Hi all

Just thought of a project but need an idea of approx. costs involved.

These are the things I want to accomplish
1. I want to build a rifle with a 6.5 mm bore.
2. I want to have a 26 inch barrel.
3. I want to have a thumbhole laminated stock.
4. Cartridges that intrigue me are the 6.5-06 or the 6.5-284.

Questions

1. What is the easiest, most cost effective way to get a suitable action?

2 I am not looking for the absolute fastest 6.5 out there but am looking for a step up from the .260 rem. What are the pros and cons of the two cartridges that I have listed above?

Thanks

Jim

Jim,

How much of the work do you want to do yourself, and do you have a preference for an action?

barrel, such as a pac-nor, about $200 http://www.pac-nor.com/pricelist/

stock, unfinished about $150 http://www.reamerrentals.com/thumbhole_hunting.htm

Action, milsurp mauser $100 +- or rem/win/etc $200-350

labor, depends on how much you want to do and can do. If you tell us that I'm sure some of the guys who do this for a living can give you a better idea.

Can't tell you what's best for you but I know what I would do.I'd go looking for a good deal on a Rem 700 donor rifle with a .473"(std 30-06/308 size) bolt face.If I found a long action,I'd build build the 6.5-06(I'd also Ackley it),if I found a short one,I'd do the 6.5-284,which I could also do on a long action if I wanted to.I'd have a good gunsmith barrel it with the make and contour of my choice.Then I'd checkout Elk Ridge and Richard's for a laminated thumbhole stock.

A GOOD barrel will run you a minimum $150. Action on the cheep side will be the mauser surplus at about $100. look at the Boyds wood stocks at less than $100 unfinished. Timney trigger $40 or so. Then add in the safety mod, cold blueing, scope mounts and rings, Glass bedding kit and a shitload of sand paper and wood finish. And only If you do all the metal and wood work yourself, $600+. That's as cheap as it gets. Then throw in a scope.

Custom rifle with synthetic stock from a good gunsmith, $1500 Minimum without the scope.

The most cost effective way would be to buy a used Rem 700 at a gunshow or from a pawn shop after hunting season then rebarrel it & swap the stock out. I like both cartridges but would go with the 6.5-06 simply because you can pick up 06 brass everywhere & because i have that reamer.

1. Pick up a used commercial long action like the Remington 700 or Winchester 70. The cost to properly prep a Mauser will far exceed the cost a used 700!
2. Locate a good gunsmith! Install a GOOD barrel. Don't be cheap here. If you are going to do it - Do it right. Shilen, Pac-Nor, Hart ....
3. The chamber is your choice. I recommend the 6.5-06 since it feeds better, is more available and provides great accuracy. The 6.5-284 should be considered a target cartridge only.
4. Bed it properly in the stock. Richards and Elk ridge have the thumbhole stocks.
5. Intall good scope bases and rings fitted to your action (lapped/bedded).
6. Enjoy!

Good Luck, John

I've got a new custom shipping next week. 24" Douglas barrel, B&C stock (the expensive one not the cheap one), Mauser action, action trued, gunkote finish on all metal, lugs lapped, jewelled bolt, timney trigger, FN style bolt shroud, glass bedded, Leupold base. I had a gunsmith near Atlanta buy all the parts and do all the work and it totaled under $1000 including shipping. You could probably reduce that a little if you shopped for good deals on individual pieces and then sent it to him. Web site is http://www.heritagecustomarms.com , I'll be able to let you know how it shoots in a cweek or two.
Good luck,

If this is your first go around

savage action 250
pacnor barrel 250
www.rifle-stocks.com richards microfit thumbhole ~150 better stocks than elk ridge, by reputation

trigger...

please, for the love of mike, don't start with a milsurp for your first gun, especially if you are worried about cost. You'll spend MORE to make a mauser a model 70 than you would if you had started.

jeffe

I have a Yugo 48 mauser action (98 mauser action with matching serial numbers) I was going to build on, but changed my mind. I'll let you have it for $80.

You could then send it to ER Shaw and have a barrel installed for $180 (install $50, barrel $130.

Then go to Richards Microfit in the bargain section and get a Mauser Stock for about $100 or less.

finally, send to FireFly arms and have a finish applied $65 and you have a beautiful custom gun for $425 in any 6.5 caliber configuration you want.

It's too bad you are into 6.5's because I have a 700 by shilen in a 270 winny I could let go of worth the money. It's laminate but not a thumbhole. Anyway, happy shopping.

