What rifle would you build?

I built my dream rifle some years ago choosing everything for light weight. It's a .257 Ackley Improved using a Remington M-7 action, Pac-Nor 22" Stainless premium air gaged barrel cut to a lightweight Winchester M-70 Featherweight contour, very stiff Brown Precision Pound-r Stock (weighing only 16 oz) -- camo painted by Brown Precision, lightweight S&K Stainless bases and rings and Leupold Compact 3x9 scope. The rifle with a lightweight sling and fully laded weights slightly more than 6 lbs and has always shot less than 1 inch groups!
 
18” barrel with a velocity > 2800? You are asking for a short action with a low grain and poor BC bullet…. Not sure I can recommend a setup that will be an efficient killer given the parameters.

Although I’m certain someone will argue with me about this…. It will be the same guy who shoots bull elk with a 6.5 CM.

With that said, I have killed Mule Deer and Cow Elk at 500 yards with a 16” 308 shooting 168s and 178s. With an 18” or 20” barrel I bet you can get 2575 - 2600 FPS without having to go to a lower grain bullet.
 
Interested in getting ideas from the crowd for a rifle build for the 2025 hunting season.
Intended use is mostly Whitetails in TX and pronghorn if the gods of the draw allow it.
Distance: 600 and in.
Desired Barrel length: 18 inches to shoot suppressed
Desired muzzle velocity: 2800-2900 or faster.
Desired bullets: any heavy x caliber cup&core bullet, Berger, ELDs and the like. I’d leave monometal bullets out of the equation here.
Thanks
600 and in, 300 wsm shooting 185 Bergers at 3050 fps. Ballistics are good and nothing will hang for accuracy and ease of tune. I have played with a lot of them. Nothing shoots like that combo.
 
Those are awesome groups. I have
300 wsm on a LA and have been trying to make 215s work but it has been a bit of a struggle achieving consistent groups. Might be time to switch to 185s.
My .300 WSM 24” propels the 215 Berger at 2850 FPS with RL-17. I get .5-.75 MOA to 966Y if I do my part. As with anything else, YMMV.
 
My .300 WSM 24” propels the 215 Berger at 2850 FPS with RL-17. I get .5-.75 MOA to 966Y if I do my part. As with anything else, YMMV.
Im right there with you velocity wise using H4350. I am just having to work too hard to stay consistent, it might be me who knows, I just feel I haven’t struggle like that with my other guns.
 
May have a hard time getting appropriate energy at 600 yards and a 18" barrel with those cartridges. Not trying to be a butt but I was curious and ran the numbers. A 105grain hybrid at 3000fps will do it. But the 18" barrel handicaps you.

Energy has nothing to do with it. A 108 ELD-M at 2900 fps muzzle velocity will still be over 1900 fps at 600 yards. Anything over 1800 is more than enough.
 
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