Looking for a new caliber

[Gearheadpyro]

I'm looking to pick up a new (light) gun for hunting in the southeast but am having difficulties with caliber choice. I'm leaning towards .243 win, but barrel life seems to be pretty short according to what I've read (1500 rnds?). If I get a .243 I would shoot the heavier stuff, 105 a-max and the like, that should help barrel life as it would be slower.

What are your thoughts on accurate calibers suitable for hunting with a long barrel life?

 

[markr]

throat erosion is more about the amount of powder that you're burning in a particular bore size,,,42 gr.s of powder out of a .243 rather than a .308

 

[dlebeck]

The 243 and the 6mm remington are great for deer and such. Reloading is very easy and good brass/bullets are everywhere. I have both of these as well as a 257 Roberts and a few 7/08's. If and that's a big if, I was starting all over, I would have the following only:

1. 30/06 for all around big game at any distance that I care to shoot.

2. 6mm Remington in an ultra light bolt action set up to shoot everything from 85grs and up. This would be my go to for deer and such.

3. 300win mag for the really big stuff at longer ranges like over 500yds.

4. Either a 22/250 or a 6BR for varmits and such.

5. 22Hornet for my all time favorite fun gun.

6. 22rimfire for everything else.

That covers it all. I do have all that and way more just because I am addicted to guns.

Doug

 

[Laurie]

2,000 rounds is a reasonable expectation for .243W if you keep pressures down a little. A lot depends on your accuracy requirements of course, as there's a big difference between a barrel losing its 'edge', and it being completely 'shot out'.

Using heavy bullets doesn't improve barrel life - quite the opposite as heavy bullet loads increase wear at any given pressure level. What kills barrels is throat erosion caused by the steel being subjected to very high pressures and temperatures from the powder gasses. A light bullet accelerrates quickly away from the chamber limiting the barrel throat's and rear end of the rifled area exposure to the nasty stuff. A heavy bullet has more inertia, takes longer to get moving and so increases it.

Many years ago when 'tuning' production car engines was popular, a British supplier of hot camshafts and multi-choke carburettor etc parts had the words "Speed Costs" at the bottom of every page of its catalogue. This applies to rifles too - a relatively small increase in performance is often obtained at a disproportionate cost in powder burned and barrel life reduction.

You don't say what your hunting requirements are - the terminal ballistics needed for a clean kill and the maximum effective ranges required determine the external ballistics you need. Once you know that, you have a choice of whether you just meet your needs with as small and low pressure a cartridge as possible, or whether you want a bit or a lot of extra performance on top that needs more powder to be burned. You might be able get away with the smaller sixes or six point fives such as 6BR or 6.5X47 Lapua. Going up in bore size for a given case capacity and powder charge always reduces barrel wear too and that's worth considering, so a 7mm-08 Rem gives better life than .260 Rem and that in turns gives better life than .243 Win.


Laurie,
York, England

 

[CJ6]

Yep lots of choices out there. It's hard to go wrong with any cal based on the 308 case or for that matter the 6.5x47L-300 Savage case. Cals from .243 to 358win will all get the job done and have modest recoil with good accuracey. In a hunting rifle you will not be subjecting the rifle to compitition style RUNS so the barrel life will be much better. If Store bought ammo is a concern then maybe the 243win 260rem 308 cartridges would be better,if not then take your pick.If you also Hog hunt then a 260-up cal would be of benefit.

 

[Johnboy]

hey why not look into the ^cm.it shows a lot more barrel life than a 243 and its based off the 243.been rading a lot about it and it seems to get around 3000 or more rounds before it goes out.and shooting a 115gn bullet.with H1000 at 3100fps.

 

[Gearheadpyro]

The game would be mostly deer, some hogs. Our deer around here are very small, it won't take much to put them down. Ranges will be fairly short, I want this gun to be light enough to carry all day and be able to snap shoot. Our terrain around here is thick brush, distances are generally less than 150 yards.

I already have a .308, but it is a heavy gun. It's not suitable for carrying around all day.

Thanks for the solid info Laurie. I don't like to test the limits on my guns, I load them for accuracy instead of speed. Most of my .308 loads are a full 2 or 3 grains lower than listed max's.

