Short Action, Long Range and Varget, which caliber for rebarrel?

[TAJ45]

Really hvy for caliber .308 class, as was stated, a lot of compromises in a 308 case.
Why not a 284? Short action, HP, quality and multiplle bullet choices that do wind "well". 1300 w/o breaking a sweat.
Find a node at a lower barrel saving velocity for the chip shots, power up for your 1k and above.... best of both worlds w no case forming.

 

[284winner]

Hey all,

Looking for opinions to consider. I have a Rem 700 in 308 I would like to rebarrel and have the action trued up. I also have a fair bit of Varget I would like to continue using. I’m often shooting 1000 to 1300, not competitively though. With this combination, which caliber should I be looking at? Ideally something that will last at least 1500 rounds.

Many thanks.

Dug into some old load data I have from my .260. Seems I experimented with Varget with 142 SMKs. Seems they shot good .75 accuracy. Not as good as H4831 or 4350 but pretty decent. The .260 Rocks beyond 1000.

 

[Liven The Dream]

One more Vote foe .308 with Varget .
Long time Palma Shooter and F/class .
.308 SP Brass , Varget Berger 200 , 210
With the right chamber will hammer .

I have seen Guys try Varget in 6.5’s .260 just eats brass .

You could give up on Varget ? Go H 4350 or H4831sc and .284 .
Yes SA will work ! Have to pull bolt to remove loaded rounds .
I have one great round 180 Burgers .

 

[vegas]

Whew! Thanks for the input guys! Lot's of stuff to chew on here and I'll try to address some of it.

So seems like a lot of love for 6mm but the wind affects it so makes it tough. Being here in the desert, the wind and terrain is a big factor. I shoot at a local club that sits in a canyon of sorts. The wind gets going good and puts on a nice swirl. When I shoot in the open desert, more of the same. We are fortunate here locally as there are plenty of spots to get out to a mile. I have a long action for that. This rifle started out life as a 20" SPS Tactical. A mishap later, it's more like a 19" now. I shoot suppressed with it pretty much 100% of the time. Life past 900 is variable to say the least! I am typically shooting 1.5-2MOA steel.

I noted the recommendation of 6.5x47. This was a caliber I had considered previously. There were a few 6.5 Creed mentions with lighter bullets for Varget. Would that be the same 6.5x47? 260 was one I hadn't really considered but could be an option.There's a good case for 6.5 knowing I can change powder later if I feel the need.

308 and heavy bullets also mentioned. What twist are you guys using for stuff 200gr and up? Due to suppressor, I probably wouldn't want to go over 24 or 26" Does that give me enough oomph to get out there?

Bottom line, I am not married to Varget and it always seems to be in demand so it could be sold or traded. I know there's a wealth of knowledge here and really wasn't sure how versatile Varget could be. I seem to recall everyone having issues getting 4350 here locally for their 6.5's which had put me off going in that direction.

Thanks again to all and keep the input coming.

Cheers!

 

[X-Caveman]

6.5x47 with 130-140 class bullets would be a lot better for banging steel than a 6BR variant. If mag feeding is a concern, it’s better there, too. Would shoot flatter and be a lot more pleasant than a .308 shooting the heavies. Varget should work great. Get yourself a 26” 8 twist barrel and enjoy. The suppressor makes it pure magic.

 

[ttfreestyle]

If steel is your game it’s very hard to spot hits(and misses) with a 6mm out past 1000, the splash is minimal. Good luck

 

[GSPV]

Is running from a mag a requirement? If so, that is very significant.

 

[MikeMcCasland]

Whew! Thanks for the input guys! Lot's of stuff to chew on here and I'll try to address some of it.

So seems like a lot of love for 6mm but the wind affects it so makes it tough. Being here in the desert, the wind and terrain is a big factor. I shoot at a local club that sits in a canyon of sorts. The wind gets going good and puts on a nice swirl. When I shoot in the open desert, more of the same. We are fortunate here locally as there are plenty of spots to get out to a mile. I have a long action for that. This rifle started out life as a 20" SPS Tactical. A mishap later, it's more like a 19" now. I shoot suppressed with it pretty much 100% of the time. Life past 900 is variable to say the least! I am typically shooting 1.5-2MOA steel.

