Asking for a friend, your opinions, insight

[snert]

A buddy wants to build a long range (up to 700 yards) deer rifle. It would be used in a tree house, in cold NY weather, in wind, on deer with winter coat and fairly large, as whitetails go. Some things are decided: Savage action, Krieger barrel, not a carry around rifle, but not a hog either.

He is leaning toward a high BC round, 6mm and up. Isn't interested in a loudenboomereargesplitzen round like the big weatherby stuff but also is not adverse to some of the simpler wildcats. Looking for efficiency and reasonable recoil (or mitigation) with enough oooomph to do it.

His initial thought was a 6mm in the 115 class, possibly pushed by a 06 case.

I have to admit I am stuck in the days of the 4 barrel 327 Chevy in an LS engine world, so I could not really advise him from experience.

My obvious thoughts were to reverse engineer...I told him the bullet has to deliver energy, and it has to "work" at impact range. But I do not have fancy ballistic programs, and am unfamiliar with the various VLD hunting bullets. I know he isnt looking for huge recoil...has a neck issue and doesnt want to go cross eyed from recoil and muzzle blast. (He is ugly enough as is)

I told him Kenny Jerrett worked it out years ago with 90's tech and bullets, and that is as far as my knowledge has gone. I KNOW there are better mousetraps now. I told him I would lean toward a 6.5, but again, no experience. I shoot a 7 Rem Mag and 150 grain NBT. Old school.

So, the bar is open boys, toss out your thoughts on cartridge/bullet combo's and give us your reasoning.

Remember, the question is about the bullet, the cartridge and the limits set forth above.

Thanks in advance!

Snert

 

[std7mag]

700 yards on large whitetail.
7mm Rem Mag.
Combined with the 150gr (or heavier)Nosler ABLR. Expansion of 1,300 fps not the 1,800 fps required of most bullets.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

26 or 27 nosler. 700yds is a long ways. Do the wind drift- he’ll be lucky to hit it on the second shot but a 142+ bullet will kill it if hit right. Check the energy. I shoot em at 4-500 and i finally went to a 33 nosler. I got sick of being marginal with any belted mag for any farther than that. I tried speed then i tried energy, i got both now.

 

[std7mag]

Instead of 27 Nosler, i thing i would go 28 Nosler. Better bullet selection.

 

[mensajd]

“6mm ... in an 06 case.” 240 Wby or 6mm-06. The latter is easy to make from 25-06 brass. I just had 240 Wby mark v built by their custom shop but haven’t made it to the range due to pandemic.

 

[Park ranger]

338L. I don’t own one but my preacher does and has a similar set up as you describe. Except he shoots from one mountain across the valley to the other mountain at 600,800,900 yards. He invited me and I brought my palma gun. It was cold and windy, with snowflakes the only wind indicator. I had 17 Moa on the gun when I shot, he had like 6 moa. Big gun but with break wasn’t too bad.

Oh, when he married the wife and I , I paid him in Reloder 33.

 

[wvlongshot]

Straight 7 mag or nosler in 26 or 28. The nod going to the 28 for bullet weight. All 3 have good factory ammo options

 

[338 Mollett]

I like a 6.5 284 with a good range finder.

 

[gman47564]

6.5x284 would be my suggestion too.. but unless your friend shoots thousands of rounds a year and knows how to read conditions and can make first round hits on little targets out to 700 yards i would ask him to be realistic about the distance he wants to shoot out to and keep it around 3 or 400 yards.. thats a pretty good shot to make with a hunting gun in a deer blind.. just my opinion..

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

He will need to place some 5" steel out in the deer hang outs for practice. 7mm mag,168 gr vld hunting bullet, scope with great turrets. Will probably need to order 2 or 3 matching barrels, as the first one will be well used after 1st year of practice. And have the barrel(s) throated for the 2500-3000 bullets from the same lot he'll need to buy.

 

[joshb]

I have a 6.5-284 I bought used and haven’t shot.

Actually, I have two

 

[hunter67]

Tall order for some and some shooting skills as mentioned. If I were to hunt in a blind and not have to carry it a heavy broke 7mm anything. STW? 28 Nosler?

