Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Custom Rifles & Wildcats Upset with build!

Sent an action to Douglas and had a 22in Rem sporter contour barrel in 22 Creedmoor and the work was great. I had it throated a bit and they nailed it. After I got the rifle I mounted it in a Bansner very light weight (26oz) stock. While handling it I thought to myself...man this thing is heavy. I let it pass for a few days but then I drug out the scale. It weighed 7lbs 10oz w/no rings or bases. Now if I add even light weight rings, bases and a scope it's going to be 8 1/2 pounds. I know the hole in the end of the barrel is small thus not taking as much steel from the barrel but hell my Dad's old Enfield only weighs 9 1/2lbs. Did I just get a heavy piece of steel? powdr

Not sure what happened with yours, but I have a 700 here in std contour 22" BRUX, chambered in 223 bedded to a Bansner as well.

Mine weighs a tad over 6.25lbs with all steel Warne weaver type bases, scope removed.

700 short action with bolt and trigger is somewhere around 2 lbs’ish. Douglas standard sporter contour at 22” around 2 3/4 -3 lbs, your stock is 1 1/2 lbs ish. I would’ve guessed you’d be in the 6 1/2 lb range with those specs.

Did you get a heavy sporter or magnum sporter contour? Check the specs and the muzzle diameter. They usually are right next to each other on the list, easy to pick one VS the other.

Jack, I was thinking the same thing. Rapier, I'll double check the specs. Very disappointed! powdr

Well, you’ve got it now, so shoot it and see if your frown turns upside down. That’s not a bad weight really, and it should settle down well on the bags. Sounds pretty nice actually.

If you want a really light one, try again and do the arithmetic first this time.

Pics are mandatory….

You chose the "wrong" contour .

SA 700
Douglass factory sporter contour
McMillan edge
Talleys
3-9 Zeiss.

7# flat.

Powdr, I've often wondered why guys do a custom with such a heavy barrel. You often hear about guys complaining about the weight, so why do others not listen????? Is it because you think it's going to shoot better with a thick tube? Must be the consensus. Glad I have messed with enough light barrels and Tikka's to know otherwise. I've even had skinny barreled Savage/Steven's shoot lights out. If you are going to build a custom, I for damn sure am not going with a heavy tube. Just does not make any sense at all. IMHO..

Tikka T3x 300wsm. 7 pounds straight up:


With Zeiss Terra 3-9x42 RZ6. Shoots better than most Remingtons too.

Ok

That stinks. Maybe send it off for fluting?

My 22 Creedmoor set up similarly weighs 6# without scope. Bansner but fluted pacnor.



It’s kind of a pig with a Athlon and suppressor now though

Some folks sit in stands where weight does not matter. Then there is the long range custom crowd where apparently weight does not matter as well.

The weight you find excessive is there because you ordered a barrel with a heavy contour. Douglas makes some of the nicest contours in the business. The Remington factory, either standard or magnum, is a pig compared to a #1 or #2 Douglas.
Go look in your mirror and discuss it with that guy.

Powdr, What bottom metal for the build?

Not adding up at all.
Action with everything (factory bdl) 36 oz
Actual weight of 24” standard contour TO 42 oz
Bansner @26 oz

104 oz or 6 pounds 8 oz (as jackmountain and others said.)

Only way you get to 7#10 oz is a much heavier barrel contour (RinB) or a defective scale. Even heavy BM won’t account for that differential.

Do you know which of the below you selected?

But it will spend its life riding back and forth to the range for photo ops in the back of the Prius.

Like others have said, you didn’t end up with a Rem. Sporter.

22” Benchmark 6.5/ Brown Precision.

Just send it back and have it turned down. I also wouldn’t be surprised if they left 1.5-2” of exposed shank length too. That’s the heaviest end of the barrel and lots of people overlook that part.

there isnt much shank if any on a sporter contour barrel
check your invoice what does it say for contour
call them i am sure they will work with you

Probably the biggest mistake made on custom guns.
Couldn't guess how many guys have a dandy, accurate gun.
That they don't use, "It's just so damn heavy!"


Never built one, but their are some heavy barrel factory guns in the safe.
No big deal at first, gets old fast.

Out of the first 4 guns I had put together I missed weight or balance on two of them. One I eventually had rebarreled, the other restocked to improve the balance. Its just a risk of specifying your own build. your own build.

