I'm looking to change rifles an I need help

[kbstenberg]

My present deer hunting rifle is a Ruger 77 left hand 7MM Rem Mag.I am seriously thinking of switching to a 7mm08.
My options are.
Can I rebarrel a long action bolt to feed a 7-08
Could a Sav 99 in 300 savage be rechambered or rebarreled to the 7-08
Just sell the Ruger an by a 7-08. I really like the looks of the Savage model 11 L hand
Kevin

[Artful]

I love my savage 99 but if your a lefty I'd say buy the savage 11 lefty. Of course, I'd also council to keep the Ruger as well.

[scb]

Mag bolt won't work with an '08 case.

[williamwaco]

Could a Sav 99 in 300 savage be rechambered or rebarreled to the 7-08

Kevin

Might just work, they sold the 99 in .243 Winchester. It is a necked down .308. It was also offered in .308 Win and .358 Win.


I dearly love that Savage 99. If you have one, just use it. You will be perfectly happy with any of the normal cartridges, the 300 Savage, the 250-3000 or perhaps a newer one in .243 or .308 Win

[onondaga]

Let me guess! You get wide variation in velocity spread with reduced loads, mediocre groups and you think that everything would be a lot better in a 7mm08 with the same boolits?

You have ignored everything I have written about BPI Original filler in reduced loads. You can work through this if your boolit fit is excellent!

Why aren't you happy with the 7mm Mag?

Gary

[Three44s]

A 99 Savage in .300 Savage has the original action length .......... when they came out with the .308 version ....... they beefed it up.

I'm with Gary:

Why don't you like the 7mm Mag?

Have you thought about loading it down if recoil is the issue?


Three 44s

[kbstenberg]

Gary I haven't started loading CB in my 7mag yet. So I haven't seen what it will do at reduced levels. I may be putting the hoarse before the cart in thinking to sell off the mag before working with it. I was considering the excess power the mag produces. Above the level that is needed for clean kills. An like Three44's said, the recoil just doesn't make it as fun to shoot as my other fifles. 30/30 - 300Sav. -223
The 7mm-08 would be more economical to shoot, less recoil. But on the downside I would have to get rid of 7 mag stuff, get all new for the 7mm08.
Gary once again you have helped me see the light. I will work up some loads that are a little more pleasant to shoot an still deliver a good hunting load. Besides my history with the 7mag is a long one. Since the early 80's it has taken 37 cleanly taken deer.

[onondaga]

The Lyman 4th edition Cast Bullet Handbook Page 136 has some terrific looking loads for the 7mm Rem Mag.

The one with the 160 gr.Lyman 287641 gas checked boolit in #2 alloy immediately caught my eye with an unusually low pressure but high velocity Max load of 36.0 gr IMR 4227 yielding 2282 fps at a pressure of only 35,000C.

That is a terrific speed for a boolit that weight and I'd start pretty close to there for a CB shootin deer rifle in 7mm Mag.

Gary

[gee-gaw]

If you are going to get another rifle, the Tikka T3 and T3 Lite are offered in left hand and are fairly reasonably priced. Most calibers are offered and they are plenty accurate. I have the T3 Lite SS in .223 / now .223 Ackley Improved and am very satisfied with it.
Don't let these guys talk ya out of a new rifle... just go for it!

[Lloyd Smale]

its just as cheap to buy a good used rifle and probably as cheap to buy a new one then it is to rebarrel your existing guns. I see no advantage whatsoever to converting a 308 to 7o8 that to me is about like pulling a sparkplug on a v8 car. the 308 is more powerful and is capable of shooting as flat or withing fractions of an inch anyway. As to the 7 mag to 708 you allready own a 708. Buy yourself some 120 or 140 ballistic tips and and down load to 708 levels. that way if you ever decide you want more power or more range you can allways crank it back up.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Throttle that big a$$ed round back a bit and you have a free 7/08. The reduction in recoil would not be that significant. You might look at getting a limbsaver recoil pad and even a recoil reducer in the stock. The 7mm Rem Mag is an awesome cartridge. I'd be real slow to dump it.

[jlchucker]

I'm a lefty and have one bolt-action rifle. It's a Winchester Model 70 compact in 7mm-08. Nice little gun, but right-handed bolt. Before that I had a Model 70 classic stainless in 30-06. It was a lefty version, and they only made a few of them. Not a bad rifle, but I noticed, as a lefty, that the 3-position safety, located on the left side, was not as handy as on righty Model 70's. Think about it--your thumb is wrapped around the stock, just below the safety on the righty version. To work the safety on the lefty version you have to move your thumb over to the left side. My shots are all aimed shots, with the first-round hit in mind. I can work the bolt on my righty compact if I need a second shot--maybe not as quickly, but quickly enough. I think if I were looking for another bolt gun I'd look at a Savage M11 or maybe a Winchester Featherweight, even if it was a righty model. I wouldn't try to alter a Savage 99.

[captaint]

KB - One thing I would not do is take a long action rifle and set it up for a short cartridge. If you really want a short cartridge, get a short action. Also, why not set the barrell back a couple of inches or so and chamber it up for the .280?? I have 2 280's and they're a real fine cartridge.. Just my .02. enjoy Mike

[richhodg66]

If you do decide to go with a lefty Savage 11, I got on for my youngest son two years ago in .308 and have been real impressed with it's performance right out of the box. I didn't think I'd like that Accu Trigger, but once you get used to it it's great.

I have a 7 Mag but haven't experimented with it much. I got two big jugs of AA8700 for free, so that was a big reason for buying the rifle, as that stuff is too slow burning for many other calibers and probably a bit slow for the 7 Mag. I'd really have rather had a .30-06, but this one was available for a good deal. I'm betting with a little work, you could get a lighter load to do what you want.

[felix]

The length of the bolt (action) makes zero difference provided the bolt has its locking lugs up front and they all fit into the barrel with equal friction upon closure. ... felix

[Char-Gar]

One of the reasons we handload is so we can get more use out of one rifle. You already have a 7-08 and a 7X57. Just load your 7mm Mag to those speeds. No need to buy a new rifle.

A man with a 30-06 also has a .308 Win, 30-40, 300 Savage, 30-30 and a 30 Carbine.

[Three44s]

My wife bought a Savage 110 in 7mm Mag a few years ago.

We put a Limbsaver pad on it and I worked up a load using Varget and the Nosler 120 gr. for her to use to get used to it.

I am so taken with that cartridge that I ended up with two for myself ........... a bull barrel custom Chech and a Remy 700. I have a Savage 110 that came with the same that's on barrel switch mode too!

Does it show I like the 7mm rem mag???


Three 44s

[badbob454]

get some surplus wc 860 and load er up will shoot cheap, and reduced velocity ... seconds on not converting a rifle its just as cheap to go buy what you want and keep the old one for the same money /..... unless you just want another project