If you could have Just one caliber...
- Thread starter mao0720
- Start date
30-06 or 6.5x55 are really nice rounds that seem to fit your request AND have a great track record. Short action 6.5x47 or 7-08 (both on my "want" list). Not big on 260 since to shoot heavy bullets you have load long (may or may not fit short action) and it just seems to me you could can do same with 6.5x55 at that point.
I have several hunting rifles. The one that goes out the most is the first one I ever bought - 30-06 M70. Not fancy or high tech and yeah, its likey what your dad shot too but it works.
I have several hunting rifles. The one that goes out the most is the first one I ever bought - 30-06 M70. Not fancy or high tech and yeah, its likey what your dad shot too but it works.
Simple answer for me - The 6.5x55 but in the GWI version.
AR Shooter
Silver $$ Contributor
+1. If the OP changes his selection to an R700SA in an Eliseo R1 he could be describing my rifle.DCRYDER said:
Im hearing a lot of folks for the classic standbys, the 308 and the 30-06. Also Lots of 6.5, quite a few 284 win and a few 7-08. I have 2 308 wins. Amongst these other 3 (6.5x47, 284 win, and 7-08) what are the pros and cons? Barrel life, ease of loading, ability to mag feed in a short action?
if you don't want to alter the factory remington receiver to accept a wyatts long magazine box, there is really only a couple choices in my opinion. the 6.5x47 or the 6.5 creedmoor if you want high BC bullets, low recoil, and decent barrel life. my .308 reamer has .050 freebore and i can touch the lands with most bullets at mag box length but some bullets will take me to the neck/shoulder junction that most folks want to stay above. really, a short and light .308 is hard to beat for just about anything you would want to hunt within reason. i guess that would have to be my choice for "just one". its amazing how efficient a .308 can be with a 20" barrel!
chuck
chuck
.308win
Thank You for stating my feelings also!!GSPV said:
To start off with, God made us all different and for that reason I am stating this. I like to shoot cartridges that are fast and blow up things when hit. 3,000 rounds?? Cm/On now... I guess some people just get in the Old groove and want to be like other people and just slide by. Well, I'm here to tell you there is another side of life you really need to try out and have fun with Wildcatting on the Fast Side Of Life. Yes, Barrel life is on the Short side of what you think the norm is but just like everything else we do,You have a give and take. What I am talking about has to do with kinetik energy transfer. You can shoot slow and moderate, Or you can shoot fast and watch things blow up! Unlike some that want to see how far they can shoot. I limit my shots to less than 500 yards and thats where the magic starts to take place in high velocity. Cartridges like the 220 swift are what started all of this. Take this to the level of the 30-378 Weatherby and add to that a 110 or a 125 grain bullet at over 4,000 feet per second and you have that magic. Try it before you knock it and you just might learn what I have. Think ouside the box and have some fun for a change. Barrel Life might be short, But do it and tell me it is not fun...In PO Ackleys Volume 1 pages 73-83 is a great article about the 220 swift and this started me on my trek of high velocity some 35+ years ago. You only live once so why not live on the wild side of life before you meet your maker. Life is too short not to enjoy things other than a boring cartridge... Besides...Barrels can be replaced and that is how Gunsmiths stay in business...Just my thoughts...enjoy...
Todd- I admire your enthusiasm, and Im sure that what you are shooting is extremely entertaining. But, the simple fact is that I cant afford to replace barrels once or twice a year. This is why I have stuck with 308 win for so long. I am by no means against or counting out a good wildcat cartridge, Id love to have a 6 Dasher or something similar. I just would like to be able to shoot the same barrel for longer than some wild cats allow for.
mao0720 said:
Didn't mean to offend anyone, I have my 308's and other rifles that are what some call daily drivers... But I also have a few that are my picks called fun guns...I don't shoot them every day for the same reason you stated. Barrel life is short, But when you have more than One...Rifle, That life will last longer than I will is all I was trying to say...Please don't take it as I was bashing anyone... Like I said...Just my thoughts...
