I've been saying I'd never build another rifle on a Savage action but here I am going down the rabbit hole again.







One problem all the parts are too heavy! The rifle's a 6X45 (6mm-223) what do I need a 9lb rifle for?



So I tore it all back down and sent it to Marty at Twisted Barrel to see what magic he can work on the barrel, bolt body, and bolt handle. He said he thought he could get 10 ounces off the barrel. That'll get me to 8 lbs. with VXII 3-9X40 and Talley LWT mounts. I can live with 8 lbs. and it's cheaper than going to McMillan or Manners for a light stock.

I like the truck.

quote:

Originally posted by AFRICAN LEADWOOD:
I like the truck.

It's a 1999 7.3L with manual transmission, I bought in in 2001 and have been driving it paid off since late 2003. I can't bring myself to buy another pickup even though I'd like more cab, I just can't believe what they want for a truck these days. It has been the best pickup I've ever owned, I should break 300K miles on it before too long.

quote:

Originally posted by taylorce1:

quote:

Originally posted by AFRICAN LEADWOOD:
I like the truck.

It's a 1999 7.3L with manual transmission, I bought in in 2001 and have been driving it paid off since late 2003. I can't bring myself to buy another pickup even though I'd like more cab, I just can't believe what they want for a truck these days. It has been the best pickup I've ever owned, I should break 300K miles on it before too long.

I miss my 97 EVERY DAY.

I love the caliber..Been shooting a custom Sako L-461 in 6x45 for many years now..

Very cool! I've been toying with the idea of a 6x45 on a Savage, mine is an old "short" 110 I picked up for a song.

I am working with a 6x45 right now myself.
I ordered a barrel from McGowens for an AR15, 20" Stainless, Modified H Bar contour.
So far very happy with it, accuracy is great. Keep working at it to find the right combination of velocity and accuracy. Shooting the 85 grain Sierra HPBT with a variety of powders I'm getting 2650 to 2800 fps.

Keep us posted on your 6x45 taylorce.

Mine is a rebored Savage 24V that started out as a 223/20 gauge, now 6x45mm, legal for antelope and sage grouse.

Got the barrel and bolt body back from Twisted Barrel yesterday. 14 days from the day I sent it off. Marty took nearly 11oz off between the two. I have the action out getting worked on, hope to have it back soon as well.

Wow he did great work on it. This rifle is gonna look sharp!

I have a savage 10, CDI bottom metal, Shilen barrel threaded for a suppressor Fun to shoot and easy to reload

Have an Axis .223 that I rebarreled to 6x45 with a Shaw Varmit contour barrel. Tweaked its factory trigger, giving it a decent trigger pull. Removed the fore end and butt of the Axis Plastic stock, leaving just the receiver portion. Flattened its sides and built a wooden stock around it, using over 70 pieces of wood, laminated together. This was before Boyd's made an Axis replacement stock.
Much of the wood is from a parquet floor removed from one of my bedrooms. Yea, I'm retired with lots of spare time. Anyway, the rifle shoots well for accuracy, often shooting 3/8" four shot 100 yd groups.

I built mine for coyotes and Rock Chucks but it been used on deer more than anything else, My grandson shot his first deer with it about 10 or so years old, He is 27 now and has never shot a deer with any other rifle except for one he shot with my .222...He has a small spread South of twin Falls that's loaded with deer after the first day of deer season, but has to draw a tag on it..in the meantime he helps himself to my deep freeze..

I built mine on a mini mauser action.....sweet! I'm not much for wildcats but when I lived in Minnesota the law didn't allow .224 calibers for hunting deer and the 6x45 was the perfect way to build a light weight rifle to get around the law.

I used a 1-14 twist barrel and confined myself to bullets of 70 grains or less......simply stated.....it worked!

I recently gave the little gun to a Wisconsin youngster.....a young female hunter and it's a fitting way to dispose of some of our firearms before we "tip over".

Functionally, the 6x45 offers very little over the .223 but for those that live in a state that puts it headquarters where it's hind quarters should be, it's a very sweet way to build a lightweight hunting rifle.

I have a BDL in 223 that I have been thinking about changing to this round. It sounds like a good one. My friend has a 6mmX45AI and the reamer and he thinks its the best thing since sliced bread. Not to steal the thread but should I do it?

Yes, do it.

I guess I was a little off, actually a lot off! I can't find my original weights for each piece to know how much weight was removed. However, in the end I lost 9.9 ounces for the sum total of $310 or nearly $32 an ounce. Anyway, I need to come up with a couple of more parts and then off to get it coated.

$160 for the bolt and barrel fluting from Twisted Barrel. Action work was another $150 and done by Stephen Field of Macon GA. I was going for a look similar to that of the Savage light weight hunter with the action.



















I'm very happy with how my build is progressing.

MY L-461 Round top Sako weighs 5.5 lbs wit a 3x9 Compact, looks like a Rigby or Holland that got caught int he wash and shrunk..Its my walk about varmint gun, that's hunted more deer, Pronghorn and African Plainsgame, than varmints. I have a barrel band front front sight, and swivel, and an Island rear sight with a shallow V one standing made smaller than normal, but have yet to install these goodies, as the gun shoots 10 shot groups at .265 average of 3f. some you can cover with a postage stamp or a nickel..Im scared to do any work on the metal or wood...My grandson has laid claim to it down the line, so it will always be in the family..

