Which of the lighter full-power cartridges is best?

[chaim]

Someone said that the choice would best be seen in the context of the combination of both gun and cartridge. Well, I want to find a workable (if not the best) cartridge for what I want first. Depending upon which one I pick my first choices in rifles are one of the CZ rifles, a Howa or the Winchester Classic Featherweight. I may consider other brands as well if they make a better gun in the one or two choices of caliber I choose, though I probably will want to be as close to $500 as I can and probably no higher than $600-650 so that limits things somewhat. I will probably consider all major makes in that price limit that also make the caliber I select. From what I'm reading here, and some of what I was starting to think before, I think I'm leaning towards the 6.5x55 which would pretty much rule out the Howa since they don't chamber it in that caliber.

 

[Selfdfenz]

There is a NIB CZ 550 American in 6.5 x55 on Gunbroker.com for $439.
Which is a great price and a fine rifle IMO.

And, it goes without saying if I had the extra jack that baby would soon be headed for mi casa on a UPS truck.

Good luck and all you can carry of it.
S-

 

[Sunray]

"...Don't count out the .250 Savage..." Count it out, not because there's anything wrong with but because you'd have to hunt for ammo and brass. Any of those calibres in a semi auto will do. Even Wally World carries or can get a commercial semiauto. Just don't expect the rifle to drive tacks. Mind you, I'd just go buy a Garand from the CMP and forget the whole thing.

 

[Mike Irwin]

"Count it out, not because there's anything wrong with but because you'd have to hunt for ammo and brass."

I don't know what the availability of the .250 Savage is like in Canada, but here in Virginia I can go into any of the gun stores that I normally haunt and buy .250 Savage ammo off the shelf.

Same in Pennsylvania.

 

[Smoke]

Someone go wake up QuarterBoreGunner......


.223
.22-50
.250 Savage
.25-06

I love them all. Lets not forget the .17 Remington either.

 

[ShaiVong]

25-06, 257 Roberts
270
Are all flat shooting cartridges..shoot flatter than the 308, but have less recoil.

I fired a .308 and a .270 back to back, and it felt like the 270 kicked more; and the 270 was a heavier rifle!

Maybe it gives more of a sharp impulse.

 

[chaim]

I went to the Bass Pro Shop to see which of these cartridges would be easy to find here without having to order online or add rifles to my reloading and what I found was:
-.243 was very easy to find. Lots of choices including cheap (under $10) options
-.270, same story
-.308, same story
-.257 Roberts was there but only one loading and about $17 or $18
-Same with .250 Savage
-There were a couple loadings for 7x57 but the cheapest was around $14 or $15
-Same with 25-06, 6mm Remington (how'd I miss that possibility), .260, .22-250 (though I think that is more in the same league as .223)

Unfortunately, the one that was completely missing was 6.5x55. I'll check Walmart, Sports Authority and Dick's Sporting Goods tomorrow. I'm sure at least some of the more rifle oriented gun shops will have it but if online is the main option for ammo, and the only option for somewhat economical ammo (as we all know, gun shops tend to be overpriced on ammo) I may be a little less enthusiastic. Then again, the internet isn't going anywhere (and hopefully the antis never ban internet ammo sales) so is this something I should even be worring about? Natchez is always there and has several choices from relatively cheap but quality plinking/practice ammo (S&B) to high end, expensive, hunting and target oriented ammo.

 

[Mike Irwin]

Chaim,

I'm surprised that they had 6mm Remington.

The 6mm is a good cartridge, but is in the same class as the .243.

Had Remington handled it correctly when they introduced it opposite the .243 in 1955 as the .244, it could have become the dominant cartridge.

What killed it, though, is that Winchester anticipated that hunters would want to use the .243 as both a varmint and light big-game (deer) rifle, so they gave it a rifling twist that would stabilize both varmint and deer bullets.

Remington, on the other hand, felt that the .244 was only a varmint cartridge, so introduced it with a twist optomized for the light bullets.

Big mistake.

The .243 took off in sales, as did the .244, but the .243's sales kept growing, whereas once word got around about the .244's failure to stabilize heavier bullets, it died off pretty quickly.

Remington let it soldier on as the .244 until about 1963, when they finally figured it out and changed the twist on the guns to one that would stabilize both light and heavy bullets, and renamed it the 6mm, but by that time Winchester pretty much ruled the 6mm market.

A good friend's mother and father have matched Remington 760s, consecutive serial numbers, both chambered for the .244, that they bought the first year they were married... 1955.

The 6mm is even more of a handloading proposition than the .250 Savage...

If you want to get a good selection of .250 rounds you should try Atlantic Gun on Rockville Pike.