Heavy Varmiter - for heavy varmits

[adamjp]

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.

6.5x47 Lapua barrel and scope.

All the paintwork, Cerakoting and sotck painting was done by myself, at home.

[17hmr]

nice job on the rifles there adam

[choppy2925]

Nice. Unless I missed it, what is it??

[adamjp]

Good point Choppy.

The action is a Short Remington 700, trued by gunsmith. There are two bolts/barrels for the action, one for the 7mm SAUM cartridge, the other for a the 6.5x47 Lapua cartridge. The SAUM barrel is a PacNor Medium Palma profile, the 6.5 is a Tobler heavy striaght taper (it is bloody heavy).

The 7mm SAUM seems to be able to launch a 145gn Speer BTSP at 3300fps - about 150fps faster than I expected. Once I get this dialled in it will be the heavy varmiter.

The 6.5x47 Lapua is throated to throw 123gn Scenars and should do so at around 3050, maybe 3100fps. Good for punching holes in paper, and until I get my 6mmBR it will also double as a long range varmiter.

[Mulga]

I'm considering the 7mmSAUM myself on a Stiller/AICS platform. How does the SAUM go in the AI magazine for overall cartridge length?

Cheers

[adamjp]

I'm considering the 7mmSAUM myself on a Stiller/AICS platform. How does the SAUM go in the AI magazine for overall cartridge length?

Cheers

Pisses it in. Adjusted the magazine lips a little to let the cartridge ride higher and get four it there without issues. Alpha does a magazine box specifically for the short magnums if you really want to go that far.

I had the reamer ground for a short throat and tight neck so the throat can be specifically cut to suit your chosen bullet. At the moment the throat is a little tight, but this was intentional due to an expected initial erosion of the throat.

When it is all said and done, these short magnums have a useful life of around 1500 rounds (still better than a 6.5-284), with the most throat erosion occurring during the first 200 rounds.

[deadkelly]

I like very much . Any reason for 2 diff brands of barrels ?

[adamjp]

I like very much . Any reason for 2 diff brands of barrels ?

No. Bought the Pacnor, and was given the Tobler. Seemed wasteful not to use it.

[deadkelly]

Righto thanks .

[adamjp]

Well the intended bullets for this rifle just didn't work, so I sold 'em to Rob in the NT. He will be rolling donks and pigs with them for the next year or two I suspect.

Tried some 162gn AMAX projectiles and they seemed to work well. Ordered a couple of thousand of them, just have to wait until they actually get here (probably 2nd half of the year). In the meantime I bought two boxes of the 168gn Berger Hunting VLDs to give me something to shoot.

They seem to be doing better than I can.

Zeroed the scope.

Initial 3 shot group to zero the scope in.

7 SAUM 168Berger.jpg (37.36 KiB) Viewed 1343 times

First three went in tight, the next two opened it out a bit - and if I was better at it they would have gone in beside the first three.

5 for the count. Stuffed the last two shots up.

Estimated velocity of 3050fps based on similar load with AMAXs and observed drop @ 500m. Had to be estimated as the tripod for my chronograph was found to be broken when I went to setup the chrono, and someone's magnetospeed also chucked a wobbly this morning.

Edited to add, all round shot from the magazine so the Bergers are jumping an estimated 50 thou to the rifling.

[choppy2925]

Great shooting, try though Bergers even further off the lands,( after reading an article/ or there web cannot remember now) I tried them jumping 100 thou in my 270 wsm sako. If I do I my part and let it cool between shoots I can get 1 inch groups at 200m.

[JasonF]

Choppy, Adam's groups were at 200m.

[aaronraad]

Nice groups adamjp. Might be hard to go back to the A-Max's when they arrive

[choppy2925]

Choppy, Adam's groups were at 200m.

Yep, I knew that.

They may shoot better that's all.

Cheers

[Plowboy]

Hey Adam do you ever use those types of stocks out of a ute window? Would love to know how they are shooting that way(90% of my shooting it out the window)