What do you guys think re best calibre based off experience for a carbine rifle(superpig as they say)that still has good grunt out out about 6-700ish
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What do you guys think re best calibre based off experience for a carbine rifle(superpig as they say)that still has good grunt out out about 6-700ish
currently in the process of load development for my 19" 300wsm super pig hoping it will do the business out to 600ish yards.
likely there are other calibres that will do this more efficiently but this is what I have chosen to work with.
Ive got a 17" 284 win running 162's thats got plenty enough grunt to 700 yards. A 7mm or 300 Saum would also be fine at 20 inch. People have done 20" 7mm Rem Mags which go fine.
300 wsm as mentioned.
With the short cases like the WSM and the SAUM you actually get a little bit extra barrel (for the same total length) over the longer cases like the Rem Mag due to the case being shorter.
If you use a high BC bullet, even if it starts out a bit slower (due to the shorter barrel) it doesn't slow down as fast as a bullet with lower BC, therefore retains more velocity and energy compared to a lower BC bullet.
You could purchase my 21in 300wsm. Plenty of horse power.
7mm and 30 would be the go to calibres for that sort of hunting distance.
308
Show is the numbers
I like where this post is going as I have a modern rifle build planned for the near future
I shoot deer out to 600 yards in my 20" 308. 155gr dyer/berger/tmk/eldm etc
This with a quality dial-up scopeQuote:
Originally Posted by m101a1
284, 7mm SAUM, 7mm WSM, 7mm RM, 300 WSM etc
If you wanna shoot that far accurately I’d go with the 284, 6.5 or 7mm so you get the best bc
my 300 win mag has a 20 inch barrel. it shoots 178s at 2900fps. im happy to shoot anything out to 600+ yards (610 being the farthest iv shot an animal so far) and has plenty of grunt left to shoot further if want to.
magnum calibers with a short barrel will have no problem killing that far you just need to make a load to suit. 2217 works well with my bullet weight and barrel length. find something you like and give it a crack.
18" .308 running 168gr eldm @ 2670fps seems to do a bit of this and that at any range, much better than sst at close range. Just wouldn't use it on a red at 15m in the roar apart from that it's the closest to an all rounder I've found. In the north island the 130s ttsx was my favourite and down here in the south the eldm is hard to beat for everything.
Never bothered 'upgrading' from the .308 as it's been too good to me over the years, can't recall any ammo being inaccurate either.
Reckon a Tikka T3 running a .270/.280 AI/.30-06 with Hornady Precision Hunter ammo would get out to 600m just fine with a suitable scope.
My old 18inch 7mm08 was good from 10 meters out to 550meters on fallow and goats with the 162gr pills.
Longest was a 602meter shot.
Preferred it over my 284 win
7mm or 30 cal with a reasonably heavy pill will be sweet out to 600-700 yards.
Just cut my 300 wsm down to 18”, shooting 168 AMAX doing 2850 fps. That tops out at smack on 700 yards if you’re going off the 1000ft/lb theory. 600-700 yards is a bloody long way for the average shooter
Greetings @akaroa1,Quote:
Originally Posted by akaroa1
Modern rifle build eh. Will that eliminate all but 21st century cartridges? That would simplify the choice somewhat. Will watch this space with interest.
Regards Grandpamac.
some good info there.the short mag family might seem to be popular.cheers
@grandpamacQuote:
Originally Posted by grandpamac
Modern build
Old concept. Single shot
So rimmed calibers for ease of extraction although I could easily make a plunger style rimless extractor
So first up rimmed and plenty of viable options
222 Rimmed
And 307 Winchester are my preference first try
I hoped the .307 would get mention.....
222 rimmed...or go 22hp savage with a .224 barrel for the ultimate something different....
.307 Winchester in a modern strong single shot will easily be equal to any bolt action 308Quote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
Historically 307 was a notch down because it originally went in lever action rifles
Now your talking. A .30-40 Krag (.30 US Army or .30 Flanged Nitro by Purdey all actually much the same) might be worth considering. Definitely an "A what"? rifle.Quote:
Originally Posted by akaroa1
GPM.
@grandpamac what do you think of a 375 2 1/2" flanged ?
You sweet talking devil. Cases could be a bit tricky but possible is a pretty broard term these days.Quote:
Originally Posted by akaroa1
GPM.
So many calibres and so little time.
You only have to stretch 303 brass 1/2" to make 375 2 1/2" flanged brassQuote:
Originally Posted by grandpamac
Quote:
Originally Posted by akaroa1
There is the small problem of brass or the lack of.
Got plentyQuote:
Originally Posted by Got-ya
Standard 308 dies work fine
Standard 308 chamber reamer plus a quick bit of turning to cut the rim rebate
Greetings @Yesmate,
My apologies for thoroghly hijacking your thread. In penance I offer my thoughts on the matter. As you will have spotted that the range of candidates is broad. For ease of load development and availability of components it is hard to go past the .308. The panic buying driven component shortages seem to becoming more frequent and longer lasting due to the unstable political climate in the US. Other than that any of the medium capacity cartridges from 6.5mm to .308 will do the job given an accurate rifle and decent scope. This includes tghe .307 Win, the .30-40 Krag and even the .303. Projectile choice for the last is limited however. If building a rifle it would be best to ensure a fast enough twist to stabilise the high BC projectiles now available. A case can be made for a minimum 1 in 8 inch twist for the calibres mentioned above. Some may need more.
At the end of the day it will be your rifle and your choice so choose what you like and not anyone else considers to be a must have.
Regards Grandpamac.
There's always the .338LM or Edge. No issues with horsepower, or being too close. Anything under 10m gets automatically singed as well as shot... You do tend to loose a little velocity with the short barrels but you are starting out at around 7000joules depending on load.
Something German would probably work, 8x57 or 8x62(?) Would be awesome
You’re working against the laws if physics of course.
If you want “grunt” at 600m you need grunt at the muzzle (KE in ft.lb or joules). Preferablly also with both high BC for wind plus high retained velocity so the bullet will open up. You see, the best solution is a long barrel.
Barrel length being equal, a bigger displacement cartridge is better, like the ‘06 caberslash recommended, the WSMs and of course 338LM. Same as you would choose for a long barrel tool for that range.
Or are you ringing gongs not shooting deer ? In that case something gruntier than the 223 is the main thing. A smaller F class cartridge like the 6.5x47 could be the story. Might be just fine for hunting smaller animals like chamois or fallow too.