Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Looking to Purchase a Rifle

Kingruv · 09-30-2007, 08:03 PM

I'm know coming in late to this NoSoup.

You're getting some great advice and I agree with most of it.
Some food for thought after 30 years of handloading.
I think of it somewhat like buying a car. How much is the cost after the initial purchase. Can I put any gas in it and regular oil or just 93 octane and synthetic oil only. (I like versatility)
Look at the range of ammo available in the calibers you are considering.
There are numerous loads manufactured with hunting in mind but not so many for target. Thats why so most serious target shooters are handloaders.
That being said, there is the twofold matter here because there is the matter of what is factory loaded and available off the shelf and what can possibly be handloaded using the wide array of bullets, powder and primer (and sometimes cases too) combination in any particular cartridge.
If you look at a variety of catalogs you will see of factory loads and reloading manuals the .308 Win. has more range from lightweight bullets to the upper range of bullet weights. Even in super accurate, high efficiency bullets there are several choices just in the upper middle range.
Another option for versatlity is whether the cartridge is available in saboted bullets such as 55 grain .223 loaded into a 30 caliber round. These are hyper velocity when loaded into larger 30 cal cases such as 30'06 and 300 Win Mag.
I don't disagree that the 22 calibers can move out at longer ranges but become problematic in areas where there are wind considerations. The heavier bullets will be more resistant to drift from this.
Not that I am recommending this cartridge but in years gone by, a very effective and favored gun/cartridge/caliber combination was the Swedish Mauser in 6.5 X 55 metric. This was made for the type of open range you are looking at. The only problem I see is availability of loads, bullets and factory fodder. There are a few factory rifles still chambered for this but fewer than years ago. There are a number of newer 6 and 6.5 mm cartridges coming along which may be betamax vs vhs gamble. There is no question though that these rifles can be super accurate and can even outperform .308/7.62 on punching paper out to about 700 to 800 meters.
I've found the more I can economize the more I can shoot. The more I shoot the more I want to shoot. This leads me to looking for other guns to shoot.
I'm not complaining yet though.

09-30-2007, 08:03 PM	#33 (permalink)
Kingruv Upright Location: NoVa	I'm know coming in late to this NoSoup. You're getting some great advice and I agree with most of it. Some food for thought after 30 years of handloading. I think of it somewhat like buying a car. How much is the cost after the initial purchase. Can I put any gas in it and regular oil or just 93 octane and synthetic oil only. (I like versatility) Look at the range of ammo available in the calibers you are considering. There are numerous loads manufactured with hunting in mind but not so many for target. Thats why so most serious target shooters are handloaders. That being said, there is the twofold matter here because there is the matter of what is factory loaded and available off the shelf and what can possibly be handloaded using the wide array of bullets, powder and primer (and sometimes cases too) combination in any particular cartridge. If you look at a variety of catalogs you will see of factory loads and reloading manuals the .308 Win. has more range from lightweight bullets to the upper range of bullet weights. Even in super accurate, high efficiency bullets there are several choices just in the upper middle range. Another option for versatlity is whether the cartridge is available in saboted bullets such as 55 grain .223 loaded into a 30 caliber round. These are hyper velocity when loaded into larger 30 cal cases such as 30'06 and 300 Win Mag. I don't disagree that the 22 calibers can move out at longer ranges but become problematic in areas where there are wind considerations. The heavier bullets will be more resistant to drift from this. Not that I am recommending this cartridge but in years gone by, a very effective and favored gun/cartridge/caliber combination was the Swedish Mauser in 6.5 X 55 metric. This was made for the type of open range you are looking at. The only problem I see is availability of loads, bullets and factory fodder. There are a few factory rifles still chambered for this but fewer than years ago. There are a number of newer 6 and 6.5 mm cartridges coming along which may be betamax vs vhs gamble. There is no question though that these rifles can be super accurate and can even outperform .308/7.62 on punching paper out to about 700 to 800 meters. I've found the more I can economize the more I can shoot. The more I shoot the more I want to shoot. This leads me to looking for other guns to shoot. I'm not complaining yet though.