So Im trying to pick my next rifle and Im still stuck on the caliber. I know I want it to be a distance shooter but cant choose a caliber. Im thinking either a 6.5-284 or 308. I want a caliber that I can reload relativly easily and not some extremely complicated wildcat. I would also like to be able to find some factory rifle in the caliber like the savage f/tr. I dont wanna have to build my own cuz im only 18 and dont have piles of money to play with. Im not sure about the 308 cuz i already have a 300WSM, and not sure if I want another 30 cal. Then the 6.5 is sapose to be a accuarte round, but it burns barrels. I dont know how many rounds the barrel would last. I just wanna be able take down a deer at like 700yds not be able to shoot its eye out. The 243 is also not an option cuz my brother has one and I dont wanna copy him. So thats my prblem. If u have some ideas for another caliber or another option let me know Im open for suggestions.
6.5-284 or 308,newbie)
- Thread starter aSoCalKid
- Start date
I would go with the 6.5, its a great cartridge, very easy to load for and very accurate, if your not going to do much benchrest shooting that barrel will last for a long time, benchrest shooting is very hard on barrels and usally a shot out barrel will still shoot better than a factory rifle. The 308 is a great cartridge but for long range hunting the 6.5-284 is alot better, personally I would get a 300rum with a long barrel its alot more forgiving if you happen to miss the boiler room or if its a little windy.
I have killed a hand-full of whitetails and one Antelope with my .308 between 400 and 525 yrds, shooting a 180gr SBT GameKing. I wouldn't try and take one with it at 700+yrds. I love my 300RUM it's one of the few calibers that stills has well over 2000lbs of energy at 500yrds.
The 6.5-284 is a great round also... It will last you a very, very long time if you mainly just hunt with it and maybe a little target shooting. It should do a good job on a whitetail at 700 to 800yrds
The 6.5-284 is a great round also... It will last you a very, very long time if you mainly just hunt with it and maybe a little target shooting. It should do a good job on a whitetail at 700 to 800yrds
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Guys,
I don't like the direction this thread is headed. Let's try to focus on the thread starter's original question. Obviously different shooting disciplines have different accuracy criteria.
However, maybe Babyrou has a misunderstanding of the terminology we use here. he writes:
"On this site they say you have to shoot in the teen's to be competetive @ 100 yards. Thats 5 times more accurate than 1/8 moa. Oh I know you don't beleive that either."
At 100 yards, 1 MOA,Minute of Angle) is 1.047" inches. Therefore 1/8 MOA = .130875". By "in the teens" we normally mean a group measuring,center to center of most distant bullet holes) .130+ to .199". 1/8 MOA is in the "teens" using this parlance. Some people, however, would call anything between .1 and .2 in the teens.
If we take a .15" group as "mid-teens", that is five times more accurate than a .75" group. A 0.75" group for three shots is not atypical for a custom hunting rifle.
While I have seen some big-bore hunting rifles that can cloverleaf 3 shots with a cold barrel, normally is it hard to repeat that. Still we know that some of the most accurate rifles of all are the heavy guns, such as 300 H&Hs shooting 210gr bullets.
I don't like the direction this thread is headed. Let's try to focus on the thread starter's original question. Obviously different shooting disciplines have different accuracy criteria.
However, maybe Babyrou has a misunderstanding of the terminology we use here. he writes:
"On this site they say you have to shoot in the teen's to be competetive @ 100 yards. Thats 5 times more accurate than 1/8 moa. Oh I know you don't beleive that either."
At 100 yards, 1 MOA,Minute of Angle) is 1.047" inches. Therefore 1/8 MOA = .130875". By "in the teens" we normally mean a group measuring,center to center of most distant bullet holes) .130+ to .199". 1/8 MOA is in the "teens" using this parlance. Some people, however, would call anything between .1 and .2 in the teens.
If we take a .15" group as "mid-teens", that is five times more accurate than a .75" group. A 0.75" group for three shots is not atypical for a custom hunting rifle.
While I have seen some big-bore hunting rifles that can cloverleaf 3 shots with a cold barrel, normally is it hard to repeat that. Still we know that some of the most accurate rifles of all are the heavy guns, such as 300 H&Hs shooting 210gr bullets.
Interesting thread, they had the same argument on rifles over on Snipers Hide. People were talking about 1/4" guaranteed rifles that were being built for tactical rifles.
People were claiming they had guns that shot 1/4" groups to one hole groups all day long. As you can imagine things went down hill fast on this thread also. The problem was solved when a challange was laid out to post a picture with 5 1/2" groups in a row on a single sheet of paper or cardboard. All shot on the same day one group after another.
Needless to say there were not a lot of takers. I am not sure if it was even done. George Gardner may have done it with one of his rifles but not sure now. He was one of the ones telling them that it wasn't possible for the average tactical rifle and shooter to do it on a regular basis. And remember it was 1/2" groups being shot "NOT" 1/4" groups.
People were claiming they had guns that shot 1/4" groups to one hole groups all day long. As you can imagine things went down hill fast on this thread also. The problem was solved when a challange was laid out to post a picture with 5 1/2" groups in a row on a single sheet of paper or cardboard. All shot on the same day one group after another.
Needless to say there were not a lot of takers. I am not sure if it was even done. George Gardner may have done it with one of his rifles but not sure now. He was one of the ones telling them that it wasn't possible for the average tactical rifle and shooter to do it on a regular basis. And remember it was 1/2" groups being shot "NOT" 1/4" groups.
