Lightweight Custom Build Ideas

[recurveman]

So I'm going to start the process of building a lightweight mountain gun.   Here are some of the qualifications for the gun.   Under 7# with a scope, able to shoot 700+ yards, Not a ton of recoil but able to shoot a griz if needed for protection (thinking about downloading a cartridge for hunting but have the ability to load some hot rounds for defense), able to kill medium game (deer, goat, sheep), no muzzle break (not a fan of having to wear hearing protection), shorter barrel.   

I'm looking for ideas but here is what I'm thinking so far.   Titanium action, probably a #3 fluted brux barrel @ 20-22" chambered in 6.5 SAUM,  Either a Mcmillan edge stock or bell and carlson lightweight stock, I have a Swaro 3.5 X 18 that I really like (wish I could go out past about 600 yards with the turret though), maybe a magazine?   

Anyone build something they like and are willing to share some ideas and their experiences after they were done?

I already have a custom 6.5 X 284 that is 9.5# and absolutely drives tacks.   Love the caliber but need a lightweight gun that drives tacks.   Also not looking to get rid of my 6.5 X 284.   

Thanks,    

[cjl2010]

Dang pretty tall order. What’s your budget?

[recurveman]

8 minutes ago, cjl2010 said:

Dang pretty tall order. What’s your budget?

I think it can get done for about 3-4K give or take........Minus the glass.    Thinking $1500 for the action, 650-1000 for the barrel and chambering, 500 for the stock, then a trigger and bottom metal.   

[Big or Bust]

I'd just buy a Barrett Fieldcraft in .280 Ackley and save 2-3k....

[recurveman]

I have a Tikka in .308 that is 7# and shoots better than 1/2 MOA all day.   Problem is once you have a custom gun that shoots like a custom gun should..........It is tough not to use a custom if you are thinking about shooting more than 300 yards.  

20 minutes ago, Big or Bust said:

I'd just buy a Barrett Fieldcraft and save 2-3k....

 

[cjl2010]

My dads 6.5ss build 

 

lone peak fuzion TI nitride- $1800

proof barrel 24” 7 twist- $685

mcmillan game hunter edge tech- $650

Trigger tech special- $180

SOL bottom metal- $165

piercision brake- $60

accurate mag- $65x2

labor- $1000

came in at 6.1 lbs with empty mag

things I would change:

-step up to a medium length action

-chamber in 6.5prc and have a good smith make sure I could stagger feed from bdl bottom metal

-shorter barrel now that I have a couple suppressors on the way.

- have the stock cut down to correct LOP. If you haven’t messed with an adjustable LOP stock or been properly measured the standard 13.5” is too long for everyone in my family.

your goal of 7lbs doesn’t leave you much for reliable and repeatable glass.

[Big or Bust]

5 minutes ago, cjl2010 said:

My dads 6.5ss build 

 

lone peak fuzion TI nitride- $1800

proof barrel 24” 7 twist- $685

mcmillan game hunter edge tech- $650

Trigger tech special- $180

SOL bottom metal- $165

piercision brake- $60

accurate mag- $65x2

labor- $1000

came in at 6.1 lbs with empty mag

things I would change:

-step up to a medium length action

-chamber in 6.5prc and have a good smith make sure I could stagger feed from bdl bottom metal

-shorter barrel now that I have a couple suppressors on the way.

- have the stock cut down to correct LOP. If you haven’t messed with an adjustable LOP stock or been properly measured the standard 13.5” is too long for everyone in my family.

your goal of 7lbs doesn’t leave you much for reliable and repeatable glass.

Yes....

For reliable dialing and mounting system you'll need to budget 22-28 ounces minimum...

[cjl2010]

I’ve wanted a NF 2.5-10x42 for a long dang time and I don’t know why I haven’t bought one yet. 20.5oz+4oz for rings. 

 

A lot of guys seem to like those new Zeiss scopes but I don’t know I’d trust them.

[recurveman]

14 minutes ago, cjl2010 said:

My dads 6.5ss build 

 

lone peak fuzion TI nitride- $1800

proof barrel 24” 7 twist- $685

mcmillan game hunter edge tech- $650

Trigger tech special- $180

SOL bottom metal- $165

piercision brake- $60

accurate mag- $65x2

labor- $1000

came in at 6.1 lbs with empty mag

things I would change:

-step up to a medium length action

-chamber in 6.5prc and have a good smith make sure I could stagger feed from bdl bottom metal

-shorter barrel now that I have a couple suppressors on the way.

- have the stock cut down to correct LOP. If you haven’t messed with an adjustable LOP stock or been properly measured the standard 13.5” is too long for everyone in my family.

your goal of 7lbs doesn’t leave you much for reliable and repeatable glass.

Do you like the lone peak Action with the nitride?   I've head that the TI actions aren't always smooth but I don't have any experience with them.

