Get it in 30-06. Even though your Garand loads will probably be different, its simply more practical to keep around one set of brass. Your typical "garand safe" loads are going to be pretty close to 308 performance, BTW. With the '06, you can handload to take care of anything on this continent, pushing a 180g bonded bullet at 2750 fps, for example. Unless you are a very serious benchrest shooter, you are probably not going to see any difference between 308 and 30-06 at real long ranges. 400 yards shots on unwounded animals is best left to the real experts or the starving.
Ruger American Rifle, budget long range rifle?
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mljdeckard
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I'm not sure I would call 22-250 long-range.
You must have a very different idea of "long range" than I do. The .22-250 might have potential if you could get one with a fast enough twist barrel to allow shooting actual long range bullets (75+ grains) but factory barrels are too slow. As such with a factory barrel, the .22-250 hits a wall around 400yds and suffers from wind drift issues well before that. Not a great recipe for work out to 800yds for sure.
chaser_2332
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500 is not long range, check the same numbers at 1000
What is your "magic" 22-250 load? Bullet and velocity.
I argue that the .308 is barely adequate as well, so why would I use that as a comparison? No one that has a choice uses the .308 for "long range" either. Compare it to a .243 or .260 which are both actually cartridges in use for long range shooting.
Jim Watson
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You can shoot Long Range and not have a choice, but still do good work.
You might shoot Service Rifle where an M1A or the limited issue military version of AR10 are your only choices other than .223.
Likewise you might shoot F-T/R which has the same caliber restriction, or Palma or Fullbore which are .308 only.
You might be a military or police sniper and be issued a .308.
.243 and .260 are seen in the less limited forms of Long Range shooting... but not much.
There are other 6 and 6.5mm cartridges that get more attention.
I have shot a fast twist heavy bullet .223 and it does pretty well at Mid-Range but does not keep up with a .308 at Long Range even though the charts say it should. Now the guy with the fast twist .220 Swift is a different matter, but that is very specialized kit.
You might shoot Service Rifle where an M1A or the limited issue military version of AR10 are your only choices other than .223.
Likewise you might shoot F-T/R which has the same caliber restriction, or Palma or Fullbore which are .308 only.
You might be a military or police sniper and be issued a .308.
.243 and .260 are seen in the less limited forms of Long Range shooting... but not much.
There are other 6 and 6.5mm cartridges that get more attention.
I have shot a fast twist heavy bullet .223 and it does pretty well at Mid-Range but does not keep up with a .308 at Long Range even though the charts say it should. Now the guy with the fast twist .220 Swift is a different matter, but that is very specialized kit.
There is no "magic load", it's basic ballistics from an ammo. manufacturer's charts: 500 yards? No, it's not long range IMHO, but 6mm/.243/22-250/ is much flatter shooting in the OP's stated range of 400-800 yards.
However, the NIB Ruger American in .308 is a great BUDGET choice, as is the used 700 platform in 22-250. IMO the 22-250 is also more fun to shoot!
Personally, for 1000+ yards I'm in the .300 WM club of Browning Eclipse M-1000s, but that's not what THE OP wants to discuss...
You missed my point. With light bullets that are suitable for the standard slow rate of twist that .22-250s ship with, the .22-250 is a terrible long range cartridge. It shoots pretty flat, to a point, but it lacks in the BC department which means that it gets blown around in the wind. Drop is easy to compensate for and at a known distance, it is essentially irrelevant. Wind drift becomes everything at that point. With the 1:14 twist that the Remingtons ship with, you're fairly limited on bullet weight.
Comparing the 53gn Vmax (best BC available) from a .22-250 (which some guys have had trouble stabilizing, but we'll assume that this particular rifle can make it work) @ 3700 fps and compare it to a rather mundane .308 load actually suitable for 500yd+ work (168 Amax @ 2600 fps), the .308 load exhibits nearly 3" less wind drift at 500yds and by 800 the difference is over a foot. Figure in a 208Amax at 2450fps and the difference in drift goes to 28.5". And again, the .308 is hardly a good choice at this type of distance. The .243 with a 107 SMK equals the above 208 Amax load with an easily achievable 2900fps and significantly less recoil. That bullet will work in the available barrel twist for the American as well. Sorry, for intermediate to long range work in an off the shelf rifle, the .243 is going to be the superior choice.
Comparing the 53gn Vmax (best BC available) from a .22-250 (which some guys have had trouble stabilizing, but we'll assume that this particular rifle can make it work) @ 3700 fps and compare it to a rather mundane .308 load actually suitable for 500yd+ work (168 Amax @ 2600 fps), the .308 load exhibits nearly 3" less wind drift at 500yds and by 800 the difference is over a foot. Figure in a 208Amax at 2450fps and the difference in drift goes to 28.5". And again, the .308 is hardly a good choice at this type of distance. The .243 with a 107 SMK equals the above 208 Amax load with an easily achievable 2900fps and significantly less recoil. That bullet will work in the available barrel twist for the American as well. Sorry, for intermediate to long range work in an off the shelf rifle, the .243 is going to be the superior choice.
What point? The only point you made was that you did not like my opinion, and offered no substantiation as to why. The only point you make now is that windage (BC) is suddenly your point of reference?
The OP wants an affordable target rifle, lets not muddy the waters with BS straw-man arguments: The Ruger American is a great brand new rifle option, the used Rem. 700 in 22-250 is a great used option, or .308 or 30-06, or in my personal preference the .300 WM. The .243/6mm is not one of my choices as I already have great 5.56 and 6.55 options at MY disposal. However, it is not about my choice but the OP's.
Take a look at the Savage Axis as well.
http://www.savagearms.com/#
"You missed my point. With light bullets that are suitable for the standard slow rate of twist that .22-250s ship with, the .22-250 is a terrible long range cartridge.
That bullet will work in the available barrel twist for the American as well. Sorry, for intermediate to long range work in an off the shelf rifle, the .243 is going to be the superior choice."
The OP wants an affordable target rifle, lets not muddy the waters with BS straw-man arguments: The Ruger American is a great brand new rifle option, the used Rem. 700 in 22-250 is a great used option, or .308 or 30-06, or in my personal preference the .300 WM. The .243/6mm is not one of my choices as I already have great 5.56 and 6.55 options at MY disposal. However, it is not about my choice but the OP's.
Take a look at the Savage Axis as well.
http://www.savagearms.com/#
"You missed my point. With light bullets that are suitable for the standard slow rate of twist that .22-250s ship with, the .22-250 is a terrible long range cartridge.
That bullet will work in the available barrel twist for the American as well. Sorry, for intermediate to long range work in an off the shelf rifle, the .243 is going to be the superior choice."
If you're talking long range target shooting at a known distance, windage is the ONLY thing that matters as drop is completely consistent and predictable. He asked about the Ruger American which isn't available in .22-250 in the first place so your injection was outside the conversation firstly and the .22-250 is not a good recommendation secondly. The American IS available in .243 and the .243 is a better long range option than the .22-250 for sure and the .308 as well.
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