Target Rifle

[bogie]

The biggest downside I see to .30-'06 is the cost to shoot (vs. 223), but it would be cheaper for commercial ammo than any of the 6mm rounds I am fairly positive of that.

You -GOTTA- handload if you want real accuracy. You can buy a $3,000 rifle, and stuff "match" factory loads in it, and it'll shoot like one of those rifles the gun magazine scribblers rave about - horridly.

In case a few of you missed it (I'm pretty sure the OP got it...), you can buy a NEW high-precision rifle for about $3,000. Or you can go to the -right places- and find a USED high-precision rifle for just a bit over what the new actions cost. And if you save your pennies for a few months more...

The Shooter’s Corner, Inc.
8 New Jersey Ave.
Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849
973-663-5159 M-F 8AM-4PM ET

V27. 6BR Varmint, Mod. 700 BDL trued action; SS Shilen varmint taper bbl 27” X 10T factory nk <300 rnds; H&S Prec. Syn varmint stock w/glassbedding over bedding block; Rem crisp 2 lb 40X trig; Inclu: Burris Pos-Align 1” mnts; Gunsmith: B. Monell; Exc cond. Great 9¾ lb rig for reaching out w/o recoil. $1049. ($1675. invested)

R8. 308 Target Tactical, Stiller’s Predator SS single shot R/R action; Hart bbl 22” X 1.250 no taper 12”T w/factory neck <200 rnds since shortened & rechambered; H&S Prec. hunter BR mod syn stock w/pillar glassbedding; Jewell BR 6 oz trig; Leupold steel Weaver type scope bases; Gunsmith: B. White; 99% cond. 12# Near New & Very Accurate! $1249. ($1800. to build)

These are -not- benchrest competition rifles... They're both in HS precision stocks, but they both have FAT barrels, chambered by people who look upon their work as an art, not a job...

 

[Kleanbore]

Wedge, in my humble opinion the biggest disadvantage of the .30-'06, if one is going to soot it a lot in one session, is recoil. When the .260 Remington came out, I remember reading a column from a target competitor who said that he preferred the 6.5-08 (same thing) over the .308 for that reason. Not that most people cannot handle a .308, it's just that after enough shooting the edge wears off. That's why I like the 6.5X55.

I have a question for the experts: it has been recommended above that the .223 twist should be 1 in 9. That will of course stabilize heavier bullets more effectively than a slower twist, and with higher sectional density those bullets will better maintain velocity. The question is, will the 300 yard flight time of a 68 grain bullet be less than that of a 55 grain bullet that starts out faster? I'm assuming that total time in flight is the major factor in wind deflection. Is that correct? Are there other factors at play?

I am of course aware that properly stabilized heavier bullets are better for penetrating hard targets at a distance and are more effective for deer hunting.

Thanks in advance.

 

[williamthedog]

OLYMPUS,
CALM DOWN.
have a beer or something.
you sound like you could use at least a couple.
i wasnt attacking you.
and i dont care what you shoot.

 

[Wedge]

Bogie. About reloading I agree 100%. I don't even shoot factory 9mm anymore. I'm actually starting to reload for 7.62x54R! In my world (same as yours, same as any handloader) factory ammo cost means nothing.

That's why I mentioned how cheap my single stage reloading setup was next paragraph down. $200 and I was up and rolling. Is it fast? No. Can I produce high quality ammunition? Yes!

Kleanbore, recoil in a caliber like .30-'06 will get to you no doubt. Handloaded though, recoil might come down, and the nice part is you can really tune the load for yourself.

Those are some fantastic prices on used equipment. Gotta love custom stuff. Costs a lot new, but used the market is so small it is mostly a buyers market. I see that in custom cars. $20-30k invested, selling for $15k.

There is some great info in this thread.

 

[Kleanbore]

Wedge, it is indeed possible to load accurate reduced-charge loads in .30-'06.

My first centerfire was a double-heat-treated Model 1903 with a straight grip stock. I was in junior high school when I got it, and a little over a dozen 180 grain Super-X Silvertip factory loads, fired off-hand with a T-shirt, left big blue and yellow marks on my shoulder. The first thing I did was have a gunsmith load up some reduced loads--150 grain Sierras, can't remember the powder, might have been 4895. As soon as I could I bought a 310 tool and duplicated that load. Later I bought a mold, etc. and shot linotype bullets.

Shortly afterwards, I got a Garand, and found it quite comfortable even with military loads. Got rid of it after while, partly because it banged up the cases too much.

A friend got a scoped Model 70 about that time, and neither one of us really liked shooting it for very long. Weight and stock fit are big factors. I've wondered over the years whether a "C-Type" stock would have helped with the Springfield, but I waited too long to find out.


Any thoughts on why the quicker twist for target rifles in .223, anyone? (See my post above).

 

[jbech123]

You -GOTTA- handload if you want real accuracy. You can buy a $3,000 rifle, and stuff "match" factory loads in it, and it'll shoot like one of those rifles the gun magazine scribblers rave about - horridly.

All a matter of perspective really, I consider a rifle that shoots in the .4's with 5 different factory loads that cost me $800 to be adeqaute for my purposes of shooting for braggin rights with my buddies on the weekends and some fairly serious hunting out to 500 yards or so. If that's horrid, then I guess I have low standards. Of course if you are a benchrest competitor shooting a rail gun or some 30lb custom rig .4's is not going to cut it.

I consider sub half MOA to be "real accuracy" under field conditions, but everyone has their own standards.
Now if you said you GOTTA handload to be able to afford to shoot cause ammo is so expensive these days, I'd agree with that 100%!

 

[williamthedog]

i started loading because of the scarcity of ammo in certain calibers.
plus the fact that i don't like corrosive ammo.
then i started buying dies in calibers i really couldn't afford to shoot otherwise.
.454casull
.45Colt
.44MAG
etc.
now it makes sense for me to own firearms in those calibers