My Savage 6.8 SPC HOG gun build.

IAyoteHNTR

IAyoteHNTR

New member
I decided to build a gun just for my trip to Texas coming in February to use for hogs. I decided to build it in 6.8 SPC due to a good deal I got on a new 20" ARP Savage pre-fit barrel and a PT&G bolt head and a couple of Savage magazines for $250. I don't need the magazines since I'm building this into a blind mag stock so I'll just put the mags on the shelf for later use. I got this stuff from another member here.
cool.gif
Plus the 6.8 SPC has some good factory ammo ideal for hog/deer hunting.
wink.gif


I'm using an older blued Savage blind mag staggerfeed action that I bought for $150 that needed a little work to get it functional. It had action threads that needed tapped out as they were just slightly buggered up and it also needed a new sear, etc. One plus with the action I bought is it came with a nicely fluted bolt, which is about a $75 upgrade in itself. B)

I got a plain Jane tupperware stock from a buddy of mine that is pillared and bedded already and I got the mag box/follower and spring from another guy online. I had to order the trigger guard from Gunshack.

I ordered the Go and No Go gauges to put the gun together along with and some factory ammo and dies, etc. from Midway.

I already have an action wrench and barrel nut wrench for Savage actions/barrels.

The barrel and bolt head arrived yesterday and my gunsmith @ EGA Gunworks has the action all ready to go so I'm heading down there today with the barrel, bolt head, gauges, stock, etc to get the gun put together so I can possibly get to shoot it later today and get it sighted in and see how it shoots. I'll be using a Nikon 2-7X32 scope on the gun and I had an EGW base and some Burris Zee rings for the scope already.

My box of goodies I'm taking with me to my gunsmith to get this rifle put together.............


2015-01-17060036_zpsc2ba3001.jpg



I'm pretty stoked about this rifle build as I'm hoping it ends up being a nice light weight hog rifle and I'm not breaking the bank to build it. The breakdown in the costs for me to build this are:

Action $150 plus $90 for gunsmithing/parts = $240
Mag box/follower $15, Trigger guard $25 action screws $5 = $45
Barrel and Bolt Head = $200
Recoil lug $15 Barrel nut $15 = $30
Stock pillared and bedded = FREE
Scope $150 Weaver bases $10 Burris rings $35 = $195

So the TOTAL on everything including scope is about $710. I don't figure that's too bad for a complete gun w/a scope.

I'll try to get some pics of the finished product and maybe some pics of targets tonight/tomorrow and I'll cross my fingers hoping it ends up being a pretty decent shooter.
wink.gif


BTW, I'll be using factory Hornady 110 grain V-Max ammo that I found on sale for $18/box per 20 rounds that should have a muzzle velocity of right around 2500 fps.
 
Last edited:
What do you need the gunsmith for? Maybe the rethreading? Otherwise, you have all you need to do it yourself with no hassles. BTW, when I set up a barrel in a Savage, I do not buy a no-go gage. A layer of tape on the head of the go gage is all you need. That saves about $30. I hope she is a shooter.
 
Keep us updated. I have a 6x6.8 barrel coming from BHW and doing a build on a spare Savage CF mag. fed rig.
I wont be using a smith though.
 
Originally Posted By: lhitchcoxWhat do you need the gunsmith for?

I needed him to order parts for the action mainly. It needed a new sear and sear spring. The bolt had no extractor/ext. spring/ext. detent ball and had the wrong rear baffle. Plus the action screw holes were buggered up a little and he had to tap them out for me to be able to get the action screws to thread in properly.
 
Originally Posted By: lhitchcoxGood deal then. I was afraid you were like most of us on our first headspace job- nervous.

I was probably nervous the first time, yes. But this is the 4th rifle I've headspaced and put together myself.

I decided to use Burris Zee high rings and 2-piece weaver bases since this is a top fed blind mag so I have plenty of clearance to load ammo.

Here is what she looks like. A light weight ready to get down and dirty hog killing rifle not afraid to get a few scuffs and scratches here and there.
wink.gif


2015-01-17182744_zps738f4921.jpg


It has the oversized bolt handle and the fluted bolt which I think are nice little "upgrades".

2015-01-17182840_zps8678987f.jpg
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: richard50Question... Did your gun smith require you to supply your own go no-go gauges?

I supplied my own since I actually screwed the barrel on and headspaced it myself otherwise if I had him do it it would have been another $50 charge and I might as well buy the headspace gauges for $30 each and have them to use later if I do a switch barrel back and forth on this or another action or possibly resell later to someone who needs them.
 
Can you stuff 4 rounds in the magazine and run them through the action with out any hang ups or jambing up? There was lots of issues w/the 6.8 feeding out of detachable & internal mag w/out magazine adjustments according to all the 6.8 savage builds Ive read up on.
Some only could get 2 in the mad w/out issues others run the single shot sled which IMO is worthless for a hunting rig.
What caliber is the blind magazine in it now?
The 22-250 magazine is suppose to be the one that works as it has longer lips than the 243 & .223 mag lips.
 
Originally Posted By: 5spdCan you stuff 4 rounds in the magazine and run them through the action with out any hang ups or jambing up? There was lots of issues w/the 6.8 feeding out of detachable & internal mag w/out magazine adjustments according to all the 6.8 savage builds Ive read up on.
Some only could get 2 in the mad w/out issues others run the single shot sled which IMO is worthless for a hunting rig.
What caliber is the blind magazine in it now?
The 22-250 magazine is suppose to be the one that works as it has longer lips than the 243 & .223 mag lips.


