Many Questions L/A-S/A?

[Cuppednfallin]

I am new here and have been looking over this site for several weeks. Alot of the fellas at AccurateReloading.Com refer to this site. So I figured I would just dive in and ask some questions.

First off I have the opportunity to build a Rifle. What I would like to do is Have a rifle I can shoot Coyotes at 200yrds, Milk Jugs at 500yrds and the possibility to shoot up to 800-1000yrds. I have no formal training in Long Range hunting/shooting. However, I have been prarie dog shooting for the last 5 years and have collected one at 637yrds and 4 out of 5 at 432yrds among the hundreds if not thousands closer. The calibers that I have used run the gammit from 22mag up to and through 308. My three favorite calibers are .22-250, .25-06, .308. I need to let you know that I do reload and have access to both short and long action to build off of. Which will be a remmy 700. With a Mike Rock Tube.

I guess I would like to know several things about the calibers I am looking into.



Tell me your Pros and cons with select calibers:

.308-One of my favorites.

6.5-.284-Hearing great things about it. But know nothing about it.

300WM-I have one with a vais brake. And really like it.



When refering to each caliber, please give ideal Twist and Length of barrel. I like the idea of the 338LM. But in reality, I doubt it would fit into what I am wanting to do.

Thanks for your help/advice in advance. I am loving this site.

CNF

 

[Buffalobob]

Everything you have will kill a milk jug at 1000 yards.

Leave the close in prairie dogs alone and act like you have some pride and were raised right. The only excuse for killing a pririe dog at under 100 yards is if you don't know any better or are like Hunlee and only 15 years old.

So what if anything do you want to kill at 1000 yards? For just messing around and wasting money it is hard to beat the 308 as a good easy to shoot rifle.

If I had a good shooting 308 and was just burning some money and didn't really know why, I would either build me a 260 for doing the same things as the 308 or I would go to one of my two never had and want calibers.

That would be:

A 257 Wby in a falling block action. Who needs another Rem 700 action. Time to get a life and go out and see the world. You want to be a sheep and get in the middle of the herd that is fine with me. I am partial to mutton. Yes I am. A nice 28 -30 inch barrel in a varmint taper with a 1-8 or 1-9 twist would balance fairly well and smoke anything that walks the planet and most space invaders too.

A 264 Win mag is kind of like a 74 big block vette. Not real practical for anything except going fast and getting killed. A 1-8 twist 30 inch barrel on Nesika Bay action topped with a 20 MOA rail and a 8-32 NXS would be something to write home to Momma about.

Now then if you just got to have a LA Remington, but would like some Tabasco to go with it then there is a guy up in Montana who bottles Tabasco on a Rem LA. He is Kirby Allen and goes by Fiftydriver on this forum. He can fit you up with a 7mm Allen Mag which burns about 105 grains of slow powder and will move a 160 grain NAB at insane speeds or better yet you can load up some 200 grain RBBT Wildcats and kill milk jugs at a mile or 2K. He is also building his own actions so you can get as fancy as you wish. I don't shot coyotes because they are too smart for me but I would advise you not to shoot one with a 7mm AM. The muzzle blast alone will not only kill it but burn the fur off at 200 yards. Hence the "Smokin Fur Rifle Club".

 

[Weda]

243 Fast Twist
243AI Fast Twist
6.5X47 Lapua
6X47 Lapua
6XC
6.5Creedmore
7WSM
7-08
300WSM

pic something that tickles ya

6.5X47 is getting pretty popular
as well a the 6X47

 

[James Jones]

I'm a big 308 fan and have been for years , I've shot target with it put past 1000yds and a deer at just over 600yds , its easy to shoot easy to load for and their are a ton of great out of the box rloads for it available if you don't reload.
That being said , if I knew I were goin out past 500yds then I'd grab my new 260 Rem , it shoots way flatter and has near zero recoil (with brake) you can shoot 95gr V-max bullets out at 3300+fps ,that would just about turn a coyote inside out. Or load the 105 A-max and shoot everything you want out a bit past 1200yds.
he 260 is a just a step behind the 6.5-284 but has a bit longer barrel life and feeds for a SA better with the long bullets.

Now to be honest I'm building a fast twist (1-7.5 twist) 243 Ackley for shooting varmints and F-class. I have a soft spot on my heart for the 243 Ackley also and it will easly go 1000yds with good bullets and with the light weight V-max pills its a wicked varmint and coyote gun

 

[Cuppednfallin]

Bob-To clarify most of the pups were shot in the range of 100 to 350 yards. I really can't remember more than a handfull shot within 100 from our whole group. In reality, Nothing but targets would be shot beyond 350-400yrds. 260 is an kinda getting me thinking.

James-260 is in my thoughts now. I don't know anything aboutit and will start my research. I noticed you mentioned a brake. Is that for recoil or contact purposes? And what lenght barrels are recommended for this caliber?

 

[James Jones]

My barrel is 27" Lilja 3 groove , got a deal on it here in the ads. I had a brake put on it simply to wipe out the recoil so I could spot my hits easier , my gun is kinda heavy and I doubt that the recoil would be anymore than a bumb but it may be enough to loose my scope pictire at high magnification , plus I just liked the look of the brake (SSG's V-port) I kinda hate that I have a brake now cause the fit is so good I don't want to mess it up by taking it on and off and the gun shoots so well that I'd like to shoot some F-class with it but no brakes allowed.
What a reason to build another gun huh?

I use 308 Lapua brass and neck it down , the 308 brass is cheap but tough as hell and very consistant , I get just enough neck thickness increase to have to turn the necks down to where their just cutting 100% and with the Lapua cases that may be .002" , so i get the accuracy and case life benifit of a tight neck chamber but I can shoot factroy ammo with no trouble. You could also use 243 Lapua brass and just neck it up with no further hassel with the case necks. Its far more cost effective to buy the Lapua brass than to buy piles of Remington crap and sort them then to have them last only 4-5 firings.

 

[Weda]

You'll find the 6.5X47 as wellas the 6X47 to be more accurate than the 260.

 

[James Jones]

Weda , in a properly built gun with properly loaded ammo the 308 will shoot better than 99% of shooters can shoot it. Saying that one round is more accurate than another is kinda silly and if that were the case EVERYBODY would be shoot a 6mmPPC or 30BR as those to guns hold more records for tight groups.

Now I will say the potential for better accuracy is better witht he new Lapua case due to its desgine with the smaller flash hole and small rifle primer , its also a slightly more effecient case desgine so you can get about the same speeds with a little less powder.
I have heard alot of guys say the the 300 Win mag is a very "un accurate" round and can't be made to shoot well because it has such a short neck , and its funny that the 300 win mag has set alot of records at 1000yd matches.

If I building an unlimited bench rifle with one of these two rounds to shoot groups at set yardages out to 600yds I might choose the 6.5x47 over the 260 but past than I'm wanting a bit more power with the heavier pills and if shooting in matches where your actualy shooting the gun you won't be able to tell the differance ,you will have more accuracy variation with the bullets and primers than the differance in rounds will account for.