Rebarreling Long Action Kimber Montana 84L to Short Action Cartridge

[Lonewolf72]

Pardon me if the subject has been discussed recently, but my search did not reveal what I was looking for. I have seen several people state that they prefer the short action 84M over the long action 84L in the Montanas. Not sure why that is, my 84L seems fairly light and trim, and reasonably manageable for recoil.

I have an 84L in 270 Win. that regularly shoots sub-MOA 3-shot groups with the right ammo and when I do my part. I have no plans to change this anytime soon. However, I thought I might like to rebarrel it to a 7mm-08 Rem. if I ever decided to re-barrel it.

What are the Pros and Cons of rebarreling an 84L to a short-action cartridge? Are there any benefits to using an 84L for seating higher BC bullets out long? Or would it just be better to use an 84M action if one wants a 7mm-08?

 

[Wrench]

Feeding and wasted weight are the two reasons you would go to the smaller action.

I've built a lot of sa chamberings on long actions and unless you start with an action cut for fat cases and move to smaller ones.....it's always fed well. Going from wsm to .478 head can be a different story.

You can throat the 7-08 to use the box, but the 280 in mag length will still be superior in velocity potential.

 

[dieselchessy]

I'm not sure how much the 7mm-08 would benefit from loading out long. I'm guessing you could run 162's or 180's out long and it would give a little more room for powder. Maybe stuff it full of RE17 or RE26 and get a bit more velocity. Like mentioned above, I don't think you'd outrun a 280 that way.

The biggest issue I see is the barrel shank on them 84L's is pretty long. You'd need to run the same goofy long shank on the short action chamber to maintain the same stock fit/look. Cosmetic I know, but that would bug me.

 

[Lonewolf72]

Feeding and wasted weight are the two reasons you would go to the smaller action.

I've built a lot of sa chamberings on long actions and unless you start with an action cut for fat cases and move to smaller ones.....it's always fed well. Going from wsm to .478 head can be a different story.

You can throat the 7-08 to use the box, but the 280 in mag length will still be superior in velocity potential.

All good to know. I imagine the .280 would be the "easy button" for that action. I was hoping to run 160 class bullets or longer and wasn't sure if there was enough room in the mag box to seat them properly without burying them in a .280 case. How long does the long action magazine box measure?

 

[Lonewolf72]

I'm not sure how much the 7mm-08 would benefit from loading out long. I'm guessing you could run 162's or 180's out long and it would give a little more room for powder. Maybe stuff it full of RE17 or RE26 and get a bit more velocity. Like mentioned above, I don't think you'd outrun a 280 that way.

The biggest issue I see is the barrel shank on them 84L's is pretty long. You'd need to run the same goofy long shank on the short action chamber to maintain the same stock fit/look. Cosmetic I know, but that would bug me.

Sounds like it would be best to buy an 84M if I really want a 7mm-08. My thoughts were not to try and outpace a 280 with a 7-08, but perhaps take advantage of the efficiency of the 7-08 case and high BC 7mm bullets in 162-180gr flavor. For those running the 84L in factory 280AI, are you able to use the 162 or 180 ELD-M?

 

[Lonewolf72]

While we are on the subject of Kimbers...are the barreled actions from Kimber Hunters a direct drop-in fit for a Montana stock, as long as you use the Montana magazine box, rather than the DBM? I guess you would also have to match the appropriate stock to the cartridge (ex. long action stock for long action cartridge).

 

[dieselchessy]

While we are on the subject of Kimbers...are the barreled actions from Kimber Hunters a direct drop-in fit for a Montana stock, as long as you use the Montana magazine box, rather than the DBM? I guess you would also have to match the appropriate stock to the cartridge (ex. long action stock for long action cartridge).

Yes

 

[Lonewolf72]

Yes

Thank you.