Building/buying a back country /backpacking hunting rifle

[std7mag]

You forgot something...

The long tube that the bullet goes through. )

If your comfortable with a larger budget, then i would jump on a NULA!!
That or a Proof Research Summit.

[KMSW831]

You mean the bbl? Naw I listed Lilja and Criterion prices!

By the way, did you say you'd had good luck with Ruger m77 Hawkeye's?

[taylorce1]

Originally Posted by std7mag

Woaaa!!! A Forbes for $1,200???

Yes a Forbes rifle for $1200, and a 20B .308 Win no less.

Originally Posted by KMSW831

KRG Bravo Chasis

Sorry, but you're not building a backpacking rifle. You're going to wind up with a rifle you won't enjoy backpack hunting with, because it's too heavy. The KRG chassis alone weighs 3 lbs! A 22" sporter contour barrel weighs 3 lbs on average, so you've just put together a 6 lbs rifle and you haven't added an action yet, the M700 SA weighs just over 2 lbs so now you're at 8 lbs! So now add light weight optics and mounts and you're pushing 9 lbs, throw on a bipod and you're 10 lbs. Don't forget a loaded ACIS magazine and sling and you're close to 11 lbs of rifle you'll have to carry on a mountain hunt.

[KMSW831]

Yea, 11 is a bit too heavy for sure. But even if you eliminate the Bravo stock (which I'm not wedded to at all) most manners and McMillan stocks are still 2-2.5lbs unless you go big bucks and buy carbon fiber... Where else do the weight savings come from?

I guess that's why you said "you just can't build a rifle that light for thosev prices" when you pointed out the Kimbers and Barrett's.

[std7mag]

Love my Ruger 77 MKII in 257 Roberts! One of my most cherished possesions!
I've been looking for that exact rifle since i was just a lad. Always been out of my price range. Then just happened upon this one for $400.
No debating involved. I never set it back in the gunrack at the store. Straight to the counter and put my money down.

As Taylorce1 said, it's hard to beat a rifle from Melvin Forbes when it comes to light weight. Trust me! My 284 Win Mauser build comes out to 10 lbs. scoped.

Whooaaaa.... A 24B in 06' for $900!!!
That and some Proof Research carbon fibre barrels for $200 less that regular sales price!
A carbon fibre barrel would look awesome on my Mauser!!

[old roper]

Mel Forbes sold ULA to Colt and that was his first company and he got company back but changed name to NULA and he formed another Co called Forbes Rifle Co and that company made the B model and that company is out of business.

At $1200. for the B your not buying NULA rifle, your just buying copy.
Colt did market the Colt Light rifle but change trigger and stock and they had problems with trigger. I think those Colt rifles sold for around $500.

I have ULA model 24 made before Mel sold to Colt. I had little long barrel and it did add weight and mine weight just under 7lbs scope/3rd magazine. I had Kreiger match contour and gunsmith chamber it for 280AI before Spec 280AI.

Being light rifle it does take longer working up loads. Mel does make model 20 chamber for 284 and you have to confirm,I think you can seat bullet out to 3.000".

[taylorce1]

Originally Posted by KMSW831

I guess that's why you said "you just can't build a rifle that light for thosev prices" when you pointed out the Kimbers and Barrett's.

You can get lighter cheap but you can't get as light as the Kimber or Barrett as cheap. I just built a 7 lbs 0.9 oz scoped Howa .308 Win rifle for my daughter at around $900. That's going to more than 1 lbs heavier than the Kimber Montana or Hunter with scope, but I figured a 7.5 lbs rifle when adding a sling and ammo will be easier for my daughter to shoot.





You just need to cruise several forums and try to find the ones that have a lot of members who hunt the same areas you do, then you'll find second hand . That's where I've found my stocks fairly cheap, I picked up the High Tech Specialties/Mark Banser/LAW for $225 off of a classified add. I then bought the Howa rifle at Sportsman's Warehouse for $380 after my military discount and before tax. The Talley light weight mounts cost me $21 shipped from eBay, which is about $20 less than you can buy from Midway shipped. I picked up a Leupold Varix-III 2.5-8X36 used for $235 off another classified add.

By cruising multiple forums you'll find a lot of stuff for sale. I've purchased three McMillan Edge stocks two Hunter and one M70 FWT for an average of $350 off new. You just have to be ready to jump when you see those deals. Plus auction sites like eBay and Gunbroker can bear multiple fruits as well.

