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I have two new left handed rifles which can be donated to this project. One is a W70 in 30 06 and the other is W70 in 300 WSM. I would be interested in building a reasonably light rifle. It would probably wear a McMillan edge stock and end up carrying a lightweight 2x7 Leupold. How much weight would I save by using the shorter WSM action over the 06? Which action and caliber would have the greatest potential for accuracy? If the factory barrel doesnt shoot I have no problems replacing it with a Kreiger or Lilja. Any and all thoughts are appreciated. Thank you My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | ||
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Brown Precison has the weights of some action. They don't have the short M70. http://www.brownprecision.com/SelectingComponents.htm But if you look at the short vs long Ruger and Rem you would only save 1-2oz. You can save far more in the stock choice that the action. The Edge is a nice stock. I've also use the High-tech and MPI. If I had to choose between the three I'd take the MPI. (I buy the blank and finish it myself) With 1" pad mine is about 20oz. Unless you like recoil stay with the 06. I played with the 300Wsm. I pulled the barrel and sold it. I'm sure others have had good success. My two mountain rifles are an improved 280 and 338-06. As usual just my $.02 Paul K | |||
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Snowwolfe What are you going to use this new light rifle for? | |||
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Caribou, maybe a blacktail or two, dall sheep if I get the urge to go again. And possibly a unplanned chance on a moose or grizzly. But the purpose of the rifle is simply cause I want one  My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
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Actually you may loose as the 30-06 action can be fitted with a Douglas featherweight barrel and the WSM action may require more steel in the barrel.....weight is likely to be less with the 30-06! The Douglas featherweight barrel can be very accurate aas well. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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I'd take the WSM and have lilja turn down a barrel in a similar contour to what Kimber uses on the their Montannas, and I'd go for the 24" length. Two bad you have to shift on the off side, as the Montannas feel right in the hand and cost less than having to build a copy. I'm planning on asking Santa for one  __________________________________________________ The AR series of rounds, ridding the world of 7mm rem mags, one gun at a time. | |||
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I know Paul, My wife has a Montana in 7mm 08. great rifle. So, I wouldnt save any weight by usiog the shorter action? My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
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You might save a little weight buy going to a shorter action, but how much ? An ounce or 2 mabye 4 at the most. If you want a light weight rifle for hunting deer caribu and the like, mabye just restock your 06, if you plan on hunting bigger game than that I would want a .338 or a 35 whelen, and I supose you could go lightweight but lots ow power and little weight are not a good combination in my eyes. I would not hunt grizlly with any thing magional cartridge wise. never hunted a griz myself but a .338 win mag is where I would start power wise for a grizly, if I were going to build a rifle for grizly hunting I think a 358 STW or a new 375 ruger would be my 1st choices. For deer and caribu any thing from a Roberts on up works for me and you could build a Roberts a 270 a 25,06 a 280 a .338 06 or a whelen all on your 06 action, Any of those would be great for your deer caribu. rifle, but in a light weight i would probably stop at .338 06...tj3006 freedom1st | |||
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I already have a 338WM, 375 H&H, and a 458 Lott. One of those goes with me when I am targeting a specific big critter. I want a light rifle for when I am targeting non dangerous game on a specific hunt. The other minor issue is the 06 holds 5 down and the 300 WSM only holds three. My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
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Snowwolfe, I did what you are contemplating and would do it again in a heartbeat. I bought a stock stainless LH 06 and had the barrel turned down to match Winchester's FW contour and cut to 22" for about $100. You could do the same, or order a stainless Pac-Nor or Lilja coppying that same contour. I bedded it in a McMillan compact EDGE stock and added Williams bottom metal to the mix. To top it off, I mounted an FX II 6X36 Leupold in their DD bases that I lapped and JB welded to the reciever. It weighs in at 7lbs 4oz's empty and 7lbs 12oz's with five rounds and an Uncle Mike's Mountain sling and balances better than any rifle I've owned. I'd copy that pattern again and again.   Chuck | |||
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Very nice rifle Chuck. I regret selling my LH 70 ss every day. But you gave me a good idea of the finished weight My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
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I have two identical rifles on a 70 action, one a 300 Win mag, the other a 300 WSM.. The weight difference is 5 ounces. | |||
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Chuck, will a standard weight M70 barrel fit in that forend ? | |||
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Chuck ! What cartridge is that chamberd for ? ...tj3006 freedom1st | |||
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FM, it will without much issue. TJ, it's a 30-06. Chuck | |||
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Talk about going POSTAL!!!!  "They who would give up an essential Liberty for Temporary Security, deserves neither Liberty or Security." ---Benjamin Franklin "SIC SEMPER TYRANNUS" | |||
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Thank you. That is exactly what kind of information I was looking for. 5 ounces is a lot when trying to go light. My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
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i want to build a 6# 376 steyr!!! jeffe opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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Snowwolfe If you are really thinking lightweight, I would look around for a Winnie Short action in .308 (mine is called the Compact which is actually smaller than the featherweight) and call it quits. Great bullet selection, very light weight, compact in size, etc. YOu could load her up with 150 Noses (Noslers) for the sheep and put a couple of 200 Noses in the pocket in case you ran into a griz on the trail. Maybe they didn't make em for the lefties though. | |||
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Chuck, I like it, I like it, I like it!  | |||
