What should I do next?

[ducks-and-bucks]

I'm sitting with a big range to fill with one or two rifles... I have a 260 tactical, and a 338 lapua on the way... but I dont have any caliber inbetween them... I'm toying with a 7mm cal here and a 30 cal... I shoot mostly for fun and hunting so they wouldnt be any kind of bench rifle... my collections goes from a 140 gr berger with the 260 to a 350 gr berger with the 338.... thats a decent gap that I have an itch to fill...

My ideas: 284 win/shehane, 7saum pushing 180s, 7stw... then in the 30 cal im not sure, id like to push a bigger 30 cal bullet... 300 win mag, 300 rum???

What are the most inherently accurate rounds in these areas?

They will be trued rem 700 ss action builds...

What is yalls opinions?

 

[its only light]

The 284 win/shehane are hard to beat. The saum is also great but brass availability can be a pain.

The next big 30 cal I build will be a rum. I like the beltless case. Not sure what barrel life is like with that round if that's a concern. If so them maybe the 300 norma mag?

 

[its only light]

Its definitely a great round.

I was just thinking another good in betweener for you is the 280ai. Great hunting cartridge and very capable at distance. Any of the 7mms are really hard to beat in that medium case size.

 

[dwcon]

for hunting elk and mule deer I use 7stw with 180 bergers hard to beat. DW

 

[Jet]

Recommend you select the bullet first based on what you want it to do (ballistics and terminal performance on game) then select the cartridge that will meet your needs.

Jet

 

[ShootDots]

Two (2) that come to mind immediately are 1.) .284 Shehane and 2.) 300 Norma. I have a 300R.U.M. and my gunsmith has been experimenting with the .300 Norma. I believe it to be a better round. The .300R.U.M.'s are VERY accurate, however, so is the "Norma version" and I believe the case design is better and it is definitely stronger. So, if you are going to build 2, those would be my pick.. Now having said that, if you do build a .284 Shehane, you will be using 6.5 x 284 brass.. This brass, if not run on slow powders, has a great tendency to loosen up primer pockets IF you try to extract a lot of velocity from it. If it were me, I would be using either IMR 7828 OR H1000 if you are going to be using the 180class of bullets in it. You can EASILY OBTAIN 2925f.p.s. (with a 28-30" barrel) with either of those powders and never adversely effect the primer pockets.. In the .300 Norma, my 'smith has been using RL-33 / Berger 230's with extremely great results! I have seen him shoot 10 shots in less than 4" @ 600 yards with some tactical rifle he built for some guy..

 

[L.Sherm]

+1 for the 280AI if you want a .284 round. You get 7 mag. performance without the belt, less powder and availability of brass I believe is good also you don't need a mag. action. You can fireform or buy Nosler 280 AI. Brass. Don't know about 28" or 30" barrel for hunting unless you strictly use it for a stand or bench not so much for a walking around rifle. For a 30 cal 300 norma gets my vote.

 

[flatlander]

I would take issue with being able to get 2900+fps with 180s out of either a straight 284 or the Shehane version. I've been shooting various 284s with 28"-30" bbls since 2006, and have never been able to get that much velocity without expanding primer pockets rather quickly. Matter of fact, the only powder that I've used that comes close to that much velocity is RL17.

To those that would say "yeah, but you don't have a Shehane." - that's true, but I've got a 280 AI with a 30" Krieger R5 bbl, and don't get 2900fps with 180s out of it either, whether using RL17, 4831 or SC, or 7828 SSC. And the 280 AI has very nearly 6grs more case capacity than WW284 cases, so that scraps the argument that the Shehane can do that much more than the straight 284.

I can run 180s (VLDs or Hybrids) at close to 2800fps out of either the 30" 284s or the 280 AI, and keep primer pockets snug for at least four firings (got a lot of WW284 brass, so none of it has been loaded & fired more than four times to date). My CED M2 chrono has been checked along side a MagnetoSpeed and found to agree with those results, so no, I don't think I've got a 'slow' chrono. FYI, my three 284s are built on: 1. Trued M700 LA; 2. BAT 3LL; 3. DTA SRS.

 

[ShootDots]

FlatLander, TRY IMR 7828 OR H1000>>> You WILL obtain it w/o any problem(s) with either the primer pocket OR getting to 2900!! BUT you need to be in either the Shehane OR the Walker>>>either or..

 

[ShootDots]

With the .300Norma OR any of the "Super-Mags" (i.e. .300R.U.M. / 30-378WM etc....) make sure you have a R-E-A-L-L-Y good muzzle break, or you will wish you did!!

 

[L.Sherm]

I've shot a 308 Norma recoil wasn't bad,about like 338 win. mag. Don't know the difference with the 300 Norma. A good recoil pad makes all the difference in the world

 

[4xforfun]

Oh crap...now Berger makes a 350 grain 338.....back to the load development grind!!

 

[DennisH]

Recommend you select the bullet first based on what you want it to do (ballistics and terminal performance on game) then select the cartridge that will meet your needs.

Jet

I second the above.

You mentioned some some of the best. The 300 Win Mag is hard to beat, then the 284 Shenane runs a close second.

 

[338 Mollett]

I did a lot of testing with a 300 norma, it would be a good hunting round if you are only going to shoot it 10 times a year.Any small measure of accuracy is not repeatable and the krieger barrel was fried after 300 rounds.

 

[ShootDots]

.338, I just read your reply about the .300Norma... So, since I have no experience with it, I called my gunsmith and got into a discussion about his findings... He stated that HIS (the one he built for himself for experimentation) has just shy of 600 rounds thru it presently. He just took it out to 1000 yards and shot 3 / 5shot groups that are still under 1/2m.o.a. He stated that he has built about 10-12 of those tactical rifles in .300Norma and said that in his opinion and findings it is the most accurate of the "B-I-G" 30's he has ever experienced.. He stated that virtually all of the rifles he has built in that cartridge have shot the same load within 1/2grain of each other. Now they all were from the same reamer>>.that may have something to do with it.. From the "borescoping" he gives that rifle often, witnessing the "wear", he figures that he will get about the same longevity as a .300Win. Mag. He also states that he uses RL-33 and that the fastest powder that should even be considered is Retumbo. However, in all the rifles he has built for that cartridge, RL-33 has it all over Retumbo.. I trust his judgement, as I know that he has built alot of those rifles and he breaks in the barrels and developes the loads for the customers. AND as I stated in my first reply, I was there when he shot less than 4" at 600 yards and that was "during load development"! I forgot to mention, he is using 230gr Bergers...

 

[people]

I think you have a good combination in what you have. I do not know how you hunt but the 260 has nice range on it and where your 260 is lacking your 338LM will take over nicely and go as far as you want to shoot. Take it from me the 338LM really can put a critter down.

Here is the comparison I use. 308Win 300WM and 338LM and 300WM is in the middle.