Use of new build/rifle will be non competition steel and paper...fun gun...but could go into the woods if the right location pops up. The range I shoot at the most is 600 yards, but I have a friend that lives fairly close that has a spot we can shoot to nearly 1500 yards.
I know there will never be a 3K or 4K+ custom built rifle in my safe...but I would like to have a rifle that shoot well enough people think it cost that much! LOL
I know there is a ton of factors that go into making a choice on caliber so here is my caliber criteria;
Manageable recoil
Cost effective to shoot...brass biggest concern
Shoot more like a lazer than artillery shot
Now the rifle end...I'm going to use a LA Flat Back Savage receiver. They are very inexpensive and there plenty around the Houston area. Barrel, going to try to build this my self so the barrel will need to be a Savage pre-fit at least .850 at the muzzle, 1:8 twist and I prefer stainless. I'm in no real rush so I can save up to get the best bang for buck on the barrel. Most likely use a Choate stock because they are inside my price range. Scope will be SWFA, most likely fixed power...again staying within my budget. The bulk of the money will be in a barrel I think...
Back to the caliber...is there really, staying with the 6.5, a more accurate chambering? Is the 6.5x284 the most accurate 6.5 caliber out there? I want to utilize the LA so I'm not planning to do a 6.5 Creedmore even though I already have 200 pieces of brass...ok I might still but I really prefer something a little faster, but don't want it to be a powder hog like a 26 Nosler.
I like to keep the components on the reasonable side too...being cheap I tend to want to go with one of my existing calibers 6.5-06 or 264wm, but the dies really are a one time purchase. So I'm still open to something I don't already have.
Topics of discussion are caliber and who's Savage pre-fit barrel????
You'd be hard pressed to best a 6.5x55mm loaded to "modern pressures". I've been loading for various Mauser 98 pattern, Savage 110, and more recently Tikka actions to a max pressure of ~58K for many years. If you intend to reload, then the abundance of quality virgin and once-fired brass available for the 6.5x55, by virtue of the fact that it is the most popular target cartridge used in the Scandinavian countries, is equalled by no other cartridge. Go on gunbroker and do a search for once-fired Norma brass; I've been buying from this guy for years, and at $45/150 pieces it's a good price, and the quality has been excellent. If you prefer Lapua, then that cartridge is the most economical that they offer, again due to the amount of it that they produce to satisfy the demand in their own backyard. The sheer number of projectile choices now is better than ever, and you don't need much more than a Barnes 120-, 127-, or 130-grain (take your pick of TTSX, TSX, LRX) to drop any game in North America within a reasonable range (clearly, that is subjective and your call, and will vary by target). From a 24" barrel, I'm getting 3025 - 3035 fps with RL26. That's loaded to ~57K psi. No pressure signs. If you prefer to use a different hunting projectile, then you're in good shape because the throat on barrels chambered in 6.5x55mm tends to mirror the throat of the original military barrels, which were designed to shoot long bullets (in today's terms, these would be similar to the Hornady 160 RN and Norma 156 Oryx/Vulcan). I actually shoot the 160 RN as a subsonic to rid our farm of pests. If you want to toy with Sierra's new 150 or Hornady's 147, then you're in good shape.
Rate of twist that I prefer is 8 or faster. My favorite barrels have been the traditional twist of 7.874 (1/200mm). McGowen offers a 1:7, which is what I will be using on my next build (with a total length of 650mm).
I'll throw in another vote for Criterion barrels; I have used several of them (in 6-, 6.5-, and 7-mm cartridges), and they have been consistent and accurate. I have also had great results with McGowen, hence my going to them for the next build.
Barrel life is going to be 2,500 - 3,500 rounds if you're not abusing it. Don't feel that you need to crank out max MV in order to be effective. If you know that you're most likely to engage your target within some specific range of distance, and you know what the terminal velocity needs to be in order for the projectile to behave predictably and reliably, then you can custom load your ammo to provide what is needed, maybe plus a few percentage points. Shot like that, you will probably extend barrel life substantially. In my case, I simply ensure that the terminal velocity will be 2700 - 1700 fps when it hits the target (Barnes projectiles are all that I hunt with).
