Good LR /low recoiling cartridge?

[Fatelvis]

I've been shooting my Rem 5R in 308 (175SMK and 185Hy bullets) at long range for some time, and now I would like to put together a lighter recoiling rifle,(comfortable all day shooting) that has better ballistics than my 308. It will be primarily used on target/steel and occasionally Coyotes. Is that too tall an order? I was thinking 6.5CM? Any input would be appreciated!

 

[1slow01z71]

The 6.5CM will work great for what youre wanting. Its a great round and almost makes me wish my 308 5r barrel was shot out. Putting a can or brake on your 308 will tame it a lot. With the can on my hot 308 load doesn't recoil more than a light loaded 223 AR.

 

[Phil1]

_____________ insert cartridge and add weight to rifle(and/or scope) and a muzzle brake.

 

[Bruiser_Joe]

6cm 26" barrel, Surefire brake

 

[steve123]

You haven't mentioned whether you reload or not or if barrel life is a major concern.

Most of the 6mm's with heavy bullets will do. 6x47l, 6CX, 6Creed, 243win. Custom reloading Co's can load whatever cartridge you want for a price.

 

[Fatelvis]

I reload, (in fact I enjoy it as much as shooting!), and barrel life is not a big concern for me. In fact, I was thinking of buying my first Savage, so I can change out a shot out barrel myself. Strictly looking at BC's, I notice 6.5 and 7mm caliber seem to have all the smaller calibers beat. Also, is adding a muzzle break something that requires sending your rifle off to a gunsmith for threading? Do they need to remove the barrel to thread it? Oh, and in Illinois, we aren't trusted by our lawmakers, so we can't have cans.....

 

[6brshooter]

6 br. 29.5 gr of h4895 with 105 hybrid will get to 1330 nicely. Since OP is from my state of Il no cans are allowed, bummer, i know. I shoot 155@2900 in my 308 and also 142 in 260@2850& 140 in 6.5 cm@2810. To me there is very little difference in recoil in those rifles. The 308 is an a3g with bo fte and the creedmoor is a custom savage. The savage has about 4 lbs extra wt so really it is a draw on recoil. My 243 fast twist rifles feel like ar's in recoil compared to my 6.5s&308. The 6 br is even nicer, burns about 35% less powder then 308 with half the recoil. Shoots consistently in the hi .1s-lo .2s off a bipod and beanbag. It is a fairly small case, but so efficient. Most guys giggle when they see the cartridge but when it repeatably bangs steel at 1200 the look on their faces is priceless

 

[meyersa88]

There are so many options available today to people that reload. If you got a savage, you could have a barrel for one of each of the above listed. Then you wouldn't have to choose ;-)

 

[1slow01z71]

Yes a barrel has to be removed from the action to be threaded concentric to the bore. If you bring a smith the barrel the cost of threading is usually cut in half.

 

[Fatelvis]

I like the thought of a comp on my 308, but it's all set up and shooting great. I kinda cringe thinking of disassembling the rifle to get the barrel threaded. I guess thats the price of progress!

 

[selfbowhunter]

Yes a barrel has to be removed from the action to be threaded concentric to the bore. If you bring a smith the barrel the cost of threading is usually cut in half.

What if the smith uses the gordy method or a range rod to dial in the muzzle?

 

[BoilerUP]

Definitely 6.5 Creedmoor or 6BR.

 

[1slow01z71]

What if the smith uses the gordy method or a range rod to dial in the muzzle?

None of the smiths around here will do a thread job on a barreled action if youre wanting it threaded perfectly concentric to the bore. Since I shoot suppressed I want my barrels perfectly threaded and thus far have never had a problem and has been very accurate. Theres many ways to do many things, barrel threading is one of them. Personally Id rather have the barrel pulled so it can be indicated from both ends.

 

[Bbowl1]

_____________ insert cartridge and add weight to rifle(and/or scope) and a muzzle brake.

Yep. Even magnum cartridges are pleasant with enough weight and a brake.

 

[selfbowhunter]

None of the smiths around here will do a thread job on a barreled action if youre wanting it threaded perfectly concentric to the bore. Since I shoot suppressed I want my barrels perfectly threaded and thus far have never had a problem and has been very accurate. Theres many ways to do many things, barrel threading is one of them. Personally Id rather have the barrel pulled so it can be indicated from both ends.

Seems A LOT of guys use the gordy method to chamber with and they want the bullet started into the lands just as straight as you want your bullet exiting the barrel. I indicate both ends but i dont think thats the common way Any longer. I see no difference wether working on the chamber or muzzle end as to wether the bore is running true!

 

[JGorski]

I've been shooting my Rem 5R in 308 (175SMK and 185Hy bullets) at long range for some time, and now I would like to put together a lighter recoiling rifle,(comfortable all day shooting) that has better ballistics than my 308. It will be primarily used on target/steel and occasionally Coyotes. Is that too tall an order? I was thinking 6.5CM? Any input would be appreciated!

