I need some help/opinions please ?

[CRJR]

I'm just trying to have some fun and improve my shooting , but toy with shooting longer distances . Now I have a 110 Long Range Hunter in 7mm rem mag and have been shooting at 100/200 yards , but want to try longer ranges , like 600/1000 .

But , trying to find match grade ammo in 7mm rem mag is impossible right now , and expensive . So I thinking of buying a barrel in a different caliber , say 6mm Creedmoor . It looks like i could buy a barrel and a case of match grade ammo in 6mm Cr for the price of a case of 7mm rem mag .
What are your thoughts ? Keeping in mind price of ammo and availability , without reloading , what would you do ?

[IMG][/IMG]

[Wayne Nixon]

I think you might also have to swap bolt head along with the barrel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CRJR]

I think you might also have to swap bolt head along with the barrel.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I should've said that too I guess , but yes . Thank you .

[Dave Hoback]

If I were you, I'd take the money you will spend on barrel/bolt head/ammo, and invest in a small reloading set with 7rem mag dies.

Ammunition is bad bad no matter what caliber! Components are as well...but with some patience & percervierance, one can find what's needed.

BTW: Welcome aboard, & very nice rig you have there.

[CRJR]

If I were you, I'd take the money you will spend on barrel/bolt head/ammo, and invest in a small reloading set with 7rem mag dies.

Ammunition is bad bad no matter what caliber! Components are as well...but with some patience & percervierance, one can find what's needed.

BTW: Welcome aboard, & very nice rig you have there.

Yeah , that was plan B . I have two 7mm rem mags , so I'd like to stay with this caliber . But it's almost impossible to get primer or powder , isn't it ?

I've never reloaded but I have been watching videos and checking out the prices . What press would you choose ? Hornady ?
I just ordered a new barrel for my old 7mm from Northland . I was thinking one for hunting and one for range shooting .
And thank you !

[charlie b]

I don't like that much recoil, so I'd probably go with the 6CM. But, I have been a reloader for many decades so 'accurate' ammo just takes a bit of load workup.

Before you pick reloading equipment how much reloading will you do? If it is just for informal rifle shooting on steel or target then a good single stage press will work fine. Brand really doesn't matter. Whichever one you get I'd recommend a press with quick change die bushings.

Next step up is a turret or progressive. The Lee turret presses are good in their 'manual' form. I'd stick with the plain version. For shooting a lot then a Dillon would be better. Only your bank account limits which one you pick :) The 550 is a nice piece of kit.

[Dave Hoback]

Difficult....not impossible. Why I said, need patience. And need to stay alert with searching. They come in waves now. Before this past summer, I had spent He last year looking for 223 powder. Finally was ably to grab a couple pounds of Accurate 2495. Then a month later I was able to find another couple lbs of my FAVORITE.....Hodgdon BLC-2. So, search the Web.. visit your local stores often and check out the gun shows. You'll get what you need.

There are so many really good Presses. I use a Dillon 550 for the reloading. But I also still have my original Lee Challenger. I rebuilt the hinge & beefed it up. I use it for de-capping primers & things like swaging primer pockets. But the Dillon is my baby!

[Dave Hoback]

Question, is that the BDG Chassis? AIM handguard? Looks like. I wish they had been around when I got my FIRST Chassis. I been using the MDT TAC21. Actually just ordered an Mirage URL, so that'll be fun.

[CRJR]

Question, is that the BDG Chassis? AIM handguard? Looks like. I wish they had been around when I got my FIRST Chassis. I been using the MDT TAC21. Actually just ordered an Mirage URL, so that'll be fun.

It's a XLR Carbon fiber chassis I bought two years ago , I dont see it on their website now though .

[CRJR]

I don't like that much recoil, so I'd probably go with the 6CM. But, I have been a reloader for many decades so 'accurate' ammo just takes a bit of load workup.

Before you pick reloading equipment how much reloading will you do? If it is just for informal rifle shooting on steel or target then a good single stage press will work fine. Brand really doesn't matter. Whichever one you get I'd recommend a press with quick change die bushings.

Next step up is a turret or progressive. The Lee turret presses are good in their 'manual' form. I'd stick with the plain version. For shooting a lot then a Dillon would be better. Only your bank account limits which one you pick :) The 550 is a nice piece of kit.

I'd just go with the single stage , I think . And yes , the recoil was a factor also in going with a different caliber . I was thinking I could buy a couple cases of 6mm and it would last a year , I don't shoot as often as I would like .

[Dave Hoback]

I hear that brother! I'm 43... 100% disabled... I don't drive... Shooting!? What's that?? Yeah, I think I went shooting sometime in the last year or two.... or THREE, LOL!

Ahhh, the XLR Carbon. Yeah, I see it now. I looked at those too. (Not the Carbon, it wasn't out when I built this rifle). I wasn't fond of the buttstock though. I ended up making my own buttstock and it came out decent.

