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[mattri]

Looking for a medium range target/varmint round. 

This will not be used for serious br competition or hunting.  May enter the occasional local match and would like to be able to take it out in the desert from time to time. 

Would prefer a commercially common caliber.  I will be working up loads for whichever choice but like the option of over the counter ammo. 

Looking to shoot out to 600 yards.  It is very windy here so that is a factor.  Recoil is somewhat of an issue but not  a soley deciding one.   

So far the best options seem to be
.243
.260 rem
7mm-08 
Any other ideas/suggestions welcome, Matt.

[j_22250]

+1 for .243 as a varmint round. .260rem or 7mm-08 if you want to throw deer in the mix as well. all good rounds!!!

other good choices would be 6-6.5x47L or 6.5x47L. Forester dies can be had for about the same amount of $$$ as well as Lapua brass. i know you said you would like to be able to shoot factory loaded rounds as well, but if you load enough ammo you won't have to worry about this. + you would have to re sight in if you chose to do that.

if your looking at factory rifles than i would have to choose a 7mm-08. that's with deer in mind tho. you can't go wrong with a good .243, but i would try and get one with a 24" barrel. if your gonna rebarel why not try a .243ai and you can still shoot factory ammo. if your on a budget mcgowen precision makes some good ones.

[mattri]

Thanks for the reply.  I already have a deer rifle so I won't be using this as a hunting rig.  I'd like to stick to factory based actions but will probably go with an aftermarket barrel like a Shilen or a Hart. 

[j_22250]

.243 winnie it is. i'd post some pics of last group i shot with my mcgowen barrel, but if i did you would have to wait longer than 6 weeks to get one. i'll say this tho... 3 shots exactly one hole...well it's a little egged and looks like maybe two, but i know that the third wasn't a blank and absolutly no way it could have missed the target completly.

 jst my 2 cents.

[JASmith]

If you haven't done so already, compare the trajectories and wind drift of the varmint bullets you are interested in using for each of the calibers.  The wind drift is more interesting than the drop because it is a LOT easier to get the range right and dial in the elevation than it is to dope the wind.

The 6.5 bullet line tends to have better ballistic coefficients (translates to wind bucking ability) but at the price of greater weight and slightly less muzzle velocity.  You will need to either run the numbers or look at some factory ballistic tables.  You'll probably find that the 6mm will drift 10 to 20 percent more than the 6.5 over the ranges you mentioned.

That could translate into a difference that's bigger than the width of a p-dog at the longer ranges.

Bottom line -- either cartridge will work fine so go with the one that tickles your fancy the most!!

[mattri]

Thanks for all the replies. 

This is a bit of an exercise in compromise.  A caliber/rifle set up for shooting 600 yards very effectively is going to be a little overkill as a shorter range varminter and a lighter, smaller desert gun is going to be less effective as a longer range target gun. 

600 yards is probably going to be the outer range of my shooting with this gun, thats as far as the local range goes. 

The numbers on the .243 look good but its a little counter-intuitive to go with the lighter round. 

[JASmith]

The .260 Rem will nicely meet your needs as described -- particularly if you already have a .223/.204/.17 caliber rifle.

In my view, there is no "overkill" for varmints, but the noise could be a factor in some situations.  The .243 has the same powder capacity as the .260, so the .260 still comes out ahead!

[j_22250]

 The .243 has the same powder capacity as the .260, so the .260 still comes out ahead!


i agree, but your not really getting any benifit from shooting the same weight bullets out of both. if you really want to shoot 600 yrds. w/ either these calibers then you should look into berger or a-max bullets over 100 grains for the .243 and same type of 140 for .260; it may not be the fastest, but it will catch up.


you could also say the 7mm-08 would beat the .260.

[MarkS]

mattri,

You did not say if you are going to load or buy factory ammo. If you are looking for a target/ varmint gun then the 243 Win or 6mm Rem. be your only choice for factory ammo. The 260 and 7mm-08 would have big game bullets loaded in factory. Now if you are going to load then will open up the varmint bullets in 6.5mm and 7mm, but very few are out there.

One round that has not been entered is the 223. When shot in a 10 to 6 tw barrel it is great long range round. Using 69 to 90gr bullets. I have a Savage 9tw that I have hit skeet clays at 1000 yds with no problem. And you can buy the heavy bullet loaded factory. It is a fun long range to shoot, low recoil and can get the job done.

As far as the best round for the job, but it is out of spec. is the 6BR.

Mark Schronce

[mattri]

I'll be hand loading.  I would prefer to stick to a commercially popular caliber, other than say a 6br etc.  The .223 is a great round, one that I really took a long look at but I think it may be just a little light.