Ok so I am thinking about building or buying a gun to target shoot. I have 2 300WM's and a 300WSM and love shooting long range targets when I am not hunting. It gets pretty expensive shooting the magnums alot so I am thinking about getting another rifle for targets. What would be the best caliber I have had my eye on a 308 but was thinking smaller might be better. Also what rifle would be good out of the box. Thanks in advance. and as far as scope I might get a swfa scope. and I shoot 300-1000 yards mostly
Best target caliber
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gcamp54
Well-Known Member
If you are trying to save money, I see guys shooting 6mm on the 1k line of various case configuations.
Gordon
Gordon
winmag
Well-Known Member
Well if your already stocked up on 30 cal bullets, the 308 would seem a logical choice, plus it can pull double duty if needed for a hunt.
I here great things about the 264 (aka 6.5, but I hate metric numbers) in a number of configurations from 260 Rem to 264 Winmag, & everything in between.
Id venture to guess bbl life would be better with the 30 cal, but launching higher b.c. higher s.d. bullets at decent velocity, would probably go to the 264's for LR paper/steel whackin.
The ultimate right now looks to be the 270wsm using a 165 Matrix with a b.c of aroung 65-66 or 175 Matrix with a b.c. of around 7. Talk about a double duty LR Target whacker!
I'm a huge 30 cal & 270 cal fan, & my guns all have to pull double duty. So my Opinion should be considered heavily bias & in favor of one of those two
Sorry I know you said TARGET not double duty, I keep wandering off the subject. My apologys.
I here great things about the 264 (aka 6.5, but I hate metric numbers) in a number of configurations from 260 Rem to 264 Winmag, & everything in between.
Id venture to guess bbl life would be better with the 30 cal, but launching higher b.c. higher s.d. bullets at decent velocity, would probably go to the 264's for LR paper/steel whackin.
The ultimate right now looks to be the 270wsm using a 165 Matrix with a b.c of aroung 65-66 or 175 Matrix with a b.c. of around 7. Talk about a double duty LR Target whacker!
I'm a huge 30 cal & 270 cal fan, & my guns all have to pull double duty. So my Opinion should be considered heavily bias & in favor of one of those two
Sorry I know you said TARGET not double duty, I keep wandering off the subject. My apologys.
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I appreciate all the good advice and I guess it would be nice to be able to use it as maybe a deer or antelope gun. But I don't know how much cheaper a 270 wsm would be to shoot. It would probally be cheaper just to shoot my 300 wm haha
300WSMMAD
Well-Known Member
The 284 WIN, not available in a factory rifle but man oh man you will never regret building it EVER!
I shoot 162 Amax from mine @ 2950 fps,cheap to run, ok barrel life 2000 rnd ish, super compeditive calibre.
300WSMMAD
I shoot 162 Amax from mine @ 2950 fps,cheap to run, ok barrel life 2000 rnd ish, super compeditive calibre.
300WSMMAD
SBruce
Well-Known Member
Just another opinion, but something in 6mm/243.
Anything between the 6BR and 6mm Rem.........if properly built, will shoot excellent and give similar velocities with similar BC bullets, so your drifts and drops will also be similar to the 300 magnums........and, you can shoot one for alot less money and alot less recoil.
A 105/115 grn. 6mm is really close BC to the 175/180 grn. 30 calibers, and the cartridges between 6 BR and 6mm Rem will push them at the same speeds we're getting with the 300 WSM and we're burning alot less powder to get there.
Anything between the 6BR and 6mm Rem.........if properly built, will shoot excellent and give similar velocities with similar BC bullets, so your drifts and drops will also be similar to the 300 magnums........and, you can shoot one for alot less money and alot less recoil.
A 105/115 grn. 6mm is really close BC to the 175/180 grn. 30 calibers, and the cartridges between 6 BR and 6mm Rem will push them at the same speeds we're getting with the 300 WSM and we're burning alot less powder to get there.
6mm br, Dasher. With the 103-108s or the 6.5x47 shooting the 130s
It really depends on your motivation and it sounds like you would like a rig that is an extension of your hunting rig that provides some similarity and supports long range hunting skillls and possibly use the rifle for occasional hunting. I had the same desire. My hunting rigs are in 270WSM and 6.5x284. In the off season I shoot informal long rang targets and compete in a several 200-300 yard eggs shoots in hunting/ factory class. Shoot about a thousand, sometimes more rounds that would burn the barrels out on my hunting rigs in no time. For the off season I currently use a Savage LRP in 260 Remington. Stock dimensions, trigger pull, and scope are similar to my hunting rigs. Very accurate out to 1000 yards, great barrel life, utilizes many of my existing components. The barrel and overal weight is a few pounds heavier than my hunting rigs which helps with the considerably higher volume of shots taken during target shooting and dampens recoil. Prior to getting the LRP is used a Remington 308 Mil Spec with equal success. I did do a little hunting with these set ups but really preferred the ballistics of my hunting rigs. If it were serious, formal benchrest shooting, I would go with a 6Br out to 600 yards, or a 6,5x284 out to 1000. There are other good choices as well.
So I think I've narrowed it down to either a 243 or 6.5x284. Between the two which one would be best for me you guys think. The 243 is alot less $ to shot that is what has got me looking at that and when I was 12 I shot one and dropped a mule deer and cow elk no problem.
Outlaw6.0
Well-Known Member
^^^I was thinking along these lines, the BR would be hard to beat, the 243 is pretty dern good for sure. But the 6.5x47 should offer as good as or better ballistics, better bbl life & more pop in the hunting fields.
Between these two the 243 may be a little cheaper and barrel life might be better depending in your load, but the 6.5x284 would be a lot more rewarding when it comes down to the perfect balance of accuracy, power, and ballistics, especially if you want to go out to 1000 yards. I actually started using the 6.5x284 for targets and it ended up being my primary hunting caliber.