Don't waste your time with a MilSurp mauser. Get a rem 700 ADL for $350 and have a good gunsmith install a Pac-Nor Barrel -$300 with a Holland lug and 11 degree crown in either 6.5-06 or 6.5X284. I'd probably go 6.5-06 for better barrel life. Buy a Laminated stock for $150 from Elkridge and finish it yourself including glass bedding. Buy a shilen Comp trigger and install it youself( $45) and have the action and barrel blued or gunKoted $125. You install your own scope mounts and scope. By the time your done expect to have spent about $1300.
Expect this rifle to shoot <1 MOA.
Another option is cruise the used gun classified adds till you find one just like you want that someone else is selling and offer them $600-$700 for it.-Rob

Buy a used classic 700 in 6.5 x 55 and load it to 52K pressure, should get about the same performance as what you're looking for. I just sold a like new one for $450.

Then get a richards dual grip stock and you can shoot it thumbhole or with regular grip. Used one a sweede and it works great.

You should get out for a lot less than $1000 and with a lot less headaches.

RJS

Have you ever tried a thumbhole stock?? Also, do keep in mind that a rifle like this is totally YOUR idea of a great rifle, NOT 99% of the publics. So getting your money out of it would be about impossible.
I would absolutely buy a used rem 700 and go from there. A Conversion on a mil-surp Mauser can end up being a real money pit.

6.5-284 is a really neat cartridge. I have a friend with one done on a Rem 700, Brown Precision stock, 22" Hart and its a real shooter.

FN in MT

You fellows got champagne tastes. There ain't a man in a hundred who can actually USE better than MOA accuracy in the field.

I reckon to be able to build myself a reasonable looking sporter that will do that or better any time I want one for $300. Might have add a mite to that if I just had to have a laminated thumbhole stock.

You hit the law of dimishing returns pretty quick. Small increments of improvement add big bucks.

You might consider if you had time not extra money just looking around the classifieds for a rifle and stock combo you like, reguardless of what barrel it had on it but maybe considering the action length if you need the long one.

Look for the extras you'll want in it but don't want to spend on them after the purchace like action bedded, trued, trigger, brake, bases, mounts, scope, bipod, ammo, case, dies or anything you may want... great deals are out there.

Consider the cost of each thing you'll get with the action and you'll know if you have a great deal. Once you get the rifle, buy the barrel and simply have it threaded, chambered and installed with the remaining work done IF... it needs if any at the same time.

Now you'll have a nice barrel on the action and stock you liked, hopefully with a big givaway on alot of work done to it already you don't have to pay for.

I got my Rem 700 BDLSS 300 Ultra with its action trued and bedded and floated done already with a case, box of ammo and extra brass for $520.00, it was in perfect shape too.

My plan for the thing was a new barrel, but wanted a 300 Ultra to play with until the new tube got here. With the new stock, barrel and install/bed I'm looking at another $500.00 or so.

Leftoverdj,

There ain't a man in a hundred who can actually USE better than MOA accuracy in the field. I politely disagree.

I can easily make an offhand shot at 300 yards holding inside about 6" so if you add your 1MOA your up to 9" now. I'd rather be closer to 7" if possible, any advantage is positive and if my gun will help this end I CAN use it, at sometime. A custom barrel always offers many advantages too.

A better statement might be, There ain't a man in a hundred who actually cares for better than MOA accuracy in the field. This I would comletely agree with... all could still use it.

How about a 6.5/257R imp? That should have a leg up on the 260. Get a swede and have the bbl rechambered add a stock and a scope and your there.

Just for clarification of what I am looking for.

I want to have a rifle that is "custom made" for me. I would like to have an oddball cartridge just so that I will have something nobody else has. I dont care about resale value. I do care about value for the dollar that I spend.

I am not looking to get the Nth degree of accuracy from this rifle. I would like to have a rifle that I am confident with to 350 yards with enough ooommph for white tail and mule deer. Yes, I do understand that almost all off the shelf rifles in adequate cartridges will satisfy that criteria.

I am really leaning toward the 6.5 X 06 just because .270 brass is easy to come by. I might be talked into a 6.5 WSM, or a 6.5 RUM.

I really like the looks of the laminate stocks and the Royal Camo by Richards Microfit looks nice to me.

I want something a little different.

Not necessarily the highest dollar gun but just a good shooter.

I do not like Stainless rifles. Just dont like the looks.

I dont care for the WBY stocks.

Jim

Jim, something you might find interesting is I recently was checking out how my Rem 700 BDLSS 300 Ultra fed the 300 WSM and it fed perfectly, not a hitch. If you start with a 7 RUM or 300 RUM and rebarrel and chamber to a 6.5 WSM you could always move up later the 6.5 RUM later, keeping the door open anyway. Just a thought. Clymer has the reamers, seen them just a few minutes ago.

There is a pawnshop here in San Antonio that has
a Mauser 98 in 6.5-06, Im not sure of the price
but drop me an e-mail if your interested.

This is what you want

Mark X 6,5-06 Shilen