Too much gun?

[The War Wagon]

What happens if you buy too much gun?

Shoot it until it's NOT.

[bsumoba]

More on that if you will bsumoba and others:

I am definitely with you on the Barrel first/most important.

Do those companies or the next tier down offer pre-cut chambers?
If they did would I even want one?
I understand if the chamber is something common like 308/30-06/223 pre-cut chambers are likely had from lots of places but maybe not in the various 7mms because of their relative un-popularity.

And if I'm building a dual purpose rifle rather than a dedicated competition gun where I know for sure that I'm going to be using e.g. Berger 180VLDs and might want a chamber cut exactly for that, what does one do?

Lets say I wanted to use both the new Hornady 162 ELD-X (BC .613) for target/steel as well as the 139 GMX (BC .486) for hunting. I probably would stick with these weights as the longer heavier bullets are going to increase recoil and decrease case capacity.

Do you order the barrel and the reamer (PTG?) or for a dual purpose gun like this do I just look for a e.g. .284WIN chambered barrel off the shelf? Again I'm not a pro, I'm probably not even an amature! I like to buy quality, but I don't like to throw money away on the best when I would under-utilize it. Gotta be honest with myself.

The barrel mfg do not usually cut chambers. You would need to go with a smith or person/company that orders barrels and then chambers them. This is really only advisable in a remage or rifle system that has a barrel nut where you can headspace the barrel properly to the action.

Companies doing remage or barrel nut systems can do it in any chambering so long as they have the the chamber reamer and you have a way to headspace the barrel when you install the barrel to the action when you get it.

For the chambering as it relates to your bullet, the main things people change on the chamber specs are the neck clearance and freebore. Neck clearance for 7mm is usually a total of 0.004"+ over a loaded round neck diameter. For the freebore, it depends on what you want to do. Most will chamber for the longest bullet (relative to the ogive) they are going to shoot. Since it looks like you are hunting, you will probably not want to jam your bullets, so just make sure you have the freebore cut so you can jump your bullets while still mag feeding (if you are indeed mag feeding).

284 chambered barrels will probably be hard to find off-the-shelf. You will need to find a smith that has a 284 chamber reamer and talk it over with the smith. A good smith will help you get the other specs down.

[ar15barrels]

Do those companies or the next tier down offer pre-cut chambers?
If they did would I even want one?

Pre-threaded and pre-chambered barrels are generally an accuracy detriment because you don't get the advantage of having the barrel fitted to a specific receiver or in choosing the exact twist rate and chamber specs.

To do it right, a smith will thread the barrel blank to match up perfectly with the receiver, clock the barrel so that any deflection is straight up to give you more usable elevation and assure that any thermal deflection will go straight up and then fit the headspace perfectly to your bolt when chambering.
None of those things are possible when using "pre-fit" barrels.

[NapalmCheese]

And if I'm building a dual purpose rifle rather than a dedicated competition gun where I know for sure that I'm going to be using e.g. Berger 180VLDs and might want a chamber cut exactly for that, what does one do?

Lets say I wanted to use both the new Hornady 162 ELD-X (BC .613) for target/steel as well as the 139 GMX (BC .486) for hunting. I probably would stick with these weights as the longer heavier bullets are going to increase recoil and decrease case capacity.

At this point I'd suggest taking a serious look at what you intend to do most and re-thinking the proposition of a 'dual purpose' rifle.

If you build a 'dual purpose' rifle and end up shooting at targets all of the time and maybe even thinking "Hey, I could totally compete with those bozos over there" then you're going to be kicking yourself for getting a shorter, lighter barrel and wish you had gone with the 80 - 426x ultra super tac vision scope instead of this Leupold 3-9.

If you only ever hunt with it you'll be kicking yourself every time your super extra large bolt knob catches on crap, every time you scrape your knuckles on an accessory rail that you don't use and every time you have to walk up hill.

Re-think your intentions.

You can buy a 7mm RM Savage for $400.00 dollars and share bullets and maybe powder between it and an RSAUM/WSM/7mm-08. If you got your new fancy longish range rifle chambered in 7mm RM (to match your cheap hunting rifle) you could even share dies and potentially load data.

Ultimately I feel it would be a bummer for your to go to the trouble of building a custom rifle only to find that you wish it were a better hunting rifle, or you wish it were a better target rifle.

Or you can blow more cash and build a custom hunting rifle AND a custom target rifle.

[LynnJr]

OP
If you shoot at Ojai look for LeRoy Johnson. He shoots all the 600 yard Benchrest matches there and is an excellent gunsmith working out of Bakersfield.
Barry Bluhm Gene Hopper or Mike all know him and they run alot of matches there.

On a hunting rifle barrel life is a non-issue. At 50 rounds a year it would take you 15-20 years to shoot out a barrel.
When my barrels are no longer Benchrest accurate I set them back and make them into hunting rifle barrels.

