Custom Rifle Cartridge Choice

[Panhandle Pete]

I was thinking of a fun subjec

I was thinking of a fun subject to discuss. Let's say you have a chance to buy a custom hunting rifle that is broken in, has a load developed for it, and has less than 300 shots on it, what cartridge would you want? This rifle will basically be an all around hunting rifle, capable of shots out to 800+ yards. It will not be fancy or built for a specific role. The rifle will weigh less than 10lbs scoped, have a 26" barrel, muzzlebrake, and built with high quality components. If ammo and reloading components weren't an issue, what chambering would you want? Thanks!

to discuss. Let's say you have a chance to buy a custom hunting rifle that is broken in, has a load developed for it, and has less than 300 shots on it, what cartridge would you want? This rifle will basically be an all around hunting rifle, capable of shots out to 800+ yards. It will not be fancy or built for a specific role. The rifle will weigh less than 10lbs scoped, have a 26" barrel, muzzlebrake, and built with high quality components. If ammo and reloading components weren't an issue, what chambering would you want? Thanks!

I am good with either a 340 Weatherby with 225 Nosler Accubonds or a 280 AI with 160 Nosler Accubonds- both have worked wonders on lots of game for me. I would not hesitate to take big bears with either but would switch to Nosler Partitions 250 grain in the 340 and 175 grain in the 280 AI. Fun guns either way.

 

[AggieHunter]

I was thinking of a fun subject to discuss. Let's say you have a chance to buy a custom hunting rifle that is broken in, has a load developed for it, and has less than 300 shots on it, what cartridge would you want? This rifle will basically be an all around hunting rifle, capable of shots out to 800+ yards. It will not be fancy or built for a specific role. The rifle will weigh less than 10lbs scoped, have a 26" barrel, muzzlebrake, and built with high quality components. If ammo and reloading components weren't an issue, what chambering would you want? Thanks!

280 Ack Imp hands down. Significantly less recoil than 7mm mag. Shoots great. can shoot 280 rounds if you get in a pinch and not have any reloaded 280 Ack Imp bullets. Very accurate. 140 grain accubond will kill anything in North America w/exception Moose and Big Bears. My friend Darrell Holland would say 6mm XC w/107 grain bullet and proper bullet placement would kill anything out to 1000 yards and a ;lot less than 10 pounds

 

[spin-one]

Even though I don't own one I think it would be a 280 AI. Good all around caliber, low recoil and good barrel life.

 

[Eric Alexander]

I was thinking of a fun subject to discuss. Let's say you have a chance to buy a custom hunting rifle that is broken in, has a load developed for it, and has less than 300 shots on it, what cartridge would you want? This rifle will basically be an all around hunting rifle, capable of shots out to 800+ yards. It will not be fancy or built for a specific role. The rifle will weigh less than 10lbs scoped, have a 26" barrel, muzzlebrake, and built with high quality components. If ammo and reloading components weren't an issue, what chambering would you want? Thanks!

Really the choice of caliber that you build this Goldilocks rifle really turns on the weight of the bullet you want to shoot.
At 115-131 a .25 cal 25-06 for me, 257 Wby for others
At 140-156 it will be a 6.5 of some sort. For me a .264 WM. 6.5 PRC for others
For 150-170, a 270 Wby
160-190, a 7mmRM or 28 Nosler
and so on thru the 30 calibers and maybe the 338 world.
The key in all of this is to choose your bullet weight then find the bullets that give you the highest performance for that weight and build your barrel with the prescribed twist and jump for your bullet choice.

Lots of capacity choices for brass but I do not favor overbore cartridges.. and I do favor off the shelf brass. For me that means I can stay with -06 length brass all the way to 338 and wouldn't give thought to 6.5-300 Wby, too much overbore. The 7STW is on the edge of overbore, so the H&H lengths for me start w .300 & .340 Wbys. I have them both and they are spectacular performers. But I also have a 1:8 twist 264WM , 26", and it is also spectacular. (btw, this is a caliber that factories still only offer in a 1:9 twist. Someone is asleep at the wheel. Winchester offers a 6.5 C and a 6.5 PRC w a 1:8, but the 264WM is still 1:9. ***?)

The 7mm Rem Mag may be the sweet spot. Mine shoots 175 Nosler ABLRs. It is a pre-64 Model 70 .264WM w 26" bbl that I rerifled to 7mm with a 1:8.75 twist, 8.5 lbs. Pretty close to your parameters. If I have to choose just one, that's probably it. Enough bullet weight for anything in North America.

