.338 whisper and .257 BR project
 

My Douglas .338/7mmBR is loosely assembled at the action end but am still waiting for Richards Microfit in California to send my walnut wide forend 1" channel Sierra style stock This is a conventional stock form with square end cut at the forend

Meanwhile My XP-100 may go to Montana Rifleman for a barrel. I wanted to stay with the BR hull and as there are .22, 6mm, 7mm, and even a 6.5 (for which no one now makes cases - I think). This means nothing on the bolt face needs changing. But I wanted to keep an 18" barrel except I would go to a .257. This would mean necking out a 6mm hull or maybe squishing down a 7mm. Redding says they could provide sizing tools to go either way. After that it is only a trim.

The problem is Montana wouldn't chamber a 6mm into a .257 bore and follow with a neck reamer. So I may have to have a 7mm reamer ground to the proper .257 chamber diameter. The problem is a selection of quality bullets depending on the type of shooting to be done. But if necessary they could be turned from a specially made up bar stock if you have the equipment. This depends on what type of shooting you want to do - I suppose it might be possible to come up with a heavy bullets for intermediate range shooting with this caliber - sort of a semi-whisper

Montana barrels are made of a 4114 chrome moly alloy they specify, have 6 squoze-in grooves (pulled through carbide die I guess) and hand lap their barrels. They suggest an 11 degree target crown though they can do the recessed flat format which they call a hunting crown. The barrel would be $168 plus $160 for installation in the white.

I had a stainless contender barrel in the SSK .338 Whisper. It had a 1:7 twist, and shot the Sierra 300 MK accurately.