I’m deciding a new rifle caliber… any thoughts?

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JmacD

JmacD

Micah 6:8
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My deer rifle is torn down, getting “remodeled” so my daughter will be able to shoot it/hunt with it when she’s older. So, I’ve saved my pennies, and I’m after a rifle. I’m also working on another”Big Bang” build, so this one will be just my hunting rifle. Mostly deer, with the possibility of elk at some point. I hunt an area that offer 800 yard shots if you want to take them. And I’ve shot deer everywhere from 75 yards to 463(offhand with no rest… not my smartest decision)
EDIT: I should clarify that the above mentioned 800 yards application applies to Whitetails. The area that I might hunt elk, well, I haven’t seen it yet.
I’ve thought about staying with .308 as that’s what most of my immediate family shoots. I’ve also thought about the time honored 270 win, and I have a big soft spot for that venerable caliber. I momentarily considered a creedmoor, and though I admire them and will own one at some point, I’m just not quite ready to join the manbun clamor. Hahaha

But, unless I spy something amazing for an amazing price on the used rack, I have narrowed it to two calibers. Kinda apples to oranges, but I’m thinking either the 7mm rem mag, or the 6.5 PRC. I see pros and cons in both. It ultimately will come down to availability most likely. Likely will have a muzzle brake, and recoil(unless talking knock you off the bench kind) shouldn’t be a problem anyway.
Anyone have any thoughts?
 
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I use a 7 mag. Shoots as flat as a varmint rifle, plenty for elk. Recoil is quite tolerable with a good recoil pad. Ammo is commonly available

Remember that a 150 grain bullet at 2,700 FPS kills the same no matter the head stamp on the case. The wildly excessive abundance of choices has more to do with ego and unfounded opinions than actual need
 
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redneck2 said:
I use a 7 mag. Shoots as flat as a varmint rifle, plenty for elk. Recoil is quite tolerable with a good recoil pad. Ammo is commonly available

Remember that a 150 grain bullet at 2,700 FPS kills the same no matter the head stamp on the case. The wildly excessive abundance of choices has more to do with ego and unfounded opinions than actual need
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This rifle will likely never have anything but lovingly crafted hand loads out of its muzzle.

you’re exactly right though. I remember a story I read of a guy that was always shooting deer in the guts. And he kept trading up for bigger guns. As I recall, he ended up hunting northeastern whitetail with a 458… as the story went. That said, if I’m shooting a 1200 lbs elk vs a 150-300 lb whitetail, a bit more umph makes me feel better…
 
Do you load your own or do you shoot factory ammo? If you load your own, I'd go with either the 6.5 PRC or .280ai. .280ai gets very close to 7mm RM velocity with several grains less powder, so less recoil. In any event, how heavy a bullet do you think you need? The 6.5 PRC will send a 140 grain Nosler Accubond with BC .509 at around 3,000 fps. The .280ai/7mmRM will send a 160 grain Nosler Accubond with BC .531 at around 3,000 fps. The cost of shooting the heavier 7mm bullet is about 5-7 ft-lbs of increased recoil.

If you shoot factory ammo, then I'd probably go 7mmRM for better ammo availability (although 6.5 PRC is the new thing so maybe it is more available right now?).
 
If you're going to switch from 308 (which I think is a great cartridge for your uses too), I'd probably go with the 7mm Rem Mag for the little bit of extra range. The 270 wouldn't be bad either, I kinda want one just because its the one cartridge that seems to stay on the shelf around here.
 
wombat13 said:
Do you load your own or do you shoot factory ammo? If you load your own, I'd go with either the 6.5 PRC or .280ai. .280ai gets very close to 7mm RM velocity with several grains less powder, so less recoil. In any event, how heavy a bullet do you think you need? The 6.5 PRC will send a 140 grain Nosler Accubond with BC .509 at around 3,000 fps. The .280ai/7mmRM will send a 160 grain Nosler Accubond with BC .531 at around 3,000 fps. The cost of shooting the heavier 7mm bullet is about 5-7 ft-lbs of increased recoil.

If you shoot factory ammo, then I'd probably go 7mmRM for better ammo availability (although 6.5 PRC is the new thing so maybe it is more available right now?).
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You are voicing the exact things I keep asking and telling myself. Lol. I handload. Talking to a guy who shoots the exact set up I’m considering. (Bergera Wilderness Ridge with a Leupold) He has awesome hunting results with 66 gr of Retumbo behind a 162 gr Hornady SST.
The 7mm has a belt. The PRC doesn’t. The one is shorter. The one generally has more mag capacity. The twist rate is different. One is tried and true. The other is new. Hmmm…

I want to be like an acquaintance that has about 4 rifles. One is a 22. One is a mag action. One is a regular long action. The last is a short action. He has a collection of a buuuuunch of barrels and a handful of bolt faces. With a few turns of a wrench he switches calibers…. Ya. That’s what I really want… but $$$$$$$$
 
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BigBL87 said:
If you're going to switch from 308 (which I think is a great cartridge for your uses too), I'd probably go with the 7mm Rem Mag for the little bit of extra range. The 270 wouldn't be bad either, I kinda want one just because its the one cartridge that seems to stay on the shelf around here.
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It’s likely going to come down to what’s on the shelf in my budget. Lol. Before it’s over, there will probably be one of each in the safe/on the rack.
 
