I have a model 700 in .270 and would like to have a custom rifle built out of it. I am looking for a .30 caliber cartridge that would fit the action, and have more power than a 30-06. Does not have to be magnum velocites; my gunsmith suggested the 30/284.
If you stay with the basic Mauser case head, which means no action work:
For a classic, mild recoil: 7x57 For flat shooting: 6.5-06 For woods hunting ( max 225 m ) and real wallop: 9.3x62 For something special and fulfilling all your requirements: .30 Gibbs or Hawk.
Have fun! Hermann
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Posts: 828 | Location: Europe | Registered: 13 June 2001
Just consider the value of your rifle now assuming all of it's parts are in good condition. It's worth maybe $250 to $300 and if you like it as is more to you.
So you could sell it and buy a new .300 WSM for $610 or even get a SS one for $660. That's only a spread of $350. I don't know what features that you will get with a "custom" rifle but I would rather have two standard rifles for the same total cost.
Also what is value going to be of a "custom" .30/284? I would not even make an offer on one unless the price less than the value of its parts. I have some custom rifles. One of them is special, the others in retrospect were a waste of money.
The .30/.284 is the ballistic twin of the .30/06 is you don't use any bullets heavier than 165gr...if you go heavier you will begin to fall behind the .30/06.
If you are going to spend a lot of money on a custom rifle it might be wise to choose a cartridge that is popular just in case you want to sell it some day...the value of a custom rifle, at reasale, is always a shock to the seller...if it is an off-beat caliber you will really take a bath.
Posts: 4360 | Location: Sunny Southern California | Registered: 22 May 2002
If you want more power then a 30-06, then IMHO you'd be better off with a bigger bore, 338-06 or 35 whelen, rather then going with a faster 30 cal. I may offend the small bore crowd, but, there is only so much killing a 30 cal bullet is going to do, if you push it faster, you simply increase your range, not your killing power. If you go with a larger dia heavier bullet, then you get more gun.
Posts: 7213 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 27 February 2001
Well, for a custom gun alot of people do it because they can't get the caliber they want in the rifle they want from the over-the -counter factory offerings. If you want a .30 caliber that is more than the '06 but not magnum velocities, it doesn't exist. The .30-.284 would only equal the '06 at best. Your best bet if you want to stay close to the '06 is just to take a moderate step up to the 8mm-06. Generally it will produce about 100 ft/sec more velocity than the '06 with the same bullet weights. In the 8mm bore bullet weights go from 125 grain to 250 grain. The 200 grain 8mm having a very slight SD advantage to the 180 grain .30 calibers.
I can apreciate wanting a custom rifle. I am having my .300 Mag. fitted with a custom curly maple thumbhole stock right now. Hope to have it back by August. For me there is only two reasons for a custom rifle. Better wood and finish with better fit to me or a cal. I can not get off the shelf. If you are only wanting better accuracy a trigger job and a good bedding job will usually do that. My .300 is a right hand action but is being put into a left hand thumbhole. I just got tired of shooting a right handed stock. I have an old mauser 98 I plan to rebarrel someday and will probably go. 6.5-06 just to have something you don't see every where. I never look at resale when building a gun for myself. I looked at the Hawk line. Interesting but everyone has their opinions. When you say more than an 06 you leave lots of room for ideas. Do you want more speed or larger bullets?
There is a lot of wisdom on this board. I had a custom, from the action up, M70 in .280 made. Yes it cost me (3) times what a M70 FWT. would, but I really like it & that's about the only reason to go custom. As far as caliber, the .270, .280 & 06 are so close, I would step up to the .338-06 (my favorite), .35 Whelen or 9.3x62. You will get a bit more thump @ the target than from the .270 w/o much more recoil, great elk rounds! DM29 has a point, if you just want a 06, by a nice M70 FWT or M700 MR.
[This message has been edited by fredj338 (edited 05-18-2002).]
Posts: 7752 | Location: kalif.,usa | Registered: 08 March 2001
The reason for wanting a custom rifle is mainly because I am wanting something to my specifications, and something different. I have a variety of factory rifles smaller than .30 caliber so I decided to change the extra .270 I have into a .30 caliber. I was hoping that there was a cartridge that would get more speed than the 30-06. Really not worried about bigger bullets. It does not matter if the cartridge is a wildcat, I reload for all my guns, and don't plan on traveling very far from home with it.
quote:Originally posted by Jacobite: I can apreciate wanting a custom rifle. I am having my .300 Mag. fitted with a custom curly maple thumbhole stock right now. Hope to have it back by August. For me there is only two reasons for a custom rifle. Better wood and finish with better fit to me or a cal. I can not get off the shelf. If you are only wanting better accuracy a trigger job and a good bedding job will usually do that. My .300 is a right hand action but is being put into a left hand thumbhole. I just got tired of shooting a right handed stock. I have an old mauser 98 I plan to rebarrel someday and will probably go. 6.5-06 just to have something you don't see every where. I never look at resale when building a gun for myself. I looked at the Hawk line. Interesting but everyone has their opinions. When you say more than an 06 you leave lots of room for ideas. Do you want more speed or larger bullets?
Well if it is just something different and a bit more speed without going to a full magnum try this site,http://z-hat.com/. The Hawks look interesting.
I had a 30-06AI for thirty years. It was a great rifle. I wore the barrel out and am having it changed to a 338-06AI. By all accounts this is an effective caliber. Experience strongly suggests the 30/06AI.
I think that Don had a good suggestion: Trade your current .270 in on something like the .300 WSM, or else my old favorite, the 1963-version .300 Win. Mag. Even if you're firm on getting a custom rifle built, obtain a rifle with an action that is fundamentally all set up for the caliber of your choice from the get-go.
The .300 magnums do much more that merely shoot flatter than the .30-06. They also deliver more energy and thus hit harder at all ranges.
I have 5 rifles in 30/06. One of them I converted years ago to 30/06 Ackley Improved and while I think this is a good cartridge I would still rather have a 9.3 x 62 which I now have two of. I have never shot a cartridge that shot such a heavy grn. bullet with so little felt recoil as the 9.3 x 62. I used a 30/06 and 9.3 x 62 on this last safari in May and will take the same combo in the next safari wherever it is I was so impressed. These two calibers just get the job done without all the fanfare. A 180 grn for the '06 and a 286 grn for the 9.3. There is nothing wrong with the '06 AI but I think you would really be impressed with the 9.3 x 62 once you have tried it.
Ifr you make it into a .30 Gibbs, it will be between a .30/'06 and the .300 Win. Mag., with the capability of giving you close to magnum velocities, but not quite. That sounds to me just about what you said you wanted, "something more than a .30/'06". If you want .30 cal. magnum performance, you will have to go to a bigger case. As mentioned above, the .30/.284 is a .30/'06 in sheep's clothing!! Perhaps a little more accurate, but in the same velocity category.
Ignoring all the suggestions for something other than 30 cal., here are two ways to go.
30-06 AI, the many votes for this one show it's a winner. I built one (simply rechambered an '06) some years ago and It gave me about 80-120 fps. more than the same bbl. as an '06. (Probably would have done better if it hadn't been a 22" bbl.)
Here's an odd one, 30-06 "long throat" It's an '06 chamber with the throat cut to accept a 180 or 200 gr. bullet seated to the base of the neck. I saw an article years ago by (I think) J. Sundra. There was room for enough 4831 to give those heavy bullets as much velocity as an AI. The Remington 700 action was used in the test gun and was plenty long enough for the project.
Custom rifles are fun and a great way to lose money, I have several........
