Buying first rifle - Lf caliber advice

[Ronzi83]

Hey all,

I am new to forum and trying to buy new rifle (I own only K31 open sights) for precision and long range shooting. I decided to buy Tikka t3x Varmint and now I have to pick caliber. I know.308 is not really good at long range , but life time of barrel gives it a plus. I also consider.260 and 6.5x55SE. Problem with.260 is ammunition isn't really available (Eu-where I live). So it is only 6.5x55. I do reload, so if any advice is welcome. Also other calibers have overbore problems (7mm, 243...). Any advice in here?

Regards

Ronzi83


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[LeftyJason]

Where are you located in the world? It matters for the tikkas.

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[...]

i mean.. .308 is still plenty good at long range (despite what others on the forums would have you believe)......it was good at long range 50 years ago....even better at long range today with modern ammo....it will easily reach out to 1000yds.

 

[lte82]

6.5x55. No question.

 

[Bronden]

6.5 is a has much better performance than 308. My next barrel is going to be a 6.5creedmore now that lapua have made the brass for it . On 540m last weekend I had to hold 1.5 mills for wind. While the 6.5 shooters only had 0.8 mills. But what is long range for you ??

6.5x55 is a long action cartridge. So the new magazine system you need for the tikka will have to be LA. And that does not fit the tikkas to well without some work on the action. The mag system on the tikkas are the only thing that is a little bad about them ( sure you need a better stock down the line but the once they deliver work). Otherwise they are superb rifles!! Barrel, trigger and action is just running excellent right out of the box. With proper bedding we have seen 1/5 moa with 5 shots.

So I suggest you get a 6.5 creedmore, 6.5x47 lapua or the 260. But the first two would be the main choice. Out to 1200m
Will be inexpensive to reload on lapua brass and a great performer!

If you want to extend to 1600 the 6.5x55 is better. But at that range you are much better suited with a 300wm ( running 230gr Berger bullets) , 300nm or 338lm ( that has the best barrel lifetime). On your current choice of rifle the 300wm is your best choice for something that will go to 2km.

When you get the 6.5 cut the barrel to about 23inc , adjust the trigger to 1kg and make sure you have it bedded in the stock.

Look for a aics Dbm magazine system for it.

Have a good day.

 

[Ronzi83]

Hey, why will be problem with 6.5x55se? Tikka doesn't have 6.5creed and 6.5x47 for varmint model. 260 is impossible to buy it, have no idea where to buy it, rather than in Germany or... I will shoot mostly 100m up to 600m, mayby longer , but not that often anyway.
So mayby 6.5x55 or .308, also i think is eazy to get reloading sets for those two than .260

I live in Slovenia/ EU


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[Ronzi83]

Any idea ?

 

[gopherslayer]

6.5x55. Don't worry about the mags. I'm assuming you'll be running the stock setup so it won't be an issue.

 

[Bronden]

The tikka has Way to limited magazine capacity. Just a hunting competition and you will need to reload the mag or swap the magazine multiple times. The 6.5x55 is to long for a short action magazine. 6.5x47 is the exact same in performance as the 6.5creed. So hire is what questions I would ask my self for a target rifle.

1. Am I going to just run the standard 3 shot magazine.= yes then go with the 6.5x55. No then go with the 6.5x47

And for a competition or target rifle I would always go with a good magazine system. Or at least have the possibility to upgrade to one when I get the money. Have you looked at the t3 crt ?

Any arms dealer can order that rifle for you. Lapua brass can be reloaded 25+ times with neck sizing and heating the case neck every 7-8 reloads. That makes lapua brass the cheapest brass you can get for any caliber. Reload dies. Get it all in Germany online.


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[tylerw02]

Shooting .308 in 2017 is like driving a classic car. You won't win and races abs it takes a little more work, but it will get you where you're going.


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[Ronzi83]

But where do you see 6.5x47 on Tikka brochure ? They don't have it available in this caliber. Only.260 or 6.5x55. For Tikka T3X CTR, you have only 223, 260 or 308, but 260 is pain to get it, at least in Eu. So if I pick ctr I would have to take 308. For varmint is more options, but still 6.5x55 or 260 and I rather take 6.5 just cose availability of caliber. I wonder how long can barrel last (2300 shoots maybe).

