Looking to fill a gap

[SkipsBlown55]

I am looking to fill a gap in my current factory rifles and would certainly appreciate your years of experience. I am looking for a .26 caliber and want to shoot 500 yards or farther. Will be used mostly for paper but would like a multi-use rifle.

I currently own the following factory rifles:

Original Remington Sendero's in 25-06, 7mm Remington and .300 Win Mag
Remington 700 SPS Tactical .223
Remington .243 700 Varmint

Over the years I have concentrated mainly on the range of bullet weights while maintaining velocities between 3000 and 3200 fps as a general rule. I would truly appreciate your recommendations for a .26 cal to fill the gap for a factory rifle. Being sooo old, I have a soft spot for the .264 but have no experience with it. I do reload for all of my rifles, if this helps. Thanks in advance.

 

[lancetkenyon]

I am in about the same boat as you, but add a caliber in there @ .277.

.223/5.56
.22-250
.6MM Rem
.250 Ack. Imp.
.25-06 Ack. Imp.

.270 Win
Building a 7MM STW now
.300 RUM

I am looking at a 6.5-284 (long action) right now also. Should easily net you 130 @ 3000+ and 140 gr. bullet over 2900 fps in my research.

The .260 Ack. Imp. (my other choice) in a short action shoots 120 gr. @ 3100+FPS, 130 gr. @ 3000+ fps, and the 140 gr. @ 2900+ FPS.

There is also the 6.5-06 for a true long action. 130 gr. @ 3100-3250 FPS and 140 gr. @ 3000-3100 FPS. You can "Ackley" this round too for a little more speed if wanted.

Or you could go totally crazy and get a 6.5 STW.....120 Gr. @ 3600 FPS, 130 gr. @ 3500 FPS, 140 gr. @ 3300+ FPS......

 

[SkipsBlown55]

Good Morning lancetkenyon:
I have gotten a lot of excellent recommendations from all of you experts. Every single recommendations has valid pro's and con's, but one that really sticks in my mind is "What will be popular tomorrow"? The main point was the performance factors, of course, but also the future availability of reloading components. If performance is reasonably similar among the different groups, the 6mm-06 is definitely on my list. I personally don't have anything against a long action, and I know the capabilities of the -06. It is also a round that I know my Grand Kids will be able to handle, as they move up.

All of the rounds that you have listed are excellent choices for what I am looking for. The old saying of "There really aren't any easy choices" seems to be getting harder, rather than easier. We are taking the .223 Remington Tactical with 16.5 inch 1/7 twist barrel out tomorrow. Am really looking forward to seeing how it runs out.

Thanks again to everyones help with this. I truly appreciate it.

 

[lancetkenyon]

As for "popular in the future", brass will always be available for the .25-06, .270 Win, so necking up or down should not be an issue.

Powders are getting revised and added to all the time, and with the slower burning powders coming around, a longer barrel is more acceptable to gain velocity.

Primers have not changed much in the past years, and I see no foreseeable change either.

Bullets are changing for the better all the time, and with the 6.5/.264 market growing like it is with the long range game and hunters, I see the popularity sticking around for a long time too, especially in the higher end bullets like Berger, Barnes, Hornady, Sierra, etc. Used to be only a very few factory .264 offerings like the .264 Win Mag (another candidate to consider!) and the 6.5 Rem Mag (now pretty much obsolete except hand loading and custom chambering).

Once you buy a quality set of dies for reloading, you should be set for life with them, so no need to replace there either.

I see the 6.5-06 being a very easy candidate for long range hunting, and even for women/kids to shoot as well. My .25-06 Ack. Imp. is easily shootable by my 10 year old daughter, and she even shoots the .270 Win with a muzzle brake. You could always add one of those and really get the recoil down to tolerable levels.

Whatever you do, get a quality built rifle, good optics, and work up a good handload and you will be set for a long range medium game rig. Antelope, deer, etc. will not know what hit them. My neighbor has a .264 Win Mag and he has shot Coues whitetail between 600-980 yds. every year in Mexico, usually more than one a trip. Makes me so jealous......gun)

 

[bullfrog]

If you like your Remington senderos you currently have you might look for a .264 win mag sendero. They are no longer being made but odds are good you could find one somewhere. Maybe even NIB.

 

[SkipsBlown55]

Lance & Bullfrog.......
You are both dead-on. I have always had a soft-spot for the .264 ever since the late 60's. In past posts on this thread, there was thought of muzzle blast and kick for kids......at that point I started asking myself if the gun really was for them or me!!! If I picked up a .264 Sendero, that would complete the cartridge family in the Sendero's for me. Weight is not a consideration for me (I'm old and don't carry much any more). The weight of the barrel/stock actually counter-act the recoil, which helps the kids. Besides, they will move up when they feel that they are ready, not me. They only keep me to reload for them, haha.