I noted the recommendation of 6.5x47. This was a caliber I had considered previously. There were a few 6.5 Creed mentions with lighter bullets for Varget. Would that be the same 6.5x47? 260 was one I hadn't really considered but could be an option.There's a good case for 6.5 knowing I can change powder later if I feel the need.

308 and heavy bullets also mentioned. What twist are you guys using for stuff 200gr and up? Due to suppressor, I probably wouldn't want to go over 24 or 26" Does that give me enough oomph to get out there?

Bottom line, I am not married to Varget and it always seems to be in demand so it could be sold or traded. I know there's a wealth of knowledge here and really wasn't sure how versatile Varget could be. I seem to recall everyone having issues getting 4350 here locally for their 6.5's which had put me off going in that direction.

Thanks again to all and keep the input coming.

Cheers!

Based on everything you just said, sell the Varget and look into a 300 WSM or 7RSAUM. .284 Win at a minimum.

Shooting in the desert with high winds out to 1300...to do that 'successfully' you're definitely into mag territory.

As far as the barrel length, run that thing as long as you can accept. I've run a 30" suppressed before; you get used to it, but I understand not everyone wants to go that long. The slow powders you're going to need to run a barrel as long as possible.

 

[284winner]

Your not asking much to make 1000-1300 yards really with good 6 or 6.5 bullets. Not sure how hung up you are on Varget but IF it's your powder choice do to having a bunch on hand, the .260 will work with it. The .308 offers more load bullet weight options with Varget. As stated above, wind will effect the 6mm bullets most. The 6.5s will do better in wind but ultimately the heavier .30s (200+) will defy wind much better. IF Varget isn't going to hinder your cartridge choice, a short action will run a 7 WSM/SAUM, .284 and .300WSM/SAUM. All much better LR choices if wind is a factor as it always is eventually.

 

[Liven The Dream]

Whew! Thanks for the input guys! Lot's of stuff to chew on here and I'll try to address some of it.

So seems like a lot of love for 6mm but the wind affects it so makes it tough. Being here in the desert, the wind and terrain is a big factor. I shoot at a local club that sits in a canyon of sorts. The wind gets going good and puts on a nice swirl. When I shoot in the open desert, more of the same. We are fortunate here locally as there are plenty of spots to get out to a mile. I have a long action for that. This rifle started out life as a 20" SPS Tactical. A mishap later, it's more like a 19" now. I shoot suppressed with it pretty much 100% of the time. Life past 900 is variable to say the least! I am typically shooting 1.5-2MOA steel.

I noted the recommendation of 6.5x47. This was a caliber I had considered previously. There were a few 6.5 Creed mentions with lighter bullets for Varget. Would that be the same 6.5x47? 260 was one I hadn't really considered but could be an option.There's a good case for 6.5 knowing I can change powder later if I feel the need.

308 and heavy bullets also mentioned. What twist are you guys using for stuff 200gr and up? Due to suppressor, I probably wouldn't want to go over 24 or 26" Does that give me enough oomph to get out there?

Bottom line, I am not married to Varget and it always seems to be in demand so it could be sold or traded. I know there's a wealth of knowledge here and really wasn't sure how versatile Varget could be. I seem to recall everyone having issues getting 4350 here locally for their 6.5's which had put me off going in that direction.

Thanks again to all and keep the input coming.

Cheers!

.308 Heavy Bullets 10 Twist go 30" heavy Palma contour , The Chamber is important !! without the right Chamber you will not get the best results..
You need a Gunsmith for Target Rifles . There are many on this site.
I would give you my Guy in a PM ???

 

[Evan]

If your goal is 2MOA steel at 1000-1300yds, mostly for fun, then the heavy 140gn+ class of 6.5mm bullet does that pretty well at a more economical price point. I agree that a 284 on up to a 300 Norma Mag would be easier and more consistent, but the trade-off is consumption. Feeding a 6.5 Creedmoor or 6.5x47 is easy at 40gns a shot and 175 shots per pound of powder. You only get 125 per pound from a 284, 100 from a 300WSM, or 70 from a Norma Mag. Each caliber you step up, you add 10 cents to the premium match bullet price too.

I'd strongly recommend choosing a cartridge that does what you want and selling anything that doesn't work with it. Sunk costs and throwing good money after bad won't get you where you want to be.


EDIT: H4350 isn't the only game in town for the 6.5s. RL16, RL17, H4831sc, IMR4350 just to name a quick few are all very viable powders and I can always find one of them. You don't need to be a slave to Hodgdon - they don't make the only or even the best powder.