Does the 6.5SS feed poorly or do you just want to load them long?   I would have to load them longer than a SA would allow.  I am looking at using a medium and maybe a long action.    The weight difference is small but it leaves open a bunch of options.  Do you like the 6.5SS other than needing it in a longer action?       

Do you like the Trigger tech?   Haven't shot one yet.   I've been shooting jewels, timneys.    Don't know how the trigger tech compares.

Yeah I'm a big fan of shorter barrels.   You can get better velocity than people think with a shorter barrel and I don't give up anything in accuracy.   I'm getting 2910 out of my 6.5 X284 with a 22" barrel shooting a 143 ELDX bullet.   Started life with a 30" barrel and the gun was a tad bit heavier and didn't shoot anymore accurate.     

I've been really happy with my swaro scope.   It comes in at 16 ounces and I've been dialing the crap out of that scope for the last 6 months (probably 400-500 shots) and it has been perfect so far.   What scope did you guys use? 

Great info.   Thanks,   

 

 

[cjl2010]

5 minutes ago, recurveman said:

Do you like the lone peak Action with the nitride?   I've head that the TI actions aren't always smooth but I don't have any experience with them.

Does the 6.5SS feed poorly or do you just want to load them long?   I would have to load them longer than a SA would allow.  I am looking at using a medium and maybe a long action.    The weight difference is small but it leaves open a bunch of options.  Do you like the 6.5SS other than needing it in a longer action?       

Do you like the Trigger tech?   Haven't shot one yet.   I've been shooting jewels, timneys.    Don't know how the trigger tech compares.

Yeah I'm a big fan of shorter barrels.   You can get better velocity than people think with a shorter barrel and I don't give up anything in accuracy.   I'm getting 2910 out of my 6.5 X284 with a 22" barrel shooting a 143 ELDX bullet.   Started life with a 30" barrel and the gun was a tad bit heavier and didn't shoot anymore accurate.     

I've been really happy with my swaro scope.   It comes in at 16 ounces and I've been dialing the crap out of that scope for the last 6 months (probably 400-500 shots) and it has been perfect so far.   What scope did you guys use? 

Great info.   Thanks,   

 

 

The TI nitride is the cats asss man! Super smooth. 

 

The 6.5ss is cool and it is absolutely perfect and the only 6.5 magnum I would ever think of running in a short action but man I have a stupid slow barrel. With a 156 berger I touch the lands at 2.970 which is about .005 off the front of my mags. 

 

the reason I would go med or long is because I change my mind all the time and a short action really does limit you!

 

feeding the SS out of a staggered feed mag with the rebated case head, 40° shoulder, and blown out body taper is a chore. I’ve called lots of Smith’s and there weren’t very many that said it’s a task they would like to take on.

 

With the PRC feeding should be butter smooth out of a stagger feed. For some reason I went full goofy on short actions and I really wish I would of went long or medium to open other options up.

 

im having a 260 rem built right now for a pack rifle and it’ll will wear a trigger tech as well which will make three customs with trigger techs for me. I really like them and Smith’s seem to be fans of them as well.

 

call lance and meet him at the range.l and get behind as much gear as you can before you buy.

[recurveman]

1 hour ago, cjl2010 said:

The TI nitride is the cats asss man! Super smooth. 

 

The 6.5ss is cool and it is absolutely perfect and the only 6.5 magnum I would ever think of running in a short action but man I have a stupid slow barrel. With a 156 berger I touch the lands at 2.970 which is about .005 off the front of my mags. 

 

the reason I would go med or long is because I change my mind all the time and a short action really does limit you!

 

feeding the SS out of a staggered feed mag with the rebated case head, 40° shoulder, and blown out body taper is a chore. I’ve called lots of Smith’s and there weren’t very many that said it’s a task they would like to take on.

 

With the PRC feeding should be butter smooth out of a stagger feed. For some reason I went full goofy on short actions and I really wish I would of went long or medium to open other options up.

 

im having a 260 rem built right now for a pack rifle and it’ll will wear a trigger tech as well which will make three customs with trigger techs for me. I really like them and Smith’s seem to be fans of them as well.

 

call lance and meet him at the range.l and get behind as much gear as you can before you buy.

What are you getting for speed out of your 6.5 SS?  

[lancetkenyon]

I sure as heck would NOT build ANY 6.5 for grizzly protection.

.300WSM, .300SS, .325WSM, .338SS, etc.  With no brake, in an ultralight rifle....they are going to kick like a pissed off mule.

I have a couple Lone Peak Fuzion TI SAs also.  One Nitride bolt only, one full Nitride.  Both are very smooth.  If you want to save weight, think Lone Peak Razor TI SA.  Will save you the weight of the Picatinny rails and the need for heavier Picatinny rings.  You can go with Talley Lightweight one piece bases.