[Garandimal]

The answer is -.270 Winchester w/ 140-150 grain bullets.

Now, what was the Question?




GR

[hardlyworking]

At this point I'd suggest taking a serious look at what you intend to do most and re-thinking the proposition of a 'dual purpose' rifle.

I hear you NC, I really do. Specialized tools to do the job at hand make the job easier and the operator more confident. There's a lot to think about!

[Divernhunter]

A 270 is never an answer.
Just a mistake.

[TMB 1]

Get a 280 Remington.

[Fjold]

What happens if you buy too much gun?

I've evolved from my early desires and am now a bit more focused. I have learned that one first picks the job, then the projectile, and then the cartridge to push it.

But I can't help wanting to maximize my purchases.

A 7mm RSAUM is a bee in my bonnet. I'm sure it kicks harder than I want to put up with. I'm sure with an GMX or a TTSX bullet it would punch right through both lungs of a critter and a shoulder to boot.. but so would a 7-08. So why do I want a RSAUM?

If I did go that route, can one down-load the round so its less punishing? I mean, people buy corvettes all the time and then drive them 65 right? But if they NEED the power, its there.

I like everything I've read about 7mm. I like the BCs, I like the variety of projectiles, I like the grain weights. I'm sure I would be just fine with 7-08, but if costs about the same either way (powder and brass not withstanding) why NOT go with the bigger case?

I shoot "too much gun" a lot. I've shot ground squirrels and 20 lbs. antelope with a 375 H&H magnum. It's a matter of proper technique and repetition, to get used to them.

I shot my 243 and 308 for ten+ years before buying a 7mm Mag and a 300 WSM and for the first couple of years I hated shooting both of them off the bench. Then I bought my 375 H&H and decided to hunt Africa so I shot it all the time until I shot it as easily as my 308. Now, the 7mm Mag and the 300 WSM feel like my 243 and nothing feels like "too much gun", until I tried a friend's 500 Nitro Express, that is going to take some getting used to.

When you set up your gun, don't go with low scope rings/mounts that force you to roll your face forward to align your eye with the scope and don't put your scope forward so much that you have to stretch your neck forward to see through it. Both of these will cause the comb of the stock to line up with your cheekbone and punish you during recoil.

When you're shooting off the bench, get a tall enough front rest (or a low enough seat) to make sure that your back is straight, grip the forearm tightly and pull forward and pull down with your left hand. Press the gun firmly with your shoulder, keeping your back straight and at the shot let your shoulder roll back with the recoil.

Done correctly, you'll be surprised at how much recoil you can get used to.

[ElvenSoul]

A 6.5-06 will do all that stuff and not bust the shoulder or piggy bank.

[hambam105]

Apparently some of the old timers haven't figured-out that in the Inter Net Era the obsolete calibers such as .270 & .243 Winchester and 7mm Mag bullets will just bounce-off the new Out of State Antelope selections.

Never let your new customers pass up the opportunity to spend more. If you want to take out antelope at 2,000 yards the quick and recoil free easy way then we have the setup for you. Step right over here please... I'll just need to see that credit card and we can get started right away. Larry...tell the office to hold my calls.

[Whiterabbit]

well, this response will get washed out since there are 42 posts in the thread already but here goes:

"What happens if you buy too much gun?....A 7mm RSAUM is a bee in my bonnet. .... So why do I want a RSAUM?...., can one down-load the round so its less punishing? ...people buy corvettes all the time and then drive them 65 right?...why NOT go with the bigger case?"

Here's a story. Imagine buying a 460 S&W pistol for all the reasons you state. Then you go off and load trailboss loads, or even just buy 45 colts and shoot those instead. You;ve satisfied all your conditions and should be happy.

Sooner or later, you realize that you are lugging around a 5 pound pistol with a 12 inch barrel that can accomplish the same thing a guy with a 4" barrel 25 oz. S&W can do.

What you will do in that case, is realize that your gun is a waste unless you use it to it's realistic potential. At which point you will only shoot full loads. You won;t see the need to push boundaries, just shoot to accuracy. But they will not be reduced loads. Because that's wasting the rifle's capability, wasting projectiles on brass that can push them harder, wasting brass life on something you could have done with cheaper brass and less powder.

And THAT is the danger of buying "too much gun". It's fine unless you are going ino it planning to download. When you do that, you lost the game. Otherwise, no such thing as too much.

[sdnative13]

I know we all have our different opinions and ideals but what are you trying to hunt that a 7mm won't work. And maybe it's just me but taking anything at 400+ yards is not my idea of hunting. Again these are just my thoughts.

[RNE228]

If you get something too punishing, rebarrel for a more reasonable caliber.

Wy antelope? Yummy! 308 in a varmint weight barrel has done great for me. Friend I hunt with has done well with both a Ruger 77V in 25-06 to 500+ yards, and a Sako sport with 25-06 at shorter range.

I'm not a Ruger fan, but that late 1970's 77V is a really nice shooter!