Just For Fun Thread (Times are so serious) - Which Short Action Caliber Should I Build Next?

I recently purchased a new in box model 10 short action, top bolt release, with factory DBM and bottom metal.

I already have a Savage 223, Savage 6.5 Creedmoor and a Savage action build in 280 AI. I also have a non Savage 30-06. So, what should I do for fun? I've wanted a 7mm-08 but that gap seems filled. I have 308 dies and about 750 pieces of same head stamp once fired 308 brass. But again, what would I do with a 308 that the 280 AI won't do? Maybe a 6.5 Creedmoor with a Criterion pre-fit from NSS. That is where I'm leaning...

Bring it on! I'm open to suggestions.

I like the 7's. The 7mm08 will always be in the safe. A 284 and a 280 ai will be right next to it. what hole are you trying to fill? A nice 6mm would bring a smile at the range. 6br is cheap and easy . The dasher is not that bad on the pocket book. the 6 creed or the 243 is GTG too.

Might not be able to find a "no turn neck" 22 BR but might be worth looking, also go with a 7 , 7.5 or 7.7 twist so you can shoot some of the heavy 224 Cal. bullets . IF you have the range to use one.

6.5 PRC, 22 CM, 338 Federal. The 6.5 PRC interests me a lot. More horsepower than the 6.5 CM.

I'm getting ready to retire. I can see myself turning 750 pieces of 308 brass into 7mm-08.

243ai

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257 Roberts, plain or Ackley.

.22-250 with a fast twist barrel slinging out heavies...I am shocked at how much I enjoy mine.

.358 Winchester

Wild catting has been enjoyable work for me for many years. Dream it
and make it. PRC was mentioned but I'd direct you to look up the Sherman
line of cartridges first. The Creedmoor is always a safe bet but I'm moving
away from it from boredom......With all that .308 brass, maybe a 260 AI and
26 inch barrel

My next one will be 6BR (maybe 6BRA). It will replace my .223.

I have a .308 and have had a 7mm-08. Both every good. When I had the 7mm-08 (back in the mid-80's) I formed most of my brass from military 7.62 stuff. Just a pass through the resize die. I like the .308 more now simply because I shoot a lot of cast bullets in it.

Another vote for 7-08 it's a fine round.

22BR, 6BR see what you've been missing! Or really see what you've been missing and go 6 or 6.5x47L.

6 Creedmoor or 6 ARC? In the process right now of converting my .223 12 FV into a 6.5 Creedmoor using a take-off barrel from another 12 FV (I think). If I'd gone with a new barrel, I'd probably have gone with one of the 6's instead. Whatever you decide, have fun!

Dave

All very good answers! The 243 AI caught my attention because I remember Vaughn Precision doing a video series on a 243 AI build. Unfortunately right now, I wouldn't want to use components for fire forming brass. I'm going to have a hard time passing on the 7-08! i think the 6BR is scratching my attention also though.

I'm thinking of a 6BR based on a FV12 22/250 I've got but I've accumulated a butt load of 22/250 brass so still in the pondering stage.

The 7-08 deal is becoming brighter now that i have an additional 500 162 grain ELD-X bullets. Obviously also good for my 280 AI.

Seems you're getting suggestions for everyone's "favorites"- but I failed to see what type of shooting this is for?
After all, selecting the "right" chambering is a purpose-driven decision based on the specifics of the application.

I wouldn't want to use a .416 Rigby for target shooting, nor a 7-08 for elephant...

You didn't mention hunting, so I'm assuming this is target (?).... what range(s)?

I am kind of a 7mm guy, i have a 7mm-08, 7x57, 280ai, 7mm Rem Mag and my next will be a 28 nosler. If i didn't have any of that, i would recommend a 7x57 over a 7mm-08 because of the 7x57 seems a little better with the heavy bullets in my savage action than the 7mm-08. but i really like the 280ai over the 7x57. If i didn't have a 7mm Rem mag and i was starting from scratch, i would take a 7mm WSM over the 7mm Rem Mag, i am beginning to become a believer in the inherent accuracy of short actions and i have seen the speeds out of 7mm WSM that are pretty impressive.
I see you already have a 6.5 Creedmoor, and i LOVE the step up that is the 6.5 PRC. I am 200 FPS faster with a 147 than my creedmoor is with a 140.

My suggestions, 6.5 PRC, 7mm WSM, or since you seem to want a 7mm-08 hell there is really no wrong answer!

For something fun do a 300BO with a 16” barrel. Subsonic with a can is pretty quiet plus you can run supersonic as well.

Another fun round for popping hogs and coyotes is the 6.5 Grendel but more than sufficient for punching paper with low recoil and suppresses well with a .30 cal can.