Pierce is now building TI actions with steel bolts.  You gain a bit of weight, but smoother actions.  The TI action and TI bolt is where they can get sticky, even with Nitride coatings.  

There are a few other TI actions.  Mesa Crux, R700 TI.  Maybe think about the Defiance Ultralight steel too.

Expect to pay $1400-1800 depending on choice.

I would go lighter on the contour, like a #2 or #2b.  #3 fluted would be the absolute max contour I would think about.  But they will be a bit "whippy".  But still shootable.  #3 fluted will be about the same weight as a Proof Sendero Light of the same length.  So think about a short Proof Sendero Light for a stiffer barrel in the short lengths.

There are lighter stocks to be had than McMillan Edge or B&C Ultralight.  Manners has some, plus a few others like Brown, MPI makes some ridiculously light stocks, as little as 8oz I think.  But I don't think that would stand up to a lightweight .338SS.

Sub 7# rifles, while THEY may be capable of shooting accurately enough for 700 yard shots on deer, they are much harder to shoot accurately for the SHOOTER.  Especially in a heavy recoiling chambering.  And they sure aren't going to be fun shooting a lot of rounds to practice and get comfortable (haha, relative term) with.  With that light of a rifle, to make the 700 yard shots, plan on prone or sitting with a great 2-3 points of contact and bipod/tripod.  Which adds weight.

I think most scopes in the 2-10, 3-12 range are plenty for hunting medium sized game out to 700 yards.  Get one with generous eye relief, you are going to need it.  

You can eliminate a lot of the recoil/accuracy problems by going to a lighter recoiling round.  But grizzly protection kind of goes out the window if you want to survive unscathed in the event of a close encounter with a pissed off bear.

If I were to build a true lightweight, I would think a 500 yard shot would be about max.  And grizzly protection would come in the form of a big handgun.  Which adds a couple pounds.  So you might as well add weight to the rifle.

Lone Peak Razor TI SA @ 20oz

Wyatt's extended internal magazine box @ 3oz

Manners EH4 @ 22-24oz or Manners UC Ultra Classic @ 18-19oz in ADL style (no bottom metal needed, only trigger guard)

Alloy trigger guard (4oz)

Bartlein #1  @ 20" (24oz) or #2 @ 20" (28oz) +/-

Timney CE (6oz)

Hawkins Hybrid Ultralight 1-piece rings w. level (3oz)

Comes out to 4.875 to 5.5lbs +/- depending on choices.  Add your choice of scope to the total weight.  Not that I am a big Leupold fan, but they do have some nice lightweight scopes.  You can actually get some of the lower end scopes that are way lighter than the ones listed.

Leupold VX-6HD 2-12x42 @ 20oz

Leupold VX-6HD 3-18x44 @ 22oz or Mark 6HD 3-18x44 FFP @ 24oz

Leupold VX-5HD 2-10x42 @ 18oz

Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x44 @ 20oz or Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44 @ 26oz

March 2.5-25x52 @ 23oz or 3-24x52 FFP @ 25oz

March 2.5-25x42 @ 21oz or 3-24x42 FFP @ 23oz

Tangent Theta TT315M 3-15x50 @ 28oz FFP

 

 

[lancetkenyon]

If you like the 6.5SS....w. the 156 Berger Elite....

The rifle ain't bad either.  Not an "ultralight", but it is a real shooter so far.  9lbs 12oz with some heavier glass on it.  A different stock/bottom metal could easily shave another 1.5# off.

[452b264]

Good Grizzly cartridges start with a 338 and go up, a decent minimum would be a 30 cal. magnum and heavy stout bullets. 

[recurveman]

Lance, 

Love all the info.  For griz protection I was thinking about down loading a round for hunting (6.5 at 2900 fps) and then max out 3 loads (6.5 at 3200 fps. different bullet?) that I carry in the gun at all times for bears if needed.   I would need to change the loads out if I was going to shoot a fair distance but I would be ready for a bear if needed.   Just trying to make it as recoil friendly as possible and still have a bear option.    Would also consider a 7mm or 30 cal that could be light loaded for hunting and then a few heavy loads for protection.   

I'll look at the lighter stocks.   I've used both the Mcmillan and B&C and have liked them both.   

In regards to the barrels and accuracy.   Do you see a difference in accuracy from a #2 steel to a PR sendero light?   I'm assuming that getting the right load might be a bit more of a challenge and the nodes might be a bit smaller.   Seems like it is doable though.   Haven't shot a PR barrel yet.  I'm shooting a #3 brux currently at 22" and it shoots lights out and is super easy to load.     

Have you shot the 6.5 SAUM or 6.5SS in a short action?   Are they accurate and do you get the speed you are looking for?   Seems to me that it would be great to use a medium action and then load them long to get the full benefit?   It would be great to use a short action but every time I'm shooting a SA I'm always wishing I had room to load the bullets longer.