I am starting to put the pieces together for my first long range rifle. I have a savage m12 short action I am going to re barrel. I need help picking a good caliber to start with. I reload everything, so factory ammo is not a concern. I want the gun to have a good barrel life, be easy on my wallet with reloading components, and have some knock down power at 500 yds (or more) I was going to build a .308, but have heard from many that this is not the greatest round to start with because of drop and drift. Others say this is what I want, so I can learn to read wind ect. Then I decided a 6.5x284 would be the ticket. But, I read they have very short barrel life. So the 6.5 creedmoor and .260 rem came into play. Most people I talk to say the .260 would be perfect. Others say the 6.5 creedmoor performs the same as the .260 but with less pressure. What is your opinion on these calibers? How will they be on deer out to 500 yds? I thank you for your time!