Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

[slothlacrosse]

i like short barreled AR's, so why not a short(er) barrel bolt gun?

the plan is to make put a 16" barrel (either carbon wrapped or one of the lothar walther ultralightweight barrels) in a lightweight stock (i'm also open to suggestions on what stock to use too).

the only requirements i have are:
1) the bullet weighs more than 150
2) it's not 308

the primary use will be for woodland critters inside 300 yards.

i was thinking 30-06 (i know won't be getting the most out of the cartridge, but we're already set up to reload it and you can find it anywhere in a pinch).

i was also thinking 338 federal would be a good choice.

 

[valentine]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

In my opinion a 338 federal would be a great round for a short barreled rifle, and it can use heavier bullets. It also uses the powder even better than the 308 in short barrel because it has almost the same case and a bigger bore diameter.
so my suggestion would be 338 federal

 

[Sid Post]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

Smaller case volume rounds will work well. People shooting 6.5 Grendel bolt actions seem happy with their 16 inch barrels. The 300 AAC Blackout is the new kid on the block but, also holds a lot of promise for what you want. A 338 Federal holds promise if your "critters" are not really critters and are larger heavier animals, though recoil and ammo expense adds up over time.

Unless you are shooting a lot at one time, you might want to consider a light profile barrel and/or heavy fluting to keep weight down without going exotic and expensive on the barrel.

 

[mscott]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

If I were trying to keep things light it would certainly be built on a short action. That would leave out the 06, but that .338 Federal mentioned does seem to be a good one.

 

[Voracious]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: slothlacrosse</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i like short barreled AR's, so why not a short(er) barrel bolt gun?

the plan is to make put a 16" barrel (either carbon wrapped or one of the lothar walther ultralightweight barrels) in a lightweight stock (i'm also open to suggestions on what stock to use too).

the only requirements i have are:
1) the bullet weighs more than 150
2) it's not 308

the primary use will be for woodland critters inside 300 yards.

i was thinking 30-06 (i know won't be getting the most out of the cartridge, but we're already set up to reload it and you can find it anywhere in a pinch).

i was also thinking 338 federal would be a good choice. </div></div>

16's in 308-esque case capacity are loud. Tough to beat a modest barrel length 7-08 and I do not like to go much below 20" due to noise. A Montana bobbed to 20" would do you proud.

 

[Bruiser_Joe]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

16" 308 for the WIN!!! can't wait for mine

 

[Luvman]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

I second the 7-08 idea. a 16"er with a titanium can would be sweet!!

 

[Texar2]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

I built a 16 inch 30-06 for a guy who wanted a light, short rifle. He wanted the 30-06 because he was already set up for it and had thousands of cases and .30cal bullets. It was quick to draw from a saddle scabbord and fed rounds like a dream. Theres nothing wrong with it, it's just not everyones cup of tea. Have fun shooting the light weight beast!

 

[Voracious]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

Long actions and short/light are polar opposites.

 

[Johnny Lately]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

7-08 with a 160 SGK. Everything I shoot is DRT. I shot two 60lb pigs with one bullet and the bullet even exited the second pig.

I'm not sure about 150+ yards though, all of my hunting is within 150.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BigJoe</div><div class="ubbcode-body">16" 308 for the WIN!!! can't wait for mine</div></div>

it would make sense since i already have several rifles chambered in 308, but at the same time, i just can't get excited over ANOTHER 308

 

[Voracious]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

Tough to get excited about the first 308,let alone subsequent.

 

[223ai]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

.308 gets a bit more exciting with 155's at 2900, which is tough to do with a 16". I'd only go that short, in 308, if I was running a dedicated suppressor. Otherwise I'd be looking at 6.5's.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Voracious</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Long actions and short/light are polar opposites.</div></div>

and advice from you is an improbability.

in less than a week, you've racked up over 100 posts and done nothing but pollute posts with quasi sage wisdom.

your 7-08 comment was decent, but you followed it up with 2 asinine comments.

in the MTU contour thread, you contributed NOTHING.

is posting a picture of your AR when someone's asking about barrel contours and stocks for a bolt gun relevant or the least bit helpful?

posting a picture of 100 different rifles w/ different contours and no description isn't helping the OP make a decision.

your comments on the remington 40XB were equally worthless.

instead of just saying "The best rifle in the world will miss barns,when fed bullets that will not stabilize and this is a glaring case in point" throw the OP a bone and point him in the right direction.

to everyone else, thanks for the input (on this and other threads).

i'll probably go with a 338 Federal or 30-06. i'm leaning more towards 30-06 due to my familiarity with the round and having 700 LA parts sitting around. who knows. i might build one in 338 Fed and one in 30-06 at some point.

 

[Voracious]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: slothlacrosse</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Voracious</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Long actions and short/light are polar opposites.</div></div>

and advice from you is an improbability.

in less than a week, you've racked up over 100 posts and done nothing but pollute posts with quasi sage wisdom.

your 7-08 comment was decent, but you followed it up with 2 asinine comments.

in the MTU contour thread, you contributed NOTHING.

is posting a picture of your AR when someone's asking about barrel contours and stocks for a bolt gun relevant or the least bit helpful?

posting a picture of 100 different rifles w/ different contours and no description isn't helping the OP make a decision.

your comments on the remington 40XB were equally worthless.

instead of just saying "The best rifle in the world will miss barns,when fed bullets that will not stabilize and this is a glaring case in point" throw the OP a bone and point him in the right direction.

to everyone else, thanks for the input (on this and other threads).

i'll probably go with a 338 Federal or 30-06. i'm leaning more towards 30-06 due to my familiarity with the round and having 700 LA parts sitting around. who knows. i might build one in 338 Fed and one in 30-06 at some point. </div></div>


I don't guess,though you feel the NEED to. Good luck on your "volume" and "content" both,in your feeble attempts to mirror same

Nice try.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

who's guessing? i know that you're an asshole who'd rather make vague esoteric statements then contribute useful information.

and i can say with a high degree of certainty that you're volume and content can both be measured in 12 oz cans.

 

[Voracious]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: slothlacrosse</div><div class="ubbcode-body">who's guessing? i know that you're an asshole who'd rather make vague esoteric statements then contribute useful information.

and i can say with a high degree of certainty that you're volume and content can both be measured in 12 oz cans. </div></div>

Your English "skills" are a fucking riot!

Bless your heart.

 

[Texar2]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

How much more does a long action weigh than a short action? My terds weigh more than the difference.

 

[blackblue]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

338 fed sounds like a good option to me.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Recoil</div><div class="ubbcode-body">How much more does a long action weigh than a short action? My terds weigh more than the difference.</div></div>

well played. bless your heart

 

[silver78]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

I recognize that I'm late to the discusson and looks like the OP has already made up their mind - but what about the 6.8 in a bolt gun with a 16 inch barrel? Seems like a reasonable choice for non-reloaders like me since factory loads for the caliber is optimized for shorter barrels.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

I haven't ruled out the 6.8 and I think it would be a good choice, just not as good as 338 Fed

 

[RUTGERS95]

Re: Caliber ideas for a 16" barrel

I'd go 6.8 with what you are looking at. Teh bolt option is a nice one, there is a discussion on bolt 6.8s over at 68forums.com