I used a 243/308 blind mag box/follower and I bent the top metal in just a tad on each side and it seems to function just fine so far. The only issue I have is that the PT&G bolt head is so precisely machined and sharp edged it is catching/cutting into the plastic on the follower if you try to close the bolt when there's no ammo in it, not a big issue but I think I could solve it if I get that edge of the bolt face a little smoother/rounder on that edge. I cycled several mags full of ammo just a little while ago to see how it performs. I wish they made a metal topped follower. Maybe they do?
 
^^^ Thanks for that update. In all my years of Savage builds I have yet to find a metal mag follower, besides the single shot sled piece. Nothing but plastic. If there was an after market maker of stock metal magazine followers you can bet it would be a seller amongst Savage owners.
 
This whole project is just kind of a hobby thing. Maybe I need to have my head checked out.
rolleyes.gif
I just thought it would be cool to build a rifle just for my upcoming hog hunting trip in TX. I really don't have a need for a caliber like this in Iowa but I know a lot of guys really like the 6.8 SPC for hogs and deer in other states.

I'll most likely sell this when I get back from Texas to someone who will use it to it's full potential and I'll start my next build which is going to be a .223AI that will be set up to shoot 40-50 grain bullets as fast as I can push them to be able to "smack" some PD's later this year. I had a regular Savage .223 Precision Carbine that I took out on my first ever PD hunt last October but found that my 20 Practical really put the regular .223 shooting factory 50 grain ammo to shame out past 400 yards so I want a much faster .22 cal for the next trip. The factory Fiocchi .223 ammo I was using was only running about 3050 fps and it was great out to 400 but most of my shots were out past 400 in the 450-500+ yard range.

So if you know of anyone who would want a rifle like this in about 5-6 weeks, you know where to find me. I don't expect to get my whole investment back out of this rifle but that's ok with me. Just being able to build and use a rifle and hopefully have some success with it on a few hogs is worth a certain amount to me anyway.
wink.gif


Yep, I just "might " be a little crazy.
drool.gif
 
I'm heading out to get a little breakfast at our small town cafe then heading out to where I shoot to see how this thing will do with the factory Hornady 110 grain V-Max ammo. Hopefully I'll have a good report with some pics later this morning.
 
Friend, I have the same addiction of building Savages in odd calibers. I am also a left hander, so many rifles do not give me the choices I want. With a barrel nutted Savage, I can build up my own. That little 6.8 may be on the list soon. Last year's build was a Model 11 left hand converted from .22-250 to .250 Savage.
 
When you are done w/it instead of the .223AI sell the 6.8 barrel and put on a 6x6.8 or 22x6.8 barrel, you will have all the .223AI speed and can run the 69-80g bullets with out seating them 1/3 into the .223 case.
There you now have other options on the burner....(like you need more)...hahah

**I thought I read about BHW doing a 20x6.8 also** That would be sweet with the 55g berger bullet.
 
Originally Posted By: 5spdWhen you are done w/it instead of the .223AI sell the 6.8 barrel and put on a 6x6.8 or 22x6.8 barrel, you will have all the .223AI speed and can run the 69-80g bullets with out seating them 1/3 into the .223 case.
There you now have other options on the burner....(like you need more)...hahah

**I thought I read about BHW doing a 20x6.8 also** That would be sweet with the 55g berger bullet.

Quit it! Now you got me thinking about those possibilities.
rolleyes.gif


But it's all good!
thumbup1.gif
 
Just got back in town. Went out and got this rifle sighted in @ 50 yards with a few shots and shot a quick 3 shot group and was very pleased but it was only 50 yards so I was taking a wait and see attitude on how it would do @ 100 yards. I had to set up in the bottom to do my 100 yard shooting with the winds coming straight out of the West at 10+ mph and a few gusts so it was a direct crosswind there as I'm shooting to the South there.

I ended up setting the target out @ exactly 105 yards according to my rangefinder so I just left the target there. I wasn't worried about an "extra" 5 yards at this point. Just wanted to see how this would shoot with the factory ammo. I still had 1 round in the chamber so I shot it as my 1st sighter and then adjusted 1 MOA up and 1 MOA to the left and loaded up the magazine with 4 more rounds and settled in to shoot my 1st 100 yard group with my new "toy". I would have been more than satisfied if it was going to shoot around 1 MOA as this is purely a "hunting" rifle, nothing more.

Anyway, here were the results. I'll let you decide how good this rifle is shooting with the 2-7 power scope.
wink.gif


2015-01-18103513_zps90c90b85.jpg
 
I decided I wanted a little more scope on the gun so I pulled off the Nikon Prostaff 4-12X40 BDC off of my 17HMR and mounted it up on the 6.8 as it is really more scope than I need on the 17HMR anyway.

Going back out today to get the new scope zeroed and I'll try a couple more 100yd and maybe some 150-200 yard groups with it now that I've got a little more power behind the scope and see how it does.

Plus I'm pulling the gun apart to get the bolt face edge "softened" up a bit and repair the small gouge in the follower to keep it from grabbing/gouging the plastic topped follower any more hopefully.
 
Got the bolt face catching the plastic topped follower issue resolved.
thumbup1.gif


I filed the edge of the bolt face down to "soften" it up and repaired the gouge in the follower with a file as well and now it cycles smoothly w/o any ammo in it.
w00t.gif


A little better pic than the first ones out in the sunshine today of this gun with the new Nikon 4-12X40 scope on her.

2015-01-20111416_zpsd005379a.jpg
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top