Caliber Choice for Targets and Hunting

[RacerX]

Hi. I'm brand new to this forum, having seen a link to it on another. Looks great. I apologize if this question has been hashed before,probably has). I am looking for the ideal caliber for both whitetail deer hunting, and long range target shooting,out to 600 yards - which to me is long!). And, I want something with the minimal recoil to do both things well. I realize the caliber won't be perfect for both - I'm looking for balance. Based on what I've read, it seems that the 6.5x55SE would be about perfect. I am not planning on shooting in competitions,no time for all that). Thanks in advance.

 

[sewwhat89]

I light of keeping it simple and given your limited play time, wildcats would be out. I would go with either a .260 Rem or 7mm-08 Rem. Both calibers have light-weight bullets for the small stuff and high bc VLDs that can be launched at 2700+ fps for the long range stuff. Recoil is negligible from both these rounds.

 

[Rust]

Go with the Swede, better quality brass is available if you ever want to go the precision route in the future and it will do anything and more that the .260 and 7-08 will do, just not in as short and action.

And for casual shooting, the whole short action vs long action stiffness/bolt cycle speed issue is a non issue.

 

[billmo]

The 6.5-284 has a lot of what you are looking for built into it's design also. You could get hundreds of opinions on this subject and all would be different. Thanks, Bill

 

[Forum Boss]

Another caliber to consider is the 6.5x47 shooting the 120-130 grain bullets. Enough punch for white-tails, and a 6.5x47 with JLK 130s won the 2007 NBRSA 600-yard Nationals so it definitely has the accuracy potential for target shooting. The 6.5x47 will work with a short action, even with the longest bullets. 6.5x55 brass is considerably cheaper however, and there are many more factory loads available for the "Swede".

 

[M700]

I'm a huge fan of the good old .308 for that role, and have a rifle which does both hunting and target shooting, rather well.

There's a great article on the .308 here: http://www.6mmbr.com/308Win.html

I find it's no trick at all to work up a 165 grain hunting bullet load that is very accurate, or to work up a load that closely matches the trajectory of my 168 grain match loads. The .308 Win is easy to load, easy to shoot, easy on barrels and effective on game. Makes a pretty mean varminter if you want to try it in that roll as well.

Might want to consider the .243 Winchester too...

Regards, Guy

 

[RacerX]

Thanks much for the responses. I do appreciate the comment about how everyone has their own answer to this type of question. Nevertheless, it is nice to get the benefit of knowledge and experience that the members of a site like this can offer.

For what they're worth, my thoughts have been that the .308 costs a bit too much in the recoil department for he target purpose. The wildcats are out because although I am getting into hand-loading, I'm a long way from jumping into that much of a custom gun and case forming etc. I'd like to at least have the option of factory ammo. The 7-08 is something I've considered and the fact that it's available in many more rifles than the Swede does make it an attractive option. I want to compare the SD and BC on the different bullets for each; I assume they are fairly close.

I already own a .243 and the .243 information on this site is making me think I need to look hard at it, and do some experimenting with different .243 loads before I spend money on a new rifle, dies etc. Maybe the answer is already in my gun safe. Nevertheless, I have some attraction to the 6.5x55SE.

Thanks again, and I'd welcome any other thoughts.

 

[M700]

A good .243 can be wonderfully accurate, and very effective on deer or varmints. You just might want to take a long hard look at that rifle that you already own. One of the better multi-purpose cartridges avail, it can excel at all of those jobs; target, varmint and deer.

Best of luck. Rifles are a great way to spend time and money!

 

[olympian]

You do not say anything about what kind of rifle you were considering or handloading interest but both the .260 Remington and 6.5x55 are great rounds that would meet your provided criteria. I doubt you would ever see any difference between the two in hunting whitetails or long range target. If you are building a "modern" rifle, I recommend you get a fast twist barrel for the 139-140gr bullets and chamber it for the round with the appropriate length action you want to use. I have seen some rather impressive shooting with both rounds. If you are buying a factory rifle, I recommend a .260 Remington.

 

[JER]

my thoughts have been that the .308 costs a bit too much in the recoil department for he target purpose.

I shoot both a 308 Winchester and a 260 Remington in my target rifles. I don't find much difference in recoil between the two when using 155s in 308 and 139s in 260 driven at speeds that will provide the wind drift resistance that I want.

 

[ConnorExum]

Hi. I'm brand new to this forum, having seen a link to it on another. Looks great. I apologize if this question has been hashed before,probably has). I am looking for the ideal caliber for both whitetail deer hunting, and long range target shooting,out to 600 yards - which to me is long!). And, I want something with the minimal recoil to do both things well. I realize the caliber won't be perfect for both - I'm looking for balance. Based on what I've read, it seems that the 6.5x55SE would be about perfect. I am not planning on shooting in competitions,no time for all that). Thanks in advance.

I like Racer X as well. I would 6XC or 243AI would be good... Even the standard 243 is excellent choice. I suspecting that your whitetail deer will shot at less than 600yards? The Swedish Mauser is a hell of a cartridge but the 6mm has great potential for your dual purpose gun as well.

 

[RickB]

The 6.5x55 will serve you well. The major decision will be whether you intend to use a standard,long) action or a short action. The short action will require a different reamer,throating) than one for a long action if you intend to use the magazine. This is something to discuss with the gunsmith you choose to put it together.