I also wrote to Tikka about long action ets, but they wrote me : Hi,
Tikka T3x Varmint is available in two 6.5 calibers: 260 Rem and 6.5x55 SE. Tikka T3x rifles are designed to work with standard size factory ammunition, this goes for 6.5x55 SE as well.
Best regards,
Emma
Sako Ltd


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[Greg Langelius *]

Shooting out to 600m, there is absolutely no good reason to eliminate the .308 from your selection candidates. It will do 900m easily, and should reach to 1Km with the right (heavier than 180gr, but unless you're exceeding 900m, the 175gr should be an excellent choice) ammunition selection. I would suggest Prvi-Partizan or Prime as excellent ammunition sources for shooters based in EU.

Prime is an American brand name for ammunition manufactured by RUAG; so following up on RUAG should reveal such ammunition availability in EU. Prime does sell excellent .260 and 6.5CM ammunition for LR applications.

As someone who has shot the .260 since divesting my 308's in 2001-2005, I have recently returned to the .308 with decent expectations. I cheat, because I recently moved to a higher altitude (4800ft), and this has prompted my return to .308.

The 6.5x55 should be essentially ideal as a cartridge with LR ambitions.

I will simply say that handloading will help you produce better ammunition in nearly any chambering, and I have found it not only essential, but also very effective with my .260 Rem rifles.

The newer Hornady ELD bullets have captured my fascination, and appear to have the advantage on Ballistic Coefficient, enough so to breathe new life into the .308, and to stretch the effectively accurate distance with the 6.5's.

Greg

 

[Ronzi83]

Greg, thank you for replay. So 308 isn't that bad for 400-500m shooting? Or is just caliber that "can" shoot up to 700-800 m ? As Tyler said is a classic car in 2017? As I say, 260 will be out of game for me, since it is hard to get it.

I really have no experience with those 2 or any caliber, rather 7.5x55 Swiss and 22lr.


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[spife7980]

Greg, thank you for replay. So 308 isn't that bad for 400-500m shooting? Or is just caliber that "can" shoot up to 700-800 m ? As Tyler said is a classic car in 2017? As I say, 260 will be out of game for me, since it is hard to get it.
I really have no experience with those 2 or any caliber, rather 7.5x55 Swiss and 22lr.

Not at all, the 308 is fine for up to 800 without any worry about anything whatsoever, its just that from 700 or so on the 6.5 offerings begin to pull away a bit and the 308 is at a comparative disadvantage. But its just that, a disadvantage, not an incapability.

From what I gather from reading this thread you would be fine with either 308 or 6.5x55, pick your poison.

If you reload Im not sure why youre so against 260 though as its a perfect blend between the short 308 and the long 6.5x55. You can neck down the 308 brass in one step so brass availability isnt an issue if you vcan get 308 and you can use the same bullets as in a 6.5x55. Its just the perfect blend. I dont see why 260 dies would be all that much more difficult to source than anything else but then again Im not there to see for myself. But again, between the 308 and 6.5 I would go with what I could get cheapest where youre at.

 

[...]

Greg, thank you for replay. So 308 isn't that bad for 400-500m shooting? Or is just caliber that "can" shoot up to 700-800 m ? As Tyler said is a classic car in 2017? As I say, 260 will be out of game for me, since it is hard to get it.

I really have no experience with those 2 or any caliber, rather 7.5x55 Swiss and 22lr.


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.308 will EASILY handle 500m.......and will handle 700-1000m without too much issue either.

its not the hippest and latest and greatest cartridge.......but its a reliable and solid performer with a proven track record.

plus its cheap, and easy to find just about anywhere.

 

[steve123]

6.5x55 all day long. It's' all about which cartridge has less wind drift and that would normally be 6.5x55. I was just shooting my sporterized Swedish Mauser with Redfield iron sights yesterday at 675Y. Pretty amazing what a 140 Berger hybrid does against wind even at 2650 fps and the recoil is slight as well.

Last week I was playing with my Swiss K31 with 155's going 2700 fps at the same steel. You know how wide the front sight is, well that's how far out I had to aim to hit that same steel vs only towards the edge yesterday. Quite a bit of difference between both loads when it comes to similar wind conditions.

