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I warn you now….you will fall in love with the 6.5 Creed and 140grn pills! Congrats.

Then you will be tempted by the hotter sister…the the 6.5 PRC…my word, thats a sexy round! lol…

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The 7mm Practical is a cool cartridge but a lot as changed in the gun world over the last 10 years since Nathan started playing with the cartridge…not sure I would go this route today with a 7mm build if i was looking for the ultimate performer but a cool cartridge for sure.  I'm guessing the platform you have to start is influencing your direction.  But if starting from nothing I'd look at other options.

Looking forward to seeing what you build!

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One thing to add…if you do this…in my experience, you want the pillars slightly shorter then spec for pillar bedding. If not sometimes the action will only be in contact with the pillars sometimes suspended off the inletting and not setting uniformly.

Take a few thousands off the pillars to have some controlled compression of the stock when the action is settled and torqued to spec for proper contact at the recoil and tang areas.
You want the action to contact the stock and have some compression the same as without pillars.

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I’ve never experimented with a floating none fixed pillar…
If not epoxied in place I’ve only done a press fit which is a pain in the ass.

If you do this with a floating pillar, let us know how it effects the gun for repeatable performance.

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Do a Berger seating test for any projectile after you find a good node  / charge weight…easy peezy.
If you don't have a bullet comparator get one!  Pointless if you don't have one for accuracy shooting.

Try H4831sc with the 140gr projectiles…you should find great velocity and a good node between 43.5-44.5grns (pretty much max load)…like all loads work up to this…2700-2725 fps should be the general area.

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I've set them with quick set epoxy on the coupe of stocks i've done.
Just drill and the scratch the surface with with a good low grit sand paper for the epoxy to hold well.
Assembly the action and bottom metal with 35 in/lbs when the epoxy starts to set up and won't run any more, but is still soft…this will allow the pillars to slide if needed to align properly…let it fully cure over night.  Then ur good to go…

I've used a 3/16″ – 1/2″ step bit similar to the one in this link… https://www.amazon.ca/Preamer-Shank-Titanium-Coated-Drill/dp/B071GQRFDY/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=1%2F2%22+auger+step+bit&qid=1578955553&sr=8-5 …on synthetic stocks versus a regular drill bit…made cutting the hole very easy because it centers it self.

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My vote would be the Leupold between the 2 options…

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Cutting a barrel down 2″ or so (if done properly) will not degrade accuracy or cause enough velocity drop for you to worry about…barrel lengths are just optimal industry standards for projectile / propellent burn rate.

In most cases shortening a barrel (if done properly) will increase accuracy buy stiffening the barrel and producing shorter harmonic waves.

But, do you really need to lose 2″ off this gun…or are you looking for an excuse to experiment like most of us..lol…if i told my buddy i was going to cut 2″ off my gun to work better in a hunting blind he'd look me straight in the face and say “get a bigger blind”…

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Recommended:

35-45in/lbs with factory plastic mag bottom / trigger guard
45-65in/lbs with metal mag bottom / trigger guard

There seems to be no exact # but this is the norm.

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You will love that stock on a hunting rifle… it’s a good upgrade to the factory stock without adding noticeable weight.  I had my 308 Battue dropped in one and it makes a great carry rifle / bush gun.

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Reviving an old thread…

Played with my previous load work for my 300wsm and the 200gr ELDx.
Ending up shooting the best 100yrd 5 shot group ever with this rifle, and might be my best group ever with a 30cal projectile.

5 shots, don't pay attention to the paper tare from wood frag…look at the hole it carved out in the wood back drop…Everything came together for this perfect group.  Basically a 1 hole group.
Can't believe it was shot just using a BogPod Bipod sitting on the edge of an old picnic table at our hunting camp in the rain!

The IOTA stock upgrade on the gun makes it a dream to shoot off a bench or prone, and in all honesty its the first & only stock upgrade I’ve done where there was a measurable increase in accuracy. The stock made the gun go from a consistent 1/2moa gun to a consistent 1/8-1/4moa gun with reloads.  I'm quite happy with that shooting without a brake on this gun.

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Love the 2.6″ COAL!!!
Perfect for 75-90gr projectiles.

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Depending on where you are located…any store carrying tikka rifles should have them.
Cabela's and Bass pro will have them in stock for sure if you are close to one of these locations.

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The 308 mag is used for 6.5 Creedmoor…You can get the factory mags from just about anywhere but try Mountain Tactical for their new billet aluminum mag…

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Would advise a higher magnification because i know you will want to stretch that rifle out at some point…
Take the hit in the wallet now versus later when you buy a 2nd scope.