New Long Range Caliber?

[roadrunner681]

i like the 7mm like 7mm-08 and 7mm Remington magnum. and if you reload 7mm-08 uses 308 cases with a 7mm bullet.

 

[NKBJ]

Love the 7-08. Love large lead bullets even more.

 

[Harleyrider_50]

6.5 grendall, 6.5 x .284, .338 laupua are a few...

......An' they's a real BAAADazz 1 in class'fieds,too..........AR fan, I ain't 1....but , daayyyuum..........could own 'at 1.....

 

[Leo]

If you already have a .260 REM, I have posted some Master class 1000 yard scores with the .260 shooting 142 gr Sierra MatchKings. All you need is a gunsmith with a 6.5 X 285 roughing and finish reamer to convert the .260 into a caliber that is so good at 1000 it feels like you are cheating. Of course barrel life gets shorter, but it is not like you would use a 1000 yard rifle for plinking beer cans in the alley.

 

[throttletony]

Thats what i did. 27 inch brux barrel 1x8 twist.... slightly longer throat... slightly long throat for 105's, and slightly short for 115's



Rifle is for sale, but it aint cheap.

Nice looking setup. Man that would be a blast for paper, p-dogs, yotes and just about anything else too.
whats the weight??

 

[10mmfan]

.264 win mag.

 

[IndyGunworks]

Nice looking setup. Man that would be a blast for paper, p-dogs, yotes and just about anything else too.
whats the weight??

probably around 8 pounds if i had to guess.... Mcmillan HTG w/ adjustable cheek piece, remmy 700 long action, blueprinted, fluted bolt badger knob, rifle basix trigger, ptg bottom metal that takes AI mags. Brux barrel finished at 27 inch's threaded with a break. Freeland rail. Pillar bedded. got about 3200 in her. A couple days ago she shot a 1/2 moa group at 300 yards w/ 100 grain federal soft points that were manufactured in 1974

 

[sgreen3]

260 Remington is a great round. It's has a lot less drop at 1000 yards over the 308 Win. If you don't reload you might look at the 6.5 Creedmoor. A lot better factory loads available for that round.

Thankfully I do reload so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[sgreen3]

Something in 6.5mm ...... and fast. Nobody has asked yet, how "long range"?

Up into the 1k yrd range.

 

[sgreen3]

LOVE my 6mm.... but I only went with .243 because of recoil... I can shoot the thing off a bipod free recoiling w/out the stock touching my shoulder, and still make good groups.... this little recoil allows my wife to shoot the rifle easily. If you are not recoil sensitive, the 260 is a pretty awesome round as well.

I have actually been considering .243 due to the recoil factor. So what your saying is the .243 is far less recoil?

 

[sgreen3]

When I made this decision years ago first I narrowed it down to 6.5mm for what I wanted to do. Inside of that I ended up torn between the 6.5x284, and 260 (this is pre creedmor). I chose the 260 because I shoot to much and cant afford the barrels a 6.5-284 would go threw. The 6.5-284 has better ballistics than the caliber I chose, but I believe practice trumps ballistics.

I still shoot 308 a lot, but no matter what you pick (obviously with in reason) you will be amazed at the ballistic advantages over the 308). Just a few days ago I shot a 308 next to a 243 (indygunworks's) at 300 yds. Both rifles had 200 yds zero's, and the 243 dropped 1 moa, the 308 dropped 2 3/4moa.

Wow that's a substantial difference. Im really thinking I may go with something in .243 then.

 

[sgreen3]

I started with a 308, tried a factory Remington varmint 243 and that made me wonder why I still used a 308... Then I went to a couple custom 260's... Love the 260 and still enjoy the challenge of the 308. Truth is with anything long range, you are going to want to load your own ammo. Yes you can use the factory match stuff but if you are really into it you are going to want the control reloading gives you...

I agree totally!

well, they've listed all the calibers I can think of, except maybe a 6.5 Swede - unless I missed that in a list somewhere. (Creedmore listed as well)
there's also the 6BR and its variants.
AccurateShooter.com 6mmBR.com -- Best Guide to Precision Shooting and Precision Rifle Accuracy
Other calibers could include the 25WSSM, or the .25-06, and even the .257 Weatherby
26 Nosler looks like a blast as well. Time will tell.
For me, I'd get a fast twist 243, handload heavy-for-caliber bullets (100gr+) and call it a day.
But yeah, if you already do the .30 family (308, 30-06, 300WM, etc), then get down in the 6mm, 6.5mm, and 7mm families for fun.
.260 Rem is a good cartridge, as is the 6mm, and even the humble .270 when loaded right can really perform well, although you won't have quite the bullet selection that you will in .


