Caliber selection

mrb1982 said:

Well, I have a 22-250 that someday is going to see a rebarrel, so that one probably has 6.5 creedmoor written all over it.

I probably just need to get back to my basic thoughts from long ago. I don't really have a need for a "super mag" so to speak.

The 338 RUM is also intriguing. I know custom is the sure fire method but not sure what I will do yet.

Anybody wanna tell me their velocities of a 300 win mag with 215's in a 26" barrel?

The Remage thing is also interesting. I have thought about it quite a bit but by the time I buy a few tools and whatnot I could just have it done by a smith. Who knows what will happen.

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If a guy were to build pretty well identical 6.5 CM's or .260 Rem and a .300wm he'd have all he's ever going to need in North America for shooting everything from prairie dogs to big bears, buff, moose, and elk.

With the 6.5's you can also afford to shoot basically as much as you want to build your skill levels and confidence without ever worrying about recoil either.

If you could find a Gen 2 Remington 700 one each in .260 and .300wm you'd never have to buy another rifle in your life unless you wanted to go to Africa and shoot dangerous game.

mrb1982 said:

How many brass did you think I would need of a barrel?

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I like to build up 200 rounds of brass for each rifle. That way I will never have to worry about running out.

I did 200. Same as WildRose.

Well I have always had a love for a 264 win mag. Thought maybe a nice Winchester sporter and use it as my "lightweight" gun. I say light weight because most of my gun have varmint barrels.

If you do go 300 wm and like Remington I would highly recommend getting the Rem 5R.

Mine has the 26" barrel and I get 3000 fps with N570 and 215 bergers...and most importantly it is scary accurate, I did bed mine and install a timney trigger.

I would look to see what Lapua or Nosler offered for brass and go from there. I personally would jump to a .338 LM, that'll be big enough for anything.

I have a new Model 70 .264 WM for sale that sounds right up your alley. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/774508275

Get a .300 WM. Avoid all the proprietary BS, less recoil to get used to than the monsters, and if you love the .308 cal., then later you can move up to bigger cases. .308 cals. are WAY easier to get ammo or gear for than the equivalent other calibers. If you're really going to shoot at extreme ranges, then by all means, drink your green juice, soak up some gamma rays, and go to something huge.

mrb1982 said:

I shoot a 243 and 7 rem mag with 95 and 180 grain bullets. I have a 270 win BDL I shoot 130's out of. I have a 22-250 and 223. I am looking at something new, I just don't know what yet. I am thinking another magnum long range rig. I have always wanted a 300 win with 215's but is kind of close balliatically to my 7 except a little more energy. 300 RUM sounds entertaining but when getting to that size it starts to get more spend to shoot which I am not terribly opposed to.

A couple questions to help with my decision. Also if you have any personal suggestions of preferences or thought processes on the topic go ahead and let me know what you are thinking.

1) This most likely will be a factory rig, so how much velocity can I expect to get out of 215 grain Berger's in a 26" barrel on a 300 win mag and an RUM?

2) How much velocity will I expect to see out of 230's?

Any other caliber suggestions are cool. I am leaning towards more horsepower rather than less. Just because I guess.

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I haven't seen any reply for the idea I am thinking. If you like to hunt (based on your rifle caliber list), why don't you look at the .35 Whelen Ackley Improved? It is a great rifle for elk, moose, or nilgai - not to mention any whitetail in North America along with bear, hogs, etc. In other words, it is the quintessential hunting caliber. It has a very likeable lower recoil than the .338 and delivered more energy out to 500 yards than does the .300 Win Mag. I shoot the 225 gr Nosler Accubond in mine for anything other than whitetail (reduce to a standard ballistic tip for them unless you want to minimize meat damage). You will need to get the custom chamber reamed (unless you get lucky and find a stock barrel). I had mine done by PacNor since they do a lot of work for Nosler (check out the barrel manufacturer in the Nosler reloading guide). The 30-06 brass holds a very sufficient amount of powder to get the job done with the Ackley improvement giving an extra 10% or so. But, I find my best accuracy loads well into the upper range of the listed standard .35 Whelen loads in most reloading manuals. It is very fun caliber to take hunting anywhere (except for dangerous game).

