Most Versatile Rifle cal. For reloading?

[Styles90]

I understand there could be many answers to this broad question. The reason I ask I am just getting into reloading and although I already have a few rifles 30-30, 30-06, 300 mag) am reluctant to use them as range guns as they each hold some sentimental value and don't want to send thousands of rounds down the barrel target shooting and try different loads. All but the 30-30 kick to hard for me to shoot more than 10-15 rounds at a time in one siting and I would like a little more distance than the 30-30 can provide. My two needs for this gun is to target shoot out to 300 yards with long barrel life and to occasionally harvest a whitetail out to the same distance.

Been reading a few articles about the 7mm-08 and 280 are both great for handloading and been leaning towards one of them in a Handi rifle. but when looking at the Data in my lyman handbook I don't see what they can do different from what I already have besides being a little more rare which is neat in its self.Maybe I should just shoot lighter loads in my 06 and if i ever do wear out the barrel its a savage so i guess it can be replaced?This is my first post been reading the forums here for a few weeks and seems to be a great group of people here and lots of good info for a new reloader like myself. I look forward to opinions thank you for your time.

[Brian Pfleuger]

Originally Posted by Styles90

Been reading a few articles about the 7mm-08

This.


Fantastic deer gun.

Bullets down to at least 100gr, lower if you can find them, with velocities from the 100gr in a 24" barrel of over 3300fps, for varmints. Can you say "explosive"?

120, 140gr bullets are fantastic for deer and can be pushed to nearly 3000fps in a 24". Larger bullets are available and excellent for Elk and everything else in North America.

[Irish80prf]

I would Say a .243. I know you said you wanted good barrel life and the .243 is known as a barrel burner. I really think that when a .243 starts burning barrels is when you push the really light bullets up around 3800-4000 fps. I load my Savage .243 with 65 grain v-max bullets and 38 grains H4895 and it is a great great shooter. At 100 yds I shoot .46" groups and it is a lighter load so you can shoot it all day long. I'm only pushing those little pills about 3400-3500 fps which is fast but I will bet that my barrel last along time. Throw a 95 grain bullet in the mix and you have an instant deer rifle. If I'm wrong on my thinking about barrel life, someone please let me know. I read someplace that over 3700 fps starts hurting barrels pretty fast, that's where my thinking comes from.

[Brian Pfleuger]

I read someplace that over 3700 fps starts hurting barrels pretty fast, that's where my thinking comes from.

"Barrel burning" is not directly related to velocity. A 204Ruger can produce 4200+ with a 32gr bullet and 3900+ with a 40gr without eating barrels because it's limited to 58,740 psi. Heat and pressure are what kill barrels, not heat from shooting too fast, per say, but heat of ignition that damages the throat area. Total pressure and how quickly that pressure is achieved are major factors in barrel wear.

Cartridges like the 22-250 can achieve higher velocities, in excess of 4500fps with a 35gr bullet and 4200 with a 40gr, but it does so at the cost of pressure in the 65,000 psi range, which is not good for barrel life. However, a careful handloader can get speeds in excess of 4300 fps with a 35gr bullet in the 22-250 by limiting pressure to less than 59,000 psi and using a powder with a slightly slower pressure rise. Speed WITH barrel life.

[Smokey Joe]

Styles 90--For variety of available components, and diversity of possible loads, I don't think the .30-'06 can be beaten. It's been around for a century, and for most of that time, experimenters have been tweaking loads and bullets for it.

As to the recoil punishing you, IMHO, FIT is the answer--the stock must fit the shooter, and that will go a long way towards minimizing recoil. Then there are the various recoil pads and shoulder rigs that you can get which also soak up recoil.

As to a different cartridge, you said,

I don't see what they can do different from what I already have

and to a large extent you are correct. But you want "something different," and there's nothing wrong with that. For recoil reduction, long bbl life, and accuracy to 300 yd, I'd go with a lighter bullet. I'm into Swedish Mausers right now, which are 6.5x55, and that is very "easy on the shoulder," as well as the bbl. The newer 6.5's are the same, plus fitting into a short-action receiver. The 6.5 Creedmoor looks particularly interesting: It has been called "boringly accurate," is supposed to be very easy on bbls, and Hornady (cartridge developer) makes no secret of the loads they are using to get these results.

You are correct in saying that the Savage bbl is easy to replace. If you change cartridges, but use one with the same base diameter, that's ALL you have to do!

ETA--The 6.5 Creedmoor is based on the .308 Win case, which in turn is based on the .30-'06 case, so it would be one of the above.

Whatever the decision, please keep us posted. Oh, and welcome to the forum--glad you like what you've seen so far!

[Rifleman1776]

I'm stuck on one song and it is called 30-06.
I'm not very big and need to be conscious of recoil.
When I shoot my '06 at the range I fill a hole I bored in the stock with shot. The hole is 3/4" and about six in. deep. For target shooting it really helps with steadyness. For hunting I take off the butt plate and pour out the shot. In CF rifles for most North American game and uses, the '06 is the all around caliber, IMHO. You can load bullets from 110 grains up to 240. There might even be lighter and heavier I'm not aware of.
There are newer powder that allow loading down to some very moderate velocities and subsequent recoils.
What else is there to talk about?

[mehavey]

I can't deny that the 243 is one of the best "do-all" itsy-bitsy-varmint-to-medium-game cartridges there is (I gots one), and the 30-06 does everything (I gots three). So calibrate on that.

But I also picked up a fast(er)-twist/full-size (20") AR a couple of years back that made me re-look at my earlier late 60s opinion of the Mouse Gun.

