What is the lightest weight factory action for building an ultra light short action 6.5mm?

Depending on which 6.5 you may not be able to seat the bullets out far enough to take advantage of your cartridge with a short action. Go to Brown Precisions website and they have a list of weights there.
Butch

If limited to factory production, probably the Remington Ti action.

How about an interarms mini mark X? You could probably work a 6.5 Grendel into it. Which caliber were you looking to use? Paul.

6.5 Creedmoor. Now bee nice! To me it looks like a better short action choice. Plenty for deer and flat shooting enough for Antelope. How much does spiral fluting and such lighten a bolt? Sounds like the 700 Ti action would be ideal. Any drawbacks to it, seeing I am not going overkill with the round I want to use.

You might look into the Ultra Light Arm actions.

Hal

I walked by one of those with a Colt logo on it for two years at Scheels and it was under $500 the last time I saw it. It sold, but for how much I don't know.

Be prepared to spend a lot of money to loose a little weight.
Butch

Moorepower,
I have a Remington model 7 SS in .260 Rem. with a Wildcat stock (made in Alberta) on it along with Tally lwt rings and a Simmons 2X7 Master Series scope.
On my cheap scales it weighs in at around 6.20 pounds.
Another option that might be lighter and not all that expensive would be a Kimber 84.

I have a Mod 7 with a #3 Shilen in 6.5X47Lapua. It has a Brown Precision stock, fluted bolt, aluminum rings and a 2X8 Leupold VX111. It weighs 6.5# with the scope covers and sling.
Butch

Butch, I suppose that A barrel #1 or #2 and a light weight stock is probably as far as would make any sense. The bolt is probably more for my eye. Low Wall, I have kind of wondered about a pencil barreled Model 7 with a light weight stock, and yours looks to be about 5.5# w/o scope. At what weight 5-5.5# does it start getting real $$$, $2K + I was hoping for about 5# less scope, is this possible for $2K?

Well,
I do my own work. A Mod 7 complete receiver is about $350. My aftermarket bolt handle and fluting was $150. The barrel is about $175. It is a Shilen CM. The trigger was $100. I did the bedding myself. CAS11 did the metal finish and stock paint. I believe I bought the stock on this forum for around $200 shipped. The aluminum one piece base and aluminum BR rings were about $125. I don't remember Charlie's price on the paint and metal finish, but it is on his website. Paying for all the labor and parts for mine would be close to $1850 plus. You can lighten the receiver and use a skelton bolt handle. You could use a #1 or #2 barrel and save a little. The barrels cost no more, but you could spend up to $200 lightening the receiver and doing the bolt handle.
Butch

You can build a 5lb-ish rifle for under $2000 (not counting glass) if you do some of the work, but it takes some planning to ensure it balances so that it is shootable.

Here is one that comes in at 5lb 6oz or so that belongs to a customer:



Titanium long action, McMillan EDGE stock, #2 to #2.5 contour barrel with short shank. (ADL IIRC).

If you don't want to spend $900 on a Ti rifle to tear it up, you can have a regular Model 700 action lightened:





Judicious shopping can easily get you into an ADL action for $200 to $250 if you are willing to sell off the stock and barrel.

Here is another one on a Ti action (short) with a Brown Pound'r stock. It went 5lbs 15oz ready to hunt, and that is with a #2-ish Schneider barrel that could easily shed some weight.

I forgot about the Mod 600 that I built for my other Grandson. This is the photo with the G33/40 cuts.



Certainly not my choice of colors, but that is what the 9yr old wanted and Cas11 delivered. This was a lot more expensive. By the time that I had a custom fluted bolt from P.T.&G fitted to the reamed receiver, .0625 firing pin assm., 3 pos safety, custom bolt handle by Dans40X, The original safety cut on the RH side was tigged up on the tang.It also has an Anschutz bolt release. I think I ended up with a total of $875 in the receiver and bolt. It was also an ADL. It is a 6X47Lapua and weighed a little more than 5lb. without scope.
I should have used a custom receiver.

I dont know what the action alone weighs but the Kimber 84 is very light. My Kimber 84M in 308 with the wood stock and wearing a Leupold 2.5x8 weighs 6 3/4 pounds scoped.

I held on to a 84M Kimber and really liked the feel, but The very large amount of unhappy owners kind of worries me. I did see the Browing A bolt Ti is about 5lbs 6oz with a 26oz stock, but I have no idea how accurate they are and the availability of lighter stocks and such. It's possible I could pick one up in 7/08 and be satisfied.

Not sure why you would worry about unhappy owners if you are putting on a new barrel in 6.5 Creedmoor. A decent gunsmith should be able to make it shoot. The Kimber 84, blind magazine, and Brown Pounder or lighter stock, should be about as light as you can get.