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New project

summersux

Private
Full Member
Minuteman
Jun 9, 2009
13
61
35
Lancaster Co, Pennsylvania
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!
 
Re: New project

All of the above will wax a deer at 600 yards.

The 260 Rem has some great followers around here and the 6.5's are gaining steam in all flavors, as well as the various 6's too. The 308 has the benefit of having "match" grade factory ammo on the shelf. The others don't to my knowledge.

I can't speak for performance on anything but the 308 and I find myself shooting the 30-06 more. I just downright love my 06, I recently got rid of the 308 because it was spending too much time in the safe.

Another short action round you might consider is a 243 or the 243 AI. They're fantastic performers, there's great match bullets out there for them, and barrel life is reasonable if you treat it right. Recoil is significantly less than the 308 and it's more than capable of killing deer, it has been tagging white tails for decades.
 
Re: New project

Welcome to the "Hide", fill out your profile.

As previously stated any of those calibers would be fine, to include the .243.
 
Re: New project

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bohem</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> The 308 has the benefit of having "match" grade factory ammo on the shelf. The others don't to my knowledge.

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The 6.5 Creedmoor has excellent match grade 140 AMAX and 120 AMAX loads which are about $24/20. I have also handloaded it with the 140 AMAX to 2870fps and no pressure signs. If you handload you can use other bullets also. I like the 140s.
 
Re: New project

As far as rounds go, I think 308 is a great round when learning long range shooting. It demands wind reading skills and proper dope. The 155's will give less barrel life, but have substantial velocity for a 308 and great accuracy. You can get CORBON match ammo from time to time and even more frequently once this stupid crisis is over. When it comes to barrel life, LL just posted that he has over 10,000 rounds through some of his tubes before rebarreling. Don't expect to beat out some of the other hot cartridges at a competition, but it is a great round to start with. Oh, and it will anchor Bambi just fine with some of the hunting rounds.