Heavy Varmiter - for heavy varmits
Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 4:48 pm
A couple of years ago I realised that the 308 just didn't cut it for the type of shooting I was moving into (500m+) and I decided to build a rifle specific to the purpose. I wanted something to drop heavy varmits (ie Pigs) out to 600m, maybe 700m if I was dialled in.
The Rem700 was decided after serious consideration of a Barnard SM action. It helped that Cleavers had a special on EXACTLY the rifle I was after. Pretty soon I had the rifle, popped it in a stock and started saving for the barrel to suit - and the reamer to chamber it with. After a bit of stuffing around whilst my preferred gunsmith moved house, I finally got the rifle back early this year.
Bugger me if the reamer supplied from America was ground too small! The cases just could not work in the chamber, but a 311 reamer neck will do that when you use 314 cases. A nastygram was sent to the reamer maker and after another 6 month wait they sent me a replacement reamer ground to a .3165 neck - perfect. The reamer was with me for a whole five minutes before it went in the mail to the gunsmith who had been sitting on my barreled action for all that time.
I picked the rifle up just before Christmas and have been putting some rounds downrange to ensure it all works.
Last week I Cerakoted the metalwork in Coyote Tan, yesterday the AICS skins were colour matched to the action. This morning it was assembled and I'll be back at the range on Sunday working on some serious loads for it (mirage permitting). Best 5 shot group to date @ 200m is just under 1 MOA (although that was in the mirage and clear air might produce a better group), I expect better and will fiddle with seating depth a little bit as I expect sub 0.75MOA @ 200 with this rifle. I have a spare barrel in 6.5x47 Lapua with a bolt to suit. This is combined with my 10-60 March for punching holes in paper. Nothing more than running in rounds have gone down this barrel, and I'll wait until late Feb before I crack on with that combination. All the paintwork, Cerakoting and sotck painting was done by myself, at home.
The Rem700 was decided after serious consideration of a Barnard SM action. It helped that Cleavers had a special on EXACTLY the rifle I was after. Pretty soon I had the rifle, popped it in a stock and started saving for the barrel to suit - and the reamer to chamber it with. After a bit of stuffing around whilst my preferred gunsmith moved house, I finally got the rifle back early this year.
Bugger me if the reamer supplied from America was ground too small! The cases just could not work in the chamber, but a 311 reamer neck will do that when you use 314 cases. A nastygram was sent to the reamer maker and after another 6 month wait they sent me a replacement reamer ground to a .3165 neck - perfect. The reamer was with me for a whole five minutes before it went in the mail to the gunsmith who had been sitting on my barreled action for all that time.
I picked the rifle up just before Christmas and have been putting some rounds downrange to ensure it all works.
Last week I Cerakoted the metalwork in Coyote Tan, yesterday the AICS skins were colour matched to the action. This morning it was assembled and I'll be back at the range on Sunday working on some serious loads for it (mirage permitting). Best 5 shot group to date @ 200m is just under 1 MOA (although that was in the mirage and clear air might produce a better group), I expect better and will fiddle with seating depth a little bit as I expect sub 0.75MOA @ 200 with this rifle. I have a spare barrel in 6.5x47 Lapua with a bolt to suit. This is combined with my 10-60 March for punching holes in paper. Nothing more than running in rounds have gone down this barrel, and I'll wait until late Feb before I crack on with that combination. All the paintwork, Cerakoting and sotck painting was done by myself, at home.