Caliber selection

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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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 love my 338 LM's. I have a Savage BA110, a Savage Long Range Hunter, and a completely custom one. All have Bartlein Barrels and APA Fat Bastard Brakes... All are extremely pleasant to shoot w/o any noticeable recoil. With the calibers you already have, the 338 LM would be my choice. The only other caliber for me in consideration would be the WBY 6.5-300 Mag... JMHO

Get a 30 Nosler

My "need" for a larger cartridge than my do it all 280 AI ended up being a 338 Sherman Shortmag. I do hunt moose mostly so I wanted more punch, plus extend my range on steel. I absolutley did not want to go big case capacity, ie Lapua or ultra mag etc. I'll be shooting 250 Berger EH's I'm hoping around 2800 fps, out of short action. My build is off a short action mag bolt face Remington 700.

Wow, lots to go through since the last time I looked!!!

Some interesting suggestions and wildcats here. I will address a few and express thoughts.

I am thinking I am probably going to veer away from custom at this point. Not that I am not interested, but I have a couple other projects coming up that could turn custom.

Recoil isn't really much of an issue for me. I have never been recoil sensitive in the past, shooting magnum calibers with sporter barrels until I got bit with the heavy barrel bug.

The more I think about it, the more I veer away from the ultra big magnums. I don't really have a use for one in all actually. Heck, my 7 mag will kill everything I need to kill as far as my hunting seasons of elk, deer, and antelope. My 270 will do plenty adequate as a backup, and I have a 243 and 22-250 for coyote rifles.

There really isn't a rifle that I "need." There is one that has caught my eye a couple times. Those darn Maple Winchester Super Grades. Only a handful of calibers for choices there. The only ones I probably have much interest in are a 300 win mag or 264 win mag. Seems like the 300 could get kind of abusive but recoil hasn't been an issue for me in the past. Always something to ponder......

I have thought about a 300 wsm but can't seem to find it in a gun that I would like without building a custom.

A creedmoor or 260 is kind of on my radar because my daughters could pretty easily shoot on for hunting purposes as a double use type gun.

A lot of interesting suggestions. I like to hear other peoples thoughts and thought processes on this stuff. Helps me decide a little bit on what I want.

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...

You said something long range I just bought a CMMG .224 valkyrie that has 24inch barrel and shoot 90gr Sierra amtch kings very well easy 1000 yds. It is also easy on the pocket book as for brass and powder. I had 300wsm and a 338 Lapua but this rifle is fun to shoot and so much cheaper and your girls will love it too.

Jim Borden advised me to go to the 300 RUM with the Barnes TSX 180 grain, from my 7mm Rem Mag. There is an advantage with the .30 caliber if you want the animal you just shot to go down on the spot. I found out he was not wrong. If all you are doing is punching paper this advice does not apply.

DELETED due to wrong quoted post. See #69 for the corresponding response.

FEENIX said:

Are you really asking for caliber or chambering? 215 and 230 Bergers are .308 caliber bullets. .300 Win Mag and .300 RUM are chamberings. Just making sure so we can provide you with a considerable sound advice you are seeking.

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How about the good ole Weatherby 300. Look at other ballistics and always come back to my Weatherby 300. Wide assortment of ammo and grains.

verraja said:

How about the good ole Weatherby 300. Look at other ballistics and always come back to my Weatherby 300. Wide assortment of ammo and grains.

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Magazine length...I have one. Pain in the *** with long high bc bullets

Might look at the .224 valkyrie as I just bought a CMMG 224 valkyrie 24 inchbarrel and it is fun. Shoot 1000 yds easy and is cheap on pocket book as I have owned 338 Lapua and 300WSM .

I would just get the darn 6.5 Creedmoor, if you really don't need a LR hunting rig and would like something that your daughters could use too. The selection of quality factory ammo for the cartridge is amazing. It is rather inexpensive and accurate. Every big box gun store I have visited has a big selection of it. It won't go thru a barrel as fast as a 264 Win Mag. You can have more fun longer with the Creedmoor.

I was shooting some Hornady Superformance 129 SST ammo to 640 yards a few weeks ago it was holding 3/4 MOA.

Barrelnut said:

I would just get the darn 6.5 Creedmoor, if you really don't need a LR hunting rig and would like something that your daughters could use too. The selection of quality factory ammo for the cartridge is amazing. It is rather inexpensive and accurate. Every big box gun store I have visited has a big selection of it. It won't go thru a barrel as fast as a 264 Win Mag. You can have more fun longer with the Creedmoor.

I was shooting some Hornady Superformance 129 SST ammo to 640 yards a few weeks ago it was holding 3/4 MOA.

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When I wear my 308 out or reach 4000 rounds I'll rebarrel it to a 6.5cm then I'll have two. Such a simple accurate round

FEENIX said:

Are you really asking for caliber or chambering? 215 and 230 Bergers are .308 caliber bullets. .300 Win Mag and .300 RUM are chamberings. Just making sure so we can provide you with a considerable sound advice you are seeking.

Click to expand...

verraja said:

How about the good ole Weatherby 300. Look at other ballistics and always come back to my Weatherby 300. Wide assortment of ammo and grains.

Click to expand...

Not really sure why you quoted my verification question but yes the .300 WBTY chambering is a worthy .308 caliber.

I have custom built .30 LARA that can shoot a factory .300 WBTY in a pinch.


(L-R: .300 WM 215, factory .300 WBTY ammo 180 SP, .30 LARA 220 ELD-X)


(.300 Ackley/.300 WBTY Ackley and .30 LARA visual comparison)

I went through this same process about a month ago. I have similar calibers (204,223,243,25-06, 270 wsm, 325 wsm). I ended up buying a rem M700 5r gen 2 in 260. I bought my 11 year old son a 6.5 creedmoor for christmas last year and fell in love with the 6.5 caliber and their performance. I didn't want to get the exact same round, so I went with the 260 and have been very very happy with my choice. There are a ton of good 6.5 options out there, I would recommend looking at those.