AusVarmint

Back in the 1980s my father bought a Model 70 Winchester in 257 Roberts. A few years back it came into my possession and try as I might it wouldn't shoot. The barrel was stuffed at both ends so it didn't take me long to work out what to do with it. A 'Magnum Featherweight' profile barrel from Lilja via Seddo. A 338-06 reamer from the USA, a machined plastic magazine follower from Sydney and a nice soft recoil pad completed the rifle. Then Cerakoted in Graphite Black. Today it fires 225gn Speer BTSP at an honest 2800fps and delivers MoA levels of accuracy at 100m. With a weight of 7lb 15oz it is no 'feather', but I'm not sure I would want less weight in there

The other rifle I've been carrying a fair bit this year is the new Mountain Rifle.

Made from a Rem 700 short action, factory magazine, PTG Firing Pin assembly, stock trigger, 1:8 twist 3-groove 25.3inch 6.5mm barrel and topped with a Swarovski 3.5-18 BRH in Talleys. Sitting in the Wildcat Composites CF stock it weighs exactly 7lb 0oz. Weight is forward like you want a deliberate shooting rifle to be, pretty similar balance to a Remington factory Magnum, just lighter.

The 6.5 SAUM cartridge throws a 130gn Berger Hunting VLD (pointed) at 3250fps without any stress at all. The bullets have a G1 BC of about .622 and only drop 1.8 MILS to 500m (200m zero). To get the same ballistics in a 7mm you must step up to the 168gn class of bullet and something like a 7mm Dakota to launch then at 3250fps.

I had a 'mental health day' on Friday so took the opportunity to take photos of various rifles.

This is the 'family' picture of my nasty weather hunting rifles.

adamjp wrote:With a weight of 7lb 16oz it is no 'feather', but I'm not sure I would want less weight in there

I would say it weighs more like 8lbs.

This is a very nice rifle. Works as good as it looks.

That's a great collection you have there.
Very green, at this stage.

Wildcat composite cf stocks look verrrrrry nice.

JasonF wrote:

adamjp wrote:With a weight of 7lb 16oz it is no 'feather', but I'm not sure I would want less weight in there

I would say it weighs more like 8lbs.

This is a very nice rifle. Works as good as it looks.

Doh!

7lb 15oz. As near to 8lb as it could be without being 8lb.

Teepee wrote:That's a great collection you have there.
Very green, at this stage.

Wildcat composite cf stocks look verrrrrry nice.

Thanks Teepee.

The two Remingtons are in Wildcat Composite stocks, the two Mini Mausers are in High Tech Specialties stocks.

The Rem700 SA stock weighed 17.1oz out of the box, the Model 7 (7-08) was 17oz. The two High Techs were 20oz each. Putty, paint, recoil pad and sling studs add about 4oz to each stock.

One thing I have learnt is that step 1 for making a light rifle is buy a light stock.

Nice looking rifles.
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