As some of the other folks already said, if you really want a real Long Range Hammer (1500yds and far beyond) go with a 338. I prefer .340 Wby 338-378Wby and 33 Nosler to the "everybody has one and most of them can't shoot them" 338LM, which also costs twice as much for ammo and 2.5-3x for brass. So, before anyone says, well the Lapua chambers on shoulder and the WBY on the belt so the LM is more accurate. I say 30 or more yrs ago you may have been right, but with the technology of the last 20+ yrs, and especially the last 5-10yrs that is no longer true. My .340 HighTech Shadow hunting rifle (Lilja barrel) shoots sub 1/2moa at 200yds and although I have never tried grouping it, it will spin an 8" plate at 600-1000yds all day, wind or no. And if someone was behind it that could really shoot, it would be far better than that.

The .30 Nosler looks pretty intriguing as well as the .300 Norma Mag.

mrb1982 said:

I shoot a 243 and 7 rem mag with 95 and 180 grain bullets. I have a 270 win BDL I shoot 130's out of. I have a 22-250 and 223. I am looking at something new, I just don't know what yet. I am thinking another magnum long range rig. I have always wanted a 300 win with 215's but is kind of close balliatically to my 7 except a little more energy. 300 RUM sounds entertaining but when getting to that size it starts to get more spend to shoot which I am not terribly opposed to.

A couple questions to help with my decision. Also if you have any personal suggestions of preferences or thought processes on the topic go ahead and let me know what you are thinking.

1) This most likely will be a factory rig, so how much velocity can I expect to get out of 215 grain Berger's in a 26" barrel on a 300 win mag and an RUM?

2) How much velocity will I expect to see out of 230's?

Any other caliber suggestions are cool. I am leaning towards more horsepower rather than less. Just because I guess.

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You'll see minimums of about 2700 fps with the 230 Hybrid and over 2800 fps with the 215's.
I use the 230's exclusively in my 300 WM SENDERO .

mrb1982 said:

I shoot a 243 and 7 rem mag with 95 and 180 grain bullets. I have a 270 win BDL I shoot 130's out of. I have a 22-250 and 223. I am looking at something new, I just don't know what yet. I am thinking another magnum long range rig. I have always wanted a 300 win with 215's but is kind of close balliatically to my 7 except a little more energy. 300 RUM sounds entertaining but when getting to that size it starts to get more spend to shoot which I am not terribly opposed to.

A couple questions to help with my decision. Also if you have any personal suggestions of preferences or thought processes on the topic go ahead and let me know what you are thinking.

1) This most likely will be a factory rig, so how much velocity can I expect to get out of 215 grain Berger's in a 26" barrel on a 300 win mag and an RUM?

2) How much velocity will I expect to see out of 230's?

Any other caliber suggestions are cool. I am leaning towards more horsepower rather than less. Just because I guess.

Click to expand...

If you do go with the .300RUM put a muzzle break on it. It has a wicked recoil without it.
The .338 Win Mag or the .338RUM will suffice for anything you may hunt in North America. I took a top 10 Gold metal SCI Cape Eland with a Browning .338RUM which performed very well.
Also an excellent caliber if "hoursepower" is your objective is the .375H&H which is easy to reload for and fun to shoot.

mrb1982 said:

I shoot a 243 and 7 rem mag with 95 and 180 grain bullets. I have a 270 win BDL I shoot 130's out of. I have a 22-250 and 223. I am looking at something new, I just don't know what yet. I am thinking another magnum long range rig. I have always wanted a 300 win with 215's but is kind of close balliatically to my 7 except a little more energy. 300 RUM sounds entertaining but when getting to that size it starts to get more spend to shoot which I am not terribly opposed to.

A couple questions to help with my decision. Also if you have any personal suggestions of preferences or thought processes on the topic go ahead and let me know what you are thinking.

1) This most likely will be a factory rig, so how much velocity can I expect to get out of 215 grain Berger's in a 26" barrel on a 300 win mag and an RUM?

2) How much velocity will I expect to see out of 230's?

Any other caliber suggestions are cool. I am leaning towards more horsepower rather than less. Just because I guess.

Click to expand...

I recommend trying out a M1-a or a rock river LR8 I have both in 308 it's kinda neat to have semi-autos that both shoot 1/2 groups @ hundred and in a semi auto. Granted the m1a does have a Kerger barrel on it.