I have a 308 for longrange shooting and like it alot but it's too dang heavy for hunting so I am going to get a gun just for hunting. I will be hunting deer and hog and 500 and under should be most shots. I don't want a magnum due to the barrel life issue. So what would be a suggestion for a round that shoots flatter than the 308 and hits hard on deer size targets out to 500 that won't burn up a barrel? Thanks in advance for the suggestions. I need to decide on the bullet before the rifle.
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What caliber for my needs?
- Thread starter Mancill
- Start date
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Toddc my gun is about 13 lbs so I was wanting to get a rifle in the 8 lbs fully loaded or less range. Not sure on that. I know the 308 lacks alot in longrange but it's cheap to bang steel with. That's why I want a round that will do the job at a distance that will not need a rebarrel every 900 rnds
Creedmoor shooter
Well-Known Member
I'm going to say the 280/280ai or 7mm Rem mag would be a decent choice. Hard to argue with the 7mm RM. It's withstood the test of time.
roop
Member
Man, the options are pretty wide open, pretty much anything between .243win and .338 win mag would fit. Any of the cartridges based on the .308, .30-06, 300 win mag, wsm and saum would work fine. Using factory ammo, not super hot handloads will increase barrel life in any of the severely over-bore magnums. good luck.
D
Deleted member 48126
Guest
.260 Rem? 7mm wsm? 300 wsm?
D
Deleted member 46119
Guest
6.5 Creedmore or 260 Remington
Long barrel life. They will get the job done.
Long barrel life. They will get the job done.
If you want to stick with the same short action as your 308, I'd agree that a 7-08 is a great choice and, if you reload, you can use your 308 brass to neck down to the 7mm. The 6.5 Creedmoor is a great choice as well. I have both, and I'm just starting to reload for the Creed which is a heavy barrel benchrest rifle. There are some good hunting bullets and factory ammo for both cartridges.
WildRose
Well-Known Member
Just about any caliber can burn out a barrel if you shoot it hot and keep on shooting.
There are however lots of "magnums" with thousands of round through them that still can deliver ridiculously fine accuracy so don't discount them. It's only when you get up in the large cases like the RUM, Lapua, and some of the WBY's that are way overbore do you have a real serious concern about barrel life no matter how you shoot them.
Personally for your application if it were myself I'd go with the 7mm RM, or .300wm because of the flat shooting and high BC bullets that are available which make them even flatter shooting than they were just a few years ago.
Failing that I'd look at the .260 Rem or 6.5x55 Swede.
We have some absolutely terrific 6.5 bullets to choose from today that have helped breathe new life back into the 6.5's.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
.280 AI pushing a Berger 180 Hybrid or 195 Elite Hunter would hit hard.
There's something nostalgic about the 6.5x55 Swede, it's been around longer than our venerable .30-06 and still going strong in EU and constant here in the US.
why not just keep things simple and buy/build a 308 specifically for your needs? you already are used to it. i would say its about perfect for deer out to 500 (can't say bout hogs, never shot one, aint got "em up here) plus you already have brass and bullets on hand (assuming you reload). as for hitting harder and not terrible on barrels, id go 300 win, just my 2c
