gelton
WKR
WKR's,
I have decided to do some custom work to my Weatherby Backcountry in .300wm (Vanguard version, not MK V) and having never done anything of the sort I am sure that I will miss or overlook some details that might be important.
Here are the specifics:
Action - as most already know the Vanguard is based on the Howa action which IMO is better than a factory Rem 700 action. It certainly isn't better than a custom Rem 700 clone, but apples to apples I give the nod to Howa. I am already aware of the host of other problems this causes due to a lack of aftermarket support but this rifle was a gift from my Dad who is getting up in age and I don't just want to throw it to the side and replace it, I want to make it better. I also don't have the budget for a custom Rem 700 clone.
Barrel - 24" Proof Carbon with Seekins ATC Muzzle Brake. I know there are lots of opinions on carbon barrels in general and this carbon barrel vs that carbon barrel, but this has already been ordered and is due to be delivered today.
Bottom Metal - this is the first issue I ran into regarding aftermarket support for the Howa Long Action - (there seems to be a lot more support for their short actions vs long action) - the only bottom metal that I could locate that offers a longer COAL than factory is LegacyWorx out of Australia which offers one that is AICS mag compatible but that still only gets me to 3.719 which is .20 longer than factor but not close to the 3.790 (or larger) offered for some of the Rem700 Long actions. I will be shooting 215 Berger Hybrids as I was recently able to source a fairly good bit of them along with some Lapua brass.
Stock - another drawback to building off the Howa LA is that you are extremely limited in your stock selection. I am most likely going with McMillan Game Warden in Carbon as that is one of the only stocks that they inlet for the Howa and I haven't found any other reputable stock makers that inlet for the Howa LA. There are some chassis manufacturers with Howa support but I am not too keen on putting a large magnum in a chassis. This will be primed from McMillan but finished with Cerakote at the smith. Left side flush cups and 2" pic rail up front.
Trigger - Already have a Timney trigger installed on the original and am happy with it so that is what I am going to stick with.
I am going to top it off with a Nightforce ATAC-R 4-16x42 on a Nightforce Rail and Nighforce UL rings - which should also be delivered today.
I had hoped to use Alamo Precision which is only about 1.5 hours from me but they kind of turned their nose up at the Howa LA, so I am most likely going to use Long Rifle Inc out of South Dakota for the cut, chambering, and finish work as they are one of the only well-known shops that aren't scared away from working on a Howa. Essentially this is a re-barrel but I do want the chambering and throat reamed for the Berger 215 hybrids to be .020 off the lands based on the COAL limitation of 3.719.
Questions/Comments -
1. What am I missing? Is there anything that I haven't thought of but should have?
2. Goal for this rifle is sub 7lbs (unscoped and empty) and the current rifle (Weatherby backcountry) is 6.75lbs with a Bell & Carlson aluminum bedding block stock and a #2 contour barrel, so I am guessing that this build will keep me close to that. I know there is a method for figuring out how much a barrel will weigh but I have not been able to calculate the weight of just the barrel for the factory backcountry that I will be spinning off of it and I am not exactly sure how much the action weighs...any input or advice here would be helpful.
3. I know arca rails are all the rage these days but I know nothing about them really. Was thinking of getting the studs installed from McMillan so that if I wanted to add one at a later date it would be easy to just bolt one on. For those that use an arca + tripod - where should I put the studs or should I just get one installed straight from McMillan, if so what location and length? How much weight does that typically add? Would/could it replace the Picatinny?
Apologies for the long post but wanted to include as much detail as possible. Any feedback, tips, and pointers are welcome and encouraged.
I have decided to do some custom work to my Weatherby Backcountry in .300wm (Vanguard version, not MK V) and having never done anything of the sort I am sure that I will miss or overlook some details that might be important.
Here are the specifics:
Action - as most already know the Vanguard is based on the Howa action which IMO is better than a factory Rem 700 action. It certainly isn't better than a custom Rem 700 clone, but apples to apples I give the nod to Howa. I am already aware of the host of other problems this causes due to a lack of aftermarket support but this rifle was a gift from my Dad who is getting up in age and I don't just want to throw it to the side and replace it, I want to make it better. I also don't have the budget for a custom Rem 700 clone.
Barrel - 24" Proof Carbon with Seekins ATC Muzzle Brake. I know there are lots of opinions on carbon barrels in general and this carbon barrel vs that carbon barrel, but this has already been ordered and is due to be delivered today.
Bottom Metal - this is the first issue I ran into regarding aftermarket support for the Howa Long Action - (there seems to be a lot more support for their short actions vs long action) - the only bottom metal that I could locate that offers a longer COAL than factory is LegacyWorx out of Australia which offers one that is AICS mag compatible but that still only gets me to 3.719 which is .20 longer than factor but not close to the 3.790 (or larger) offered for some of the Rem700 Long actions. I will be shooting 215 Berger Hybrids as I was recently able to source a fairly good bit of them along with some Lapua brass.
Stock - another drawback to building off the Howa LA is that you are extremely limited in your stock selection. I am most likely going with McMillan Game Warden in Carbon as that is one of the only stocks that they inlet for the Howa and I haven't found any other reputable stock makers that inlet for the Howa LA. There are some chassis manufacturers with Howa support but I am not too keen on putting a large magnum in a chassis. This will be primed from McMillan but finished with Cerakote at the smith. Left side flush cups and 2" pic rail up front.
Trigger - Already have a Timney trigger installed on the original and am happy with it so that is what I am going to stick with.
I am going to top it off with a Nightforce ATAC-R 4-16x42 on a Nightforce Rail and Nighforce UL rings - which should also be delivered today.
I had hoped to use Alamo Precision which is only about 1.5 hours from me but they kind of turned their nose up at the Howa LA, so I am most likely going to use Long Rifle Inc out of South Dakota for the cut, chambering, and finish work as they are one of the only well-known shops that aren't scared away from working on a Howa. Essentially this is a re-barrel but I do want the chambering and throat reamed for the Berger 215 hybrids to be .020 off the lands based on the COAL limitation of 3.719.
Questions/Comments -
1. What am I missing? Is there anything that I haven't thought of but should have?
2. Goal for this rifle is sub 7lbs (unscoped and empty) and the current rifle (Weatherby backcountry) is 6.75lbs with a Bell & Carlson aluminum bedding block stock and a #2 contour barrel, so I am guessing that this build will keep me close to that. I know there is a method for figuring out how much a barrel will weigh but I have not been able to calculate the weight of just the barrel for the factory backcountry that I will be spinning off of it and I am not exactly sure how much the action weighs...any input or advice here would be helpful.
3. I know arca rails are all the rage these days but I know nothing about them really. Was thinking of getting the studs installed from McMillan so that if I wanted to add one at a later date it would be easy to just bolt one on. For those that use an arca + tripod - where should I put the studs or should I just get one installed straight from McMillan, if so what location and length? How much weight does that typically add? Would/could it replace the Picatinny?
Apologies for the long post but wanted to include as much detail as possible. Any feedback, tips, and pointers are welcome and encouraged.