So many off the shelf combinations are now available that wildcatting is no longer necessary like it was when I was young. If you are wildcatting, it's not cuz you have to, it's just for your personal fun.

So choose your desired weight, find the best bullets for that category, and build your barrel to suit them. That is where the round lives. The rest of the rifle is a supporting act. Assemble it to your aesthetic.

Buena suerte.

 

[Velvet]

30 Sherman Magnum. Period. From varmint to Elk, and all in between. My next project.
Good luck Sir.
V

 

[HunterMann]

6.5 X 284. or .260 don't leave the 6.5mm out of the equation. The 6.5 has been and still is one of the most popular bullets ever made and just see what they have been are are using in Europe. The 6.5X55 probably took more African animals than any other cartridge. the 260 Rem will reachout and touch at 800yds then add the 6.5 X 284 with the correct bullet good to 1K yds. Plus reloading you can go from 85 gr to 153gr + bullets for any small or big animal.

I have always read the 7x57 was the most common hunting round in Africa due to all the German(s) types being there for so long.

 

[HunterMann]

My first (and only) shot yesterday with that load at 805 yards. Held my 1 MOA on left edge of circle for wind; 13.5 E from my 200y zero. I have 2 28Ns and one 7STW; much prefer the 28N.

'70's something 7mmSTW brute force vs. 28 Nosler refinement ????

Go modern non belted. Pick your bullet weight, rate of twist, barrel harmonics, other custom features and go for it

 

[Aussie Hunter Steve]

.338 Edge.

 

[Chas1]

.338 Allen Xpress.

 

[LRNut]

why?

I assume you are asking why the 28N vs the 7STW...simple: my 28Ns are more accurate and offer greater bullet seating options due to the shorter case. MV is higher with the 28N than the 7STW. But I am not comparing apples to apples, because my STW has a standard twist bbl that doesn't stabilize 195s.

 

[billcaldwell]

338 Norma! Everyone should have one. Build it, or buy it. They're wonderful!

 

[freddiej]

I like the 277 chamberings. most notably the 270-264 Win Mag. that would be my choice. second choice would be a tie between a 338 and the 375 calibers. I like the the 375 ruger case. necking that down to 338 would fun and leaving it a 375 would be good too.

 

[Tikka300man]

I was thinking of a fun subject to discuss. Let's say you have a chance to buy a custom hunting rifle that is broken in, has a load developed for it, and has less than 300 shots on it, what cartridge would you want? This rifle will basically be an all around hunting rifle, capable of shots out to 800+ yards. It will not be fancy or built for a specific role. The rifle will weigh less than 10lbs scoped, have a 26" barrel, muzzlebrake, and built with high quality components. If ammo and reloading components weren't an issue, what chambering would you want? Thanks!

If it had at least a 1:9.5" or faster twist rate, I would go for a 7mm Weatherby mag. Same case capacity as a 7mm Rem mag but beats it by at least 100+ fps velocity. Truly underrated. My second choice would be a 280 Ackley. Very underrated as well. The one problem with the magnums is short barrel life for an all around caliber; the 280 Ackley solves that problem. Probably not the best choice for 800 yards but how many times do you really need that out of a hunting rifle. No, it will handle all reasonable ranges where the vast majority of game is shot, and give you much better barrel life than the big loudenboomers.
P.S. I have a 7mm STW but I consider it a specialty hunting rifle, not an all around rifle. Why waste that much power and short barrel life on a 200 yard mule deer shot that a standard 280 Remington can make?

 

[Coyote01]

If it had at least a 1:9.5" or faster twist rate, I would go for a 7mm Weatherby mag. Same case capacity as a 7mm Rem mag but beats it by at least 100+ fps velocity. Truly underrated. My second choice would be a 280 Ackley. Very underrated as well. The one problem with the magnums is short barrel life for an all around caliber; the 280 Ackley solves that problem. Probably not the best choice for 800 yards but how many times do you really need that out of a hunting rifle. No, it will handle all reasonable ranges where the vast majority of game is shot, and give you much better barrel life than the big loudenboomers.
P.S. I have a 7mm STW but I consider it a specialty hunting rifle, not an all around rifle. Why waste that much power and short barrel life on a 200 yard mule deer shot that a standard 280 Remington can make?

Because you can LOL