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Originally Posted by tobnpr

Seems you're getting suggestions for everyone's "favorites"- but I failed to see what type of shooting this is for?
After all, selecting the "right" chambering is a purpose-driven decision based on the specifics of the application.

I wouldn't want to use a .416 Rigby for target shooting, nor a 7-08 for elephant...

You didn't mention hunting, so I'm assuming this is target (?).... what range(s)?

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I have all my hunting covered from Indiana whitetail to New Mexico Elk. Just something to mess around with. I'm getting ready to retire on 12/31/20 and will have time to mess around and maybe shoot at local long range matches.

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Originally Posted by Orezona

I have all my hunting covered from Indiana whitetail to New Mexico Elk. Just something to mess around with. I'm getting ready to retire on 12/31/20 and will have time to mess around and maybe shoot at local long range matches.

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6mm or 22 Creedmoor if you want long range shooting without banging the shoulder.

Messing around, local matches...only one choice, 6mm BR :cool:

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Originally Posted by GrenGuy

Messing around, local matches...only one choice, 6mm BR :cool:

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I knew that was coming. 6BR Remington or 6BR Norma? My guess is the Norma.

Yep, Norma or one of the variants, BRA, Dasher, etc.

BUT, if you want more velocity then there are others that will work and extend the range a bit more. .243 is one of many. I kind of view it as how long do you want your barrel to last :)

Why the 6BR instead of the 6x47 Lapua?

6BR Norma

JMO, based on Your parameters, messing around and local matches, You don’t need to suffer the recoil beating You get from the 6/47. If You want to shoot consistently at 1,000yds, the the 6/47 could be a good selection, but it can be temperamental to tune. The 6BR Norma is very easy to tune and likely the most consistently accurate round You have ever shot. That makes it a lot of shooting fun. But, if You enjoy getting pounded, or want an exotic challenge, there are infinite choices.

And, the 6BR Norma gets great barrel life.

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Originally Posted by Orezona

Why the 6BR instead of the 6x47 Lapua?

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It's about efficiency and longer barrel life. The 6x47 will give a bit more velocity as does the 6CM and others. Me, I'd opt for longer barrel life at the expense of 150fps. Just depends on what you are looking for.

The Dasher and .30cal seemed to be more popular last year in the light class at 1000yd. And even in the heavy class there are more than I would expect.

http://www.pa1000yard.com/standings/...oup&sixten=Six

http://www.pa1000yard.com/standings/...oup&sixten=Six

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Originally Posted by charlie b

It's about efficiency and longer barrel life. The 6x47 will give a bit more velocity as does the 6CM and others. Me, I'd opt for longer barrel life at the expense of 150fps. Just depends on what you are looking for.

The Dasher and .30cal seemed to be more popular last year in the light class at 1000yd. And even in the heavy class there are more than I would expect.

http://www.pa1000yard.com/standings/...oup&sixten=Six

http://www.pa1000yard.com/standings/...oup&sixten=Six

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Take a look at the actions used also and see how many factory versions are being used.
Same goes for the barrels, seems Krieger is far and away the favorite.
Matt Kline is the current heavy gun group record holder with the 300 WSM for roughly 10 years now.
There had been a heavy gun record held there for 14 years with a 30 cal of the 300 Wetherby variety.
That record was less than 1/4” larger than the current one. And both of those are about 1/2” smaller than one set in 1986 with a 30x378 by Earl Chronister.
Weve come a long way baby in the world of long range accuracy havent we? lol
BTW, some of those shooters like Frank Weber for example are getting very old.
He is currently 84. The other Webers listed are a son and grandson.
Clay Weaver is in the same age bracket, note the cartridge he uses, 30x378 short, which is a shortened version of the 30x378 case created many years ago by Howard Wolfe for the Williamsport matches.
Turns out it was a 300 Norma years before there was a 300 Norma, as the case capacity is identical.
Note the action used on Clays gun also, which was created by Howard for the wildcat 30x378 in the early 60s.
I have #29 of that action which is currently used on a Bruce Baer version of the 338 Chey Tac.
Howard built Bruce Baers guns before Bruce became a gunsmith himself.
Prior to Mark King being the top dog gunsmith among the Williamsport shooters, Bruce was for quite a long time.
He walked away from Williamsport because of the demanding nature of the shooters.

Okay, 6 BR Norma. Now I need to pick a barrel length and twist for messing around in some matches when my retirement schedule is open. I am going to limit (if it is a limit) the choices to either Criterion or Shilen from Northland Shooters Supply. The below is a copy paste from the NSS site for Criterion and Shilen barrels.

