I've got a caliber ??

[Huntinfool]

I\'ve got a caliber ??

I have a custom built rifle a .22x243 Middlestead. It's got a Lilja barrel, McMillan stock, Jewell trigger, Mod. 700 action.

Was talking with my smith about maybe getting a new rifle from him and he threw the switch barrel idea at me.

I'm leaning towards doing it but can't make up my mind which caliber to go with.

.284
6.5X284
6X284

Some of you guys got way more experience than me. Which would give me the best LR performance? Any other calibers that would work on the 700SA?

Thanks,
Chuck

 

[trb0]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

I've got a 6.5/284 on a model 70 action with a 26 inch shilen barrel with a 2 oz jewell trigger and it shoots great. I really like the 6.5 and there are lots of quality components for reloading. Thanks trb0

 

[Huntinfool]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

Thanks Timbo,

I've noticed a lot of posts and info for the 6.5x 284. I'm just not too up on that particular caliber.

Anyone else have any input on this subject?

Chuck

 

[uncleB]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

Huntinfool,
To me this is a no contest question 6.5-284. let me explain why it is one of the if not the best 1000yd round.I can say this without bias because I dont own one ,I have a 6-284 and am on my second barrel and it is even getting long in the tooth, dont get me wrong I love my 6-284 but the 6.5-284 has at least 50% longer barrel life, I know my nephew and friends own them. your 22-243Middlestead is a barrelburner no sense having 2 barrelburners on a switch-barrel rig. the 284 is also an option but might not push a 168-180gr VLD as fast as you would like.
ub

 

[Huntinfool]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

Thanks UncleB,

I'm sure leaning towards the 6.5x284 or the .284 itself!

Did I mention that my Middlestead has a 8 twist barrel on it. I'll be pushin a 65 or 75 grainer probably no more than 3400 fps. So that might make the barrel last a little longer. Don't ya think?

Thanks again,
Chuck

 

[älg]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

Try to run a ballistics comparison between the 284 and the 6,5-284....some 7 mm bullets have a high BC but I doubt the 284 win has the power to launch them at a good speed. There are many 6,5 high BC bullets and the 6,5-284 gives you, in my opinion, better trajectories for LR shooting. besides, even though the 284 is the parent case, you´ll probably have more problems finding 284 cases than 6.5-284 ´s .

 

[Festus]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

I agree with what's been said above, and I don't own one either. Additionally, you can get Lapua brass for the 6.5-284, the best brass on the planet. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[James Jones]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

Maybe look at the 243 Ackley , it will use the same mag box as you current caliber , any of the 284 based calibers are going to require a new mag box to get the most out of the case.
A 243 Ackley with a fast twist will get you to 1000yds easly and if you have one built to use some of the even better bc bullets like the 115gr Berger you would be even better off.

I guess the question would be what are you wanting the second caliber to do ? deer ar long range or varmints at longer ranges?

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

How far do you think the hot 6mm's would be effective for deer with the target bullets? Reason being is my dad is looking into building a 243 of some sort mainly for yotes, but I would like to take it to the max for coyotes and deer. I am thinking it would be a great dual purpose, but probly more suited to the target/coyote area to 1000 yards, instead of a deer. But I could be wrong.

 

[Huntinfool]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

Well JD the mag box is of no concern cause she's a single shot. And I will be useing for varmints as well as deer.

I've just about settled on the 6.5-284 I sure do appreciate all of your help fellows. I like the idea of Lapua brass for sure.

Chuck

 

[BountyHunter]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

Think you had better check again on the 6.5-284 and barrel life. It most certainly is a barrel burner by normal definitions. Most are only getting from 750-1200 max rds out of them which is same as 6-284s.

Good flat and accurate cartridge, but so are others. suggest you also look at the 260 Ack Imp. Same bullets and only 100 fps slower and lot longer life. Go to www.6mmbr.com and "guns of the week" and look for recent article on Terry Cross and his 260 AI. 308 lapua necked down will work quite well.

BH

 

[Huntinfool]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

Thanks Bounty Hunter,

I still in the pondering mode and probably will be for a while. I'll check out that article.
Thanks again,..................

Hey I went and read the article I can not see where it's that much different from the 6.5-284 his article even said there was not much difference....
Here's a quote from the article...

"Barrel Life Considerations
Since I am pushing 139gr and 142gr bullets to 2950 fps, there is no reason to believe that my barrel will enjoy appreciable gains in longevity when compared to typical 6.5-284s and .300 Win Mags. I do not have much hard data back from customer rifles yet but my money is on the 1,500 to 2000 round count before things get unpredictable. Note that any high-performance barrel setup needs to be viewed as a consumable, much the same as tires on your car. If the rest of the setup is done correctly, new barrel installations do not require die, dope or load changes from your previous setup. This can be done fairly seamlessly and quickly. If one were to view the costs involved with travel, lodging, food, range fees, ammunition and other shooting expenses, periodic barrel replacement is really a small price to pay for top performance and consistency."



Chuck

 

[wapiti13]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

Huntinfool, The 6.5/284 is a great round,BUT if you plan on hunting anything bigger than deer, I would still go with the parent 284 Win. I went this way myself and have been happy. Long range records have been set with the 284. The new VLD bullets can fly real well. Hunting bullet selection is far superior to the 6.5. It doesn't take too much work to convert match Lupua or Norma brass to 7mm from 6.5-284. Or you can just use Win 284 brass and convert it to match quality. Biggest problem with the 284 is the loose SAAMI spec. I had a custom reamer built to tighten the neck, etc. Just some thoughts to keep you awake!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Huntinfool]

Re: I\'ve got a caliber ??

Thanks for all your info guys keep it coming.

That's a good idea Wapiti13 but I've got a custom built .308 that's a tack driver.

Since the .22-243 Middlestead is a single shot I wish it was built on a long action. But you know what they say about wishing!

I was actually thinking about selling the Middlestead and having a 300 WM built but that .22-243 would be nice here in WV for most groundhog huntin'.

Chuck