Re: Which caliber for first long range rifle?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BobinNC</div><div class="ubbcode-body">LRB45,
There is an old adage:
Crawl before you learn to Walk; Learn to Walk before you Run.
Now apply it to LR shooting:
Crawling: .223 Rem, .308 Win., 30-06
Walking: .243 Win, 260 Rem. 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5x47 Lapua, 7mm-08, 284 Win, 280 Rem, et al
Running: AI's on any of those calibers, 7mm SAUM, 7mm WSM, 7mm Rem Mag, <span style="font-weight: bold">300 Win Mag</span>., et al
Running as fast as your little legs can carry you: 338 Lapua, the Chey-Tac's, 50 BMG, et al
Short cuts, as trying to cut in line, don't work for most folks, and usually result in someone buying your lovingly built rifle at a substantial discount.
Progressing from crawling to walking usually involves learning to reload, and parting with money to a gunsmith/gun builder.
There is an exception to the above rule, as highlighted in bold around 300 Win Mag. You can get a good LR 300 Win Mag, off the self, and there are a number of good factory match loads, so reloading is not a must (but a lot of cash to buy factory is a handy thing to have).
But unless your one of the 10% that is truly "recoil proof", your stay with a 300 Win Mag is usually brief, after several long shot strings. Muzzle brakes help, but generally piss off anybody that has to shoot next to you, so shooting alone a lot is in the cards.
All of this is IMHO, and YMMV, but after 42 years of shooting, I've seen more horror stories than successes, when somebody tries to walk or run, before they learn to crawl. You may be the exception that makes the rule, but I would not bet on it.
Bob
</div></div>That's a pretty damn good summary, Bob.