I would offer now that if (A) You are a handloader and (B) Your state regs permit it, a solid-stock/heavy-barrel AR/223 with a 1-7.7/8 twist will do everything you've mentioned -- vaporize prairie dogs with 52gr@3,250 fps (1,200ft-lbs) on out to take white tail at several hundred yards with Barnes' 62-70gr at ~2900+fps (~1,250-1,300ft-lbs).

Moreover you have ammunition/components literally everywhere to "just have fun" on those off days when the deer aren't eating your daisies in the front porch planter.

It may be heresy to my old-guy compatriots, but even old dogs occasionally see new tricks.

[oneounceload]

Some milder ones to look into - the 7 x 57, the 257 Roberts, 6MM BR, 7MM BR, 250-3000 Savage....All fairly mild regarding recoil, and typically not "barrel burners"......

[rick983]

My "new" favorite caliber is 6mmBR. Extremely accurate, easy on the shoulder and a breeze to reload. Would be an excellent deer cartridge. If your'e going after elk, bear and those big critters, but a 338 Win mag and your'e fixed.

[PA-Joe]

I think you can buy reduced recoil loads for both the 3006 and 300 mag. If you reload you can make them yourself. A 308 would fit into your collection and that way you only have to buy .308 bullets.

[Unclenick]

Styles90,

Welcome to the forum.

Peetzakilla is correct that barrel wear is a pressure and temperature related matter. Staying below the pressure he cited will help. Lighter, faster bullets have shorter barrel times for a given pressure, so they provide less cumulative heat exposure which tends also to improve barrel life.

Aside from fit, a common error people make in firing a rifle is to think they should back up from it to experience the least recoil, but the opposite is true. You don't want to give the rifle running start before it slams into your shoulder. Get the butt stock solidly in your shoulder and pull it in firmly and you will not feel the recoil as sharply.

You said you wanted the most versatility, but then specified modest recoil. I think the 6.5×55 is the best choice based on your criteria. It has been called by some the "perfect" deer rifle chambering, and has a good selection of hunting bullets available. It recoils about like your .30-30 in a same-weight rifle, but has more muzzle velocity and its bullets have higher ballistic coefficients, so it shoots flatter. It has been popular as a target shooting round in Europe for a long, long time, so a good selection of match bullets for target shooting are also available for it.

Running the 6.5×55 in the 45,000-50,000 psi range, where it works just fine, you will not see a lot of barrel wear. It seems to me that 6,000 round barrel life is fairly typical for it, where a .308 typically runs in the 3000-3500 round range. 300 yards is a breeze for the 6.5×55, and 300 meters (just over 328 yards) is where a lot of European matches have been fired with it. It will go to 600 yards right along with other match rifles for the service rifle courses of fire.

The Savage is an excellent choice. Get a model with both the AccuTrigger and AccuStock for target work.

[.284]

I believe that following Unclenicks advise when shouldering your rifle may help immensely. Also, Cadwell makes fine shooting rests. I like the lead sled in particular. It is great for doing your bench work without getting pounded by recoil. As far as versitility, it would be hard to beat the 30 caliber in terms of available bullet selection and guess who has a 30 caliber.....um you do. If you want to save your guns, you may want to look at a quarter bore. My buddy has a 25-06 and man is that a nice round. I would dare say you could hunt game as large as elk to as small as groundhogs. There are some great 25 calibers varmit bullets out there and some pretty darn good paper punchers as well.

[oneoldsap]

.308 Win. simply can't be beat in the versatility department !

[Styles90]

Thank you all for the kind and helpful replies. Am leaning towards the 7mm-08 or maybe the 308. Want to add a short action to the collection. Even though I was thinking about a single shot ( so i could get a .357 barrel for the same gun ) so the short action will be some what wasted. Guess i will look into loading some light loads in the 30-06 while I decide. Most of my problem with the recoil of the 06 its an older savage with a very light synthetic stock and not much of a recoil pad. Maybe I will look for a limbsaver and see how that works for me.

Am great full to all for providing such a great resource for people looking to take up reloading like myself. I will be around the forums soaking up all the knowledge I can.Thanks again.

[Jim243]

Styles90

They are all good recommendation, however, for target shooting I would suggest a Savage Model 11 in 223. Low cost of ammo, easy to reload, low cost of components, long barrel life and min recoil. It is an under rated target round because most people think of the AR as soon as you mention the 223. But in a good bolt action rifle it is one of the most accurate rounds out there. In a 1x9 or 1x8 twist it will handle any bullet from 50 grains to 75 grains without any problems. If your state allows it the 75 grain is fine for deer hunting, if not you already have the perfect guns for deer hunting already (30-06 & 30-30).

Just an other opinion.
Jim

[noylj]

Most versatile? The often ignored, available every where, old and sin and just as sexy, reloadable with 90gn to 300+gn bullets, over 100 year old .30-06. You might want a .22 for varmint hunting and you might want a .45 or larger for large and heavy dangerous game, but there isn't much in between that can't be done just fine with a .30-06. You can load it down to .308 or .30-30 levels. You can get it in some really nice bolt actions, semi-autos, single shots and, I believe, lever guns.

[Bush Pirate]

May want to consider a .260 rem. Light recoil, 85-160 grain bullets, same case as .308. You could neck down .308 brass if you wanted. It's similar to the 6.5×55 but shorter case.

[sc928porsche]

+1 on the 260 remington (6.5x308). Low recoil, good trajectory, and good downrange energy. Very capable of taking a whitetail at 300 yds. Ammo is readily available and if you reload, cases can be made from 308 (7.62x51), 7-08, or 243.