Need Advice on Next Build Caliber

I am looking for advice on my next build. I am not a bench rest shooter or a long range shooter. I am a recreational shooter and deer/hog hunter. I do like accurate rifles though.

I currently have the following rifles:
Semi-Auto 5.56
Bolt .270 Win
Semi-Auto .300 BLK
Semi-Auto 7.62x51
Bolt .308
Lever .45-70

I am thinking about one of the following:

A magnum bolt like a 7mm RM or .300 Win Mag
A 6.5mm like the .260, 6.5-06, other 6.5mm?
Other recommendations?

Please let me know where you think I have some holes in my collection and what you think would be a good addition.

Looks like ya have 90% covered between the 270 and 45-70.

The 300wm is really coming into its own with the high bc bullets these days. More case capacity then the other standard magnums.

Plan to try 7mm-300wm next myself. Should be fun. But seroiusly there is not much one will do better then the other. 338-375 ruger could be interesting to run.

+1 for the 300 WinMag
And there are several quality barrels in the classifieds right now......

For just a recreational shooter thats not into long range with deer and hogs on the menu I wouldn't even consider the powder usage and recoil of a magnum cartridge. For something a little different that can handle game I would look at the 6mmXC, 6 Creedmoor, .250 Savage or better yet .250 Improved or the .257 Roberts/improved. Very accurate cartridges that are much easier on the wallet and shouder when it comes to shooting and reloading.

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Originally Posted by stomp442

For just a recreational shooter thats not into long range with deer and hogs on the menu I wouldn't even consider the powder usage and recoil of a magnum cartridge. For something a little different that can handle game I would look at the 6mmXC, 6 Creedmoor, .250 Savage or better yet .250 Improved or the .257 Roberts/improved. Very accurate cartridges that are much easier on the wallet and shouder when it comes to shooting and reloading.

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I was thinking something similar; i.e. a slightly lighter round which would be a joy to shoot all day at the range, but would still have plenty of punch for hogs and/or deer. I was thinking about 6mm BR; not too expensive, low recoil, easy to hand load, easy to tune, accurate, and available as factory ammo too.

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Originally Posted by Mozella

I was thinking something similar; i.e. a slightly lighter round which would be a joy to shoot all day at the range, but would still have plenty of punch for hogs and/or deer. I was thinking about 6mm BR; not too expensive, low recoil, easy to hand load, easy to tune, accurate, and available as factory ammo too.

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You should consider the 6.5 Creedmoor if this is what you are looking for. There are good factory ammo options, easy to load for, performs well on deer sized game, low recoil, and can do long range if you ever decide you want to do it.

Lots of cool newer 6.5 options out there, But I particularly like the old school 6.5x55mm, when loaded to modern day pressures it blows away the 260 or 6.5cm. (140 @ 2940 fps) It's also one of the cheapest lapua brass you can buy

I am in this same boat and pretty close to the same situation. I ordered a 6.5 creedmoor barrel on friday. Look into it more I think you will like what you see.

What about a thumper such as the 338 federal?

6.5 WSM, I love mine and all bases are covered, Varmint 95gr Vmax's 4000+ fps, Hunting 120s 3500+ fps, Target 140s 3300+fps.
I got some Lee dies to get started and figured I would get some thing better later, no need to they get the job done all for $35.00
270 WSM brass in one pass and they are ready to load. No neck bushings, shoulder forming, neck turning, nothing. all in a short action to boot.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/988...ort-magnum-wsm

Dean

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Originally Posted by Londerko

Lots of cool newer 6.5 options out there, But I particularly like the old school 6.5x55mm, when loaded to modern day pressures it blows away the 260 or 6.5cm. (140 @ 2940 fps) It's also one of the cheapest lapua brass you can buy

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The 6.5x55 is a good cartridge but it's also a long action. I can get 2900fps with my 6.5 Creedmoor and 140 AMAX without pressure.

OP, for what you want I would lose the magnums and stick with a 6.5mm or 6mm. A 6.5 Creedmoor or even the old .243 will do just fine. The 6.5 Creedmoor is really coming into it's own now. I have been shooting it since 2008 and really like the caliber. You can load it down with lighter bullets for less recoil and flatter trajectories or with the 140s for long range work. If the 6mm route then the .243 will work and you can find plenty of info on it. Get the .243 with a 7.7-8 twist and you can shoot the heavy 105-115 bullets. The .243 can be a very accurate long range round.

If you don't reload, I would get the 6.5 creedmoor. If you do reload, I would get the 260 remington. Also, you could neck down your 308 brass to 260. For long range, pas 1200 yards, I would get the 7mm remington magnum.

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For just a recreational shooter that's not into long range with deer and hogs on the menu I wouldn't even consider the powder usage and recoil of a magnum cartridge.

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For sure. 300 Win Mag is a lot more gun than you need for that scenario. Course if you are into burning lot's of powder under heavy expensive bullets for "recreational shooting" the 300WM will do the trick...and very accurately at that!

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Originally Posted by sixonetonoffun

Looks like ya have 90% covered between the 270 and 45-70.

The 300wm is really coming into its own with the high bc bullets these days. More case capacity then the other standard magnums.

Plan to try 7mm-300wm next myself. Should be fun. But seroiusly there is not much one will do better then the other. 338-375 ruger could be interesting to run.