I probably should have stated that Forbes rifles weren't built by Melvin. I think the company that built them was Titan Mfg., and they had license to use the Forbes name. They ran into issues with money then QC and finally went bankrupt. However, the good thing is if you do buy a Forbes rifle and have issues with it Melvin will fix them pretty cheaply. He'll also upgrade the Forbes rifle and the Colt Light rifle for owners, they still won't be a NULA but they'll be close.

[HiBC]

There are a lot of good ideas.
I've never owned a Ruger #1. You lose a lot of receiver length with a falling block.
I like bolts,myself,but its something to think about.

[Paul B.]

Ruger #1 rifles are nice but even the #1A is a bit heavy.
Paul B.

[std7mag]

The Ruger #1's that i've handled do seem kinda heavy.
But the Dakota Model 10 that i handled sure wasn't!
Price of admission was steep though. $9,799 on sale. :EEK:

[old roper]

Why not buy Kimber Hunter, 5.5 lbs get it in 7-08.

https://www.kimberamerica.com/hunter

[Chaparral]

Remington CDL in 270

[HiBC]

Everything is a tradeoff. You list very desirable criteria. And they conflict a bit.

I'll agree a bolt rifle makes sense. I've built a few. My .257 Ackley with a 6x by 42mm scope and Douglas fwt bbl weighs 7 lbs with the scope.Its blind magazine in a Garret Accralite 98 Mauser stock.Its on a small ring short 98 Mexican action.I did a little bodywork.
Its been my go-to deer/antelope rifle for a long time.IMO,not to step on any toes,but if it was all I had for elk,I'd rely on sure thing precision and would probably limit myself to about 250 yds or less on low risk broadside boiler room shots..I'd likely use a 120 gr Nos partition.

I'd limit myself to 400 max under near windless conditions on deer/antelope with a 115 Ballistic tip. Nice cartridge,but it does not quite fill your bill.
I'm not suggesting the wildcats,but Warren Page made a 6.5 version of the .257AI he called the 6.5 AAR. And there is the 7x57 AI.
The only reason I mention these is that same exact rifle could be either,and the 6.5 and 7mm bullets available are better for both range and elk.

IMO,those all make sense in a Mexican 98 Mauser designed for the 7x57.

These days,no reason to use that case family (except pure preference)

IMO,I just don't pursue the belted cases anymore. You can,of course...but Kenny Jarrett pursued mostly the 280 AI for his beanfield rifles..

The game and ranges you mention match up pretty well for a 280 AI.There isn't a nickels worth of difference in the load manuals between a 7mmRem Mag and a 280 AI.
At the same time,a very good arguement can be made for getting a 270 and being done with it. (Or a 30-06)

I am quite satisfied with the accuracy I get from a #2 contour Lilja .30 bbl.
At your 400 yd criteria,the barrel will put 3 rounds on a clay pigeon size bull.

I built a fantasy 600 yd elk rifle before I decided I was not ever going to whang at 600 yd elk. I blueprinted a small ring Husky magnum action ,chambered it 30-338 and put it in a 20 oz Hi-Tec Specialties stock.

EZcarrying and 2900 fps with a 200 gr Accubond.

Whats my point? Win M-70,Rem 700,Tikka,or whatever action, in standard,30-06 length,in 270,280 (AI option) or 30-06(AI option) with a quality (you mentioned Lilja) light contour barrel free float glass bedded in a quality Kevlar/glass/foam core stock,such as a Hi-Tec will deliver.

And ,IMO,don't defeat yourself as far as light/handy with some astronomical tellescope . IMO,a 3.5-10x by 40 mm,max.

Just my opinion,worth every dime you paid for it.

Now,you can go short Magnum,Nosler Magnum, short action,titaium exotic whatever. Heck of a gun. Its your money.
PS,If you trimmed your max yardages a bit...the 7-08 is a great choice.

Some short action receivers are truly short.Others are 30-06 length blocked down. I would not choose a blocked down 30-06 size receiver to build a 7-08 for your purposes.

If I wanted 30-06 powder capacity,I would not pursue the semi-rare .284 case to get it.

[rickmelear]

Probably get some heat for this but 500 yards ain’t hunting. But I’ve spent my life hunting in the southern states.
If it’s 300 yards I would pick a 7mm08 or it’s big brother 308 in a rifle that weighed 8.00 or more with scope and mounts. Recoil is a killer for a new hunter. I’m 61 years old and been shooting and hunting for most of the years and I hate recoil

[taylorce1]

Originally Posted by rickmelear

Probably get some heat for this but 500 yards ain’t hunting. But I’ve spent my life hunting in the southern states.

You're right it isn't your style of hunting, but that's all the heat you'll get from me. 500 yards is a pretty long poke, even out here in the West for most hunters. Under 300 yards is pretty much the normal hunting ranges for the majority of people.

