about to start a whisper project, need help :)

[kristfin]

hi all,

i've been reading about those whispers for some months and like to get one, but since i'm in iceland that is not trivial.

i have a Sako l579, short action with a .243 barrel that i was thinking about using as a base. the idea was to geta a new whispered barrel from usa, and have a gunsmith here in iceland fit it to the sako.

given the bolt face on the sako, i think that .302 or .338 whisper is what i can choose between. any reccomendation on which i should choose, easier to get bullets in .300 obviously.

can you give me good advice on the whole shabang.

is the gun right, what caliber?

if i take this further, where can i buy the barrel in usa, can it be prefitted to the sako so the gunsmith here in iceland has just to adjust it or does it require a reamer?
where can i get a reamer and dies if needed?

just to get started, greetings from iceland.

[Spook]

kristfin, We have the issue of an export permit when shipping barrels out of the country. Check with Rock Creek Barrels in Albany Wisconsin first. SSK should also be able to export.

[kristfin]

i have exchanged some emails with jdj. he is a man of few words.

i will ask the good people at RCB in Albany first.

can somebody confirm that .302 whisper is a good choice. do you know where i can find reamer and dies for it?

should i perhaps look at .338 whisper instead?

[Spook]

You might get the Lapua 6BR brass for cheap enough over there to make it less cost prohibitive....but the 300 whisper does most of what a 302 does for much less investment. Load data is more readily available for the 300 too.
If you just have to have one....30BR reamer and dies will replicate it closely enough. You will need a throating reamer.

I've been messing with 338 in both the BR case and the 7.62X39 its nice lobbing the extra 60 grains of lead downrange and the accuracy is just fine If cost doesnt constrain you 338 X 300 grains is good stuff.

[kristfin]

my main reason for going the .302 way, is the fact that i have a sako short action riffle in .243 i was plannig to modify for this. i've not been successfull finding a decent used .222 or similar here in iceland.

i actually started looking towards the .338 whisper because of the boltface on the sako, but then i came across the .302

i still donðt find many resources about .302. are you sure i can find reamers and dies for it.

[kristfin]

is there anybody here that can confirm that i can get a barrel, dies and reamer in .302 somewhere?

also if somebody could comment on the sensibility of it :)

[LouBoyd]

Originally Posted by kristfin

if i take this further, where can i buy the barrel in usa, can it be prefitted to the sako so the gunsmith here in iceland has just to adjust it or does it require a reamer?

just to get started, greetings from iceland.

The only company I know of in the US which offers quality barrels prefit to Sako 579 action, with avaiable fast twists , and chambering in 300/221 (aka 300 Whisper). is Pac-Nor. See www.pac-nor.com. Their methhod of prefitting just expects a light cut on the length of the barrel shank to set the headspace. With wildcat cartdges that's not always required. If you send them a dummy cartrige (bullet and case but no powder or primer they set the throat to your request. Whether they'll ship to Iceland is the question. If they don't it's not their fault. The US has become tight on their export rules and manufacturer export licenses. It doesn't cost anything to send them an email and ask.

[kristfin]

i've written off converting the sako l579 to a whisper. i'm just finishing it as a .243 and will sell it to pay for the whisper.

[i8asquirrel]

My Bad i didn't see that........I'm in oregon and there is always a grass seed farmer smoking geese that are eating and fouling feilds and then Bragging and getting Popped.