[Mr.Snerdly]

I like Lee stuff. I started with RCBS but everything I get from Lee is less money and works as well and many times better. Before anyone says there is better stuff, there is, but it costs a lot more than what most people want to spend unless they are wanting something for serious competition. Lee and RCBS is plenty good enough for me and probably 95% of reloaders.

[Dave Hoback]

That is a valid point. Honestly, I could get by just fine with my inexpensive little Lee Challenger. I'm the kind of reloaded who enjoys it. I don't shoot much anymore(would like to, but my situation doesn't allow it), so I don't need to load a couple Thousand rounds a month. I've only one arm & one eye to use, so it makes my progress very slow anyway. But also, it makes my action methodical. I'm careful & purposefully don't rush or even hurry. I find reloading very relaxing...calming even. In fact, it helps the constant Nerve Pain I suffer every minute, of every hour of each day. So, YES.... I "could" get by just fine using ONLY my Lee single stg.

However, reloading presses are no different than anything else. We like to have as "NICE" of equipment as each of us can afford. Nothing wrong with that. Case in point... I really, REALLY like my Dillon, LOL!

[charlie b]

Yep, all of my reloading stuff is Lee, except for a few dies (Redding competition). My Loadmaster is 15yrs old now and I load everything on that. But, it is very touchy about how it is set up so I don't recommend it to anyone unless they are willing to put up with it's quirks. And I am even thinking about getting a Dillon 550 in the near future cause frankly I am tired of those quirks. I've owned the Lee Turret, Auto Breech Lock, Challenger and the Loadmaster. The plain jane Turret was the most useful of the them. If the Auto Breech Lock was tall enough for .308 and .30-06 I'd still have it instead of the Loadmaster.

Time is another factor. If you have a job that consumes most of your week then devoting more time to reloading may not be for you. During the years we ran a home business I was working 60-70hrs a week. Rarely had time to shoot so reloading was set aside for those years.

Retired now so I not only reload, I cast bullets for a lot of my shooting.

[CRJR]

I hear that brother! I'm 43... 100% disabled... I don't drive... Shooting!? What's that?? Yeah, I think I went shooting sometime in the last year or two.... or THREE, LOL!

Ahhh, the XLR Carbon. Yeah, I see it now. I looked at those too. (Not the Carbon, it wasn't out when I built this rifle). I wasn't fond of the buttstock though. I ended up making my own buttstock and it came out decent.

Very nice !

[CRJR]

Yep, all of my reloading stuff is Lee, except for a few dies (Redding competition). My Loadmaster is 15yrs old now and I load everything on that. But, it is very touchy about how it is set up so I don't recommend it to anyone unless they are willing to put up with it's quirks. And I am even thinking about getting a Dillon 550 in the near future cause frankly I am tired of those quirks. I've owned the Lee Turret, Auto Breech Lock, Challenger and the Loadmaster. The plain jane Turret was the most useful of the them. If the Auto Breech Lock was tall enough for .308 and .30-06 I'd still have it instead of the Loadmaster.

Time is another factor. If you have a job that consumes most of your week then devoting more time to reloading may not be for you. During the years we ran a home business I was working 60-70hrs a week. Rarely had time to shoot so reloading was set aside for those years.

Retired now so I not only reload, I cast bullets for a lot of my shooting.

Time or place , I have neither really . I'm still working 40 hours a week , plus side jobs (too many, LOL) , plus , living in Florida we like to fish whenever we can , depending on the weather .

Also , in Florida our garage is hot as hell most always , and my den/office is full of stuff , so I really have no room to set up for reloading .

I think I would enjoy reloading , but it's not really an option right now .

So my thoughts were to go with a caliber that has abundant ammo , and it seems there is a lot of 6mm Creedmoor out there ?

[Blue Avenger]

i know you like your 7mm, but a .223 will get you 500yd+ experience and better ammo price and availability. reloading is almost a must for true long range accuracy.

[Dave Hoback]

It’s a MUST to be competitive in long range “competition”, but not for just having a good time. While my bench gun doesn’t see a single round that I haven’t loaded, I get it that many people aren’t able. Ashame...because when each STARTS reloading, the very first thing that come to mind is “DAMN, I wish I had started this sooner!”. Always!

[CRJR]

i know you like your 7mm, but a .223 will get you 500yd+ experience and better ammo price and availability. reloading is almost a must for true long range accuracy.

Yes , I get the point about a .223 , I have a AR with a bull barrel thats very accurate . But I'm just thinking maybe 600-1000 down the road a bit . For now , I just want to shoot more , to improve , and find a least expensive round available in match loads .

