Opinions please

[tgridley]

6.5x284 vs 7mm rum vs 300 wm

In a custom long range hunting rife less than 10lbs with optics, with the ability to shoot well at 700-1000 yards.

What would be your choice and why.

Thanks

 

[Broz]

A 300 win that weighs 11.5 lbs with bipod and scope like I own and hunt with. This is a Sendero contour and the lightest rifle I would want for 1000 yard hunting.

Why the 300 over the others. The 7 rum has to short of barrel life for me. I hunt elk so prefer larger than a 6.5 for 1000 yards work.

Jeff

 

[Greyfox]

For deer and antelope out to 1000, the 6.5x284. I like the 1000 yard effectiveness in a 10 pound rig, low recoil, superb ballistics and accuracy. For hunting purposes I get barrel life the same or better than magnums I have owned. For larger game like elk out past 600 yards I would opt for the 300WM.

 

[tgridley]

Thanks for the replies, with that said, why wouldn't the 7 RUM be a better choice for all around deer,elk etc at long range? Is it just because of barrel life? And as far as that goes, what kind of barrel life would the 7 RUM have?

Thanks

 

[Joe King]

The barrel life would be the reason I would stay away from a 7RUM, with that much case capacity I don't feel the 7RUM really takes full advantage of it either, not as well as a 300RUM does. My opinion a 7mag and 300WM will do everything you can ask for at 1000, sure there's bigger cal's, but at the ranges your interested in why do that? Jeff has some pretty good documentation of what a 300WM is capable off too!

 

[Broz]

Thanks for the replies, with that said, why wouldn't the 7 RUM be a better choice for all around deer,elk etc at long range? Is it just because of barrel life? And as far as that goes, what kind of barrel life would the 7 RUM have?

Thanks

This is what my experience has taught me and why I am back to the 300 win after owning 300 Rums, 30-378's and such. To be good on first round cold bore hits, and one shot DRT kills at longer distances it requires practice and lots of it. That means shooting regularly all year long in different field conditions and changing winds. A 7mm RUM simply would not last me long enough to get where I want to be with the rifle and re-barreling means starting over with load development, drops, and all. That would be close to a barrel a year for me. I have seen these type rifles loose accuracy and start to suffer from a burnt throat in 500 to 700 rounds.

The 7mm has some exciting things happening in the future with the release of the 195 Berger. That bullet with a BC close to .8 may change some things. But for now the 300 win and a 215 or 230 Berger is simply what I prefer for Elk, especially if I need to go to 1000 yards.

Jeff

 

[MR.SWIFT]

you have to realize most people want to shoot something they can walk into a store and purchase ammo for. this rules out the 6.5-284, most people dont reload.

 

[JeffP40]

You have to realize that this is long range shooting. Most shooters won't shoot off the shelf ammo. To get the most of the rifle's potential, you almost have to develop a load of your own.

 

[tgridley]

You have to realize that this is long range shooting. Most shooters won't shoot off the shelf ammo. To get the most of the rifle's potential, you almost have to develop a load of your own.

Reloading is not an issue, I have been doing for 25 years, I have two press, and a room full of powder and dies. I have been loading for most of the Weatherby mags,257STW etc..... I am looking a buying a custom gun and before I spent 4-8k on one I wanted some opinions. I appreciate what you guys are posting.

My original thought was the 6.5x 284 because it doesn't take a pound of powder per load. and it has light recoil with out a brake. It also appears they will kill most anything in North America at long ranges based on some of the long range shows! I am fond of the 30cals but was thinking something smaller that would still do the job.

Thanks
Tom

 

[JeffP40]

Tom, I don't want you to misunderstand my post. It was a smarmy reply to swift and his post. You are set up to do what is necessary with a good rig. I am trying to understand why he would make such a comment.
I am a 6.5guy, although I like the 7's also. I have a rifle in each, but they are birds of a different color, one being my heavy gun, the other my light hunter. I really like the versatility of the 6.5s and 7s, and the bullet choices. Hard to go wrong with the 6.5x284. You can do a lot with it and it won't break you with cost or recoil. My 2 cents.

 

[Greyfox]

Reloading is not an issue, I have been doing for 25 years, I have two press, and a room full of powder and dies. I have been loading for most of the Weatherby mags,257STW etc..... I am looking a buying a custom gun and before I spent 4-8k on one I wanted some opinions. I appreciate what you guys are posting.

My original thought was the 6.5x 284 because it doesn't take a pound of powder per load. and it has light recoil with out a brake. It also appears they will kill most anything in North America at long ranges based on some of the long range shows! I am fond of the 30cals but was thinking something smaller that would still do the job.

Thanks
Tom

I was in the same place as you years back with a decent collection of very capable magnum rigs, along with a few tack driver, 308 tactical style rifles. For the first 30 years of my life I used a 270 Win and the majority of my game was shot at a max range of 400 yards. If the bullet was put in the right place, it was dead. These rifles were balanced, accurate, had little recoil, and didn't carry like a crowbar. The perfect rig for my style of hunting, which is a combination of sitting, walking, and climbing, mostly out west, would be a rifle that would mirror these attributes, but extend the range to 1000 yards. I was fortunate to meet a 6.5x284 shooter at one of our competitive shoots and had the opportunity to shoot and learn about this round, and ended up getting a Cooper in this caliber and got my perfect rig in spades.
A side note: with a muzzle brake, while it does require you slip some ear plugs when prone, it has the felt recoil of a 22-250, and allows you to mark the hit quite easily.