Rifle selection, based on ballistics

bowhunter57

bowhunter57

New member
I'm considering the purchase of a new rifle, for hunting varmints. I own or have owned .222, .223, .243 and .22-250 rifle calibers, but would like to have something different and/or larger.

There's no such thing as overkill, for varmints. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif Having said that, here's some of the calibers I'm considering: .25-06, 240 Wby, 7mm08, 270WSM, 300WSM and 300 Wby.

I'm favoring one of the WSM cartridges, but the .25-06 is still a strong contender amoung my choices. I'm aware of watching the background, bullet skips, etc. and therefore my choices of faster cartridges. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif Not that that negates any concerns for safety, but lighter bullets fragment better than heavier ones, when pushed faster.

Your opinions and experiences are appreciated.
Thank you, Bowhunter57
 
I put together a 300 WSM. Nothing real fancy, just upgraded the stock, and the bedding of the rifle. The rifle is varmint(ground hog) accurate to 600 yards. That is as far as I have shot the rifle. And that is about as far as any place I can hunt. I loaded a 155 grain Palma bullet in the rifle, and the bullet is obviously devastating on varmints. And deer for that matter.

The rifle is not my go to varmint rig, but it does get a few workouts every year. And it is my go to long range deer rifle-from a fixed position.

I say go for it. Tom.

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You may want to look at a 6.5-.06. 3400fps w/ max 100gr loads and plenty of quality bullets to choose from. You should be able to shoot any bullet from 100gr to 160gr round nose. The 6.5-.06 gives up about 100fsp to the .264 mag, but is kinder to the bore.
 
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just upgraded the stock



Hogghead--Nice stock, can you tell us a little more about it?




I won a Savage 12FVSS in 300 WSM at a gun bash. I threw together a quick load with some 155 grain Palma's I had laying around, and the rifle shot great. However the stock was a pure piece of ****. So I decided to have Richard's Microfit cut me a LH TH stock for a RH action. The rifle has a follower, and I have to shove the bullet into the lands to get the best accuracy, so follow up shots are not important to me.

The barreled action and stock are pretty heavy. The stock has a wide forearm for bench work, so it is a fixed position rifle. However since I am handicapped----I am a fixed position hunter. So it works out pretty well.

Those guys at Richard's can put out some great product. However they are very SLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW. The rifle does have a pretty nice piece of Walnut on it. Tom.
 
That is a real nice stick of wood on that savage. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

I'm a sucker for nice wood!!
 
Bowhunter, The .257 Weatherby Mag will shoot 75gr V-max at 4,000fps...and Remington happens to make two nice rifles in this caliber... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
I myself would like to own a rifle in 6.5 caliber. The .260 rem, 6.5x47, 6.5x55, and the new 6.5 creedmore are all roughly identical. The 6.5x55 could be pushed a little though.

I'd like to have something in between these and the 6.5x284. That one is a known barrel burner. I don't even truly know how much room there is in between.

I'd say look at 6.5mm as it is a good way to have excellent long range potential without taking a beating for it.
 
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I myself would like to own a rifle in 6.5 caliber. The .260 rem, 6.5x47, 6.5x55, and the new 6.5 creedmore are all roughly identical. The 6.5x55 could be pushed a little though.

I'd like to have something in between these and the 6.5x284. That one is a known barrel burner. I don't even truly know how much room there is in between.

I'd say look at 6.5mm as it is a good way to have excellent long range potential without taking a beating for it.



The 6.5-06 is a good one in the middle. However my 6.5X284 is not a barrel burner(yet). It does like the 140's. Tom.
 
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I myself would like to own a rifle in 6.5 caliber. The .260 rem, 6.5x47, 6.5x55, and the new 6.5 creedmore are all roughly identical. The 6.5x55 could be pushed a little though.

I'd like to have something in between these and the 6.5x284. That one is a known barrel burner. I don't even truly know how much room there is in between.

I'd say look at 6.5mm as it is a good way to have excellent long range potential without taking a beating for it.



The 6.5-06 is a good one in the middle. However my 6.5X284 is not a barrel burner(yet). It does like the 140's. Tom.



I really like the 6.5-06 and the 6.5x284 both are very good cartridges.
 
how about the 6.5 Gibbs, gives you another 150 fps over the 6.5/06 with about the same barrel life.
the 6.5's aren't nearly as hard on barrels as the 240 or 257 bee's, probably real close to the same barrel life as a 22-250.
Even the 7mm/338 lapua based wildcats are gettin over 900 rounds of usable barrel life if you take care of them.
RR
By the way my gibbs likes 140's, runs them at almost 3300 fps with very good accuracy, a pic of the gibbs next to a 270 round
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a fireform group shot off a bipod
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Oh and it does this very well
100_1183.jpg
 
I appreciate all the caliber suggestions. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
There seems to be a lot of 6.5mm recommendations...along with a few Weatherby calibers thrown in for good measure.

A Weatherby Vangaurd can be purchased for around $400. However, I think Remington chambers a few Weatherby cartridges. A Weatherby .240 or .257 might be a good choice.

Again, thank you for the suggestions. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Good hunting, Bowhunter57
 
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