Discussion Forums

Nathan Foster

Hi Jit, I don't really know how to answer this because I have supplied all the info you need in both books. The final decision is yours and it is up to you to put the pieces together.

Start by deciding on whether you want a two gun battery or one all around rifle. If you have a two gun battery, you may like to adopt a .308 and 7mm rem Mag as examples. If you want just one rifle, a .30-06 or 7mm Rem Mag may do the trick. Much will depend on how many shots you fire per year and how far you want to shoot. Again- use the book to help. In another thread, a poster said that the .270 has covered all of his needs for decades and I will take a guess that he has probably used his rifle out to 400 yards with the occasional shot as far as maybe 450 yards. Not everyone wants the reach of a magnum so you have to decide what suits you best.

Start by deciding on which cartridge you wish to shoot, then decide on which action will suit this cartridge using the books. As you have learned, some gun makers try to cram a long cartridge into an action with an insufficient magazine.

Les has taken this a step further by identifying his favorite action. So in this instance, he has matched a cartridge to an action he is fond of (and one you should have great pride in). We are allowed to indulge in personal tastes in this game!

I will give you an example of a basic one rifle rig I set up for a client a short while ago. The client wanted to be able to reach out to distances of around 700 yards or so in the central North Island. He does not fire too many shots per year. The rifle needed to be medium weight, not too heavy. We settled on the very basic Rem SPS in 7mm Rem Mag. We changed the stock for an HS Precision. As for optics, we selected the Sightron 6-24x50 Mil dot which he also uses for bush hunting- and it works. This rifle has served the client very well, no complaints at all. I have several clients who use such rigs as all around rifles. It suits them, it may not suit you.

As suggested, the books lay the foundation- the final choice is yours. I cannot make that decision for you. I notice that others have also avoided this thread which I believe is for the same reasons. The books should not be lacking in anyway, all the info is there.

My editor / friend is German. He is currently running a 7x57 and 8x57. Both German themed cartridges. He spent many years hunting with U.S cartridges so this is relatively new to him. It adds a new level of historical interest. Again, personal choice, personal taste- balanced with practical application after identifying cartridge and rifle needs.

One last thing, if going the semi custom route- please be very careful as to who you approach to have your work done. If you like like cowboys, go see a rodeo. Don't employ them to work on your rifle.

The 7mm RM rifle I talked about...