Babyrou,
Since the moderator already addressed this thread I will not respond to what I feel about your statements of shooting rats at 1000yds with an AR-15,One right after the other) or your statement about shooting prairie dogs at from 1200 to 1600yds, one right after another.
All I will say is that maybe you should invest in a good rangefinder so you will know how far these people are actually shooting.
Because if what you say is correct I will go home a depressed man because I have spent a lifetime shooting and have wore out more barrels than I care to even think about. I have my own range and shoot on a weekly basis from 500 to 1000yds and occasionaly out to 1300yds.
For practice I shoot at 6" paper plates from 500 to 600yds and 9" paper plates on cardboard backers from 700 to 1000yds. I am damn happy when I can keep all 3 shots in those plates at those ranges and they are 10 times bigger than your targets.
A few years back I also shot in tactical rifle matches for several years around the country with what I considered to be some of the best shooters in the sport and not a damn one of us could even come close to equalling the shooting your talking about. But I had better stop now before I get booted off here!!!
Since the moderator already addressed this thread I will not respond to what I feel about your statements of shooting rats at 1000yds with an AR-15,One right after the other) or your statement about shooting prairie dogs at from 1200 to 1600yds, one right after another.
All I will say is that maybe you should invest in a good rangefinder so you will know how far these people are actually shooting.
Because if what you say is correct I will go home a depressed man because I have spent a lifetime shooting and have wore out more barrels than I care to even think about. I have my own range and shoot on a weekly basis from 500 to 1000yds and occasionaly out to 1300yds.
For practice I shoot at 6" paper plates from 500 to 600yds and 9" paper plates on cardboard backers from 700 to 1000yds. I am damn happy when I can keep all 3 shots in those plates at those ranges and they are 10 times bigger than your targets.
A few years back I also shot in tactical rifle matches for several years around the country with what I considered to be some of the best shooters in the sport and not a damn one of us could even come close to equalling the shooting your talking about. But I had better stop now before I get booted off here!!!
Well I know Im new and all but 20-30 shots per min. cant be good for 1000yd shooting, but I am new so i could be wrong. O and rats wouldnt really fall, they are already pretty close to the ground. The rats might fly into the air, or roll once hit but I doubt they would fall....unless they had wings and could fly. But anyway, I would just like to thank the people who tryed to help me with my decision for my next rifle.
If you want to be a little different and have a rifle for the longer range shots, you could consider the .260 if you want a short action or a 6.5x55 Swede for a long action. Swift has some great bullets for the 6.5s and you can get decent range with both.
Stepping up to the 7s would also be an option, but I don't think there are any good short action choices except for the short mags. Someone else may chime in here, but I think even a 7/08 would be pretty tight in a short action. For a long action you could go with a .280 Rem or a .284 Win.
You might not be able to hit 20-30 rats a minute at 1000 yards.... Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Any of these would be good choices, but then I'm a bit biased since I chose a .260 AI myself, have a .284 in process, and will eventually pick up a stock Sako in 6.5x55 when I meet one with money in my pocket.
robert
Stepping up to the 7s would also be an option, but I don't think there are any good short action choices except for the short mags. Someone else may chime in here, but I think even a 7/08 would be pretty tight in a short action. For a long action you could go with a .280 Rem or a .284 Win.
You might not be able to hit 20-30 rats a minute at 1000 yards.... Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Any of these would be good choices, but then I'm a bit biased since I chose a .260 AI myself, have a .284 in process, and will eventually pick up a stock Sako in 6.5x55 when I meet one with money in my pocket.
robert
I agree that the 6.5s are probably the best choice in a short action. I think a 260 is a great round and use them for tactical shooting.
I have went through several 6.5x284s and they are a great 1000yd cartridge. The problem is, short barrel life. If you are going to use it just for hunting that would be one thing but you will go through a barrel or two learning to shoot long range. I would spend my money on a 308 and get in all the practice you can shooting it.
You need to learn to shoot in the wind if your going to be any good at long range shooting. You can range the target with a range finder and dial it in but you can't tell what the wind will do to your bullet without fist putting a lot of rounds down range.
A 6.5x55 would be my choice for a long action. They are a tad faster than a 260 if your a hand loader and they will last longer than the 6.5x284s. You can't go wrong with any of them in reality. Just remember if your going to shoot an animal at long range you owe it to the animal to make a clean kill, so make sure your skills are up to the task when you pull the trigger. Good luck in your quest!!
I have went through several 6.5x284s and they are a great 1000yd cartridge. The problem is, short barrel life. If you are going to use it just for hunting that would be one thing but you will go through a barrel or two learning to shoot long range. I would spend my money on a 308 and get in all the practice you can shooting it.
You need to learn to shoot in the wind if your going to be any good at long range shooting. You can range the target with a range finder and dial it in but you can't tell what the wind will do to your bullet without fist putting a lot of rounds down range.
A 6.5x55 would be my choice for a long action. They are a tad faster than a 260 if your a hand loader and they will last longer than the 6.5x284s. You can't go wrong with any of them in reality. Just remember if your going to shoot an animal at long range you owe it to the animal to make a clean kill, so make sure your skills are up to the task when you pull the trigger. Good luck in your quest!!
These guys should form a rattle battle team and take the ITT trophy from the US Army and Marine marksmanship teams at Camp PerryaSoCalKid said:
I don't think any civilian in Washington state is allowed automatic weapons.babyrou said:
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