257AI snob for a long time, but have come to appreciate the 25-06 over the past 20 yeares. You can safely load the 25-06 to match the 257 Bob, but you have to run the Bob at or close to maximum published load data to match typical 25-06 loads. Funny thing is that my least expensive 25-06, a Marlin XL7 that I bought from someone on this site about 10 years ago, is MOA accurate and does fine at longer ranges despite having a 22" barrel. My Remington 700s with 24" barrels are only about 60 fps faster with the same loads and are noticeably heavier and slightly less handy.

If I was going to build a dedicated prairie hunting rifle, I'd give the 25-06 and 257 Roy strong consideration for a CLR upgrade.

+4.

The Roberts should work fine in a Long action. You may have to put a spacer in the rear of the mag, but other than that you should be fine.

If it were me, I would be looking at the following: 6-06, 6.5-06, 338-06.

You do not appear to have a 256 Newton (actually a 6.5mm). I suppose this is a gap most guys can live with but no real rifle looney should have to. GD

I've got a Remington Classic in 35 Whelen in an old Remington Tupperware stock with a 4x Leupold. It weighs 7 pounds 12 ounces and handles like a dream but recoil with full-power modern loads is fast and sharp.

I would not want it any lighter.


Okie John

Nasty in a 5 1/2 pound rifle!

6/284, 25/284, 257 wby

I have 3 CLRs that Melvin did. 6.5-06, 284 & 280 AI. The next one will be a 257 Wby

Since you have the equivalent of NULA model 28 Id suggest a fast twist 257 wby or 7mag. Ask Melvin about feeding but I'm sure he can get anything to work and he can make suggestions based on what you will use it for.

My two Roberts' are both on long Ruger actions and feed 100 percent. A 6.5/06 would be a nice cartridge though.