Long Range Tack Driver

I have recently been granted permision from my most loving wife to have a custom gun built. Now the fun part, putting the plan in action.
What I am asking is advice on cal., barrel length, twist rate etc. on a gun that will be very accurate and have the power at 1K to humainly take a deer. Please keep in mind I am only 5'10" so I am interested in a gun that doesn't weigh 20 lbs. and one that is still fun to shoot ie: one that doesn't kick like a mule. Wildcats are of interest as well.
As always thanks in advance for your replies.

[PrimeTime]

Hello,
You can get all kinds of answers depending on who you talk to as everyone has his or her own way of doing things. As far as caliber is concerned, I tend to opt for the lighter ones. Of course, a quick and clean kill is the ultimate goal and there are many calibers which will give you that. Some use large 30 or 338 caliber magnums which really do fine. I prefer the the 6.5's and 7mm's for up to a thousand yards. Cartridges like the 6.5-300 Weatherby, 6.5 Gibbs, 6.5-300WSM, 7mm Dakota, and the 7-300 Weatherby would all be good. If you want to shoot farther than that, a .30 or bigger probably would be the way to go. What weight rifle are you looking to get into to? For accuracy at this range, generally heavier is better. A regular weight rifle that you can carry around and shoot off hand isn't your best bet. At least 10 to 12 pounds is a good place to start, with 15 or 16 being even better. Krieger barrels are my favorite but Hart also makes a fine tube. A barrel length of at least 28" would be best to gain maximum velocity and many use 30 inchers. The extra length also helps with stability. A Remington action would be a good starter and will produce excellent results but be sure to get it "trued". Once you have your rifle, develop a drop chart and start practicing.
Keep your lines wet and your powder dry.

Primetime,

I am a 30 cal fan but I have heard alot about the 6.5's. So I am very interested. My concern is down range energy. I don't have enough load data to compare
The 6.5's against the 30's at 1000 yards.

12lbs is fine for me to carry I have a 12-15lb rifle now in .308 that I will hunt this year with.

I'm fine with the 26" barrel but I would like to stay as short as possible and still complete the tast effectivly ie: efficiently.

Any help with the down range energy would be great.

Hi,
As you say that you don't have drop charts/energy levels for different bullets and cal.s, you might want to check out Dallen's "Huntingnut.com". He has a FREE ballistics program that he's written called PointBlank. The site also has a forum and a loads page.
I think you might find something you can use there.
In fact, I just downloaded the latest version last night, to compare drop/energy on .308 and .338 bullets at 1K.

C'ya. Jeep.

[PrimeTime]

Wyowhisper- You mentioned that you want a 26 inch barrel as a max length. You can get some good velocities (energy) with that length from a 30 caliber but it will require a lot of case capacity and is going to kick like a mule, even in a varmint weight rifle. A muzzle brake would help but I don't like wearing ear muffs in a hunting situation. A 300 Ultra, weatherby, Hart, or Dakota would all do very well, but strap on a helmet and a shoulder pad when you touch the trigger off. I guess I am not the burly, lumber jack type, cuz I hate shooting those large boomers. In fact, a guy I know that shoots competitively long range, had a 300 Ultra built for long range deer and it broke his front tooth out.
A 7mm Dakota or STW could deliver some impressive ballistics from a 26 inch barrel and to give you an idea of energy, if you launched a 160 grain VLD type bullet with a BC of .6 at 3100fps, you would have around 1100lbs. of energy at a thousand yards. Again though, pretty fierce recoil. A .280 Improved is a good choice and can deliver ballistics equivalent to the 7mm Rem magnum and is actually quite pleasant to shoot. I just had my 280 rechambered to the improved and really like it.
The 6.5's offer the advantage of very high bc bullets which retain velocity and deliver good energy to distant targets without requiring a bucket full of powder behind them. For example, with a 26 inch barrel chambered for 6.5-06 improved, launching a JLK match bullet with a BC of .645 at 3,050 fps, you have right around 1,000lbs. of energy at a thousand yards. If you went with a 6.5-300WSM, you get even more than that and it would still be pleasant to shoot.
Hope this helps.
PrimeTime

[Boyd Heaton]

My 300 Ultra Mag.(Sendero) shoot's a 220gr Match King at 3050fps out of a 26 inch tube.It still has over 1000 ft lbs of energy at 1200 yard's.It's not a 338-416 or a 338-378 but it's still one of the baddest boy's on the block.At 12.5 pound's with a brake it's recoil is about like a 7.5 or 8 pound 270.

[ 10-01-2001: Message edited by: Boyd Heaton ]

Boyd,

What is the accuracy like ???? I need the power but I REALLY need it to be accurate.