I have a Rem. 600 in 308 and thinking of making a saweeet mannlicher carbine in a small bore. What are your opinions? Here is the catch. Am thinking British/ European cartridge and magazine box limits overall loaded length to 2.8" max. Yeh, I have to be different.

The 600 action's biggest advantage for a custom rifle is it's very light weight, some 31 ozs. There is no way to lenthen the magazine box that I know of.
It also has a few special considerations. It seems to work best as an ADL style rifle. Mine uses a turned around Rem 700 ADL TG.
Scope mount selection is also limited.
It is a great action for a really light rifle, however. Remington makes a mannlicher custom shop rifle on the very similar M7 action which I understand are very popular. E

E,
The light weight is why I want to use the 600 I have. Bottom metal is available aftermarket in either steel or aluminum. Mag length is biggest issue. Would love to build 6.5x55 but no way it fits. Am thinking 257 Roberts or 250/3000 Savage. Scope not a big deal, mounts available from S & K (very light weight) and want small fixed 2 or 2.5x or maybe 1x4 tops. No hot rod or extreme range just plain fun shooting, good looking 300 yd and in killing machine. Figure with 20" barrel and mannlicher stock total gun weight should be less than 6.5 lbs.

250-3000 or 250-3000 AI are hard to beat. Personally, I find the 257 a bit too cramped in a 2.8", but of course it still does work.

260 would work out well. Perhaps even a short-throated 6.5x50, though I am not sure how the slightly undersized semi-rim would work with the existing boltface and feedrails.

Another class of rounds often forgotten about is the BR. I have a 21" barreled 7mm BR on a 700 SA - works great for whitetails at close to medium range. There's also the 6mm BR and 6.5mm BR, etc. Very efficient little numbers that operate at modern pressures. Often they deliver accuracy that is absolutely eye-popping. The Sierra manuals have data for these BR rounds out of rifle length barrels (as opposed to xp-100 barrels). Just a thought...

Regards,
Mike

The 600 has such a following among collectors that you would likely be money ahead by selling it and purchasing a Remington Model 7 action (what the 600 should have been to begin with), provided it is a Remington you're wanting to work with. The Model 7 is, I would think, similarly light and compact, has a much nicer bolt configuration, is available with factory bottom metal, has a trigger/safety that doesn't have a reputation as a widowmaker, and there is a much larger selection of pre-inletted stocks for it.

I agree with Stonecreek. If your 308 is in decent shape I expect you could get $500 pretty easy for it. The 600 action is very light (1 lb 15 oz), but the model 7 is only 3 oz heavier, and is probably a better all-around action.

Guys,
The 600 in question is the Mohawk version without the vent rib. they sold at discount houses for a lot less than the regular 600's. I have both versions in 308 and the mag version in 350. You're right that this gun is what the mod. 7 wants to be when it grows up. Even the new 673 falls short in comparison to the orignal 600 mag in 350. Bolt handle offends some but not me. Trigger has been reworked in the Mohawk. I paid $137.50 when I bought this gun so ripping it apart to do this doesn't bother me. I am not looking for flash and bang just soild short action, medium range/medium game killing potential in the sweetest little Mannlicher I can build. Have all kinds of calibers over 7mm so, would really like something small, 25 or 6.5. Am thinking 257 Roberts is the answer as I want classic not super performance.
Thanks for the replies and sorry this got long winded.
KAB

I understand Kenny Jarret, of Jarret Rifles fame has found some M7 actions don't work out well for his super accurate, light sporters while the 600 actions have.
I've got Gentry mounts on mine - 2.8 ozs. for rings and mounts. Much better than a heavier bridge mount. I had an extra rear base screw installed. Yes, they barely fit.
Good luck on your project. I was thinking about a 6-6.5 lb. .308 built on such an action. Then Remington came out with the Ti rifles. They really do weigh 5.25 lbs. in the .308 class rounds. What's more they shoot and they balance quite well. Especailly with a home made, closed cell neoprene recoil pad. E

Fair enough on the action. I've got both a 250-3000 and a Bob. Can't tell a whit of difference on game; Bob is noticeably louder, especially out of a shorter barrel. Also, note that most 250-3000 reloading data is at 45,000 CUP or less, bump that up to 50,000 or 53,000 (using 22-250 brass) and/or cut a somewhat longer throat (if you're planning to use 90 gr and up) and you can get some pretty impressive numbers without ever having to worry about OAL.