What caliber should I get?

[cattleman99]

Hello, I am going to have my Remington 700 short action blueprinted, and a new barrel turned on and chambered. I think I will go with a Bartlein barrel, but I can not decide on what to chamber it in. What are some of your favorite calibers that can be run off of a .308 bolt? Pros and Cons of them?

Thank you, any guidance is greatly appreciated.

 

[W54/XM-388]

What are you using the rifle for?
That is going to be the most important question to start with.

The most popular do it all cartridge right now in that range is the 6.5 Creedmoor
Hard to go wrong with that one.

Good for long range as well as short range & low recoil

Tons of top quality factory target & hunting rounds
Lots of brass available

Great resale value since it's the new latest craze.

 

[cattleman99]

What are you using the rifle for?
That is going to be the most important question to start with.

The most popular do it all cartridge right now in that range is the 6.5 Creedmoor
Hard to go wrong with that one.

Good for long range as well as short range & low recoil

Tons of top quality factory target & hunting rounds
Lots of brass available

Great resale value since it's the new latest craze.

It will be used for target shooting, mainly me wanting to get the tightest groups I can. F class mid range and potentially longer range shooting eventually. I am considering the 6.5 Creedmoor. I have an RPR in 6.5 and love it. I am considering 6mm BR or 6mm BR ackley or 6 dasher possibly. But I do not know what offers what.

 

[W54/XM-388]

If you want target shooting in a Short action and want mid range and potentially long range then the 6.5 Creedmoor would be a perfect fit if you want something easy to shoot and widely available, especially since you already have that caliber.

The 6mm versions such as the 6mm Creedmoor are great if you want tight groups at closer ranges, but if you plan to push to the 1000yrd range, the 6.5 range would be a good way to go.

There are also things like the Lapua 6.5x47 that are quite popular.

A lot depends on do you plan to reload all your ammo mostly, or do you want a cartridge that you can grab great off the shelf ammo?

Now if you are planning on trying to be tops in the benchrest world and will hand load all your ammo, then there is a whole world of barrel burning wildcat rounds that get amazing results and require a stack of spare barrels.

 

[cattleman99]

I have everything I need to reload 6.5 Creedmoor, and get 1/4 MOA accuracy on a stock barrel in my RPR. But I do not mind buying more tools to reload wildcat calibers. How long is the barrel life of say a 6 dasher or 6 BR?

 

[steve123]

I'd ask the question, how are the 6BR's feeding in the M700's, I'm curious myself. Of those I'd choose 6BRA, you've probably read about it over at AS.

Otherwise my vote goes towards 6.5x47L.

 

[cattleman99]

I'd ask the question, how are the 6BR's feeding in the M700's, I'm curious myself. Of those I'd choose 6BRA, you've probably read about it over at AS.

Otherwise my vote goes towards 6.5x47L.

That is something I guess I didn't consider. How do 6 dashers and 6 BR's feed?

Why 6.5x47L and not 6.5 Creedmoor?

 

[steve123]

That is something I guess I didn't consider. How do 6 dashers and 6 BR's feed?

Why 6.5x47L and not 6.5 Creedmoor?

Because it has a reputation for being super easy to tune a load for, is super accurate, and uses less powder. It was the go-to before the Creed came out. I'd trust it more if seeking accuracy in a 6.5 before any other 6.5.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Since you're already shooting the 6.5CM, I would suggest staying with that chambering. There's nothing wrong with a series of rifles all being chambered for the same cartridge.

I currently have seven .223's. A pair of bolt guns, an MVP Predator and a Savage 11VT, two Stag Model 6's, and three more 16" Uppers including one with a bull barrel.

If you're handloading for them it makes even more sense; although sometimes one can get stuck in a time warp testing loads for all those rifles.

Greg

 

[surgeon260]

If the goal is to try to win F-class competitions, I would say 6.5x47. As has been mentioned, it is extremely easy to make it shoot lights out. But if you don't care about squeezing out every last tenth of a minute of precision, then I would say stick with the Creedmoor. Still a great cartridge, and the differences between it and the x47 are so small that only a serious competitive shooter will notice the difference.

 

[tnbowhunter]

I would likely go with 6.5 creedmoor but heck there’s a bunch of calibers out there to fit your needs/ wants. Boils down to personal preference

 

[tangodown]

Id go 7-08 1st and 260 rem 2nd. Both if you hand load, if not go creed.