I have never really had a custom rifle, so when this all started was thinking about one, but needed a lot of advice from you pro's to shorten years of trial and error on my part. I will eventually get the missing .264 Sendero (for me), but have really been giving a lot of thought to a 6mm-06 with 30" barrel. I think that it would be capable of punching holes in paper a long ways off.....

All of my present guns have the fat barrels.....that being said, I am aging by the day, so I feel the need to cheat (what is it about Old Bull - Young Bull). My .223 and .243 have a 6X24 scope and the 25-06, 7mm and .300 have 8X32 on them. Sure helps old eyes. Besides, shooting at distance, normally gives you a bit more time to acquire than setting in a tree stand. Just a little extra edge is all that I need. An old Chief use to tell me that if you found yourself in a fair fight, your tactics were all wrong. There's a lot of truth to that.

 

[lancetkenyon]

I have a few 6.5-20 scopes, but most wear the 4-16 range of magnification. I usually leave them on the least amount of magnification available for quick shots or closer shots that might present itself quickly. Makes for easier sight acquisition with a wider field of view. Also really helps my 10 year old find the target quicker. Then we can dial it up if needed for a long shot.

While I use the high magnification for sighting in, I only dial it up once a target (animal) has been found, or to help check an animal I ma thinking of shooting.

Be aware that kids usually cannot find the target nearly as easily as seasoned hunters who get a sense of point and shoot over time and experience. Even some adults I know cannot find a target (game animal) quickly enough on top magnification due to too little field of view and not enough experience with knowing where a rifle is pointing when they shoulder it.

While 8-32 would be amazing on a prairie dog town, or a 600+ yard shot at a bedded or feeding animal, it makes sight acquisition tough on a relatively close (even 100 yds) and moving animal if you are not used to it or have a lot of field time behind a scope. Although I can hit a running jackrabbit at 30 yds. on 3 power which drives my brother crazy, I do not know if I could do that with an 8 power scope even at 50 yds.

As for the kids, like I mentioned, a muzzle brake does wonders for recoil reduction for kids/women/recoil sensitive shooters. I even enjoy shooting more with them, even in marginally heavy calibers like my .270 Win. Look at the long range game shooters, they have brakes on 6.5 Creeds, .308s, 6mm Supers, etc. to aid in precise shooting. Plus, it gives kids bragging rights that they can shoot the big guns....

 

[SkipsBlown55]

I do the same.
I live in L.A. and SoCal hunting options are pretty limited, not to mention working 6 days a week. All of my shooting since '69 has been paper. The Grand Kids have never had the opportunity to hunt yet.

I just put a compensator on the .223 because of barrel length. Have read quite a bit about the muzzle breaks, but have never used one. May be a nice addition to the .300, the older that I get!!! Really a great point for the younger ones.

Sure do miss the grain-fed deer, etc. of Missouri. Everything here taste like sage brush.

 

[lancetkenyon]

I have petite daughters, and the muzzle brake makes a .270 Win very shootable by them. Making it comfortable to shoot means they enjoy it more and don't learn to flinch when it goes boom because it hurts. A good $250 investment in my opinion. Plus, it helps put meat on my table with more opportunities at game in the field, and if the kids can contribute, it makes them feel good too.

My 10 year old daughter is the second smallest in her class, maybe 65 pounds? She is even able to shoot my .300 RUM with the brake, but only a few shots at a time. But she can pop off 300 rounds in an hour with my .223. My older daughter took an elk the .270 Win when she was 11 with no problems. 150 yard shot and the elk went 5 yards.

I am just very grateful that I get to share the amazing outdoors and experiences with my girls. Not many can say that.

 

[SkipsBlown55]

Took my Grandsons out this morning shooting. It was only their 2nd time out and I brought the new Remington 700 Tactical .223 with a 16.5 barrel and 1/7 twist. This little gun really surprised me. For such a short barrel, it is really accurate. Grandsons were hitting metal plates at 200 yards. They are getting the hang of this.

You are truly a lucky man. What a beautiful rifle and daughters too.

I will definitely take a closer look at the muzzle breaks. From everything that you say, it will benefit all of us. Will send you pics of the 1/2" metal plate targets that I made for the kids.

 

[lancetkenyon]

My girls are definitely beauties. Good thing they take after their Mom! Just look at my 10 year old girl!

 

[SkipsBlown55]

Sweet tools to learn with too.

I made some 1/2" plate steel target to put a little fun into it for the kids,,,,,we can't hunt much in SoCal. Will put a couple in to check out. I believe that the 200 yards was a little too close for the 300. I had swapped scopes around and they had only been bore sighted.

 

[SkipsBlown55]

I don't have any rifles as pretty as your 270.......just factory stuff. This is my 300 Sendero fluted.