Re: barrel life on different cartridges
From <span style="font-style: italic">Cactus Tactical</span>:
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> .224 bore (5.56 mm): The 223 Remington (5.56 NATO) is an excellent choice. Its a little light for extreme distances but ammo is cheap and very available, accuracy is excellent, and recoil is very tame. Almost every manufacturer offers rifles chambered in this great military cartridge. The 22-250 Remington has grown in popularity as one of the most accurate cartridges available. Higher velocity greatly improves maximum usable range for this light recoil performer. Ammunition and rifles for this former “wild cat” are available from a variety of manufacturers. Bullet weight range for 223 and 22-250 is 45 to 60 grains. Heavier bullets may be used but require a faster twist rate.
.243 bore (6mm): The 243 Winchester was developed by necking down a 308 case to 6mm. This very accurate cartridge uses bullets in the range of 70 to 100 grains. Very modest recoil in this 50-year-old cartridge have made it a very popular rifle and an excellent choice for long range shooting. Ammo and rifles are available from most manufacturers.
.270 bore: The 270 Winchester is a necked down 30-’06 case that is one of the best cartridges on the market. Besides being an excellent big game cartridge, it has the accuracy potential for good long range performance. With bullet weights in the 100 to 150 grain range, this heavy hitter can be a little stiff on recoil. Most manufacturers make rifles and ammunition for this popular cartridge, however bullet variety isn’t too good..
7mm bore: Bullets in 7mm (.284) diameter have higher ballistic coefficients than most any others. This makes them ideally suited for long range performance. Based on a necked down 308 case, the 7mm-08 Remington is the most accurate cartridge in the 7mm family. It may be loaded with 100 to 175 grain bullets. Bullet weights in the 139 to 145 grain range take advantage of modest recoil and sub-MOA accuracy. Downrange performance rivals 308 and 30-’06. Ammo and rifle selection is not as good as some, but are certainly available from most American manufacturers. The 280 Remington, AKA 7mm Express is based on the 30-’06 case necked to 7mm. After the 7mm Rem Mag was introduced, the 280 lost popularity and was reintroduced as the 7mm Express. Its velocity performance is just under the 7 Mag but its accuracy potential and barrel life is better. Shooters are fond of this outstanding long range performer though ammunition availability isn’t very good. Recoil is stout but down range ballistics are excellent for hunting or target shooting. The Express uses bullets in the 115 to 175 grain range with 150 to 162 being the best performers. 7mm Express rifles can be a bit scarce.
308 bore: .308 (7.62mm) diameter bullets are the most popular on the market probably because they support the two most popular 30 caliber cartridges, the 308 Winchester (7.62 NATO) and the 30-’06 Springfield. Both military cartridges are well suited for long range shooting and have very similar ballistics. The 308 Win is inherently accurate and an efficient cartridge that is shorter and a little slower than the ’06. Rifle and ammunition availability for both cartridges is probably the best of any caliber. Recoil is stout but manageable. .308 bullets are available in 100 to 220 grain and optimize with 150 –168 grain in both cartridges.
Conclusions: You may have noticed all the above cartridges are military based except the 22-250 and even its case is nearly the same as a 308. All others except the 223 Rem are based on either the 308 Win or the 30-’06 cases. Many good cartridges are based on the 7mm Mauser, such as the 257 Roberts. However, their popularity and availability kept them off the list. Any of the above tried and true cartridges will make a good long range solution that will offer excellent accuracy potential, long barrel life, and availability. If you don’t see your favorite cartridge listed, it’s because of barrel life, availability, or other subjective criteria. That doesn’t mean it’s a poor performer.</div></div>
I have a hunter and a varmint rifle chambered in .280 Rem. I have become somewhat fascinated with the cartridge's ballistics on paper, and intend to try doing some load development this coming season. As a tradeoff between LR performance, component availability and capability, and bore life, I see it as a front-runner. Just as I have become an all-out devotee of the .260, I see the same personality potential for the .280's ways of harnessing the .30-'06's case capcity. There's also the added advantage that the case base diameter makes it a primo candidate as a barrel switch chambering.
Greg