 

[338 dude]

A buddy wants to build a long range (up to 700 yards) deer rifle. It would be used in a tree house, in cold NY weather, in wind, on deer with winter coat and fairly large, as whitetails go. Some things are decided: Savage action, Krieger barrel, not a carry around rifle, but not a hog either.

He is leaning toward a high BC round, 6mm and up. Isn't interested in a loudenboomereargesplitzen round like the big weatherby stuff but also is not adverse to some of the simpler wildcats. Looking for efficiency and reasonable recoil (or mitigation) with enough oooomph to do it.

His initial thought was a 6mm in the 115 class, possibly pushed by a 06 case.

I have to admit I am stuck in the days of the 4 barrel 327 Chevy in an LS engine world, so I could not really advise him from experience.

My obvious thoughts were to reverse engineer...I told him the bullet has to deliver energy, and it has to "work" at impact range. But I do not have fancy ballistic programs, and am unfamiliar with the various VLD hunting bullets. I know he isnt looking for huge recoil...has a neck issue and doesnt want to go cross eyed from recoil and muzzle blast. (He is ugly enough as is)

I told him Kenny Jerrett worked it out years ago with 90's tech and bullets, and that is as far as my knowledge has gone. I KNOW there are better mousetraps now. I told him I would lean toward a 6.5, but again, no experience. I shoot a 7 Rem Mag and 150 grain NBT. Old school.

So, the bar is open boys, toss out your thoughts on cartridge/bullet combo's and give us your reasoning.

Remember, the question is about the bullet, the cartridge and the limits set forth above.

Thanks in advance!

Snert

6.5 x 284 Norma my favorite caliber also of mine it is my favorite rifle it carries enough energy out to 900 yards very accurate with the berger 140 grain Vld hunting seriously you need to look into it

 

[Ccrider]

500 and in my 257 STW is golden with a 90-100gr. Bullet. Over 500, I would move up to a 7mm STW and a 115 -120gr bullet, keeping the velocity as high as possible.

 

[SBS]

6.5-284 or 6.5-06 will meet his requirements. The latter is easier to make feed in a variety of actions. Good energy at longer ranges and a larger diameter bullet kills better than 6mm. Also much less recoil than a 7mm Mag. If he just can't take the recoil of a 6.5, the 6-06 as mentioned above would be his best choice in a 6mm. -- .240 Wby. and 6-284 are virtually identical to the 6-06, but the longer neck of the '06 case is better for the long VLD bullets than the .284 case, feeds better and easily made from .25-06 brass. .240 brass is scarce, expensive and a belted case which is not necessary on an '06 size case.

 

[Ccrider]

I am running my .257 STW at 3920 with 92gr. bullets in a 10tw barrel. Rem 700 action. Very little recoil and it is a laser. This is a hot load and I have worked up to it and know it is safe in my gun.

I would be very comfortable moving up to a 115-120gr. bullet in an 8 twist barrel. I have not done the ballistics but am guessing you could push a 120gr at 3600+.

For sure, I would consider a .25 cal to do your particular task. The trick is finding the right bullet and building the gun around the bullet you intend to use.

 

[skeeljc]

.300 Win Mag + suppressor. Works well on two legged targets and will do the job on four legged targets.

 

[JEFFPPC]

I have been doing what he wants to do for about 40 yrs with a straight .280. Multiple kills 400 to 750 yds. A factory 700 BDL with Hart Rem varmint weight barrel. Modest recoil, good barrel life., averages 1 inch 3 shot groups at 300 yds., quite often 3 shots touching. Easy to tune with various bullets. Not sexy I guess, but very effective. Built a twin for my son who lives in Idaho, his has also proved very effective on elk.
.

 

[Daddymac]

Any love for the .280 Ackley?

 

[snert]

Gentlemen...

This is why I have been active on AS. I knew if I asked right, I would get good advice. My buddy is following this thread and I can assure you that already we have covered more than I could have in a "linear" conversation. Please keep up the responses..."in many counselors there is wisdom". We will be looking for commonalities, and of course, good alternatives, cause I know some of us are outside the box thinkers. (I liked the suppressor idea, however NY is a communist state.)

Keep on giving advice, I am sure we are learning....