Hi guys. Im trying to decide on what cartridge to go with. It will be used for medium to long range (200-1000+ yards) target/steel shooting. I already have a 700 short action for 308 so it has to be a short action cartridge and having the parent case be 308 would be nice too. I would like ideas to be based on things like barrel life, ammo availability, ammo variety and cost, reloading variety and cost, best BC, longest range, etc. Any input is greatly appreciated.
I disagree with those that advocate starting with a 308 and here's why.
Every shot you take at long range that has some sort of feedback whether that be steel, misses in dirt or paper is filed into the back of your memory as a reference for all future shots. This feedback helps you to develop a "intuition" for what the wind is doing, how it affects the bullet and where you'l decide to aim to hit your target. Being that a typical load for 308 will blow almost twice as much in the wind as many other chamberings and those shots will be stored as a reference in your mind the transition to 7mm, 6.5 or 6 to me is nothing but a set back later on.
If you plan on shooting precision rifle matches/sniper type matches then you'll need a 6mm, 6.5, or 7mm to be competitive for a top finish, moreso the farther the bullet gets away from the barrel. I see this nearly every time I go to my local match. We shoot a hard steel course out to 1080Y. I've witnessed 3 new shooter"s" 0 the course and some of the most prestigious firearms instructors in the world finish only 3/4 the way up on the roster, all shooting 308. One particularly windy day I watched these guys holdoff and/or dial(not enough reticle) 5-6 mils into the wind at the 1080Y steel netting a "no joy". I heldoff 2.5 mil with my 6x47L and hit it both shots.
Reloading...Uh, developing a load for just about any cartridge in a accurate rifle is not hard nor takes a excessive amount of rounds to achieve. With my 2cnd to last 6x47L heavy barrel I was done in less that 50 rounds and could have chosen "the" load in 20 rounds but tested and retested again. My the other medium weight barrel I used the same load to put ten shots into .5" - one ragged hole so really no load development.
Okay, the downside for 6mm is barrel life, expect approx 2000 rounds for less than 1 moa. Add another 1000 shots for 6.5 and another 1000 for 7-08 or similar, these "ARE" approximates. I've read about a few guys here on the Hide getting only 4000 out of their 308's being pushed but up to 10,000 for normal loads. I deem 6.5 the most advantageous in compromise for barrel life, competitive edge in the wind and recoil force. Although 6mm is the dominant caliber for top finishers in the PRS series.
I've found that using tangent ogive or Berger hybrid bullets greatly take the hassle out of tuning loads as the throat wears forward.
Marksmanship skills when it comes to "form" can be learned with a pellet gun or a rimfire. No need to waist ammo using a centerfire. There's no better training aid for learning form than shooting a air rifle IMO.
Why???, you can shoot it in your house or on your property, you get instant feedback every shot exposing any, all weaknesses in form and it's a heck of a lot of fun! Take that one step farther and shoot your centerfire just like you shoot the air rifle and you are GTG.
6.5x47L is a fantastic little cartridge, I'll stick to 6x47L though. Brass life is almost unbelievable! 6.5Saum is a ultra fantastic cartridge, brass life isn't the greatest but the cartridge is awesome. Personally I'd want 10 round mags for it before I built one for practical precision matches.