Efficient big game cartridges that do well in short barrels

[CharlieNC]

My 20" 308 pushes 185 Berger at 2650fps. Its a pretty bad hombre.

 

[XTR]

If you are looking for something to sling heavy bullets I'd look seriously at the 338-06 (338 A Square). It's not wildcat, you can buy the brass right now at Midway. (though making it from 30-06 is pretty painless, just expand it.) Ideal bullets are in the 200 to 225 range. For a can you can get any of the infinite number of 338 cans out there.

Only drawback is that it doesn't fit in a short action.

 

[JamesnTN]

45-70 or the 45-110

 

[snowpro440]

.308 would be my choice , easy to load for , suppressed , not much recoil or heat with a few shots, long barrel life too.

 

[SierraCJ5]

338 Winchester Mag. 200g bullets easily go 3000 fps out of a 22 inch barrel. Plenty of power and ballistics for a 350 yd shot. Tons of bullets & brass to choose from, reasonable barrel life. Sounds like it checks all the boxes for your needs.

 

[long40shot]

My 20" 308 pushes 185 Berger at 2650fps. Its a pretty bad hombre.

I've been pondering on that very combination. How does it group?

 

[CharlieNC]

I've been pondering on that very combination. How does it group?

Fine, 1/2 to 1 moa at 200yd. And I'm seating the Bergers to mag length with no optimization at all.

 

[Jaybo]

One of my favorite is 338/06 .215gr 2600 fps it takes care of business

 

[mattri]

Built a 338-06 a few years ago. Lightweight, 22" barrel (not much bigger than your spec) synthetic stock, all around hunter.

Using 225 gr AccuBonds it was a great shooter and hit like Thor's hammer.

It's a hell of a round, simple to form and accurate, shot it out to 600 all the time and it was still hitting hard.

 

[Racebannon3855]

I built a 338-06 on an Interarms Mark X Mauser and it is working out great. The 200 grain Speer is affordable and MOA as far out as I have checked it (250 yards). The 215 and 250 gr Sierra are twice as accurate but not as good a deer bullet as the Speer. The Sierra 215 and 250 were designed for a 338 Mag and do not open well on 130# whitetails at 338-06 speeds. The 210 gr Partition is as reliable as, well as a partition. I have not tried the newer projectiles, no need yet. I shot the Mark X and loaded for it quite a bit when it was a 30-06 and I could not drive the 200 gr Speer or 220 gr Hornady/Sierra as fast as the 338-06 will. I have a Ruger 77 .30-06 that will drive the heavy bullets faster than the Mark X would, but it still is not as fast as the 338-06. No replacement for displacement when it comes to expansion ratio.

I also have a Model 70 in 338 Mag and it is awesome, just more kick than I like to deal with. If you want a short action I would consider a 338 Federal. I have friends with short barreled 300 or 270 WSMs and the muzzle blast is fierce. A short barreled .308 makes a sweet rig and the muzzle blast is not too bad. Not sure why you need 200 gr, you are right a 200 eats up powder space in a .308. A 180 gr Partition in a .308 will answer a bunch of questions. Hard to beat a .308 if you want a short tube.

My brother and I have saved an 03A3 that a previous owner has made a mess of and we have essentially ended up with a scout. The 30-06 is not ridiculous in an 18" tube and it handles up to 220 gr with no problem. Hard to go wrong with a straight .30-06 for a hunting rifle.

Good Luck!

 

[savagedasher]

600 Nitro express. 458 Lott both long and short . Larry

 

[Nvreloader]

Here is another vote for the 284,

I run a 21" bbl in standard 284 and have taken a Bull Elk at 300+ yds and a cow Elk at 500+ yds with Nosler 140 grs, running @ 3150+ fps,
with my SP pistol.

You should be around 2700-2800 fps with RL-26 and 180grs,
which is an outstanding powder in my 21" bbl, IMHO,
several groups in the 1" range at 300 yds.

YMMV,

Tia,
Don

 

[rifleman700]

338-06 or 338-06AI

 

[Patton243]

7mm rem mag is still my favorite magnum of them all. I have a 300 WSM too, but the 300 lacks one less in the magazine. If you're going standard cartridge I would go 280 AI. I have one of them too. Not sure why you need a short barrel, most long range big game rifles have barrels at least 24 inches long. Aside from a 308, you'll never burn all the powder out of a shorter barrel either.

 

[Jerry Head]

I am curious what cartridges you would recommend for game up to the size of elk/moose, using 180-200gr bullets, and that work well suppressed (7" TBAC Ultra) in a 20-22" barrel. I have heard more efficient cartridges work best in that length, particularly 300 RCM. However, that cartridge hasn't really caught on and I would like something with more commonly available and good quality brass.

Shooting distance is no more than 350 yards. I plan to use it for target practice too, so a cartridge with good barrel life is nice, but not required, as long as I can get at least 1,500 rounds before a rebarrel. I would prefer to use a 20" barrel, but am willing to stretch it to 22" if really needed.

 

[Jerry Head]

I used to have a 700 Rem in .300 Win Mag bbl was 20.5. Handiest rifle I ever owned. Several moose didn't mind the velocity loss.

 

[people]

So any word on what the op decided to do?

 

[Webster]

I am curious what cartridges you would recommend for game up to the size of elk/moose, using 180-200gr bullets, and that work well suppressed (7" TBAC Ultra) in a 20-22" barrel. I have heard more efficient cartridges work best in that length, particularly 300 RCM. However, that cartridge hasn't really caught on and I would like something with more commonly available and good quality brass.

Shooting distance is no more than 350 yards. I plan to use it for target practice too, so a cartridge with good barrel life is nice, but not required, as long as I can get at least 1,500 rounds before a rebarrel. I would prefer to use a 20" barrel, but am willing to stretch it to 22" if really needed.

30-06: The Alaska game Commision recommends it and it is the most popular caliber
in Alaska. In a sporter weight barrel there cannot be much difference in wt. between 20 & 22".

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.firearms

 

[Gtscotty]

Given that the OP has a .30 cal suppressor he wants to use, all the >.30 cal suggestions probably aren't going to do much for him. I'm going to be putting together a similar hunting rifle once my titanium can gets a little closer too getting out of jail. I'll almost certainly be using a .308 or .30-06 in the 18" - 20" range.

My 20" Tikka CTR gets a little over 2,600 with a warm accuracy load of Varget under a 178gr ELDx. Something along those lines with an Accubond or some such should be good to go. If I decide I want a little more spunk, I might go with another .30-06. My 22" .30-06 180gr SGK accuracy load runs right at 2,800 fps. @20" maybe 2,750, @18" maybe 2,700?

Should be plenty for elk.

 

[338Lapua]

200/210 gr no problem in a 308w.