Looking for a new caliber

[PaulB47]

.243 is fine except that it burns barrels if you shoot a lot. Use premium bullets. 6mm BR is another 6mm option that is fairly popular (with handloaders). BTW http://www.6mmbr.com/ is a fun site for cartridge info.
.308 is a do-it-all cartridge, can hardly go wrong with it except possibly for boredom.
.30-06 and .270 Win are both good too, if a bit old-timey (not a bad thing).
6.5 Creedmoor is up-and coming, shoots flatter than .300 WM but won't kill you with blast and recoil. .260 is roughly equivalent.
I have a soft spot for .358 Win but it is on the way out if not already there.
Stay away from magnums unless you are a masochist. Most of the bolt guns you see for sale on armslist are magnums. There is a reason for that.

There are too many tiny variations of cartridges; it is getting ridiculous these days. I have settled on 3 main bullet diameters: .308, .264 and .224. I am trying to purge the others from my collection. This simplifies life when buying bullets. If you are starting off, you might want to give a thought to where you want to end up in 20 years. I got into too many obscure calibers when I was younger.

If I were looking I'd get a 6.5 CM.

 

[B3dlam]

6.5 Creedmoor
I have two one gas gun and one bolt gun its a great caliber. Solid ballistic performance, lower recoil than a .308, readily available components, plenty of factory offerings, and decent barrel life.

 

[Otter]

You have to keep in mind your .308 bolt face. That eliminates the magnum discussions unless you want to pay for a new bolt or have your current bolt opened up.

After I started shooting a 6mmBR, I would never consider any other target caliber other than a 6BR or a variation on the 6BR like the Dasher. Easy recoil, long barrel life and fun to shoot. Many 600 yard records have been set with these calibers and they will shoot out to 1000 yards if pushed. Loaded 6mmBR ammo is available, but to really enjoy the caliber you need to reload.

7mm08 is another fine cartridge I don't think anyone has mentioned. And really nothing wrong with the .308...it is a top 4 selling cartridge for a good reason. A little heavy on the recoil for my taste though for target shooting.

 

[erslll]

Another vote for 6.5 Creedmoor. Brass is pretty available and affordable since you get Hornady brass as compared to Lapua ( although Lapua 6.5 CM brass does appear to be coming soon). I can get loaded ammo pretty easily in the wilds of Eastern Oregon so it can't be that hard to find (I would add that this isn't much of an argument when you can order anything online and have it in a few days on your door step) . Low recoil and excellent ballistics.

 

[PaulB47]

One extra thing about the 6.5 Creedmoor is that (I heard) Hornady prints the exact load recipe on the box so you can reload and get the same as a factory load. Nice way to cut down on load development.

 

[erslll]

I don't think Hornady does that anymore but it is pretty easy to find. Pretty sure it was H4350 powder some where around 42 grains for the 140 gr ELD-M. I know I chrono'd my load recently and it came very close to the factory listed velocities. It is very similar to what I mentioned above.

 

[scrub buck]

Sounds like your wanting MORE gun. Look into the 300 WSM . You mentioned new tech, and the steep shoulder angle on the short fat case is that... It's only 100fps slower than a 300 win mag and uses 10-15 grs less powder to get there. Buy a used Rem 700 7 mag or 300 mag and rebarrel it to the 300 WSM . This will let you seat the bullets out where they belong and take advantage of the whole case.

 

[mhinagoya]

How about a 22-6mm? I have one and while a barrel burner, with the 75 grain Hornady Amax or the 80 grain Berger VLD, long range performance is amazing (.243 Win on the right for comparison).



I also have a 6.5-284 which is also an excellent long range cartridge, delivering good downrange power without magnum recoil. Sorry, no picture of that cartridge, but it fits a standard (non magnum) bolt face.

 

[nehalemguy]

I also have a 6.5-284 which is also an excellent long range cartridge, delivering good downrange power without magnum recoil. Sorry, no picture of that cartridge, but it fits a standard (non magnum) bolt face.

I am nearing completion of a 6.5-284 build. Mine started out as a Bi Mart special 700 ADL. When it's complete, the only thing original will be the receiver.

 

[DirectDrive]

I am nearing completion of a 6.5-284 build. Mine started out as a Bi Mart special 700 ADL. When it's complete, the only thing original will be the receiver.

View attachment 373172

That looks nice, NG !

What are the specs if you don't mind ?

 

[nehalemguy]

That looks nice, NG !

What are the specs if you don't mind ?

It's meant to be a clone of a 700 Alaskan Ti....minus the titanium.
The stock is a Bell and Carlson Alaskan. I pitched the factory Remington FCG and firing pin/spring and replaced them with a Timney trigger and Tubbs firing pin. The bolt was fluted and skeletonized by Red Hawks Rifles.

It's now waiting on a new 26" fluted barrel.....maybe PacNor.....maybe Benchmark. ???

E

 

[Pandaz3]

How about a .35 Whelan for something different.

 

[DirectDrive]

It's meant to be a clone of a 700 Alaskan Ti....minus the titanium.
The stock is a Bell and Carlson Alaskan. I pitched the factory Remington FCG and firing pin/spring and replaced them with a Timney trigger and Tubbs firing pin. The bolt was fluted and skeletonized by Red Hawks Rifles.

It's now waiting on a new 26" fluted barrel.....maybe PacNor.....maybe Benchmark. ???

E

Here's an interesting list.
There are so many good barrel makers, it's hard to choose...

 

[74bronco]

the above is from 2016 prs stats, here is barrel data from 2012,2013.

 

[DirectDrive]

Trending away from Krieger and some new players.

 

[74bronco]

while were posting our bimart rem 700 specials lol. started life as a SS ADL, 335$ after mail in rebate.
chambered it in the 6mm SLR to take full advantage of the short action, 115 vldh left , 105 hyb right. it will run the 115's over 3200 and 105's over 3300 with reloader 26 ez. shoots them both best around 3150. .2 to .3 moa all day long if i do my part. Krieger barrel lol

 

[DirectDrive]

Must be a '12 or '13 Krieger ?
The '16s and '17s are no good.



Edit:
Wouldn't a 6mm Rem do that ?

 

[74bronco]

Must be a '12 or '13 Krieger ?
The '16s and '17s are no good.



Edit:
Wouldn't a 6mm Rem do that ?

not sure what year the barrel is , it shoots tho. ya the 6mm rem can do that , BUT NOT ON A SHORT ACTION !! 243AI is similar to the slr but is missing the long .315 neck, ai is 40* shoulder, slr 30* . slr is no fireforming , just run a lubed 243 case thru the die , and shoot. about 3gr more capacity then the creed, 5 more then the 6xc but still has the same proven 30* shoulder and .300 plus long neck. I'm enjoying it .

 

[nehalemguy]

Here's an interesting list.
There are so many good barrel makers, it's hard to choose...

View attachment 373541

I called Benchmark last Friday.

E