Scope and Cartridge Help

[huntfish7mm]

Having a new long range hunting rifle built off of a rem 700. Haven't quite decided on cartridge but leaning towards 28 nosler. Any others I should be looking at? I've got an edge fill McMillan, and proof carbon fiber barrel so I'm trying to keep weight down. The vx6HD has caught my eye with being light and having everything I want. Anyone have first hand experience with the 4-24? Any other scopes I should be looking at? Let me know what you think!

 

[Mram10us]

What animals and how far?
muzzlebrake or can?
Reload or store bought ammo?

 

[huntfish7mm]

What animals and how far?
muzzlebrake or can?
Reload or store bought ammo?

I knew I forgot to add a few things. I'll be reloading, it'll have a muzzle brake and shooting deer, elk, bear, and moose under 1k yds. Long action magnum. I want to push heavy high bc bullets at good speeds. Not really worried about barrel life all that much since it'll be a hunting rifle but not really a fan of the throat erosion of the 28.

 

[ShootMo]

I'm going to be chambering my new barrel in 6.5 Sherman Mag. 140VLD's at 3375fps is going to be exactly what I want without breaking the bank to get it.
My choice and your choice might be different, since my rifle will only be pointed at whitetails and targets 99.99% of the time.

As for scopes, I'm by NO MEANS an authority, but you get a whole lot for your money with Riton Optics. Have you looked into them at all (no pun intended)?

 

[idcwby]

If your worried about throat erosion, I'd go with a 30 cal. 300win, 300 Norma, 300prc, 30 Nosler, etc.

idcwby

 

[huntfish7mm]

I'm going to be chambering my new barrel in 6.5 Sherman Mag. 140VLD's at 3375fps is going to be exactly what I want without breaking the bank to get it.
My choice and your choice might be different, since my rifle will only be pointed at whitetails and targets 99.99% of the time.

As for scopes, I'm by NO MEANS an authority, but you get a whole lot for your money with Riton Optics. Have you looked into them at all (no pun intended)?

I have not but I definitely will have to. Does the 6.5 Sherman have head stamped brass and dies and all that? I was gonna go with the 6.5-300wby but with only a saami spec reamer and having to use wby brass and it being tricky to load for I'm kinda deciding against it. And wasn't too sure how a vld would hold up going 3400fps at 100yds on an animal if I had to

 

[ShootMo]

I have not but I definitely will have to. Does the 6.5 Sherman have head stamped brass and dies and all that? I was gonna go with the 6.5-300wby but with only a saami spec reamer and having to use wby brass and it being tricky to load for I'm kinda deciding against it. And wasn't too sure how a vld would hold up going 3400fps at 100yds on an animal if I had to

The member here by the name of elkoholic is the creator of the Sherman cartidges. He has headstamped brass available for a few of them. Not sure if the 6.5 is among those. For myself though, that's not a concern. Rich does have dies available as well.

As for the Riton Optics, their lifetime warranty is a replacement-only warranty. They don't repair it and send it back. They don't send you a stocked refurb either. You get a brand new scope. I like that. Mine is a 6-24x56IR MOA. It has locking resettable turrets and the glass is phenomenal. I caught it on a helluva sale on Amazon and got it for $249.00. Last I checked, it went up to a little over $400.00. That's chump change compared to a lot of the high end optics that guys here use. But the glass is spectacular and the tracking is perfect. It's a lot of scope for the tiny price I paid. Lastly, it's a veteren owned company....

 

[WildRose]

Having a new long range hunting rifle built off of a rem 700. Haven't quite decided on cartridge but leaning towards 28 nosler. Any others I should be looking at? I've got an edge fill McMillan, and proof carbon fiber barrel so I'm trying to keep weight down. The vx6HD has caught my eye with being light and having everything I want. Anyone have first hand experience with the 4-24? Any other scopes I should be looking at? Let me know what you think!

What is your end goal/use for the rifle?

Honestly I'm a magnum guy and have been since I got my first "deer rifle" a 700bdl in 7mm RM 45 years ago.

Today for high volume shooting of varmints, predators, deer and even hogs I shoot a .260 Remington primarily. Cheap to shoot and if you care for it, a .260 should last you more than 2,500 rounds. Simply don't shoot them hot and clean them well whenever accuracy begins to drop off or you start to see pressure signs indicating a carbon build up.

The 6.5 PRC is a great medium cartridge that will run 140's @ around 3000fps so plenty of gas for deer sized game and below, but still not so hot that barrel life will be short.

The 300wm is the Toyota Land Cruiser of rifle cartridges. More than adequate for any N. American Game but you can also run lighter bullets very fast for a flat shooting varmit/predator rifle.

The 7mm RM is probably second in only to the 300wm for the same purposes.

The 28 Nosler gets over into the realm of rounds that are going to be pretty hard on barrels particularly if you ever shoot one hot.

The .26. .28, and 30 Noslers will probably all still be around in 20 years because Nosler will be supporting them.

Myself, from the first time I looked at the .375 Ruger case I saw great utility in it for future "new magnums". The first standardized off of it was the 7mm LRM, great round and close in performance to the Nosler but limited availability of brass from only one source and it's expensive.