I've been wondering is the 6x45 wouldn't be the best choice for converting an AR platform to a legal deer cartridge while retaining the same basic cartridge. I read about the 30 BLK, but that seems way too much bullet for so little powder. Opening the case out to 6mm and using 85 gr bullets sounds like a workable answer for an AR deer cartridge for deer within 200 yards.

I've used the slightly bigger 6X47 (6-222 RM) on pronghorn at 300 yards with 70 grain bullets. If I'm placing the bullet where it needs to be, then it kills quite quickly. Longest shot on white tail doe was about 150 yards and it worked well.

I've only shot one antelope with a 6x45mm and it was close up.
I think of the 6x45mm 24V as a 200-yard rifle with a bird gun on the bottom.
It will do anything at 200 yards that a 243 will do at 400 yards, except drift as far.

I keep wondering why someone would go to all the trouble of building a rifle and then driving a truck on top of it.

quote:

Originally posted by Ray B:
I keep wondering why someone would go to all the trouble of building a rifle and then driving a truck on top of it.

OK, I'll take the bait. I don't get the reference...

Look at the first pic

quote:

Originally posted by eyeman:
Look at the first pic

Oh. Near-perfect, couldn't be any better with Photoshop...

Is the recoil lug after market. If so which one

The recoil lug is factory, but unfinished. The donor didn't come from an Accustock rifle so I had to buy the correct lug from Midway. I also purchased a PT&G precision ground recoil lug but they need some fitting to work with the Accustock.



As you can see they aren't quite the same.

Ray,
The 223 is a marriage made in heaven with a milsurp auto of any kind..It was designed that way.

I have shot a number of Mule Deer, Whitetail deer, Pronghorn Antelope and a lot of African PG on cull hunts with my 6x45 Sako rifle over the last 36 years..Its a 200 to 250 yard caliber..I like a 75 to 85 gr. bullet loaded with H335 or H322 to around 2900 to 3000 FPS..I especially like the 80 gr. GS Customs HVHP bullet..Barnes made an excellent bullet at one time but discontinued it and it was a good bullet...Ive use quit a few other bullets most of which came apart as they were basically heavy varmint bullets, but they all killed well enough, but all were broadside shots and at 200 or under, mostly around a 100 yards.

I'm just getting started with the 6x45's cousin the 6 TCU. Can you guys get me started with some light bullet loads?

I'd like to find some of the Barnes 85-grain blue bullets in 6mm, they seem to have all flown away...

Barnes discontinued that bullet over 7 years ago. You might get lucky and find some but I think it would be a stretch. The Tipped Triple Shock in 80 grain is a dandy. My 243 loves them. I haven't tried them in this new barrel yet but I will. I found a load that lists 26.4 grains of 748 under an 80 grain bullet but that sounds a little warm to me. I haven't tried it and when I do I'll reduce it by 2.5-3 grains.

Use the 80 gr. GS Customs bullets..They are great on deer up to 200 yards, maybe more.

I used the 75 gr. Barnes X (now discontinued) for a number of years, it was a great antelope load.

My 6x45mm is a rebored Savage 24V; the blue bullets go to about the same point of impact as the Partition bullets but the Barnes bullets don't. Kind of a puzzle.

I had started a post on this rifle, but photbucket pretty much killed the photos of it. Got these pictures from the Cerakote applicator this morning, should have this one back in the next week or two as it still needs some engraving.

Savage 10 action reprofiled by Steve Field
PT&G Parallel Recoil Lug .187" ground down to fit Accustock by Steve Field
SS X-Caliber #3 contour 1:7 twist 5R
Rayhill Bolt Handle & Bolt Lift Kit
Prairie Ghost camo WTP on Accustock
Tan Cerakote (Steve picked color not sure the exact one)
Barrel & Bolt fluting by Twisted Barrel











Glad I waited to go with the Cerakote color until I got the stock back. Steve talked me into waiting as the applicator he sent the stock to had never used that print before. Based off the pattern I had picked off the online sample, the Sage Green I chose for the metal would have been a serious mistake.

Me Likey. Velly saxy. My 6-45 is an AR with a Black Hole Weaponry polyganal rifled bore. I use it for coyote tournaments. Keeps them down for the count (body count wins pretty good money).

Thanks for sharing your build! Do you know how durable that print finish is on the stock? It looks good.

quote:

Originally posted by jpl:
Thanks for sharing your build! Do you know how durable that print finish is on the stock? It looks good.

I don't have a clue, but it's offered on a lot of factory stocks.

Got the engraving done yesterday, should have it soon!

One thing I suggest with any light 22 or 6x45 is hunt big game with them in open country, where you can see where they run..Two things can go South, one is a failed bullet that does not open, in many cases that's a super premium like the Nosler partition or Barnes X, they penetrate but they don't destroy much tissue is some cases..I prefer a 60 gr. Hornady SP or HP in any 222, 223 or even a 22-250, its a devastating bullet..In the 6x45 Ive had pretty good luck with most bullets Ive tried between 75 and 85 grs. and even the 90 gr Sierra HP..I have used these calibers and bullets to cull in Texas and So. Africa..