I also get that hand loads are the shit , and maybe down the road I'll go that route , but for now I'm trying to find a caliber I can find in bulk in match rounds , that doesn't have a kick like a mule , LOL . I can handle the recoil on my gun , it has a brake , if I'm only shooting a 40 rounds at a time . But all day shooting would be a test on my teeth and shoulder , LOL

[CRJR]

It’s a MUST to be competitive in long range “competition”, but not for just having a good time. While my bench gun doesn’t see a single round that I haven’t loaded, I get it that many people aren’t able. Ashame...because when each STARTS reloading, the very first thing that come to mind is “DAMN, I wish I had started this sooner!”. Always!

Competitive shooting is not on my horizon , I have a ton of improving to do to get to that level .

[Dave Hoback]

Well, I’ll be honest... 6mm or 6.5 Creedmoor is likely your least expensive option in a medium level cartridge. Great round & excellent market support. Creedmoor was “relatively” new when I built this last Savage. My background with Savage goes back to 1996, buying my first high power rifle at age 18. From that point, I had several more.. ALL 308Win & 30-06. I knew I was doing 6.5mm on this last Savage build after my accident(and new outlook on life). I chose to do 260 Remington though, because I had already decided beforehand that it would NEVER see anything besides my reloads. I’m still quite happy with that choice & plan to simply go 260AI on my next rebarrel. Even so, when someone asks my opinion on caliber choice, I ask if they plan to reload or factory ammo. If factory ammo is their answer, I ALWAYS recommend Creedmoor. 260 is right for me, but ya just can’t argue with the Creedmoor’s factory & aftermarket support. So that’s my recommendation for you if you don’t plan to stick with the 7mm.

[CRJR]

Well, I’ll be honest... 6mm or 6.5 Creedmoor is likely your least expensive option in a medium level cartridge. Great round & excellent market support. Creedmoor was “relatively” new when I built this last Savage. My background with Savage goes back to 1996, buying my first high power rifle at age 18. From that point, I had several more.. ALL 308Win & 30-06. I knew I was doing 6.5mm on this last Savage build after my accident(and new outlook on life). I chose to do 260 Remington though, because I had already decided beforehand that it would NEVER see anything besides my reloads. I’m still quite happy with that choice & plan to simply go 260AI on my next rebarrel. Even so, when someone asks my opinion on caliber choice, I ask if they plan to reload or factory ammo. If factory ammo is their answer, I ALWAYS recommend Creedmoor. 260 is right for me, but ya just can’t argue with the Creedmoor’s factory & aftermarket support. So that’s my recommendation for you if you don’t plan to stick with the 7mm.

Thank you !

[want2ride]

I have changed my Savage 7mm Rem Mag Long Range Hunter into a 7mm Mauser. The parts list is as follows and should be identical to what you need for a 6.5 Creedmoor.
Barrel
Aftermarket Barrel Nut(not required, but recommended)
aftermarket recoil Lug (not required, but recommended)
Bolt Head
Magazine box
Spring
Follower
Now i only went with a 7x57 Mauser because of the nostalgia , and Savage doesn't offer one. If i was to keep a barrel with the intent of hunting ever again with it, i would surely go with a new rifle because of the extensive parts list. I have seen a 6.5 Creedmoor at the local sporting goods store just today, but i couldn't tell you the last time i have seen 6mm Creedmoor. Before covid the 6mm Creedmoor may have been getting more and more popular, but unless you load your own it just isn't going to be as good of option as the 6.5 for a while.

[CRJR]

I have changed my Savage 7mm Rem Mag Long Range Hunter into a 7mm Mauser. The parts list is as follows and should be identical to what you need for a 6.5 Creedmoor.
Barrel
Aftermarket Barrel Nut(not required, but recommended)
aftermarket recoil Lug (not required, but recommended)
Bolt Head
Magazine box
Spring
Follower
Now i only went with a 7x57 Mauser because of the nostalgia , and Savage doesn't offer one. If i was to keep a barrel with the intent of hunting ever again with it, i would surely go with a new rifle because of the extensive parts list. I have seen a 6.5 Creedmoor at the local sporting goods store just today, but i couldn't tell you the last time i have seen 6mm Creedmoor. Before covid the 6mm Creedmoor may have been getting more and more popular, but unless you load your own it just isn't going to be as good of option as the 6.5 for a while.

AMMOSEEK shows a shit ton of 6mm -
https://lockedloaded.com/product/hor...ch-20-bx-10-cs

[charlie b]

Yep, I think you're on the right track there.

If, or when, you have more free time then you can look into reloading. I reloaded on the kitchen table for several years. The original Lee Turret press came with a maple box that turned into a base for the press. Clamped to a table and I could work in the kitchen or even a coffee table in the living room. Sadly they stopped including those. Sometimes I wish I had kept that thing

By the time you are ready maybe the powder and primer situation will be resolved as well.

And do practice with the .223 as well. I find it is great for learning how to figure wind drift.