cartridges for wifes savage build. opinions?

[mitchell]

hello,

my wife has been hunting for a while and starting to target shoot out at longer ranges now and wants to have a rifle put together so that someday she can hunt at longer ranges. she has know clue what she wants she just told me to pick something. well i have a new savage action 110 action sitting around collecting dust so i figured i would throw one together for her. she's been target shooting now with my 6mm br at 600 yards and doing well,so long as she keeps shooting the way she is i would like or her to have a rifle with enough power to take a elk at the same range. she has hunted with my 30-06 with 150 hand loads but i dont know if she would want to practice with that much recoil.

issues are: her being a texas girl she has know clue how much walking will be required hunting in colorado where we now live, so i would like to make the rifle as light as i can but with out kicking the crap out of her. also i would like to keep with the 30-06 bolt face.

the only cartridges i can think of are:

280 rem or AI
6.5X284

any other ideas? or better yet anybody got any field time with the ones above?

 

[gamehawker]

How about a .257 weatherby magnum?

 

[barnesuser28]

7mm-08 or 308 win

 

[bowhunter42]

6.5/284 all day long or maybe the 264 win mag great ballistics and bullets yet mild recoil. Im putting togther a 270wsm for my girlfriend, on a model 11 action.

 

[Fred Ea]

I am with bowhunter24, anything in 6.5mm is good for women or children, recoil is mild and will flat out perform. The 6.5-284 is a good one, but brass is pricey, the 264WM is a great one and recoil is mild with 140gr. bullets and will hammer a deer, brass can be hard to find sometimes, but the manufacturers make runs every year. The 6.5-06 is good also and you can use 25-06 brass. I am building a 6.5-06 now for myself and possibly my wife or son in the future, can't wait to get it back, gonna be mine for a little while. Rebareling a Rem. 700 mountain rifle with a 24in. #4 Douglas, got some 140gr. Bergers waiting on it.lightbulb
FE

 

[bowhunter42]

Hey Fred, what kind of veloicty would you be getting out of the 6.5/06 my next build is going to be for a 6.5 bullet and was leaning hard towards the 264 win. Just curious, Jay

 

[angus-5024]

7WSM or 7 SAUM. maybe a little high on recoil, but we are talking long range elk. maybe step down to a .284 win or .280 REM but i think the above mentioned would work better.

6.5 are for speed goat and whitetales (i know im gonna get flack but its true).

If she wants to shoot long range, wieght has gotta be a little higher than a light wieght. I would go for a 9lbs 8 ounce'ish total weight, with a brake.

 

[pythonwill]

I got my wife a 6.5x55 last year and she loves it, mild recoil and will still take down an animal. she got her 1st elk with it this last season

 

[Outlaw6.0]

In a long action, 6.5-284, 6.5-06 (maybe the AI?) or the 284 Win. These will all keep you in the '06 bolt face & provide great performance without beating the crap out of your girl (throw a brake on there too). I would keep the bullet diameter 7mm or lower to mitigate recoil. It was stated above that 6.5s are for goats & deer, fair statement... however, a well placed 6.5 will do much better than a poorly placed larger bullet any day of the week. It's about recoil tolerance, not bragging rights, choose a caliber she is comfortable with, if she is scared of it you will both be wasting your time.

The 284 win would be great in your 110, larger boolets for more "pop", short enough to seat long bullets & not erode powder capacity & will offer better BBL life than the 6.5-284....

If you decide otherwise, the bolt head on your Savage can be EASILY changed.

Keep us in the loop, would like to see the build.

 

[bowhunter42]

mitchell, I would build her a 6.5x284 . As for the 6.5 being enough for elk, well I have seen elk dropped at 925 yards with a 140 berger, and the swedes have been killing moose with this caliber for many years. it is flat shooting with mild recoil, HIGH BC bullets with very high sectional density's that is more than capable of taking any animal in north America except for the big bears.

 

[Fred Ea]

Hey Fred, what kind of veloicty would you be getting out of the 6.5/06 my next build is going to be for a 6.5 bullet and was leaning hard towards the 264 win. Just curious, Jay

42,
I haven't got it back yet, waiting on a call any day now from my gunsmith. I would be glad to let you know what I come up with when ever I find the right combo in it. I am planning on using it for deer hunting- 130gr. to 140gr. bullets.
If you go with a 264WM, you will not be disappointed at all, I have one and it is a great deer round. I shoot 130gr. Nosler AB's and 140gr. Hornady SP's and both are under an MOA, high .5 with the AB's. Be sure you get a 26in. Barrel, can't remember the velocities, forgot to record them but I know it is over 3000 fps. The recoil is very tolerable and haven't recovered a bullet yet, two holes all the time even on kills at 400 yards, 6.5 bullets are freight trains and they just work.lightbulb
FE

 

[Fred Ea]

Mitchel,
I forgot about it being a standard caliber so you can't built a magnum. I will have to disagree with a muzzle break, a 6.5 caliber rifle doesn't have enough recoil for it and they are TOOOO LOUD!! Will kill your ears and have to carry hearing protection everywhere you go. Just my lowly opinionlightbulb
FE

 

[mitchell]

well i really don't mind changing the bolt i just didn't want to have to work on making it feed right other then that i don't mind getting away from standard cartridges.

ive really been leaning toward 280 ai (mostly because i want one) and 6.5x 284 ive been thinking alot about a 270 wsm but ive never shot one and dont know how bad the recoil is .

 

[acloco]

6.5x55 - mild recoil, good selection of factory ammo, and enough knockdown for anything in the U.S.....even at distance.

Of interest, last Friday, I finished maching my 6.5x55 AI. Savage long action, Rock Creek stainless 1:8 twist barrel, Leupold 6.5-20x50 Mark 4/M1 turrets, and wrapping it with a factory wood stock. Used a light varmint/heavy sporter contour to keep the weight down so this can be used as a true, hunting rifle. Plan on using this for Muley, Whitetail, Antelope, Coyotes, and an occasional long range prairie dog.

The LONG 6.5/264 bullets perform excellent. Fly flat, straight, and have plenty left at the other end - these don't shed velocity like larger calibers do. SD & BC are phenomenal when compared to just about any caliber and any bullet.

Remember, when you are looking at the loads in all of the books, those loads are designed for the 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser and other WW2 or earlier manufactured weapons. NOT the true high pressure capable actions available today.