 

[ebb]

All the choices Mike mentioned are good but with high BC bullets they will need a long action if you are going to set the bullets out far enough to not use up all the case capacity. A Creedmore is made a little shorter so it could work in a short action but it is a little slower than a 260, I don't know about a 6.5-47 but I suspect it will need along action also. I may be wrong so check it out but the Creedmore and the 6 mm chamberings seem to me to be the best choices for a short action. Any of the WSMs and the RSAUM have the same issue they will work in a short action with short low BC bullets, but long bullets are needed to shoot long. Any one of the short mags Remington brand or Winchester would be the way to go for me. I lust after a 7-300wsm (7wsm brass is impossible to find).

 

[vegas]

6.5x47 with 130-140 class bullets would be a lot better for banging steel than a 6BR variant. If mag feeding is a concern, it’s better there, too. Would shoot flatter and be a lot more pleasant than a .308 shooting the heavies. Varget should work great. Get yourself a 26” 8 twist barrel and enjoy. The suppressor makes it pure magic.

This sounds like a good plan to me and the direction I'm leaning right now. If I can't make Varget work it won't be for want of trying. My original goal was to see if I could use my current stock and it sounds like I might be able to.

Is running from a mag a requirement? If so, that is very significant.

It is a requirement, yes. I missed this in my OP. I'm running AICS pattern with an internal measurement of about 2.99.

If your goal is 2MOA steel at 1000-1300yds, mostly for fun, then the heavy 140gn+ class of 6.5mm bullet does that pretty well at a more economical price point. I agree that a 284 on up to a 300 Norma Mag would be easier and more consistent, but the trade-off is consumption. Feeding a 6.5 Creedmoor or 6.5x47 is easy at 40gns a shot and 175 shots per pound of powder. You only get 125 per pound from a 284, 100 from a 300WSM, or 70 from a Norma Mag. Each caliber you step up, you add 10 cents to the premium match bullet price too.

I'd strongly recommend choosing a cartridge that does what you want and selling anything that doesn't work with it. Sunk costs and throwing good money after bad won't get you where you want to be.


EDIT: H4350 isn't the only game in town for the 6.5s. RL16, RL17, H4831sc, IMR4350 just to name a quick few are all very viable powders and I can always find one of them. You don't need to be a slave to Hodgdon - they don't make the only or even the best powder.

All good points Evan. Having a lower cost per round never hurts. Doing a long action cartridge is not a consideration as I already have it covered with a 7mm RM that I use when I want to go further or get more consistency. Appreciate the info on the different powders also, good to have options.

 

[GSPV]

I ask about mag length because much of the advice you have been given and will receive assumes single loading. The 284 Winchester, for example, while nominally a short action cartridge, is a different beast altogether when single loading.

 

[GSPV]

You might run some ballistics data to see how a 6.5x47 or 6.5 Creedmoor necked up to 7mm shooting the Berger 168gr VLD compares to the parent cartridge shooting 140 gr class pills.

I do not know for certain about the Creedmoor, but I know that the Lapua version works at AI mag length with the shank/boat tail junction up in the case neck.

If you search for “7x47” on this site, you’ll find some data including my reamer dimensions.

Some guys have hit me up about it for games like yours. I went that way for different reasons entirely and can’t speak to how it would work out for you. But I can answer any technical questions, should you want to look into it.

 

[TikkaSporter]

I'll offer another recommendation for 6.5x47 Lapua with 140 Hybrids. 36.8 - 37.1 gr of Varget with the 140 Hybrids has hammered for me over three consecutive barrels. FWIW, I placed top-20 at the 2018 Nightforce ELR match with this rifle/caliber/load. Steel targets as far as 2100 yards, average shot was, I believe, just under 1100 yards that year. Majority of engagements were between 1000 & 1500 yards.

 

[vegas]

Coming back to my old thread; I had pretty much decided on 6.5x47 when at the last minute I made left turn and ordered a Bartlein 6mm barrel. The allure of a softer shooting gun was too much I'll just have to deal with the fighting the wind. I found a post on one of the Precision Rifle blogs that listed a competitive shooter using 36gr of Varget with a 105gr hybrid so I'll play with that a little. The other bullet that interests me is the 115gr DTAC.

So my next questions is; for a 6mm Creedmoor, what sort of freebore would I be looking for?