Im really leaning toward the .243 from what Ive been reading it seems to have all the characteristics Ive been looking for.

you mean 7.62x54R? Never heard of an R54... must take them magazine clips

Well of course it takes those everyone knows that right

probably around 8 pounds if i had to guess.... Mcmillan HTG w/ adjustable cheek piece, remmy 700 long action, blueprinted, fluted bolt badger knob, rifle basix trigger, ptg bottom metal that takes AI mags. Brux barrel finished at 27 inch's threaded with a break. Freeland rail. Pillar bedded. got about 3200 in her. A couple days ago she shot a 1/2 moa group at 300 yards w/ 100 grain federal soft points that were manufactured in 1974

That's impressive! Nice shooting.

Thanks for all the info fellas!

 

[avboiler11]

I would recommend 6.5 Creedmoor, even if you reload...if only because you can drive to Orion Arms and pick up Hornady brass and 140gr HPBT and A-Max bullets. 260 brass is available pretty much nowhere unless you want to spend $1/piece for Lapua or Nosler.

243 will be cheaper to reload for due to brass and marginally less expensive bullets, but the cost-per-shot will probably be a wash once you factor in barrel life. Of course if you can "settle" on 2900-2950fps out of a 26" barrel with 105s you should do better than the guys that run 3100fps.

Your biggest issue with a 260, 6.5 Creed or even a 243 is going to be sourcing powder; unless you're sitting on a stash of H4350 or *maybe* RL17, you're gonna be hard pressed to feed the beast. Varget works and works well with a 260/6.5CM, but velocities are about 100-120fps slower.

 

[throttletony]

This is why i freakin love this site man, this is an awesome thread and I can't talk to many other folks about this without sounding like a wacko.
Avboiler11 is right, with powder shortages now. But with a 243, as Indygunworks said, you can certainly use factory 100gr ammo.
There's really no wrong choice, just a matter of compromise between cost/availability/desired performance. (this is from me, a novice shooter who's spent plenty of time around some serious shooters and is now learning the ropes a bit better) If you're looking for a dedicated 500 yd gun, with the occasional stretch to 700 or 800 yds you've got quite a few viable options. That is different than a dedicated 1000 yd gun where there are fewer options, and all of them seem to cost quite a bit more to buy & feed.

 

[sgreen3]

Well I do like the idea of the .243 for sure. I currently own rifles that can shoot out to 500-700yrds and do it very well. I just basically want one that does it better. An like most of us we get tired of the same thing after a while and just want to try something different. I do have plenty of Varget and actually have some H4350 that I got from my brother so I should be good as far as powder goes for a while. Its just deciding which cal to go with. So you fellas think I should give the 243 a try for what Im wanting to do?.......

 

[avboiler11]

Well I do like the idea of the .243 for sure. I currently own rifles that can shoot out to 500-700yrds and do it very well. I just basically want one that does it better. An like most of us we get tired of the same thing after a while and just want to try something different. I do have plenty of Varget and actually have some H4350 that I got from my brother so I should be good as far as powder goes for a while. Its just deciding which cal to go with. So you fellas think I should give the 243 a try for what Im wanting to do?.......

243 would be just fine.

I think Remington's standard twist is 1:9.125, savage is 1:9.25. Either should work for a 105gr A-Max/HPBT or a 107 SMK/CC but will be quite marginal for a 105 Hybrid or any 115gr pill.

 

[42769vette]

Well I do like the idea of the .243 for sure. I currently own rifles that can shoot out to 500-700yrds and do it very well. I just basically want one that does it better. An like most of us we get tired of the same thing after a while and just want to try something different. I do have plenty of Varget and actually have some H4350 that I got from my brother so I should be good as far as powder goes for a while. Its just deciding which cal to go with. So you fellas think I should give the 243 a try for what Im wanting to do?.......

I think you will be fine with most any caliber we have talked about. .243, 260, 6.5 creed, I personally love the 260, but that doesnt make the 243 the wrong answer. I also have about 1500 140gr amax, and about 40 lbs of 4350, so I have enough ammo to last awhile. Like the 260 the 243 brass can be maid out of 308 brass.

 

[sgreen3]

Awesome thanks for all the info fellas. So Vette what do you like about the 260 over the 243?

 

[42769vette]

Awesome thanks for all the info fellas. So Vette what do you like about the 260 over the 243?

I'm sure you can find ballistic charts to go either way, as both are excellent options. The reloading and components are non issues for me. Another thing for me is I have 3 260's and I have so many rounds down range with one I can figure dope on the fly (I have never used a calculator) and I'm very close. For me I feel the 260 is more forgiving, but I will admit I've only got 1000-1500 rds of 243 under my belt, so with more time behind one I might like the 243 just as well.

 

[pierce195]

I looked at the 6mm really hard before I re-barreled my Remington 700 with another 260 barrel. I think the 6mm Creedmoor looks really good ballistically. The big reason I stayed with the 260 is the higher BC of the bullet selection on both the G1 and G7 scales. But I would want at least 1/8 twist in 243 or 260.