Mid range deer/elk

[4xforfun]

Rem 700 short action custom switch bbl rig (308 bolt face) for a friend. He already has a 1-8 twist 6.5-47L tube on it to bang steel and for his 6 year old son to plink deer with. He wants to chamber up a lightweight carry tube for 500-600 yard deer and 400 - 500 yard elk. My 1st choice would be the 284 shooting the 168 - 180 class bullets. Or a 30-284 shooting 180 - 200's. tie for 3rd would be a 7mm08 AI or 308 AI.

Is my guidance sound? He has no problems with AI or wildcat rounds. My worry is mag length with the longer bullets.

Thanks,
Tod

 

[ohiohunter]

I'd go 284 w/ the 168gr and hope they fit your mag. Pretty much everything in the 7mm class w/ 180's is gonna run you long in the box. A 30-284 would be fun, about like a 30-06. Find a piece of brass and see if you have room in the box with 180-200gr pills on the 284 case.


Though I like bigger holes in my elk, a good true SA round would be the 6.5 creedmoor and with Lapua brass available now, its looking very appealing.

 

[MudRunner2005]

7mm-08 or 7mm-08 AI gets my vote. 24" barrel with 1:8 twist for the 180-195 Bergers. Very often underrated and forgotten about cartridge. Hunted with one growing up, and it's dropped many a whitetail. I highly recommend it.

Most will say those bullets are too heavy, but if you look at the ballistics, despite the slow velocity, the ballistics are quite impressive, even out to much farther yardage than one might think. This is why I have been shooting Berger 210/215's in my .308 Win. for years.

 

[Dosh]

I'm on board with Mud on this one with the 7mm-08AI. A great overlooked round which will put them down. Components easy to find and doesn't consume copious amounts of powder. It should fit the mag OK. Good luck

 

[FEENIX]

He wants to chamber up a lightweight carry tube for 500-600 yard deer and 400 - 500 yard elk. My 1st choice would be the 284 shooting the 168 - 180 class bullets.

Another vote for the .284; install an effective MB and the young shooter should be able to handle it.

Cheers!

 

[hank440]

Why not just use plain old .308, it is much less expensive and has great barrel life, low recoil so you can practice. gun)

 

[MudRunner2005]

Why not just use plain old .308, it is much less expensive and has great barrel life, low recoil so you can practice. gun)

Price is negligible when hand loading for them. Good brass will cost nearly the same for both cartridges, and bullets will cost the same, powder, the same, and primers, also the same. Lapua makes brass for both...I recommend it for either.

I am also a huge .308 Win fan, but in this circumstance, the 7mm-08 or 7mm-08AI would be something fun and different.

 

[WeiserBucks]

I'm a 7mm nut , so my vote is 7-08 with 160 Accubonds. A family near me has taken dozens of elk with that combination, many at 500+ yards .

 

[JIsbell40]

The 4-500 on elk but 5-6 on deer is counter intuitive. You have 4x more room to let the bullet expand and that same level of "missing room". If you're dead set on those options I'd opt for h 284 with a 162 eldx, 168 Berger or lr accubond, or 175 Berger or lr accubond. Notice the Berger's at a 284 impact velocity at 500-600 will have a hard time opening up in time on small deer. The elk or a large deer will be no problem. Best of luck

 

[bigngreen]

I'd just use a lighter barrel in a 6.5x47, Creedmore or 260 ai, perfect chamberings for what your doing, no reason to add recoil for lower sectional density bullets that won't fit as well in a short action.

 

[BEEMAN]

I'd just use a lighter barrel in a 6.5x47, Creedmore or 260 ai, perfect chamberings for what your doing, no reason to add recoil for lower sectional density bullets that won't fit as well in a short action.

This is what I just did. I already shoot a RBros 6.5x47 for a practice rifle. I liked this X47 so much I just put together another lighter weight X47. #3 benchmark fluted, trued 700 SA, trigger tech, wildcat CF stock, Z5 5-25x52 BT. Finished dead on 8 lbs. just trying to decide on a bullet to shoot. Might try the 130 AB or just stick with the 130 Berger. He's already set up to load the 6.5x47 so I wouldn't change. But I do realize it's fun to try something different.

 

[WildRose]

My first centerfire rifle was a 7mm Rem mag given me by my dad for my 14th or 15th birthday and it's a great round to start with. You can load it down for "managed recoil" for a kid starting out and he/she can grow into faster and heavier loads as they grow up.

Mine did exactly what I needed it to do for over 20 years when I then stepped up to the 7mm STW.

I spent pretty much the entire year last year shooting the .260 Rem at everything from small varmints to very large hogs and the wife and I filled several freezers with deer and wild hog all taken with the .260. She's rather petite and not a fan of recoil and seems to have really taken to the .260. The 6.5x55 is another good choice for the same reasons since it's basically the ballistic twin of the .260 and has been used to take virtually all game around the world for over a hundred years now. It still remains very popular in Africa for all of the plains game and in Europe for Moose, Red Deer, and Wild Boar.

We also have a near endless supply of choices when it comes to high BC quality bullets for the 6.5's and 7mm's as well.

 

[Bbear]

+1 for the 7mm-08/AI with the 308 a close second.

 

[4xforfun]

So..it looks like the masses have spoken....7-08 AI. But now I gotta ask...why? Why the AI over a 284. I would think that they would be close , balistic wise, but with the added step of FFing. Like I said in the OP...fire forming isn't a problem, but with the 284 you get a little more of a good thing without the FFing?

And, if I wasn't clear, recoil isn't an issue. The 6.5-47 tube was for the kid to shoot and the new lightweight tube is for the old man.

Thanks,
Tod