Criterion

6mm 1-7, 7.5, 8, 9, 10, & 14 twists

6 BR Norma,

Shilen

6mm/.243
- 7" * Special for VLD bullets over 100 gr. (available in stainless steel only) - 8" Special for VLD bullets over 100 gr.
- 8" * Ratchet rifled 4 groove (available in stainless steel only)
- 10" For bullets up to 95 gr. and VLD under 100 gr.
- 12" for bullets up to 85 gr.
- 13" * for bullets up to 75 gr. (available in stainless steel only)
- 13.5" * for bullets up to 70 gr. (available in stainless steel only)
- 14" * for bullets up to 70 gr. (available in stainless steel only)
- 14" * Ratchet rifled 4 groove (available in stainless steel only)
- 15" * Special for bullets up to 70 gr. (available in stainless steel only)

You'll want an 8 twist for bullets in the 100 gr. class that you'll be shooting.

I want to thank everybody for your input. You have given me some good information to think on. As the title says, I wanted a good fun thread to help me figure out what to do with the action. Only time will tell when I get into retirement and begin a new chapter. Thank you again.

I've got a Shilen 26 inch 8 twist in 6mmbr mounted to a Savage 12 action, and it's a real tac driver. But if you really want to have some fun, have it threaded and put a harrells tuner/brake on it and shoot 107SMK's over Varget. Components aren't too expensive and since your going to be loading somewhere around 30 grains, it's not going through a lot of hard to find powder. Accuracy is AMAZING and it's easy to tune, and the tuner will keep it tuned as temps change.

Keep in mind that around Black Friday X-Caliber usually puts their barrels on sale at 25% off. Last year i ordered a 24" SS bull in 6.5 CM. It was under $300 to my door. I've shot from 100 to 800 yds so far and it too is amazingly accurate and consistent with the 140 gr SMK and H4350.

One word of warning about the DBM. The 6mmBR does not feed reliably from a magazine. Rounds tends to be too nose heavy and it will jamb against the breech. If you're a skilled craftsman you can fabricate a ramp to aid feeding. Otherwise, plan to make it a single shot.

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Originally Posted by Texas10

I've got a Shilen 26 inch 8 twist in 6mmbr mounted to a Savage 12 action, and it's a real tac driver. But if you really want to have some fun, have it threaded and put a harrells tuner/brake on it and shoot 107SMK's over Varget. Components aren't too expensive and since your going to be loading somewhere around 30 grains, it's not going through a lot of hard to find powder. Accuracy is AMAZING and it's easy to tune, and the tuner will keep it tuned as temps change.

Keep in mind that around Black Friday X-Caliber usually puts their barrels on sale at 25% off. Last year i ordered a 24" SS bull in 6.5 CM. It was under $300 to my door. I've shot from 100 to 800 yds so far and it too is amazingly accurate and consistent with the 140 gr SMK and H4350.

One word of warning about the DBM. The 6mmBR does not feed reliably from a magazine. Rounds tends to be too nose heavy and it will jamb against the breech. If you're a skilled craftsman you can fabricate a ramp to aid feeding. Otherwise, plan to make it a single shot.

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Thank you. The single shot is something I need to ponder.

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Originally Posted by Orezona

Thank you. The single shot is something I need to ponder.

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You can make your magazine fed Savage action into a single shot with a SSS single shot feed ramp. Easy to install and easy to remove if you ever want to do something else with it. I have two and they work great.

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Originally Posted by Bill2905

You can make your magazine fed Savage action into a single shot with a SSS single shot feed ramp. Easy to install and easy to remove if you ever want to do something else with it. I have two and they work great.

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It may be a deal breaker for me. If not, maybe I can buy one from you and let you go through the ordering process again since you have mastered it. :whistle:

Come on, that is a little funny....

I wonder how the PRS shooters using the 6BR handle the magazine issue?

PS yes it was a little funny :cool:

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Originally Posted by Orezona

It may be a deal breaker for me. If not, maybe I can buy one from you and let you go through the ordering process again since you have mastered it. :whistle:

Come on, that is a little funny....

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No thanks. Batting 1.000 and gonna keep it that way... :smile-new:

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Originally Posted by charlie b

I wonder how the PRS shooters using the 6BR handle the magazine issue?

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This is the easy way:

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/...cision-rifles/

The article has a link to another, which explains how to modify a .308 pattern mag to work also.

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Originally Posted by charlie b

I wonder how the PRS shooters using the 6BR handle the magazine issue?

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MDT sells a metal AICS pattern magazine for the 6mm precision cartridges. They list it as being compatible with the 6BR Norma, 6mm BRA, 6mm BRX, and 6mm Dasher. I assume a fair number of PRS shooters are using a chassis with AICS mags.

https://mdttac.com/us_en/mdt-metal-m...rt-action.html

Thanks for those.

I happen to have bottom metal for AICS pattern mags.:cool: