Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
BackwoodsHunter

what gun?

Recommended Posts

Looking to be able to shoot out to 700 yards. I know a excellent scope is just as important as a excellent rifle so ill take care of that. Im looking to get a 7mm or 270wsm. Are either of these rounds able to do the job? And what Brand would everybody suggest?

Thanks!

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

the 270 wsm is a great round but there are a few limiting factors.

 

Depending on the action, you probably will not be able to seat out the longer higher BC bullets without seating deep and causing compressed loads and taking up powder space. Having said that, the bullets made in .277 don't really compare, in BC to the 6.5 and 7mm bullets, although the 150 LRAB is a step in the right direction.

 

7mm is a fantastic round, and what I chose to go with recently when I decided I wanted a little more power then my .257 offers down range. Great line up of bullets, brass is everywhere, wide range of acceptable powders etc.

 

The 30 caliber is a great all around caliber. Power, speed, down range effectiveness, and recoil can be impressive across the .30 caliber line up of cartridges.

 

At the end of the day, I'd look more at the specific rifle more then the cartridge. If you find a rifle that fits you and you like it and its 270, 284, 308, etc that is more important then buying the caliber you like in a gun that doesn't fit or offer what you need.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have my savage 270 wsm and love it . I have only pushed it to 550 with factory loads with about a 5 inch group. Thats with a 3x9 leupold. Cheap gun and rifle, only about 1000 invested. My goal was the 7mm sendero "sendero nightmare", and its back. I hope it works now and we will see. The sendero nightmare is posted on here . I just finished again today

post-8438-0-68964000-1403489883_thumb.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

6.5-284 or a 7mag will do very well for you.i don't like the thirty Cal mags to use the heavy bullets with good bc they recoil too much.i know there will be people that say put on a break but I like what little hearing I have left.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hard to beat .30 Cal for selection of bullets. High BC is everything if you are looking to shoot 700 and longer, and still retain energy for terminal performance.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A lot also depends on your end usage.

 

LR shooting at paper/steel?

Just for fun or BR/tactical type competitions?

A good 6MM (.243, 6MM Rem, 6BR, 6 Creed, 6MM SLR, etc.), 6.5MM (6.5 Creed, 6.5-.284, .260 Rem, etc.) or 7MM for higher winds and longer than 700 yd. shots.

 

LR hunting?

Large game/small game/varmints?

See above for the 6MM or 6.5MM for small to medium game or even larger with the good 6.5MM rounds. 7MM or .308 for larger game.

7MM (7-08, .284, 7MM RM, 7 STW, 7 RUM, and a few other lesser known rounds)

.308 (.308 Win, .30-06, .300 WM, .300 RUM, etc.)

 

For shooting at paper/steel, I would definitely go 6 or 6.5. Less recoil, less cost per round fired, great ballistics with the heavier bullets, good speed, and easy to shoot. Getting up into the magnum 7mm and .308s, you are going to get a lot more recoil and cost per round.

 

For hunting, I would go a good 7mm for an all around cartridge. 7mm Rem Mag is hard to beat. Not huge recoil, ammo available EVEYWHERE in a pinch, tons of reloading components, and good speed vs. bullet weight. Not terrible barrel life. Good energy downrange too. Can load lighter for small game, and up to 180gr. for even the biggest dangerous N. American game. A little light for big coastal brown bears, but proper shot placement will do just fine.

 

Big, heavy bullets moving fast are great on game animals and to buck the wind, but if you are recoil shy and can't hit what you are aiming at, proper shot placement trumps a miss. It is all about what YOU can shoot comfortably and hit what you are aiming at with EVERY shot. My 11 year old daughter made a first round hit at 865 yds. with my .25-06 AI shooting 115 Berger VLDs at my 12" steel last year, and two more consecutive hits with an approximate 7" group. That still retains about 995 ft/lbs of energy (3700 AMSL, 55*, 28.92 pressure). Plenty for a deer sized animal if the opportunity presents itself.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

700 yards really isn't a big deal and lots of calibers can do that relatively easy without having to move up to a magnum sized caliber. As said before it depends on what the end goal is, paper and steel or game. Either cartridge you have listed will get you there no problem and provide clean kills on game at that distance but so will a standard 270 or 7mm08 with proper shot placement and bullet selection.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

the rifle is more important than the caliber. what are you shooting at? coyotes ? prairie dogs? coues? a 700 long range or a sendero are a couple i would pick.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×