I used this same load in a friends original vintage Swedish M41B sniper that I borrowed to win a Vintage Sniper Silhouette match which has 500M as farthest distance. I had a distinct advantage that day based off speed, BC and not getting beat up from recoil during the day. Well, that particular rifle is the most accurate old rifle I've shot so far too.

Years ago I met a guy who had a stock Tikka in 6.5x55. I had my fancy $3000 6x47L custom rifle. We shot from 300Y to 1000Y against each other and I was impressed to say the least. If starting from scratch it's what I'd go with for a budget combo.

 

[lash]

You will do well with either the .308 or the 6.5x55. Pick which one you prefer and don't look back.

 

[Ronzi83]

Wait, 308 can be used for 260? What about recoil? How much stronger is than 6.5 or 260? Sako said 6.5x55 will have almost same lifetime (barrel) as 308. Interesting there is almost non top competitors using 308. But what is the buzz around those new bullets, for better BC?


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[lash]

Wait, 308 can be used for 260? What about recoil? How much stronger is than 6.5 or 260? Sako said 6.5x55 will have almost same lifetime (barrel) as 308. Interesting there is almost non top competitors using 308. But what is the buzz around those new bullets, for better BC?


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To be clear, they .260 uses the same base case as the .308, meaning that one can form .existing and available .308 brass into .260 brass by trimming, necking down and sizing the brass into .260. I believe that is what was being referenced.

If you do not have decent availability of .260 ammunition or components (if you reload), then stick with the 6.5x55 or regular .308. Either of these calibers are solid performers and will work well for your purpose. If you find that you want more performance from the 6.5x55 and are loading your own ammo, then you can always single feed if you use components that make them longer than magazine length.

Those that keep telling you to go .260 are not considering the lack of popularity and support for that cartridge in Europe. While it is one of my favorite cartridges, I live in the U.S. and have components readily available to load my own and now more available loaded factory ammunition. It is important that whatever caliber you choose meets your needs and that there is ready availability of ammunition or components. Otherwise you will spend too much time and effort trying to find ammunition and less time actually enjoying the shooting of your rifle.

Good luck choosing your first LR rifle and let us know what you end up choosing.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Sorry I didn't get back to this sooner. The other site members have very adequately covered the questions regarding the.308. It will clearly serve your needs with decent accuracy; I suggest Federal Gold Medal Match, and Prvi-Partizan (PPU) makes some decent match ammunition as well. I use PPU brass for my handloading of my .308 and my .223 match ammunition, and their .223/5.56 match loads with 69gr and 75gr bullets are good enough for 1/2MOA out of my Stag Model 6 Super Varminter. PPU makes very decent match ammunition in .223, .308, and 6.5x55, as well as many other chamberings.

Although the .260 and .308 share the same cartridge base diameter, they use different diameter bullets and CANNOT be used interchangeable in either rifle. Don't attempt to fire ammunition in any firearm that does not exactly match the chambering marked on the barrel, as a serious safety problem will result.

I have used the .223 in competition at distances as far as 600yd with good accuracy when loaded with the proper bullets. It is an economical and accurate chambering that should be available in most European countries

I think you might really want to ask yourself just how serious your need is to shoot further than this. In my case, such distances require a longer trip to a limited number of locations that could accommodate that need. The .223 can reach 600yd with 75gr or thereabouts weight bullets as long as the rifling twist is 1:8" or faster. It is an excellent and economical chambering for training and MR (Mid-Range).

It may not perform as well in the wind as more robust chamberings, but that can actually be an advantage in a trainer, since the effects of wind tend to be magnified at a shorter distance than would be the case in a seriously long range chambering. In other words, you don't have to shoot so far in order to be able to learn how to see and compensate for the wind's effects. No matter what you shoot, wind deflection is going to be an issue beyond 200m or so. The same wind skills apply, they just need to be adjusted for each rifle.

Greg

 

[Defender968]

Concur with Greg, i shoot several 308s out to 800m with no issue, and out to 600 with 223, both are with hand loads, 190 grn and 77 grn projectiles respectively. Nothing wrong with either caliber, but it depends on the intended use.

 

[Guy Montag]

Another vote for the .308, more than adequate.