[precision_shooter]

As long as you use equipment that can make an ethical kill at your given huntong distance and you are capable of using said equipment to its capabilities, distance is only a variable in trajectory.

[agtman]

.308 Mossberg Scout rifle:

6lbs, 13ounces out of the box; 16.1" barrel; synthetic stock; sturdy iron sights (ghost ring rear+fiber optic frt); 13" of rail for mounting a RDS or scout scope, or a traditional over-receiver scope.

Runs on either M1A mags or Magpul polymer 7.62/SR-25 mags.

Perfect 'beater' rifle for 'backcountry backpacking' and short-range brush or woods hunting.

All you need to do is add a sling and choose an optic, if you want to mount one.

[Don Fischer]

I've never really been a back pack hunter but did used to walk into some stuff that after getting there hoped I wouldn't find anything to shoot. Had my all time favorite hunting rifle in those days. 308W in a Mod 66 Remington. Had a 20" barrel and the barrel wasn't a bull barrel but close! Carrying it was no problem at all and it was one of the best shooting rifles I ever owned. I thing people go over board a bit looking for the light rifle. They want something 6lbs or less. Might carry nice but, for me, doesn't hold well or track well. Just to short and light. Today the rifle's I might carry in if I went in again, old knee's! Would have a 22" barrel and weight a min of 7lbs. Yea it's because I've got a few like that and really like them!

[Wyosmith]

If I were to buy one, I think I'd just buy this:
http://www.browning.com/products/fir...stol-grip.html

BLR in 7-08. Mount as Leupold Scout Scope and put on a sling. This is a take-down rifle. For back country use there are times when being able to put the gun in a back pack is nice. I have had a few come through my shop and have been impressed with the level of accuracy I have seen from them. My only gripe is that the trigger pulls are mushy, but I have shot enough military rifles for over 50 years that I can get used to the trigger pretty easily.

Now, if I were to build one I would start with a Small Ring Mauser. 98s are hard to get but I have done plenty of these on 95s and 95s too. I polish up the action until it very smooth, convert them to cock on opening, drill and tap for scope mounts (if any) true the action, install a very slender barrel and head-space. I and then disassemble it and case harden the receiver. I then install a backing plate to the very front of the receiver and turn back a shoulder on the barrel shank to install a 1/4" plate that indexes to the backing plate. I make a take down lever or install a set of take down screws. Now I stock the rifle in 2 pieces cut from the same blank, and slim the whole rifle down to the styling and contours of the early shape of classic arms. I try to get the rifle down to about 6.3 pounds When you add a scope base, rings and a compact scope the gun cubes up to about 7 pounds field ready. In this kind of rifle I usually just use a standard Mauser cartridge. 6.5X55 and 7X57 have been the most popular. 8X57 is excellent, but in a 7 pound rifle they can kick a bit. When you get to the 8MM, 9MM, 9.3mm and 9.5MM is wise to use a heavier barrel unless you are someone who doesn't notice recoil at all. Such compact take down rifles are more user friendly when they gain a bit of weight. My own 9.3X57 is very nice to shoot and hunt with, but it weighs 9 pound 4 oz. I have a Husky 9.3X57 in 100% stock condition that weighs only 6lb 9 oz and it can be a handful when you fire it. Not horrible, but nothing you would fire 40 rounds at a time. I like bigger rifles, but I understand that there is no "virtue" in recoil per se, so if you don't have to deal with it for a good reason you shouldn't.

Anyway......just random thoughts.
But it may be food for thought in your considerations.

[rc]

A friend has a model 7 in 308. Light, reasonably accurate and very powerful. What more could you want? Did have the Remington Recall....

[Wendyj]

I am a Tikka fanatic and my report is bias at best. I've got the 6.5, 7-08, 7mm mag and a 300 wsm. I never leave home without the 7-08 even if I take another rifle. I've shot everything from 120 grain Barnes to 162 Eldx out of it. Factory in any 140 should be acceptable. If reloading the 162 eldx will conger deer or elk at the ranges you are considering. I've shot all the bullets through those ranges out to 6-700 yards with no problems out of a t3 lite. It and a 2.5-10Leupold are around 7.2 lbs without ammo. If my old scrawny self can climb these ridges all day and not know its there you should have no issues. Maybe power might be a consideration for you as there are no elk here but I dont think you would have any issues with a proper placed bullet. I wouldn't hesitate myself to use the 120 Barnes at a longer distance on big game. Recoil nigh to nothing and bc as good as you can get.