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Which Caliber
hadjii
Member Posts: 976 ✭✭
Earlier I had posted a question on getting started shooting competitively. I don't really want to invest a bunch of money in a rifle for what I want to do, at least not until I know for sure that this is something I want to get into head over heels. My question is this. I have a 6.5mm Rem Mag and a 280 Remington that I would dedicate to shooting, but I don't know which. Any thoughts on which one of these 2 would give me the most performance at say, 50 yards to 500 yards? Thank you
Comments
You couldn't have picked two better cartridges to try shooting some competitions with, if you had tried. Both are exceptionally good cartridges and both have bullets that will work for shooting at the longer ranges. The 6.5 has been proved out by the 6.5 x 284 which has nearly the same capacity and can be used in a short action. The .280 Rem. or many of the mid-capacity 7mm cartridges are perfectly suitable with appropriate bullets of which there are a few.
The factory barrel length will be the limiting factor, since most factory barrels are shorter than I prefer for shooting at the longer ranges. Considering your limit of 500 yards you shouldn't see but a nickels worth of difference between the two.
Really the choice will be determined by what type of competition you intend to try.
Best.
When nononsense says a few, I narrow it down to one, ...or two if you have the time to wait. They are the Berger 168 VLD which will work with a 1-10" twist and the JLK of the same weight. JLK's have a better BC because they have a longer ogive. But they take a little time to get to you. Worth the wait. Most everybody want's .30 cal.
If you really want to go extreme go with 180's. They have BC's closer to .700. They fly like nothing else.
I didn't mean to imply that the shorter barrels won't work because they will. The shorter lengths just limit the amount of velocity that any particular load can build over having a greater length.
The two bullets that have worked well for me in the 6.5 Rem. Mag. are the Lapua 123 gr. Scenar and the Norma 130 gr. VLD. A common powder that will work with the shorter barrels is IMR-4831.
The .280 Rem. can use the 162 gr. Hornady AMAX, 168 gr. Berger, 168 gr. Sierra MK, 175 gr. Sierra MK and the 180 gr. Berger. I'd try the AA-XMR-4350 and IMR-4831.
I enjoy competing on different levels. Shooter are some of the greatest folks on the face of the earth. They will go out of their way to help you get started in any of the competitions. The chatting between relays and the exchange of information is amazing. The camaraderie has to be experienced. So find the ones near you and go shoot!
Best.
There are other considerations than caliber. My old .30-06 will give me higher velocity for flatter trajectory and less windage, but my .308 is more accurate on paper and is in a better stock for the position I shoot from (prone over a bipod in NRA F-T/R competition.)