What is barrel life like for the 6.5x47 Lapua? I don't need this gun to be a total tack driver, but I want it to be pretty accurate. Somebody also threw out the 6mm Remington, is this round known for decent accuracy? Does a 6br have enough punch to take deer out to 100-150 yards?

 

[jo191145]

Light carry gun? Snap to shoot? Thick brush? 200yds or less?

You need nothing new. You need something proven. The old thutty thutty has been proven perfect for that job for years.

Or buy another light 308 winny. You have all the dies already. 6mm's will knock deers flat. 30's will handle brush better.

 

[TheSnake]

More information on the 6.5X47 here.
http://www.6mmbr.com/gunweek085.html

 

[Laurie]

GearHeadPyro,

I only punch paper, so there are others better qualified than me to advise you. However, everything I've read over the years suggests the 7mm-08 Rem may be the ideal cartridge for you if you want to try a change from .308W.

Modest recoil, well suited to light rifles (popular in the Remington Model 7), and proven effective on medium game. With your 150yd shooting, you've no need for a long barrel. Great choice of hunting bullets and an inherently accurate cartridge. Easy enough to handload.

The 6.5X47 Lapua is a great little cartridge and would meet your needs well too. Lapua claimed an estimated 4,000 rounds barrel life when they introduced it - even if that's optimistic it will give better barrel life than .243 Win. It's a very good all-purpose cartridge, more than accurate enough to allow match use as well as hunting in a suitable rifle and barrel (but that adds weight, of course). Downsides are custom-built rifles only so far as I know, and expensive brass (but very tough and long-lived) only from Lapua to date. Like the seven, there are plenty of good hunting and match bullets on the market.

I'd say it comes down to how much you want to spend and whether you want a custom rifle build or something off the shelf.

Laurie,
York, England

 

[alf]

Laurie,

I like your thinking.

My 7-08.....

Except I had a hard time deciding betwixt the 7-08 or the 260,
so I built one of each. ;D

My 260....

I would really hate to have to pick just one. Like trying to choose your favorite child.

Gearhead, while I have no disrespect for a 243, I prefer either of these two chamberings instead. My 260 spits out 100's at 3375, the 7-08, 120's at 3175 in 22" barrels, which I believe is a step up in performance over a 243.

 

[Gearheadpyro]

Thanks for the help guys. It's looking like I'll be in the market for a .260 Remington. I posted this question on a few other forums as well and got a ton of responses saying the .260 is what I'm looking for. After doing more digging on my own I think I'm agreeing. The 6.5x47 looks like a great cartridge too and is still on the table. The dollar a case thing looks like a pretty major deterrent, we'll see.

Would it be better to form .260 brass by necking up .243 or necking down .308? I've got a ton of .308 cases, but I've not formed brass before so pointers would be great. I'm guessing that a necked down .308 case would last longer?

 

[alf]

I use nothing but 308 Lapua for 260, 7-08, and 308.

Rumor has it that donuts are formed when going up.

With your annealing expertise, using the 308 you have is a no brainer. I prefer to go in increments, but with the gentle shoulders involved, going even to 243 in one pass is not a problem.

 

[30378]

A good 260 would be really hard to beat. One of the best hunting rounds out there.

 

[coues52]

ALF,wow those are some neat guns! anyway I would go with the 260 like ALF,s ,lol.~Danny

 

[Dgd6mm]

Look at the 6CM, do a search on "joesr" all the information you need. 4000+ rounds of accuracy. I've got one for hunting , and one for target. This is a very impressive round, do yourself a favor and check it out before you decide. It is fireformed of the .243 case, you can use winchester brass or lapua. Joe Hendricks is a real nice fella to talk to and is willing to answer ALL and Every question asked. The reamers are available or you can get David Bruno to chamber one.

 

[diriel]

Hi all, new guy here.

Not sure if you like Rugers or not but: http://www.ruger.com/products/m77HawkeyeLaminateCompact/models.html
This is one heck of a field carry rifle series! They have non stainless with walnut, and they have a compact magnum version as well. If you look at the calibers listed I think you may see some nicely interesting choices.

Good Hunting,
Gary
P.S. Thought I would add the 2nd link as it is the one with the additional "interesting choices" : http://www.ruger.com/products/m77HawkeyeCompact/models.html