Tell me what Caliber to build...

[lancetkenyon]

Chambering. I don't have anything other than a stock at this point. I'm not as concerned with hunting distance as I am overall performance, which is why I said in my original post "as heavy a bullet as fast as possible". That said, I'd like to shoot at least a 160gr bullet, I think.

I would take the 300WSM off the menu for a true SA. If you want to shoot heavies, they are really going to be stuffed way down in the case taking up powder space,and will be pretty slow out of the gate.

With the 160gr minimum bullet requirement, that leaves the 6.5mms out of the equasion as well, since Matrix doesn't make the 160 VLD any longer.

That leaves 7mms.

7SS would be my first choice. The heavies would still be stuffed down a bit, but a 168-184 should still work well. I would steer clear of the 190-195s. You won't see a benefit with them due to the lower MV. I run a 184 in my 24" @ 2916fps w. RL26. H1000 gets them to 2820fps, and N565 get them to 2868fps.

7SAUM would be a very close second. If there is ADG brass available now, jump on it while it lasts.

There is also the 7Max (Sherman Max). It is a 7SAUM Imp 40°. You can use 7SAUM brass and fire form. If you can fit a 7SAUM in a SA, the Max works too, and gains you some extra MV.

 

[FEENIX]

I purposely haven't stated what I plan to shoot with it. This isn't about a specific target animal. I want to focus on the heaviest bullet, as fast as possible. That said, I'm not hunting in Alaska anytime soon, but if I was, I'd take my 338 win mag. I have multiple calibers that would cover anything I could hunt, outside of dangerous game.

If you ask for advice on what to build, you must provide pertinent information like most of us are asking. Otherwise, recommendations will be all over the place.

 

[CKyleC]

That's a great question, one I'm trying to figure out. Again, one of the things that I don't know enough about to provide you folks with all the info needed.

And what mag gives you max length…that works?

 

[CKyleC]

If you ask for advice on what to build, you must provide pertinent information like most of us are asking. Otherwise, recommendations will be all over the place.

I get what you're saying, 100%. If I knew all of that, I wouldn't need to ask questions.
There's things I think I know, and things I don't. And then there's the things that I don't know that I don't know. There's probably a lot more of those than the first 2.

I know I'm building a short action. I know I want to go as heavy as possible as fast as possible....150's, 160's...I'll hunt and ring steel with it in the summer months. Again, what I don't know is a much longer list than what I do know. Hence, the question.

 

[Phil Rizzo]

i'm not attempting to introduce confusion, but it's likely to happen anyhow so here we go.
If all you have now is a stock, it's not too late in the game to make a change IF you desire.

A medium length action will give you adequate room for any and all of the SAUM or WSM and the offshoots of each,, and as far as i know the heavy bullets for each caliber within reason.
I'd say 3.2 max COAL, instead of 2.960 or so with a SA.
But with a good mag setup, feeding will still
be good, with zero restrictions for seating bullets due to action or mag length.
Xm or Xm plus length, specifically for "medium" length.

It's just an idea I wanted to pass along.
Good luck with your new banger.

 

[CKyleC]

i'm not attempting to introduce confusion, but it's likely to happen anyhow so here we go.
If all you have now is a stock, it's not too late in the game to make a change IF you desire.

A medium length action will give you adequate room for any and all of the SAUM or WSM and the offshoots of each,, and as far as i know the heavy bullets for each caliber within reason.
I'd say 3.2 max COAL, instead of 2.960 or so with a SA.
But with a good mag setup, feeding will still
be good, with zero restrictions for seating bullets due to action or mag length.
Xm or Xm plus length, specifically for "medium" length.

It's just an idea I wanted to pass along.
Good luck with your new banger.

That's probably the best course of action....however....I've decided I want to build something with this stock. It's a bad idea, but my life is full of'em.

 

[FEENIX]

I get what you're saying, 100%. If I knew all of that, I wouldn't need to ask questions.
There's things I think I know, and things I don't. And then there's the things that I don't know that I don't know. There's probably a lot more of those than the first 2.

I know I'm building a short action. I know I want to go as heavy as possible as fast as possible....150's, 160's...I'll hunt and ring steel with it in the summer months. Again, what I don't know is a much longer list than what I do know. Hence, the question.

If you answered the question below even as an intended purpose/goal, you will yield better responses/recommendations. For instance, using a short action, you aim to harvest an elk-size game at 1000Y.

How far and what are you going to hunt?

What do you intend to hunt with it?

As noted, I propel the 215 Berger at 2850 FPS out of my .300 WSM with 24" barrel. "My" unwritten rule for my setup is 1000 FT-LBS for deer, 1500 FT-LBS, and >1600 FPS at the point of impact. So, for me, it's 1200Y for deer and 1000Y for elk.

