Need some advice on a new rifle

[Aldon]

Niave question and hopefully close enough to topic that it will not derail the discussion.......

I have been considering settling for a VLP in non ideal caliber and rebarreling.

Ordering straight from Savage a Stainless VLP in my prefered caliber is definitely worth a look.

The question is.....Do I need to have an FFL in mind for them to ship it to once it is done when I call in the order? or do they ship to local savage distributor...for instance Dick's Sporting goods or what have you?

 

[liltank]

Oh really... a customer order you say, you guys are killin me. So then what should it be... 6.5x284 , 7mm wsm , 300 wsm ?

If I am understanding this all correctly heavier bullets buck the wind better and have better ballistic coeffecients than lighter bullets, correct? causing them to have less windage adjustments but more elevation adjustments.

6.5x284 bullet ranges factory built are 120gr - 140gr.
7mm wsm bullet ranges factory built are 140 - 180gr.
300 wsm bullet ranges factory built are 140 - 180gr.

Ok.... so since you are sticking with factory ammo, the 7WSM in a 160-180 bullet is going to be your best option. It will have the most energy down range between the 6.5x284 and 300WSM in factory ammo offerings. I have shot the 300WSM to 1000. It is very capable.

The 6.5x284 with its factory offerings in the 123-140 grain bullet will be very good paper puncher at 1000 and beyond. Though people use it to 900-1000yds for Elk, I personally would stop at 900yds. It will go the distance for mulies and whitetails.

The 7mm with the 180 offering or if you can find an offering in the 162 A-max or 168 Berger will be your best option for Elk at 1000yds.

The 300WSM I could only find one offering by Double Tap ammo that makes a 200grn Accu-bond load that would be very effective to 1000. So there it is in a nut shell.

I have to say I kind of giggled like a little girl when you mentioned about the custom orders. It took me forever to choose a caliber when I was trying to decide.

 

[liltank]

The question is.....Do I need to have an FFL in mind for them to ship it to once it is done when I call in the order? or do they ship to local savage distributor...for instance Dick's Sporting goods or what have you?

Yes, you need an FFL to receive a shipped firearm or action. The only components that you can receive as a non-dealer of firearms are the components such as trigger, barrel, bolt separate from the action, stock, and various other parts.

 

[DZelenka]

If I am understanding this all correctly heavier bullets buck the wind better and have better ballistic coeffecients than lighter bullets, correct? causing them to have less windage adjustments but more elevation adjustments.

6.5x284 bullet ranges factory built are 120gr - 140gr.
7mm wsm bullet ranges factory built are 140 - 180gr.
300 wsm bullet ranges factory built are 140 - 180gr.

for windage that would make the 7mm wsm and 300 wsm better than the 6.5 for factory ammo, correct?

Not quite. You really have to look at the ballistic coefficient of the various bullets and their muzzle velocity to determine which will hold the wind better. There is a rule of thumb though - for any given bullet weight, the smaller diameter one of identical construction should have the highest BC and if all bullets are started at the same velocity, should hold the wind and retain both energy and velocity best. It will also have greater sectional density and therefore penetrate more.

To make a real determination, you need to compare achievable velocities with each bullet weight and their BCs. Looking at their 500 yards retained velocity and wind drift will tell you more than their muzzle velocities. You will be surprised what the 6.5x284 can do with a 140 gr bullet.

If recoil isn't a factor, I would probably pick the 7 WSM or 6.5x284, but you really can't make a truly bad decision with any of the three.

 

[6072mc]

thats all that is gunna happen, everyone has their own opinion on what is best, choose one gun you sacrafice velocity but gain knockdown power, choose another you gain velocity but lose knockdown power.. its all gunna boil down to what you want. they all can reach 1000 reliably, it just depends what caliber sounds best to you

All three have the knockdown that is needed for the largest game I would ever shoot (elk - although I have no plans to hunt elk in the near future).

My gut is telling me to get the 300wsm so I won't have to upgrade to a larger caliber later down the road. My brain is telling me to get something smaller because I don't need anything past 140gr's for oklahoma game and target shooting.

Since all three will easily do what I am wanting (as someone else in this thread said), I will most likely pick one that is the fastest to get (meaning one that I can order and get delivered in a week) and costs the least in the savage model I am wanting. Best way to solve this dilemma I think?

Does anyone use this site for reloading? Have been looking at velocities and energy there. Not sure how reliable the info is.

PS.
I have ordered online before for guns and use a local gun shops FFL for mail deliveries. They charge 10$ for it.

 

[DZelenka]

All three have the knockdown that is needed for the largest game I would ever shoot (elk - although I have no plans to hunt elk in the near future).

My gut is telling me to get the 300wsm so I won't have to upgrade to a larger caliber later down the road. My brain is telling me to get something smaller because I don't need anything past 140gr's for oklahoma game and target shooting.

Since all three will easily do what I am wanting (as someone else in this thread said), I will most likely pick one that is the fastest to get (meaning one that I can order and get delivered in a week) and costs the least in the savage model I am wanting. Best way to solve this dilemma I think?

Does anyone use this site for reloading? Have been looking at velocities and energy there. Not sure how reliable the info is.

I would look on the bullet manufacturers' websites (Nosler for instance) or the powder manufacturers' (like Hogdon) for that type of information.

 

[liltank]

Does anyone use this site for reloading? Have been looking at velocities and energy there. Not sure how reliable the info is.

PS.
I have ordered online before for guns and use a local gun shops FFL for mail deliveries. They charge 10$ for it.

I reference reloadersnest.com all the time. I even have a few loads posted in .308 caliber. It's a great source. Not all the loads are high powered loads. Most are quite conservative. If you want to get the best bang for your buck, choose the 300 or 7mm. The 300 will be the easier to get in the Savage. So that would be the way to go.

 

[Bman940]

Some absolutely great advice here. I also like any of the .30's for really reaching out there and most importantly, making a humane kill.
I encourage you to also check out Nikon's Spot On website. It's free and has more ballistic info then you can handle,maybe. You can even enter atmospheric conditions for where you are at. Go to Nikonhunting.com, click on Spot On logo, register and have at it. It also has G7 drag table's for handloader's as well. Lot's of guy's want a 1000 yard rifle,heck I want one, but the furthest I have ever shot is 623 yards. That extra 377 yards is a whole different ballgame. You've come to the right place for pertinent information that I can assure you.
Take a look and let me know hat you think?


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