Yeah, that would work, 6CM, also 260, 708.

 

[sinister]

I had the barrel on a 700 threaded without disassembling the barrel from the receiver with no problems or loss of precision.

 

[xdeano]

6BR
6XC
6 Creedmoor
6 Super L/R
6 Competition Match
6-6.5x47L

All about the same but there are some small variations that yield more velocity and barrel life. The 6 Competition Match is the best of both worlds, 3200fps with a 105 and 4k on barrel life, using H1000. Only bad thing about it that you have to fireform brass, similar to a 243 AI.

The 6SLR is easy to form brass, one run through a die and go shoot. It can be pushed up to 3200fps with a 105 easily.

The rest of the above mentioned are a little slower but all are decent rounds for a low recoil round. The 6.5CM is a tad slow from the load work on a guys rifle that I did about 6 months ago. Wasn't overly impressed with velocity, but accuracy was outstanding.

xdeano

 

[mkollman74]

6cm 26" barrel, Surefire brake

^^ This - or almost any other 6mm cartridge with a good muzzle brake will produce virtually no recoil. I love my 6creed so far...

 

[Huckleberry75]

The 6.5CM is silly-easy to load develope for and with the availability of excellent factory ammo at reasonable prices, as well, its a no-brainer. Is it the fastest horse in town, no, but they seem to drive tacks, so who cares. If you want a little more speed, sling the 123 amax. To cheat the wind a little more, run a 140 amax or 140 berger. It really all boils down to what you want. Any of the cartidges listed above will serve your purpose well, from the sounds of it.

 

[marku]

my 7mm-300wsm with the Fat Bastard brake kicks less than a .223.

My choice without going magnum would be a straight .284 Winchester and 162gr Amax's

 

[MoBoost]

6mmBR Norma - Lowest Recoil with the most proven Long Range record.

There are deviations to fit a specific niche, but 6BR is the correct answer for the question as stated. You can have a 7lb "do-it-all" rig with minimal recoil; with proper bullet you can punch paper or prairie dogs @ 1k, cleanly take coyotes at 600 and deer at 300.

 

[ZLBubba]

As others have said, choose one of the fast 6mm cartridges and load it with 105 Hybrids or 115 DTACs. Great LR capability and kicks like a baby in a tactical rifle.

 

[billyburl2]

6.5 and 7mm have better B.C.'s but the 6mm make up for it in muzzle velocity! All these use pretty much the same cartridge, so the smaller the bore means the more throat erosion. 308 is pretty much the king of barrel life, then it goes down-hill, 7mm>6.5mm>6mm. This pretty much sum's-up how much felt recoil each has too. But the 7-08 is really the same when pushing the same weight bullets as a 308.

 

[Tyler Kemp]

I shot a 6mm Ackley Improved that would shoot 95's at 3500-3600 from a 30" barrel. Braked in a heavy gun, no recoil. You could watch the bullet fly and damn did it shoot flat. 115s at 3300 easy. Mine was a Savage as well, changing the barrel yourself makes it feel even better when it shoots lights out.

 

[GeneralPurpose]

My suppressor has made an enormous difference in shooting my .308. Since you can't have one in Illinois, I would use a brake in a heartbeat. And of course if you build a 6.5 that's going to have less recoil as well. Threading a bolt action is expensive, but if you want significantly less recoil, I think it's worth it.

 

[calshipbuilder]

My 13lb 6.5 grendel doesn't move much - no brake needed, it also has a similar trajectory to what you are currently shooting

 

[BangBangBlatBlat]

Try some 155gr bullets first. I've noticed a big difference when I switched from 175 SMKs to 155s in my Palma rifle.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[MoBoost]

Try some 155gr bullets first. I've noticed a big difference when I switched from 175 SMKs to 155s in my Palma rifle.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Hmm, exactly what I did on my FTR rig - 155s are so much more pleasant in long sessions.

 

[ranger1183]

This is what makes sense to me. Smaller is cheaper.

Sierra MatchKing Bullets 30 Caliber (308 Diameter) 175 Grain Hollow Point Boat Tail 500: $207.99
Brass: Lapua brass is $75 per 100
Arbitrarily picking .308 Win loaded with 45 grains of Varget as our test load. 1 pound is 7000 grains. 1 can of Varget will load 155 cartridges.

Sierra MatchKing Bullets 22 Caliber (224 Diameter) 80 Grain Hollow Point Boat Tail 500: $145.99
Brass: Lapua brass is $61 per 100
Arbitrarily picking .223 Rem loaded with 23 grains of Benchmark (seated long to 2.55" C.O.A.L.). 1 pound is 7000 grains. 1 can of Benchmark will load 304 cartridges.


You can shoot longer with a whole lot less recoil by shooting a .223 over a .308