Short Barreled

[Scoutmaster]

I've been thinking about a doing up a rifle with fast handling abilities, short barreled and light weight. A rifle that could be used for anything from deer sized game on down. My first thought when I think of this kind of rifle is a 30/30 lever action, but I want it to be really flat shooting to at least 200 yards with no corrections to my point of aim for any critter bigger than 3". That means the rifle won't shoot higher or lower than 1.5" all the way out to 200 yards or better. The rifle also had to be easy on the shoulder in order to take fast shots. So I looked around my reloading books a bit, played with some numbers on my Point Blank ballistics calculator ( http://www.huntingnut.com/index.php?name=News&topic=4 ) and came up with a pretty good all around cartridge, the .243. When I compare the numbers from an 18" barreled .243 shooting 100gr. bullets to a 30/30 from a 20" barrel shooting 150gr. bullets I find that the .243 will be traveling faster (2410FPS) at 170 yards than the 30/30 does at the muzzle. In terms of energy, the .243 in this configuration retains over 1000 Ft. Lbs. of energy all the way out to 300 yards, while the 30/30 drops below 1000 Ft. Lbs. before it gets to the 200 yard mark. In order to get the handling ability that I want, I came up with what I think is a rather unique bolt action rifle. It weighs in at less than 7lbs. with the scope attached. The scope is a really old Bushnel from the days when they were real quality. It's a fixed power 2.5X with a European style post and crosshair recticle that is real quick to line up on game. The rifle I used is a Stevens 200. I don't mind messin' with the cheaper rifles and if this barrel turned out bad I could easily replace it for under $100. While it was originally a 22" barrel, it now has an abbreviated 18" barrel, having removed 4" from the original.
I haven't taken it to the range yet, but took a few informal shots at a tin can and it appears to be on the money. Here's a few photos!
Don

[toolman]

Cool! A friend of mine shoots a Rem. 600 in .243 that is a true deer-slayer out to 300+ and it handles like a dream. That's a good looking gun you put together, keep us informed on the performance.

[SwedeSteve]

Nice Rifle!