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LongShot 220
Member Posts: 26 ✭✭
Thinking about buying a new gun. I have a vt 220swift,243 rem bdl(shoots unreal), a rem 300 win mag. thinking of buying something in the middle of the 243 and the 300, what do you think? 270 wsn? Want a light weight tack driver. won't be dog hunting with it, just a carry gun.
Comments
I would stick with one of the very best cartridges available for both accuracy and energy, the 6.5 x 284 which is the equivalent of the 6.5-06 in a short action cartridge. This is a highly respected cartridge for target and hunting which will work well in a slightly lighter carry rifle. There is a bunch of information on the internet because of winning ways this cartridge has demonstrated for the long range shooters. As a result, there is a great selection of components because of the attention from the shooting world. Rifles can be found slightly used or you can have a new barrel put on an existing rifle. The rim is a standard 0.473" diameter so it can be used in a regular short action, or better, a long action to allow for these long, high BC bullets to be seated out.
The second suggestion would be the slightly smaller version, the .260 Rem. This is the .308 Win. necked down or the .243 Win. necked up depending on how you look at it. This is a short action cartridge obviously and is beginning to show its excellent abilities on the tactical target shooting circuit. Its easy to reload for and would make a superb carry rifle. Winchester has just announced that it will start manufacturing cases which will double the potential volume creating a good deal for reloaders since Remington has fallen behind in the supply of these cases.
Best.
ps. I have been lurking this site a long time and fially thought its time to jump in. There are a lot of nice and smart people that arent screwing people over with bs. This is a great site.
Thanks
first I would decide if you wanted proprietary or wildcat. Both have advantages. Proprietary, even though you reload, has plenty of brass and usually bullets at regular prices. Wildcat, you have something unique and you will end up making brass for it with something else. I like wildcats as long as I don't have to go to extremes to get it done.
So, then you need to pick a caliber. How far do you want to shoot? How much energy do you want on target? Those two questions help narrow down caliber and case considerably. Four midrange cartridges all come to mind when you talk long range, not a lot of kick, and bullet efficiency. They are the .260 Rem, 6.5x55 Swede, 7mm-08 Rem and 7x57 Mauser. For wildcatting each of these cartridges has been improved and show performance increase when they have been improved. I say improved such as Ackley improved or RCBS where the shoulder has been blown out and increased to somewhere between 28 deg. and 40 deg.
These are usually just a case of fireforming a regular bullet in the improved chamber. Now you can take wildcatting much further but I suggest you look into what you are changing before you get into all that work.
p.s. Some cartridges on either side of the ones given would be the .250-3000, .257 Rob., 25-06. You already mentioned the 6 and 6.5-.284's and on the top end is the .280 Rem and Improved version.
If you are looking for a magnum powered round look at the .25WSSM on the low end and the 270 and 7mm WSM on the top end of "something-in-between".
good luck,
EDIT: just correcting my spelling