To shorten or not to shorten... 243 barrel

[bicykillgaz]

Hi,
I've got a Sako 75 iii .243 with pitting in the barrel, I knew this when I bought it and intended to get a new barrel put on it.

I was wondering if for now I could get away with shortening the barrel until I can afford to rebarrel it, and how short I could go before it's detrimental to the performance?

Obviously I need to get it bore scoped to see how far down the putting goes to see if it's possible first.

Also does anyone know of anywhere in Lincolnshire that could shorten or replace the barrel?

Thanks in advance

Gary

 

[wytonpjs]

I've written on here before about shortening my Sako 75 .243 transforming the rifle's handling. Mine was only just over 2" to bring it down to 20" overall (to match my other rifles) but you need to be careful in remaining deer legal in terms of energy, especially with copper. I reload and had to change powders to get it above 1750. I use a F&D FW149 as a moderator and you do not notice its there as the rifle is so pointable.

Post in thread 'Re-barrel ‘Smith'

Dec 8, 2024

Give Mike Norris from Brock and Norris a call. He stepped in and did a job for me when someone let me down....

A few years ago, Mike shortened my .243 Sako 75 barrel and recrowned it whilst I waited. Great job and non-stop banter! He had just got the mill to flute barrels too!

• wytonpjs

• 

Post in thread '.308 Moderator'

Nov 9, 2021

Brock & Norris Brock and Norris Custom Rifles (SY13 2AN) did my Sako 75 .243 whilst I waited and what a job! Highly recommended

• wytonpjs

• 

Post in thread '243 barrel shortening'

May 28, 2022

Took my Sako 75 .243 from Bristol up to Brock and Norris to have it shortened (22 to 20”) and recrowned one Saturday morning. Mike did it as I waited and allowed me to watched - total respect for an artisan and I’m a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with my own lathes and workshop. Great banter too! Yes it’s a few miles up the road but I left with a rifle I’ve now fallen in love with again and a Wildcat bridge to suit. VERY highly recommended!

• wytonpjs

• 

Post in thread 'Recrown'

Jul 5, 2021

£35 at Brock and Norris and they don't come better than these guys!

Rifle Re-Barreling, Chambering, Screw Cutting & Crowning

As well as building the world famous Brock and Norris Custom Rifles we also supply Reloading Supplies and are agents for new factory rifles including Anschutz, Armsan, Bergara, Bettinsoli, CZ, Howa, Hatsan, Sako and many more.

www.brockandnorris.co.uk

I recently had my Sako 75 shortened by 2", re-threaded and re-crowned and its now a completely different rifle that's a pleasure to use. £150 all in including a thread protector and a second-hand Evo Bridge in the new thread size. It was a pleasure to watch an artisan at work!

• wytonpjs

• 

 

[scotch_egg]

Dolphin Guns are still operating in Lincolnshire. I’m collecting a 16” barrel they have done for me in 6mm creedmoor…. That will get some people in a tiz.

As for your .243 barrel as it is. Does it shoot? I’ve seen several rifles still shoot well with pitting. If it doesn’t then there is no real harm going to the point you need to removed the pitting. I’ve had a 14.5” .243 that shot very well.

 

[HonestJohn]

A. How does it shoot? If well, then worry about it when groups go above 1moa.
B. If not well, and it’s the barrels fault - is it the muzzle or more deep rooted, possibly the throat? Establish the likely reason. If throat, and bore is rooked, re barrel it. If muzzle, shorten and re crown

If it shoots moa though, leave it alone

 

[Bowland blades]

As already noted .243 rifles can slip under the legal minimum for large species use on deer , faster powder might help if you fall into that trap , but play on the safe side . That said i know of nobody who has their .243 tested for Legal energy anyhow .

 

[Dave_45]

Dolphin Guns are still operating in Lincolnshire. I’m collecting a 16” barrel they have done for me in 6mm creedmoor…. That will get some people in a tiz.

As for your .243 barrel as it is. Does it shoot? I’ve seen several rifles still shoot well with pitting. If it doesn’t then there is no real harm going to the point you need to removed the pitting. I’ve had a 14.5” .243 that shot very well.

What’s the purpose for the 6mm Creedmoor?

As in intended use

 

[TringSaint]

I dropped my Winchester 70 from 24 ish to 21” ish and it works just fine.

 

[scotch_egg]

What’s the purpose for the 6mm Creedmoor?

As in intended use

After being run over a couple of years ago I can’t walk very far so I’m shooting from the car. I’ve recently picked up a Desert Tech bullpup rifle for ease of use from a confined space, 16” is the shortest I can go. Having looked at a lot of user posted data 100 fps loss over a 20” barrel won’t affect performance the intended purpose.

 

[VSS]

Hi,
I've got a Sako 75 iii .243 with pitting in the barrel, I knew this when I bought it and intended to get a new barrel put on it.