I have a 700 Mag Sporter in a Bansner with factory bottom metal. Years ago it had a VX3 2.5x8 in Talleys on top and the weight was around 7lb 4oz.

I'd try a new scale or verify you didn't get a Douglas #4.

The men are talking 700's here, Imgur Quick Draw.

Pics would be helpful here. Steel density doesn’t vary enough to cause that much variance. I’d guess your contour is heavier than a Remington sporter. Have you verified the stock is indeed a Bansner and weighs 26 oz?

Agreed. Unless his scale is off, the weight of the barreled action will tell the tale.

Have you mic’s the barrel to see if it’s the contour you ordered?

Never had a Douglas but I have a Hart Rem Sporter contour that’s a tad bigger than standard Remingtons.

It's an ADL fellows and I ordered an 002 from the choices. The muzzle measures 6.55 and the stock does weigh 26oz. I have a light weight Kahles and some David Gentry light weight rings and bases to put on it and then I'm going to hunt the crap out of it. Thanks for all the responses even those accusatory ones. powdr

FWIW

My factory barreled action 700 243 weighs 7#11oz. With a B&C TI stock, talleys, & 4-12x40 Leupold.

Sum Ting Wong

I just picked up a Rem LA that I had rebarreled with a Bartlein 24" 2B with 3/4" shank, .300WM bedded in Manners EH3 (28 ounce) and the weight stripped is 6lbs 15.9 ounces with an Arca rail installed.


Weight with Talley LW rings and Leupold 3-18x56 is 8lbs 10 ounces.

Seem to never hear ( My build turned out too light)

STUPID Fhuqkers "talking" rifles,is never NOT funny. Hint.................

powdr
Next time you are considering ordering a barrel or going for a specific weight, PM me and I will assist. I have spent a considerable amount of time and money fiddling around with barrel contours.

Douglas doesn’t flute or recommend fluting. They are very good to work with and may be willing to recontour your barrel. FYI the Douglas #2 (not the Remington #2) will have a muzzle of close to .600”. Their #1 will go .560”. Their #1 will weigh around 2#4oz with a .224” hole in it and their #2 will be around 5-6oz more.

Lastly, there are no uniform standards for contours. A Bartlien 2b is a pig (my assessment) and is about midway between a Douglas #3 & 4.

The buyer needs to circumspect and to become educated about such matters.

I’d be upset too. You really screwed the pooch.

Helpful, Bob.

Tell us about your most recent build …

Probably just a heavy piece of steel. GD

Live and learn. The.barrel won't last forever just shoot it till it's wore out and do better next time. I'm betting it will shoot great. Mb

Thanks RinB. I'm fixing to build a 250-3000 and I'll pm you. Thanks to all...it is what it is. It fits my stock so I'm just going to keep it and hunt it. powdr

douglas contours are usually lighter than most other makers and I find their #2 and #3 to be just about ideal for a hunting rifle
hart also turns their barrels to a douglas contour
#2 finishes at .600 and the number three is around .625

Yep. I can vouch for hart, as I had them do a number 2 (on your recommendation), and it is the same dimensions as the douglas 2 on the nulas.

Douglas built me a very nice 250-3000 barrel years ago, they perfectly matched the Win 70 Compact barrel contour and it dropped right into my stock. My sons killed 10+ deer with that rifle, all one-shot kills at under 100 yards, rem green box 100 gr pills. Enjoy!

Lmao.

Let us know as it progresses! .250 Savage is a cartridge I'm very interested in. I have one, the rifle has some issues and it doesn't shoot as well as I'd like. However, I'm not interested in giving up on the cartridge yet.

The 250-3000, nothing wrong, but brass, especially high quality brass, will likely be an issue. You might want to consider a 25 Creedmoor for which brass is readily available.

Wouldn't 22-250 be an easy conversion?

Yep. I use Lapua 22-250 cases in my 250 Savage Ackley now. When I was using regular 250 Savage brass, the Remington stuff was actually better for consistency than Winchester. -Al

I have some Winchester 250-3000 brass which is the smallest headsize I have ever seen on a standard case, .459". That is .011" under nominal. GD

Sounds a bit wonky. Measure the muzzle, they may have botched the contour.

I have a .204 with a 24" PacNor sporter contour (fluted which removes basically nothing but cosmetic on contour that light) which is 7 pounds (ok, 6 pounds 15.x ounces) all-up in McMillan Edge with a Leupold 4.5-14X aboard. there should not be more than 2-3 ounces difference in our rifles.