I figured I would give a SITREP of what's been going on, reference the replacement of the lost M96 Swede. My daughter returned from visiting w/ her mother for the summer, and was surprised when she saw what had happened to her weapon. I think she thought that I was kidding, until she actually saw it. :eek:
Well after looking high and low for a SA LH rifle, I was pretty set on a Savage. I found one in 7mm-08, however the net was down when I tried to put a bid on it, and I wasn't able to buy it. I looked around on the net, and found a site that had a LH Savage 110DL in 30-06. Although not my 1st choice, I liked the option that next to a Thompson Contender, the Savage is about the 2d easiest for a barrel change. Upon further examination, it happened to be here in town (Anchorage) - what are the chances of that!?! :rolleyes:
I loaded up the carpet commando, and we went and looked at it. All in all, not that bad of condition. It's an earlier model, but the bluing is good, as is the stock condition. It's been glass bedded. It has a sweet trigger - 3-3.5# and crisp! The bore could be in better condition, but if it doesn't shoot very well, I'll rebarrel it anyway. We agreed on a price ($260), and loaded up and went back to the house with a LH rifle for her. :cool:
We're headed on a caribou hunt at the end of the month, so, I picked up some 150gr to see if she can handle it. If not, I'm going to try out the new Rem "Managed Recoil" ammo, and see how those little 125's do. Has anyone used these, or have any feed back on them?
In case she can't handle the full loads, I would like to go w/ a 270 barrel, if not, I'll drop back to the old stand by, and p/u a 260 Rem barrel for it, and keep her w/ the 26 cal. :D

Just a question - since you saw the 7mm-08 and tried to get that, why wouldn't you rebarrel the '06 with that instead?

Whatever way you go, I am sure she will be pleased with a rifle she can handle. My daughter does well at trap with a 20 ga. but her single projectile skills are non-existent. To that end, and my own desire, I ordered an NEEF Handi rifle in .22 Hornet. That will give me something to instruct her withthat does not bite, and I could not quite bring myself to get a .22 LR. I may get more practical use out of the Hornet.

Good luck!

Mike - you're right, and I really can't honestly answer why not, :confused: other than I have about 20# worth of 26 cal bullets, and at the time, the 7mm-08 was about the only thing that I could find that was close to the 6.5 Swede.
The idea of the 270 seemed kind of intriguing, that and the fact that there was one on Ebay for $40. Odds are if she can't handle the '06, she'll end up w/ the 260 Rem.
As a side bar - good luck w/ the NEF. I had one in 223, but I traded it for a 223 carbine barrel for my Contender,I didn't care for the trigger. My daughter on the other hand, has one in 20 ga, and she treats it like it was a Bennelli or a Baretta or something. Everynow and then, when she's bored, she'll get out her shotgun to perform weapons maintenance on it, and wipe it down, just to make sure it's "ok".
Bottom line - get those kids out there in the woods. As Ted Nugent says, "Take your kids hunting, so you don't have to hunt for your kids!"

Mike
RLTW

Being that the '06 is a long action and the 7-08 is short action, you probably wouldn't be able to find the proper magazine. i could be wrong but i think you can rebarrel savages with other cartridges of the same lenght action. you may be able to go from long to short, but not vice versa. www.savageshooters.com would have more info

Thanks for the reply, however, the one that I bought has detachable floorplate, similar to a Rem 700BDL. I tried a very basic function test, and it "seemed" to function correctly w/ the shorter ammo.
I have looked through the savageshooter site, and I "think" it can be done. I think I'll post something over there, just to confirm or deny. If not - then I'll most probably go w/ the 270, if the 30-06 is too much for her.
Thanks
Mike
RLTW

hmmm... ...didn't know that they made em with hinged floorplate, intriguing

If it's got a hinged floor plate, it's an old one. There's a parts diagram of one on page 419 of the Frank de Haas book, Bolt Action Rifles, 3rd edition. I think they dropped the hinged floor plate when they bought out the detachable magazine "C" models in 1966. A youg friend has a fixed magazine 110L in .270 from that era, and it's a good accurate rifle.

Bye
Jack

Jack - That would stand to reason, the ser # is a B075xxx. I'm still looking, but I'm starting to think that it's pretty old. However, it's not as old as the 1918 M96 Gustav that it's replacing! :D

Thanks
Mike
RLTW

You can always install a small block in the magazine to accomodate the shorter length cartridges.

Think the .260 Rem would be a good candidate to rebarrel and chamber to. However, if you're already set up for 6.5x55 reloading, why not just rebarrel and rechamber for what you already have?