Legionnaire said:
I don't think you can go wrong with either. However, I'd personally favor a .280 Ackley Improved over a 7mm Rem Mag.
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They’re both great cartridges for sure!! We really do live in a rather amazing time in cartridge development. But I’m not entirely convinced we have quite hit anything as monumental as the 1911 & 50bmg….
 
Legionnaire said:
I don't think you can go wrong with either. However, I'd personally favor a .280 Ackley Improved over a 7mm Rem Mag.
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I opted for the .284 Win in a Savage short action. 3k fps with 140's is pretty deadly stuff and I hardly notice the recoil above my 7mm-08.

Of the two the OP asked about, I'd go with the PRC. The 6.5 CM just doesn't have enough velocity IMO but the PRC takes care of that.
 
burrhead said:
Being a reloader, if I were to have only one rifle it would be a 30-06. Load it up or down and it will do almost anything from varmints to bears.
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Not knocking the ol 06, but I personally have been underwhelmed by it. My Dad would agree with you. Lol. It’s preference I assure you. It is definitely a very fine cartridge.
 
Newtosavage said:
I opted for the .284 Win in a Savage short action. 3k fps with 140's is pretty deadly stuff and I hardly notice the recoil above my 7mm-08.

Of the two the OP asked about, I'd go with the PRC. The 6.5 CM just doesn't have enough velocity IMO but the PRC takes care of that.
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I’ve not had any experience with the .284. I’ve heard the tales of it liking to ear barrels for lunch, much like the tales of the weatherby mags. That said, I can’t remember the last time I saw any ammo or brass for one….
 
What makes a decision like this difficult is the fact that ANY of the chamberings mentioned here will do the job with no trouble at all. It all comes down to things like recoil tolerance, what reloading components you might have, whether or not your chosen rifle is chambered in a particular cartridge, nostalgia, etc. etc. In my opinion it's much more important that you choose a good scope and rangefinder and practice with it from field positions. I'd recommend a Leupold scope with a CDS dial. It makes adjustments for range incredibly fast and simple. Get out and practice with your setup without the shooting bench and you'll be positively lethal when the time comes.

FWIW my recent choice was a Tikka T3x Stainless in 30-06 with a Leupold VX-3HD 3.5-10X40 CDS. Very accurate, light weight and less than $1,500 ready to go.
 
Main thing is to figure out the action length. From there you weigh out the trade offs for a final decision. I tend to land 1 notch down from parent cartridge as I prefer speed and trajectory over weight. 270 rather than 06. 7-08 instead of 308. It’s easy to go too far down that road and end up with barrel burners. For deer I like 270 with 130gr. For elk I think I would go to a magnum action and as much as I hate the caliber due to eastern deer woods noise I think I would be on a 7 mag.
 
For a plains (field) scoped rifle, I shoot 300 HH, 270 Winchester, 30-06 in that order
Woods rifles are a totally different story.

I have no experience with 7mm Remington mag or 6.5 family. I did compare 300 win mag to 300 HH back in the 80s. My testing showed me HH got the same job done with less powder and recoil. But it takes a little longer action.

Good luck!
 
Eagle103 said:
What makes a decision like this difficult is the fact that ANY of the chamberings mentioned here will do the job with no trouble at all. It all comes down to things like recoil tolerance, what reloading components you might have, whether or not your chosen rifle is chambered in a particular cartridge, nostalgia, etc. etc. In my opinion it's much more important that you choose a good scope and rangefinder and practice with it from field positions. I'd recommend a Leupold scope with a CDS dial. It makes adjustments for range incredibly fast and simple. Get out and practice with your setup without the shooting bench and you'll be positively lethal when the time comes.

FWIW my recent choice was a Tikka T3x Stainless in 30-06 with a Leupold VX-3HD 3.5-10X40 CDS. Very accurate, light weight and less than $1,500 ready to go.
Click to expand...

Absolutely agree. The Tikka is a very nice gun. I’m still considering one. I do like the Bergara for a couple of its features. I’m also planning a Leupold(probably a 4x12,definitely CDS) scope.
 
I love my 308 but if I was looking to shoot 800 yards I would build a 300 Winchester. The belt is not a problem once you learn to treat it like the useless appendage that it is. I know of several custom 300's that shoot really well.
 
WestKentucky said:
Main thing is to figure out the action length. From there you weigh out the trade offs for a final decision. I tend to land 1 notch down from parent cartridge as I prefer speed and trajectory over weight. 270 rather than 06. 7-08 instead of 308. It’s easy to go too far down that road and end up with barrel burners. For deer I like 270 with 130gr. For elk I think I would go to a magnum action and as much as I hate the caliber due to eastern deer woods noise I think I would be on a 7 mag.
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Exactly part of my dilemma. Lol. Ditto on the 270. I’ve watched plenty of whitetails lay down permanently on top of the tracks they were making with one shot out of the 270. Well, not permanently, but my muscles had to move them after that. Lol
 
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