Help me choose a rifle cartridge.

[Smokey Joe]

New rifle accuracy...

PT 1911--I think that, if you want pure accuracy out of a box-stock, out-of-Gander-Mountain rifle, you oughta be thinking Savage instead of Remington. You want their Accu-trigger for sure, and also consider the Accu-stock as well.

Savages aren't pretty. There aren't all the retro doo-dads available for them that can be had for a 700. But they don't need the doo-dads: They are accurate as built. And, just as a plus, rebarrelling a Savage is a cinch. When you rebarrel, consider a Krieger.

 

[PT1911]

I appreciate i Smokey Joe, and honestly I only say the 700 as a bit of a knee-jerk because a gunsmith friend of mine is able to squeeze every bit of accuracy out of them that they are capable of, but if a Savage comes around before I find a 700 that i am willing to buy, I definitely wont pass on it... in pretty much every respect, I agree with you on the Savages... Especially new out of the box, there is no comparison in the accuracy of 700's and Savages...

So, in that sense, it is whatever I am able to find and a Savage is high on the list... Essentially, I guess i am just curious what sort of accuracy I will be capable of getting out of the 7.5 Swiss and will choose the action accordingly.

Also, I appreciate the barrel advice...i am sure that is a question I would be asking pretty soon.

Another aside, I know the 700 bolt face can be made to work with the 7.5. Do you have any idea whether or not the Savage would be as easy?

And another thing... lol... I appreciate the suggestion of the 35 Sambar, it is definitely a cartridge I will put in my back pocket, so to speak, as a project down the road.

 

[PT1911]

Any other models you would recommend I look at building the 7.5 swiss on when I get around to it?

 

[Smokey Joe]

I'm no gunsmith...

but, PT 1911, the base of the 7.5 Swiss is only a thousandth greater in diameter than that of the .30-'06, so any bolt that can take the latter could be opened up just a very little, and accept the former, I THINK.

(Legal weasel stuff): Always check with a qualified gunsmith on technical questions of this sort, and before modifying or having modified, any rifle action!!!

As far as deliberately modifying any rifle to accept this cartridge, please note that the bore is slightly greater than a standard .30 cal. My Lyman's 49th edition points out that there is a limited variety of bullets available for .311 and .312 cal, as compared with an almost unlimited variety of bullets available in .308 cal. Therefore I'd think long and hard before going ahead with such a conversion.

I've read complaints from owners of K-31 Schmidt-Rubin rifles--which are the aforementioned 7.5 Swiss--that they have trouble getting a supply of bullets.

The Lyman book goes on to state that this cartridge can be loaded to about .308 Win levels. Seems like a lot of fuss to go through to obtain "just another .308" IMHO.

But, ultimately, it's your rifle, your decision, and you get to pay for and live with the results. Please yourself.

 

[PT1911]

Well, from what I have read, the 7.5 is originally a .307 diameter and the .308 can be used without consequence. In fact, if I re-barreled a gun into a 7.5, I would likely be forced to use a standard 30 cal barrel anyhow and would just have the slight differences of the load. As to ammo, there is plenty of GP-11 available and also some reloadable from Privi Partizan. Not sure how difficult NEW brass would be to come by.


As to why... I honestly dont know myself. Just an idea i cannot get to go away.


Hell, I may just chicken out and build one in 260... or maybe 6.5x284... that'd be neat...

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

6.5 x 55, hard to beat, nil recoil, flat shooting hard hitter.

 

[Maverick223]

Well the action is too short for my favorites (the 9.3x64mmBrenneke, .35Whelen, .280Rem., and is far too short for the .375H&H), so I would go with the 6.5x55mmSwede. The .260Rem. is a great cartridge, as is the 7mm-08Rem., but these are too short and may complicate feeding (thus requiring modification to the magazine and follower). The last thing you want is a Mauser (or other CRF) that doesn't feed properly. 9.3x62mmMauser would be another option for a thumper and might fit, but I am not certain.