I was wondering if for now I could get away with shortening the barrel until I can afford to rebarrel it, and how short I could go before it's detrimental to the performance?

Obviously I need to get it bore scoped to see how far down the putting goes to see if it's possible first.

Also does anyone know of anywhere in Lincolnshire that could shorten or replace the barrel?

Thanks in advance

Gary

Does it shoot straight?
If so, why change anything?

A borescope will almost certainly tell you that you need to spend a lot of money, but your zeroing targets may well tell you otherwise!

 

[muddy42]

@bicykillgaz you don't say what length the barrel is currently? Also where in the UK are you and are you shooting big or small deer?

If a 243 is shortened roughly below 20 inches you can have issues being deer legal with factory ammo. Allowing smaller bullet weights in Scotland has helped a bit.

if the barrel is damaged I'd save your cash or maybe just recrown it. Or if you are trying to improve the balance try a lighter or over the barrel moderator or grippier sling setup.

 

[Lloyd90]

Take it out and shoot a few groups first and let us know how it shoots

 

[bicykillgaz]

It groups "ok" @100m 11/2"-2" so will kill deer and fox all day in most situations I come across.

I'd like to get it sub 1" at 100m though so I can feel more confident for longer range fox. I shoot with a friend and some times your having to take shots out to 250-300yrds+ which I wouldn't feel comfortable doing with mine so I let him shoot them.

Just seems pointless having a .243 and limiting it to sub 150m on fox.

 

[bicykillgaz]

Lincolnshire, it's currently 22" I believe. I use it for fox mainly but also roe. Fox I use 58gr vmax, and 90gr Sako for roe although I have to keep it closer with the heavier bullets as I've not found one it really likes.

 

[Bowland blades]

Lincolnshire, it's currently 22" I believe. I use it for fox mainly but also roe. Fox I use 58gr vmax, and 90gr Sako for roe although I have to keep it closer with the heavier bullets as I've not found one it really likes.

The fact is 58 grain is able to stabilise and the 90 has to be kept at less range speaks " It needs a new barrel " to me . The Sako 75 is a very well made rifle and although barrels and the labour of a gunsmith ain't cheap you can then fit a 1-8 twist barrel - it will then shoot the longer copper Barnes LRX 95 grain as well as the shorter 80 grain tTSX ! It will still be of use with lead and the light stuff , though its fast disapiering

 

[bicykillgaz]

Admittedly I've only tried 3 types of heavier bullets but it definitely prefers lighter ones.

For what little amount of stalking I do I'm happy to have it just as a fox rifle but I'd just like it to tighten up a bit. And there's a big jump in price between getting it shortened and a rebarrel.

 

[bicykillgaz]

I thought Mik had retired? I rang him when I first got the rifle for a price to barrel it and he said he was scaling back ready to retire and gave me someone else's number

 

[muddy42]

@bicykillgaz

What does the crown look like? When you say pitting is this at the chamber end or front/crown end, maybe from having the moderator stored on?

taking off two inches and re-threading for a moderator is still not cheap. If the damage is near the chamber and it doesn't shoot currently, shortening wont improve accuracy and I would leave it as is and wait until you can re-barrel to a 1/8 twist.

Sorry to be a bore but have you cleaned it? I mean REALLY cleaned it, meaning soak for an hour then 20 passes with a bronze brush, repeat every night for a week. Then try the same but with a nylon brush to confirm patches come out clean. I did this to an old 243 doing this and restored its accuracy no end.

Plus I'd try a few more ammo combinations first - maybe something in the 75/80 grain range or a "hunting" ballistic tip. Many dealers will sell you half boxes. Contrary to what some people say (about it being unstable) I have always found 100g lead ammo to be really accurate in my .243s - federal powershock soft point I think is currently called.

 

[bicykillgaz]

They bore scoped it in the shop when I bought it and said it had light pitting near the muzzle end. At the time it didn't bother me as I wanted something I could customise.

The long term plan has always been to rebarrel it. Unfortunately I moved last year and my old house hasn't sold yet which is costing me £800 a month. I'm having to prioritise what I spend my spare money on, £1000 on a new barrel for a gun which I can live for now with isn't top of the list.

I was wondering if shortening it might be a short term solution.

 

[muddy42]

They bore scoped it in the shop when I bought it and said it had light pitting near the muzzle end. At the time it didn't bother me as I wanted something I could customise.

The long term plan has always been to rebarrel it. Unfortunately I moved last year and my old house hasn't sold yet which is costing me £800 a month. I'm having to prioritise what I spend my spare money on, £1000 on a new barrel for a gun which I can live for now with isn't top of the list.

I was wondering if shortening it might be a short term solution.

and what does the crown look like, with the naked eye? Post a photo here if you want. The crown is critical because its the last place of contact before the bullet starts flying. You can DIY polish it with a ball bearing and lapping paste.

 

[bicykillgaz]

Give me 10 mins and I'll get it out