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I'm slowing building one up, only hard part is finding someone to make a barrel for it. Definitely going to have to buy 2-3 barrels at a time as well since you're going to shoot one out by the time you get another one ordered. Throwing 180 grainers at 3,100 fps+ sounds like a lot of fun though.

Try Apache Gun Works or Skinner Gun Works or Bison Gun Works.

Skinner and Bison do good work and are not usually as backed-up as Apache because, well, Apache is like God. They are mere mortals. :)

Take a look at the 6.5 Grendel in either a bolt or an AR..

The trajectory is much like the .308 and a lot less recoil. Does extraordinarily well on deer and hogs too. Amazingly accurate too.

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Originally Posted by foxx

Try Apache Gun Works or Skinner Gun Works or Bison Gun Works.

Skinner and Bison do good work and are not usually as backed-up as Apache because, well, Apache is like God. They are mere mortals. :)

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Jim at Bison did my 338-06, and its an absolutely tack driver. Just sent him an email about possibly doing a 300 WM for long range duty. I have some 215 hybrids just begging to be wasted.

Well, I am building a switch barrel 300WM and 7MM Rem Mag on a Stevens 200 LA. Now I am already thinking about a 6.5. Thanks for all the input.

Keep us posted as you narrow the choices down!

Id agree with the others who advise against magnum cartridges for what youve described.
None are really much fun to shoot even with muzzel brakes. I use large cartridges because
i hunt long range with them. Sometimes the extra horse power comes in handy for that purpose.
Ive watched 6 br's shot out to 1200 yds on a nice day with amazing results. Whats not to like about
that if your just shooting for the fun of it. A week or so ago a neibor here was playing around with a
7/08 at that distance. He was doing well hitting rocks with that also.
As for the 7x300 win mag, its a nice cartridge that has been getting more popular because of the internet talk about it.
Years ago when the 300 win mag showed up, hunters here were quick to neck it down to 7mm. What they found was they didnt
gain much over a 7mm Weatherby. The 340 and 300 weatherby cases necked down will provide more velocity. So will the
8mm mag and 300 h&h case necked down and the shoulder changed. The 8mm mag version is now known as the 7 STW.
The 7 ultra mag has a slight edge over the previously mentioned as for velocity.
As for barrel life, used exclusivly for hunting with a few rounds shot at targets each year a barrel can last for a persons lifetime.

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Originally Posted by yobuck

Id agree with the others who advise against magnum cartridges for what youve described.
None are really much fun to shoot even with muzzel brakes. I use large cartridges because
i hunt long range with them. Sometimes the extra horse power comes in handy for that purpose.
Ive watched 6 br's shot out to 1200 yds on a nice day with amazing results. Whats not to like about
that if your just shooting for the fun of it. A week or so ago a neibor here was playing around with a
7/08 at that distance. He was doing well hitting rocks with that also.
As for the 7x300 win mag, its a nice cartridge that has been getting more popular because of the internet talk about it.
Years ago when the 300 win mag showed up, hunters here were quick to neck it down to 7mm. What they found was they didnt
gain much over a 7mm Weatherby. The 340 and 300 weatherby cases necked down will provide more velocity. So will the
8mm mag and 300 h&h case necked down and the shoulder changed. The 8mm mag version is now known as the 7 STW.
The 7 ultra mag has a slight edge over the previously mentioned as for velocity.
As for barrel life, used exclusivly for hunting with a few rounds shot at targets each year a barrel can last for a persons lifetime.

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Agreed on all counts except that large magnums aren't fun to shoot! I have the most fun shooting my big cartridges. Not to say that I don't enjoy my 6.5 Grendel, but I'm like a little kid every time I let my .338 Lapua off.

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Originally Posted by WinnieTheBoom

Agreed on all counts except that large magnums aren't fun to shoot! I have the most fun shooting my big cartridges. Not to say that I don't enjoy my 6.5 Grendel, but I'm like a little kid every time I let my .338 Lapua off.

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Can't say I've done bigger than a .378 Weatherby Magnum. It was fun, even from the bench when I was trying to get an MOA.

The least pleasant was a super lightweight 20 gage.

Those experiences were forty years ago.

Now, I thoroughly enjoy shooting an accurate rifle. The Grendel is my favorite. The .222 Magnum I got a long time ago taught me the difference between a rifle that throws big and heavy bullets like the Weatherby and one that is equally capable on a lot of targets but has light to modest recoil.

Well, the OP has stated his parameters , and his existing battery doesn't really have gaps on the upper end , what with .270, .308, and .45-70 . More of gap in middle bore and middle power.

Big question is common caliber for ammo/ brass availability, or something really different just because you enjoy the interesting & unusual.

For mainstream cals, everything points to .243Win, the 800lb gorilla of mid bore dual purpose ctgs. ( I didn't say "best" , but the .243 decisievely won the popularity contest 40 years ago). 6mm Rem, .250Savage stock & various Improved flavors, .257Roberts stock & various Improved flavors are all "better" than .243 , but are essentially handloading only propisitions. Bending the parameters , 6x45 would be interesting, if on the lower edges of deer/ hog capability, and 6.5 Creed is treading close to .270 territory, unless really long distances.

If one goes toward the .243, stay with the standard chamber but use the 8-twist barrel.

that will let one use the 100 ton115 grain pills that make the cartridge more competitive at long range.