Tactical style LR hunting rifle caliber

R

Rflshootr

Member
I'm getting ready to build a long range (probably 500 max) hunting rifle on a Tactical skeleton. Contemplating on 308 Win, 7mm-08 or a 260 Rem. I'll probably stay within the 140-150gr weight range bullet. Barrel will probably be in the medium varmint weight range.
Any thoughts/opinions on the caliber?
I ran some numbers with the 308 & the 7mm with 150's and the 260 with 140's and it seems like the 7mm is the way to go with regards to retained energy.
 
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For a 500 Max, about any caliber will work fine.....
Look at "Energy in ft·lb" at 500yds when your studying the ballistics.
1000-ft.lbs of energy will kill about any North American animal, and smaller animals need considerably less, and varmints far less.

For a comparison, a 44-Magnum (which is considered one of the most powerful handguns in the world...just ask Clint) with Federal 240gr Hyd-Shoc will produce 780-ft.lbs of energy at the Muzzle. And it will stop about anything in its tracks under 50yds. Unless you plan to stop a tank, you don't need excessive ballistics to a medium distance of 500yds.

My 2-cents,
Donovan Moran
 
Rflshootr said:
I'm getting ready to build a long range (probably 500 max) hunting rifle on a Tactical skeleton. Contemplating on 308 Win, 7mm-08 or a 260 Rem. I'll probably stay within the 140-150gr weight range bullet. Barrel will probably be in the medium varmint weight range.
Any thoughts/opinions on the caliber?
I ran some numbers with the 308 & the 7mm with 150's and the 260 with 140's and it seems like the 7mm is the way to go with regards to retained energy.
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I think you have a good problem; any of those is an excellent choice IMO. If you're inclined to use factory ammo, then the .308 is clearly the winner of that trio. Ditto the availability of reloading components. The .308 Win, um, wins for simplicity.

However, the 7-08 is ballistically superior, as is the .260. As to factory ammo choices, I'm guessing the 7-08 is slightly more blessed than the .260.

Flip a 3-sided coin maybe. I have one of each (rifle chamberings you mention), so I don't have to choose. But for me, being able to fall back on factory ammo, at this stage of my life when time is so much more valuable than it was in my younger days, is a huge consideration. Heck, I just bought 5 cases of 6BR factory ammo. It's easy!
 
Billy Stevens uses the 6.5 X 47 Lapua with success on white tail deer. It would be worth looking into. James
 
I would consider the reliable effectiveness of the bullet you use at yardage over 500yds. Some bullets will not expand properly when the velocity becomes lower at longer yardages. I have shot ballistic gelatin doing expansion tests at extended ranges to prove this.
The .308 Win as a factory load will probably have the heaviest bullet available which is a direct factor to energy. My choice for a factory load in 308 would be 165gr Fusion ammo. If you want to shoot much further out than that I would seriously consider a cartridge with a little more volume to increase fps.
 
i shot this pig (~200 lbs) at 540 yards a couple of years ago with my 6.5 Creedmoor, which is very similar to the 260 rem.

140 AMAX at about 2900 at the muzzle. the bullet broke both front shoulders and exited with a fist sized hole on the back side. the pig did a face-plant and kicked his rear legs for about 5 seconds... dropped him where he stood.

 
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500yds is considered medium range-

A switch Bbl rig chambered in 243/260/7-08 & 308 is a viable option to cover all the bases!
 
I would go with the .308, you have the option of using heavier bullets for bigger game, a very accurate caliber with more reloading components available than you could ever use, and all the data you want is available since there is nothing unknown about the .308


this is my .308, shot the reindeer in through the ear and out through the forehead from 360 yards, dropped like a stone.

this rifle shoots almost as good as my custom 6ppc at 100 yards, groups around .120-.130" and shoots 2" at 1000 yards.

hreindyr.jpg
 
dansig said:
this rifle shoots almost as good as my custom 6ppc at 100 yards, groups around .120-.130" and shoots 2" at 1000 yards.
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That is pretty remarkable. Is that average group size? What were the wind conditions? What is the world record benchrest group at 1K yards?

The real measure is what is the average group size at the distance you are shooting animals at under field conditions--with varying wind conditions and field positions. I'll bet you didn't shoot that caribou from a bench.
 
vicvanb said:
That is pretty remarkable. Is that average group size? What were the wind conditions? What is the world record benchrest group at 1K yards?

The real measure is what is the average group size at the distance you are shooting animals at under field conditions--with varying wind conditions and field positions. I'll bet you didn't shoot that caribou from a bench.
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since this rifle was built for hunting and long range shooting I only have a few groups at 100m most for load testing, but the average with my good load is around .150"

the world record at 1k is 1.47" if I remember correctly. and .3" at 600y
 
Not to be too negative, but I would have to see any .308 that will shoot ~.150 at 100M consistently....much less 2" at 1000 yards. It may be possible, but I am very skeptical. If it will, let me offer my congratulations on having the best shooting .308 in the world. Good shooting...James Mock
 
anything is possible, I've only shot it once at 1000y and that group was 2.037" so I know it's capable of doing that, repeating it will be hard but not impossible, just need the right weather for it...

shooting .150" at 100y is much easier, this rifle is built with the same precision as my 6ppc and my Dasher and all reloading is done with the same precision, cases turned and trimmed, sorted by weight and all the bulls*** that follows...

krieger HV match barrel, timney 4 oz trigger, Stiller Predator action, GRS long range stock, all work done by the best gunsmith in the country.
 
James M. said:
Not to be too negative, but I would have to see any .308 that will shoot ~.150 at 100M consistently....much less 2" at 1000 yards. It may be possible, but I am very skeptical. If it will, let me offer my congratulations on having the best shooting .308 in the world. Good shooting...James Mock
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Even if it is "the best shooting 308 in the world"...

I'd bet some very serious money that none of the next 20 groups (10 shots per group) fired at 1000 yards with that rifle would be 2 inches or less.

I've fired some 0.025 inch groups at 100 yards with my hunting rifles. But, as the old saying goes; "Sometimes all the fliers go to the same place."
 
dansig: I thought I had the best gunsmith in the world, took me a lot of years to find him, and I've been friends with him for almost as many years as I've been shooting! And i'm not giving his name. And that 2 inch group at 1k was that two shoots. I've never seen a 308 win. that would shoot very well at that distance. Unless maybe you're talking 30 cal. Now give us the real story, I was born in the morning but it wasn't this morning!

Joe Salt
 
Joe,
Shoot one of Alan & Dan Warner's prone rifles chambered in 7.62 or 308 & you will quickly change your tone as you will be the weakest link in the equation.

dansig
Nice barren ground reindeer & nice looking/shooting rifle!!
 
Joe has been an accomplished 1000 yard shooter for a long time. We shoot benchrest with some of the best equipment in the world. 60 to 100 pound heavy guns with 1.450 diameter barrels. Most of them are 6 inches wide with rails so they track. The world record 10 shot group is 2.815 inches. Our light guns weigh 17pounds and are pretty much like the gun showed. The record 10 shot group is around 4 inches. We have 80 shooters every match and nobody shoots a 308. I have seen a lot of them show up and they don't do very well. How many shots was this?
 
Dan40x I don't care how good the gunsmith is, a 308win. will not shoot even 5 shoot 2" groups at 1000 yards in a vacuum!

Joe Salt
 
I only shoot 5 shot groups, never shot a 10 shot group but I guess it will be a little bigger than the 5 shot group...


and any good shooter with a decent rifle will outshoot a noob with a railgun ;)
 
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