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I suspect both the 308 and the 300 WSM are built on the same length action My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
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As another lefty who's had two lightweights built up, let me chime in. Hi Tech stocks by Bansner are really light weight, yet seem to have all the strength needed, and balance well. Watch your barrel weight and length. This will save you a good bit. The difference in bases and rings can be as much as 6 ounces between brands. Scopes can also add sufficient weight to change things. All together, scope and mounts could save you 3/4 of a pound. One last thing; some smiths will mill your action to reduce weight by an ounce or two. My current lightweight is a Rem 700 short action, Bansner stock, 3-9x Leupold compact, Weaver bases and Bushnell rings. Total weight loaded and with sling is just under of 6.5 lbs...and this has a 24" bbl chambered for the wildcat 6.5 WSM. .395 Family Member DRSS, po' boy member Political correctness is nothing but liberal enforced censorship | |||
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Unfortunately the last time I checked Basner did not offer a LH W70 stock. My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
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And it's heavier than the edge. Chuck | |||
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ChuckNelson, It looks like you have used med. rings. I have M70-DDbases-SUPERlow rings. I had to buy two sets of std.superlowrings cause they dont sell DDringssets in that height. The 2.5-8x36 leupold still easily clears the open M70sa bolt and fw barrel. No big deal, all im saying is you could bring that 6x36 rightdown low if you wanted to. | |||
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Unless you just have a strong desire to do a project I believe that you would be well off to consider buying a Kimber Montana in a 7 or 300 wsm and being on with it. You would have an incredibly fine rig and it is gonna be lighter than you can build it with the components that you're considering. And, to top it all off it'll be cheaper in the long run. Just a thought Mark D PS-I just went thru about the same thing and finally decided to go the Montana route in a 7 WSM | |||
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Rem 700, 22 inch bbl fluted, Lone Wolf Stock, fluted bolt, skeleton bolt, aluminum shroud, Leup 2.5x8, aluminum rings, sling, and 7 rounds of ammo 6 lbs 10 oz You should be able to do a a WSM close to that i would go 23 inches on the bbl and with extra weight on the win action probably right a 7 lbs  Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Thats a heck of a nice 30,06 chuck ! I have a FN higgins 30,06 that just may endup in a mcmillan stock. Been thinking about makin a real prety walnut shaped like a remington mountain rifle , but it would cost quite a bit. A good fast handeling rifle in 30,06 acurate, plenty of power for most situations, not hard on the shoulder of most experenced shooters , its a beautifull thing to own ! ...tj3006 freedom1st | |||
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I like yours too mike , What rond does it shoot ? ...tj3006 freedom1st | |||
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Yea, easy for your right handers to say! If Kimber made a leftie I would of bought one when I bought my wife's. Seriously, the only way us lefties can usually get what we want is by spending 2-3 times what you guys can buy off the rack. Been there and done that with Remingtons. Tired of fighting with freezing triggers thats why I will go with model 70 style triggers. My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
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ramrod340 Why would you take the MPI over the other two. DR B | |||
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Your stock selection is the most important consideration in getting the weight down. I'm LH too and the choice in light weight rifles here in NZ is zero. i ended up buying a Rem 700 and fitting a Hightech stock. The std rem wood stock weighs 35 oz with plastic buttplate. The hightech stock weights 24oz with 1" recoil pad (that 4oz on its own) so I trimmed 11oz off just with the stock. MPI make a couple of super light weight stocks that weigh 9 and 11 oz, so I'd be looking at them first next time, but they are twice the price of the Hightech. Also, you might want to hold your breath for a few months, as Tikka should have the T3 out in LH in the next month or two. Cheers Grant | |||
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I actually have a set of DD super lows, as they used to sell them in that configuration. Those rings are the lows, and that scope is right where I want it. Chuck | |||
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Just get a BLR lightweight and go hunting..  | |||
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I set out to build a light wt. "mountain rifle" on a M70. Mine is in .280, lt.wt. 23" PAcNor, very thin, straight grained walnut stock w/ Niedner butt plate. Leup. 3-9comp. Loaded, ready to hunt it weighs in at 7#4oz. Very few composite stocks weigh less, going to a M700 would shave a bit more weight. Good luck on the project. LIFE IS NOT A SPECTATOR'S SPORT! | |||
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I finally pulled a 300 WM, 300 WSM, and a 06 out of the safe. All are model left handed 70's and NIB. The 300 WM and 06 were the same length action and the 300 WSM was built on an action 3/8ths of an inch shorter. All of them had barrels that measured .600 at the muzzle. I would guess the shorter action is maybe 2-3 ounces lighter. My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
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Snowwolfe, Considering your components, requirements & wishes; you might contemplate the using the M70 action, Lone Wolf Summit stock, aluminum rings, Limb Saver pad & a Krieger #1 contour barrel chambered for the .325 WSM. This rig would finish under 7 lbs. & easily take all of the game you mentioned, including the moose & grizzly. JMHO Dave | |||
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$3300 will get you a 5lb ULA. It cost more to have the bolt put on the wrong side. I would with out a doubt go with the WSM. Run heavy TSXs (180s) in case it gets ugly with a bear IMO. Put on a #2 barrel at 23inches. Brown makes a stock called a pounder 16 ozs. Lone Wolfe also makes a super light handle. | |||
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I finally got off my arse and went and weighed both barreled actions. Each were complete with the bottom metal, magazine, screws, etc. The 30-06 weighed 5 pounds 7 ounces and the 300 WSM weighed in at 5 pounds 2 ounces. Looks like I'll go with the 300 WSM. I appreciate all the advice. I ordered an Edge stock for it My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | |||
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