XTR
F-TR obssessed shooting junkie
mao0720 said:
the 6.5x47 and the 6.5 Creedmoor are the ballistic twins of the 260Remington. They have some features that some like over the other two with regard to brass but performance wise they are effectively triplets. (the 6.5x47 may have a slightly lower capacity) Take a look at the available brass for reloading and in the event you ever did want to find off the shelf ammo there will be almost none except for the 260.
284Win What bullet do you want to shoot? If you keep to the 140s and lighter I would think that mag loading will be fine. DannyBiggs is probably one of the most knowledgeable people out there about this caliber, he posted earlier in this thread.
7-08, probably the longest barrel life of the group but none of the calibers you are looking at are barrel burners. If you are not target shooting you'll never wear one out. If you are target shooting, then none of these is a barrel burner and for a target shooter barrels are a consumable so you plan on a replacement at least every couple of yrs unless you are running one of the barrel burner calibers (like 6.5-284) then it's every yr (or more often)
Ballistically the 284Win has the biggest boiler and will give you the highest velocity, high velocity always comes at a price (nothing is free). (recoil, more powder and some barrel wear compared to the other two) The 6.5s or a 260 will probably get you a bit better ballistics than the 7-08 if you can feed heavy for class bullets.
I looked at three cartridges to build a new hunting rifle to replace my hunting 308 two yrs ago. Like you the choice was in some ways influenced by what was already in the safe. I already own a 7mmRM, so I didn't feel I need a short mag of any variety, I've got a magnum that never gets used now, and I wanted something that shot a little flatter than the 308.
I didn't go with the 284Win, though I really wanted one, I still really like the caliber but to me, as a hunting rifle it seems to occupy a niche that I just don't need filled. It seems more of a Magnum Lite, and if I needed that I have the 7mmRM. I thought long and hard about the 260Rem, but in the end I went with a 7-08, not so much for barrel life, I'll never wear out the barrel in a hunting rifle, but for the option of a little heavier bullet, but not heavy for class, running the 140 class vs what is available to the 260s in the mid weight range.
That's my thoughts. You need to look at the ballisti
Thanks XTR, that was a big help. The hard part about running the ballistics for all 3 cartridges is finding folks with firsthand experience and know velocities for similar loads as what I would like to run for either cartridge. For example, I've searched high and low through this forum for someone who could give me a velocity reading for a 162 amax I a 7-08 at mag length. Another example 284 win with a 140 Berger hunting vld or 162 amax at mag length. As soon as I can get some velocities for each perspective cartridge and load the sooner I can check the ballistics. I tried to get some help from anyone with quick loads but got no responses.
XTR
F-TR obssessed shooting junkie
mao0720 said:
Everyone jumps on the 162s but they are LONG. There are some who seat them for mag length, but that puts a whole lot of bullet tail in the case and the BC advantage they have only plays in after you get to about 600 yards. I can drive 140 Accubonds (not the LR variety) at over 2900FPS at mag length from my 24" barrel. Run those numbers out to any reasonable hunting range (I consider that inside of 500 yards, and more sanely at unside of 400) and there is just no reason to play with the 162s in a 7-08. More recoil, more fuss and the deer isn't going to know the difference.
If you are shooting some kind of comp where the small gains at longer range might pay off then go for it and figure it out. I may have written this above. I got a box of 162s right after I put my rifle together, shot one OCW test and realized, "this is silly, I'm never using this rifle in competition and I"m never shooting this bullet for hunting so why am I doing this?" The other 85 bullets are still in the box.
My "do-all" rifle:
Savage 10FP action with McGowen 20" 1:8 260 Rem barrel, McMillan A5, CDI DBM. 10lb all-up and pushes 140s at 2700fps with a moderate charge (43.0gr) of H4350.
If I didn't already have a 260 and all the requisite dies/components when this rifle was assembled, it'd be a 6.5 Creedmoor and I'd run factory 140gr A-Max ammo.
Savage 10FP action with McGowen 20" 1:8 260 Rem barrel, McMillan A5, CDI DBM. 10lb all-up and pushes 140s at 2700fps with a moderate charge (43.0gr) of H4350.
If I didn't already have a 260 and all the requisite dies/components when this rifle was assembled, it'd be a 6.5 Creedmoor and I'd run factory 140gr A-Max ammo.
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