I use heavy bullets on most of my rifles.

145s on my .257 WBY
156s on my .264 WM
175s on my .270 AI
175s on my 7MM SAUM
215s on my .300 WMs/WSMs
230s on my .30 LARA
225s on my .338 WM
300s on my .338 Thor

 

[CKyleC]

If you answered the question below even as an intended purpose/goal, you will yield better responses/recommendations. For instance, using a short action, you aim to harvest an elk-size game at 1000Y.


As noted, I propel the 215 Berger at 2850 FPS out of my .300 WSM with 24" barrel. "My" unwritten rule for my setup is 1000 FT-LBS for deer, 1500 FT-LBS, and >1600 FPS at the point of impact. So, for me, it's 1200Y for deer and 1000Y for elk.

View attachment 535673

I use heavy bullets on most of my rifles.

145s on my .257 WBY
156s on my .264 WM
175s on my .270 AI
175s on my 7MM SAUM
215s on my .300 WMs/WSMs
230s on my .30 LARA
225s on my .338 WM
300s on my .338 Thor

I would definitely be happy with that performance, a 215gr at 2850fps.
The reality of it is, 99% of the time the only animal I'll be hunting is whitetail. I've avoided saying that because I don't want to get "whitetail" recommendations. I would love to hunt true big game. However, being in Alabama with a full time job that doesn't allow for a lot of off time in sept/Oct, that ain't gonna happen for a while. It's why I posed the question as heaviest bullet as fast as possible. A 215 at 2850 fits that bill for me.
How does perceived recoil of your 300wsm compare to other chamberings you have experience with?

 

[FEENIX]

I would definitely be happy with that performance, a 215gr at 2850fps.
The reality of it is, 99% of the time the only animal I'll be hunting is whitetail. I've avoided saying that because I don't want to get "whitetail" recommendations. I would love to hunt true big game. However, being in Alabama with a full time job that doesn't allow for a lot of off time in sept/Oct, that ain't gonna happen for a while. It's why I posed the question as heaviest bullet as fast as possible. A 215 at 2850 fits that bill for me.
How does perceived recoil of your 300wsm compare to other chamberings you have experience with?

I harvested antelope, deer (whitetail and muley), and elk with this setup. Antelope, deer, bear, and elk are possibilities in some of my hunting areas, so I prepare for the largest game.

The recoil was stout but manageable. I am not recoil-sensitive, but most of my hunting rifles sport a muzzle device (muzzle brakes and suppressors). With a muzzle brake from Benchmark Tactical Brake (http://www.benchmark-barrels.com/Benchmark_Barrels_-_Muzzle_Brakes.html), the felt recoil is that of a .308 Win. I understand muzzle brakes are not for everybody, but I have used them since 2003, and they are very effective in mitigating felt recoil. An effective muzzle brake serves two purposes: a reduction in felt recoil and a reduction in muzzle rise. The latter is often not realized. Being able to spot the target on impact is priceless.

 

[HuntnPack]

He may prefer a lot less recoil than the 7 SAUM, 6.4x 47 Lapua is about as idiot-proof as they get..

7 SAUM is light recoiling. No need for a brake.
Super Soft if you're a brake or Suppressor guy.
Bonus is the 7 SAUM is an overachiever, accurate,
& easy to load for.

 

[Koda_]

I want to shoot as heavy a bullet as fast as possible, within reason.

Absolute Hammer bullets are designed specifically for extra velocity (reduced bore friction).

 

[Reelamin]

General open ended questions and failing to provide information are not going to get you answers. Best I can come up with based on your input is just throw a bunch of short action cartridges in a pile and pick one. Easy button pushed.

 

[Bob Wright]

Too many variables for an easy answer.
Your homework will be narrowing down a few bullets that work well under certain boundaries of distance, speed.
What will you do with distance and speed; paper punching, steel, rocks, or animals?
Then, what cartridge will propel that group of bullets to the speed you need to get to those distances and terminal performance.
You should find brackets that all of these will fit into. You may end up with a shorter range and a longer range configuration based on bullets that are terrible at short distance animals but excell at mid to long range based on bullet construction.
Mind boggling amount of combinations. So if you can create a spreadsheet for every purpose you want, start there.
Then start a down select to narrow it.
You're not there yet.
Don't forget chambered lengths and what will fit in your mag length.
Enjoy the homework.

 

[Chrsm]

I would go with one of the less recoiling speedsters. Fast twist heavy projectile!
In 224, 6mm tops.
I can shoot more for less$ with 224

But that's just me !