Hornady saw the Utility and is building it's own new magnums using it. The 6.5 PRC is a great round. Soon we will see a 7mm and 300 PRC has already been released.

Hornady and Ruger have done a great job here I think in both development and marketing and if it were me, I'd probably wait until the 7mm PRC is released and choose between the two.

As for scopes, I have four of the VX6's in both 3-15x50 and 4-24x52 and have been nothing but pleased with them in every way.

 

[WildRose]

I knew I forgot to add a few things. I'll be reloading, it'll have a muzzle brake and shooting deer, elk, bear, and moose under 1k yds. Long action magnum. I want to push heavy high bc bullets at good speeds. Not really worried about barrel life all that much since it'll be a hunting rifle but not really a fan of the throat erosion of the 28.

30 Nosler, 300 PRC or 300 rum would be my choice then with your chosen purpose.

Get a .260 or 6.5 CM to practice with and shoot at the small stuff or maybe even the 6.5 PRC.

With one of those and the Rum you'd have everything from prairie dogs on up covered for a lifetime.

 

[adk hunter]

The 300wm is the Toyota Land Cruiser of rifle cartridges.

Best quote of the week! Dad had one. He would grab me early from school Fridays and we would head for the tent...at a crawl.

I just went through this debate with myself. I looked hard at the 300 weatherby, RUM and 30 nosler as mentioned. The jump in recoil/energy left me worrying about my training in the field with those. I went 300WM have been breaking in rifle buying a box or two of ammo in every shop I stop in and first reloads went well under .5moa. If I go up another energy class it will be .338x.

What about a switch lug 6.5 prc/300 prc if you are on the Hornady train? 26 Nosler/30 Nosler switch? Lots of good choices enjoy!!

 

[Will16]

At that price I would be looking more at the Zeiss v6 and used high end optics that track better for just a little bit more.

 

[huntfish7mm]

What is your end goal/use for the rifle?

Honestly I'm a magnum guy and have been since I got my first "deer rifle" a 700bdl in 7mm RM 45 years ago.

Today for high volume shooting of varmints, predators, deer and even hogs I shoot a .260 Remington primarily. Cheap to shoot and if you care for it, a .260 should last you more than 2,500 rounds. Simply don't shoot them hot and clean them well whenever accuracy begins to drop off or you start to see pressure signs indicating a carbon build up.

The 6.5 PRC is a great medium cartridge that will run 140's @ around 3000fps so plenty of gas for deer sized game and below, but still not so hot that barrel life will be short.

The 300wm is the Toyota Land Cruiser of rifle cartridges. More than adequate for any N. American Game but you can also run lighter bullets very fast for a flat shooting varmit/predator rifle.

The 7mm RM is probably second in only to the 300wm for the same purposes.

The 28 Nosler gets over into the realm of rounds that are going to be pretty hard on barrels particularly if you ever shoot one hot.

The .26. .28, and 30 Noslers will probably all still be around in 20 years because Nosler will be supporting them.

Myself, from the first time I looked at the .375 Ruger case I saw great utility in it for future "new magnums". The first standardized off of it was the 7mm LRM, great round and close in performance to the Nosler but limited availability of brass from only one source and it's expensive.

Hornady saw the Utility and is building it's own new magnums using it. The 6.5 PRC is a great round. Soon we will see a 7mm and 300 PRC has already been released.

Hornady and Ruger have done a great job here I think in both development and marketing and if it were me, I'd probably wait until the 7mm PRC is released and choose between the two.

As for scopes, I have four of the VX6's in both 3-15x50 and 4-24x52 and have been nothing but pleased with them in every way.

It will be a rifle I plan to hunt most animals with out to 8-900yds in the right conditions. I mainly rifle deer hunt and archery elk but plan a rifle elk hunt outta state in the next few years. I have a tikka 270wsm I would also like to build off but have all the parts for the 700 already just need a cartridge. I have a 7mm rem mag and love it. But you can't have too many guns and I'm always wanting something different. I like cartridges that most common hunters won't have and to be a little different.

 

[WildRose]

It will be a rifle I plan to hunt most animals with out to 8-900yds in the right conditions. I mainly rifle deer hunt and archery elk but plan a rifle elk hunt outta state in the next few years. I have a tikka 270wsm I would also like to build off but have all the parts for the 700 already just need a cartridge. I have a 7mm rem mag and love it. But you can't have too many guns and I'm always wanting something different. I like cartridges that most common hunters won't have and to be a little different.

I can't help you on the shorties but the 6.5SSM would be worth looking at. After six years now of shooting 6.5's I'm finally about sold on the "6.5 Magic". You won't find a whole lot of 300 Rum's out there either but there's nothing in N. America you can't take with one out to those ranges and do so with confidence especially with the heavier bullets.

You can always come over to the dark side with those of us shooting the 7mm STW as well. It has such a cult following I don't see it fading away in our lifetimes at least.

 

[WildRose]

At that price I would be looking more at the Zeiss v6 and used high end optics that track better for just a little bit more.

How many VX6's have you tested?