What Caliber for 600yd Whitetail? (New rifle Build)

[memtb]

I'm more confused now-LOL I really cant believe the volume of info... I'm trying to take it all in.
280AI would be top rank, but my 7mag pretty much fills that gap.

7mm08AI and 6.5PRC (bolt work needed) have my attention.

Hence…..my suggestion! You already have all the small bases pretty well covered! memtb

 

[DoneNOut]

Hence…..my suggestion! You already have all the small bases pretty well covered! memtb

Not gonna fault a guy for trying to fill that new cartridge itch LOL! However, I want to say the quiet part out loud..."Brah, YOU GOT A 7mm REM MAG!"

 

[Rum Man]

Your wisdom has got me smiling!

I agree with the 338 !
How could you go wrong with a 24" Carbon barrel in 338 Rum sending the 250 gr bergers at 3000 ft.per.sec!

And I'm sure almost as ll you guys out there like a Little "Rum "

We could just trade bolts!
I need something like a 6.5/06 to burn up these 156 gr I have and you would have a bolt for a nice 338 Rum build ! Lol

Rum Man

 

[Glenn Tullius]

I'm looking to build a 600yd hunting rifle. I'll be starting with at Rem 700 LA left hand, trued. I'm planning on a 24" bartlein barrel. I'm not scared of wildcats or Ackley Improved either. I reload so, I'll be developing the loads. The current rifle is a 270win, but I'm thinking there is more bang for the buck in LR performance and aftermarket support. Most of my hunting is within 350yds or so, but I'm wanting a reliable option out to 600yds. This will double as range gun for some fun and probably run 2-300rds per year on the high side.

I'm leaning towards a 260rem or 7mm 08 in the LA. These guys not restricted to mag length can be pretty impressive.

I currently load for:
308, 7mm Rem mag, 7mm 08, 270 win, 223
And I have a 6.5 Creedmore on order for my son. We'll be loading for it as well.

Must haves:
-Long Range Support in brass and projectiles, at least in the manufacturing side. I'm not expecting everything to be in stock. (I'm not against fire forming good brass)
-Decent barrel life ~1800-2000rnd minimum
-Enough kinetic energy for deer at 600yds

Would like to haves:
-cross over powders or projectiles to current reloading stock
-Factory ammo options are nice, but not required.
-Something that is powder efficient
-No one ever complains about low recoil...

Feel free to add details of barrel length, twist, reamers, and load data.

Thanks very much for the info!

Brass and bullets available...I love the 260 rem!

 

[Mark37082]

Something to chew on as you digest all this input. Think about your future desires. Will you be hunting with a suppressor in the future? Will you book a trip to hunt elk or other game where long treks in challenging terrain are the norm? I've gotten to the point where all my heavy rifles spend a lot of time in the safe. Based on what I read in the OP, this will not be your last rifle. Going the custom route is a great way to get exactly what you want. Go with something a little different than what you already have and will be something you will pass down to a loved one when you leave this world.

 

[Highlander44]

.280 Ackley, 24" barrel, 168gr Berger VLD's 2950 fps.

 

[nralifer]

Being practical-minded, choose a cartridge with readily available Brass, dies, and reamers.

No downside to a std 280 with 160s at 2930 with IMR 7828 and Fed 210s.

280 AI is the easy button, formed brass can be hard to find, try forming your own out of Lapua 30/06 brass where you do not lose primer pockets at top-end accuracy nodes.

Another easy button is the std 6.5/06, and I am shooting the 129's at 3150 with R#26 into very, very tiny groups, CCI 250s. 127g Barnes long range was very easy to tune, .050 off the lands, 129g Nosler long range accubond, and 129g Hornady SP(a bullet that never lets you down). All the bullets in this weight shot so well with R#22, I never worked up a load with the 140-ish bullets.

The 6.5/06 seems to be an idiot-proof case to work with when tuning a load. I am running Win and PMC '06 formed cases in the 6.5/06.

270 Win brass would be a better choice to form brass with in regards to the 280AI and 6.5/06 AI, but you use what you have on hand. The formed neck is a tad shorter than the chamber, and the use of the Teslong bore scope allows you to see the carbon build up in the neck and easily remove it with a few twists of a bronze bristle brush of the appropriate size.

6/284 Lapua brass is a thing of the past, as of right now...Europe is preparing for war with Russia.

Russia is about to kick the war into another gear, more of our own reloading supplies will disappear, aka PRC brass....maybe.

Concerning Match kings, I lost a really good buck a few years ago during the rut. He stuck his head out on a power line, the range was 320 yards, chip shot for my 7 Mag's MV of 3150, 150g MK. Buck was knocked down, I saw the blood on his shoulder blade through the 6-24 scope. He got on his feet, and was never to be found after two days of looking.

Good example of a high speed SMK failing to penetrate at high impact velocity. Major reason I stopped using them.

 

[memtb]

The acronym SMK says a lot about potential performance on flesh/bone! memtb

 

[del2les]

A lot of cartridges will work for 600yd max whitetails -
243/6mm and AI versions
25-06 or 257Bee
various 6.5mm's, I love my 260AI's at that range
numerous 7mm's including your 7mm-08
270Win and etc
308, 30-06, etc

The choices are numerous, but for me and whitetail/mulies at 600 and under, I have no issues with my 6mm's and the AI versions, the 260AI, 25-06, 7mm-08, 308, 270Win

 

[Floundertrap]

I definitely agree wit the 6.5x284 but have significant reservations about using SMKs to hunt with. Had enough problems with 30 cal SGKs in Africa with over mushrooming , poor penetration and jacket/core separations at 100-200 yds to know that a bullet constructed to only hit steel or punch through paper was not engineered or tested to perform like a real hunting bullet. The SGK is supposedly a hunting bullet but yet, in my experience is not consistent at adequately penetrating animals. Even though they are a "hunting " bullet they perform unreliably within 200 yds especially when pushed hard. Accuracy was not an issue.

I can't speak to the 30 cal, only my experience with the 142. Two deer I shot at 400 and 527 this year went right through, both high shoulder and quartering away. The other at 400 went into front of left shoulder (deer was quartered to me more than I thought), and stopped in the right ham bone. I'd say if anything these bullets don't mushroom quickly, and are likely to punch a neat little exit wound if you don't hit a big bone. Here's the entry/exit on the one quartering away at 400.

 

[Floundertrap]

IMO, anyone shooting deer at 600+ is simply demonstrating that he doesn't know how to hunt.

Tell me you're no fun without telling me you're no fun. There are plenty of GOOD reasons to hunt long range: geography, disability, personal preference. If a guy can go kill his food, he knows how to hunt, that ain't up to you to judge. You don't have to be able to spit on them to ethically kill them. If anything, I think people largely underestimate their rifles' abilities. But hey, it takes all kinds and there's an *** for every seat.

 

[VinceMule]

It is good practice to shoot targets to the range you want to kill deer at, confidence is built with this method!

Bullets often are more important than headstamps!

 

[jessej]

And I'm sure almost as ll you guys out there like a Little "Rum "

 

[TontoDean]

If you are thinking 6.5 mm then I would recommend the 6.5PRC. It is virtually the same as the 6.5 x 284 Norma
but with tighter chamber dimensions and a better twist rate. It also has good product support.
I have a 260 Rem and a 6.5 x 284 Norma also. The 260 Rem is pretty much a 6.5 Creedmoor in disguise and both are good and easy on recoil, but a little weak for most hunting applications. Speed kills!