6.5 or 7

bingo1010

bingo1010

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am just getting into this long range thing and aml ookingfor opinions on what caliber first and secondly what cartridge. the 6.5 has obvious advantages for bc but so does the 7mm. i am not recoil sensitive so that isn't a concern for me. if you can call it that i have narrowed it down to 260, 6.5 x 284, 7-08, 284, 7 rem mag, and i will throw in the 300 win. i shoot 5 -600 yards regularly am now want to move out to 1000,...and possibly beyond.
 
Depends what you want to do it for, but 6.5X284 is supremely accurate at 1000. The 260 - particularly the akleyized version is also superb, as is the 6.5X55 with the right load.

For all-out high look-cool, testosterone charged fun, 338 Lapua Magnum.

7mm's are also a good choice, but based on the number of barrels I sell to long distance competitive shooters, 6.5 variants are far and above the most popular choice... are they the best? Well, i guess it depends how good YOU are.
 
If you want to shoot a 6.5-.284 and stay competitive, plan on replacing your barrel every 1200-1500 rounds. You don't need a magnum to shoot 1000 yards. Over in the UK they shoot what they call Match Rifle out to 1200 yards with .308's. Not saying .308 is the best by any means, only that it can be done.
If is was going to build an F Class rifle I would look at either a .260 or a 6.5X55. Both would offer longer barrel life than the 6.5-.284 or the magnums.
 
6.5X47 Lapua so we can make some money.
PS, also shoots well - high pressure - efficient - tough brass.

Regards,

Peter

PPS, Jerry is about to write about his Mystic!
 
...I beat him to the punch with a 260 Ackley :)

Hey... you can make more money off of Lapua brass in 6.5X55 and 6.5X284 can't you? ;)

Personally, I love the 6-6.5X47 Lapua for 1000 yards!!
 
Obtuned, glad you brough it up.....

Don't forget the 6mm. From the 6BR to the 6mm Mystic (new toy, new toy), they are lots of fun to shoot as far as you want.

In any cal, you just want to get the bullets going from 2800 to 3000fps. There are many many ways to do this so pick your combo and enjoy.

Now the important question, how easy can you find bullets/components. Some of the most desireable bullets/components simply are not available in Canada with any degree of certainty. do some research and decide what works best for you.

Great bullets include:

6mm, 105gr Amax, 107gr MK, 105gr Berger. 115gr Berger/DTAC. 90ish gr Scenar, 87gr Vmax, lighter Bergers.

6.5mm 123/139gr Scenar, 130/140gr Berger, 142gr Sierra, 140gr Amax. Know zip about the 120ish MK's and Amax.

7mm 162gr Amax, 180gr Berger.

The larger the cal, the higher the cost, the higher the recoil, usually better ballistics. Sometimes better wear and tear. For general plinking you will not see much difference.

Jerry
 
For some of the more esoteric bullets, remember you can now buy up to 1000 from the US without import/export permits. For the rest, guys like Peter will be a good place to look! I am particularly interested in grabbing some of David Tubbs' bullets myself!

...6mm Mystic.... I should've known!!!! It will truly suck to get beaten by my old barrel!
 
I would not consider myself recoil sensitive either, but after a full days shooting, a cartridge like the 308 will definately have it's effects on most people compared to the lesser recoil and blast of a 6 or 6.5mm.
 
Obtunded said:
For some of the more esoteric bullets, remember you can now buy up to 1000 from the US without import/export permits. For the rest, guys like Peter will be a good place to look! I am particularly interested in grabbing some of David Tubbs' bullets myself!

...6mm Mystic.... I should've known!!!! It will truly suck to get beaten by my old barrel!
Click to expand...

When/how did that come about?
 
am just getting into this long range thing and aml ookingfor opinions on what caliber first and secondly what cartridge. the 6.5 has obvious advantages for bc but so does the 7mm.
Click to expand...
If you're going to compete...
You will probably go through at least 1000 bullets in one year. If you're shooting 6.5x284 that means about 1 barrel a year. Barrels are way cheaper than 1 year's worth of bullets. Consider it a consumable. Based on the 1000 bullets per year, if you shoot a caliber that competively rates at 1500 to 2000 shots for a barrel, you may be faced with changing barrels mid-season. Talk about feeling a little rushed. The solution to that is to buy 2 barrels at once, done with the same reamer. Not cheap.

If you're not going to compete...
You probably won't shoot more than a few hundred a year, pick your favourite cartridge.
 
There is good reason for the 6.5X47 Lapua. It is an efficient, high-pressure round producing high velocity with very tough cases. Brass is superior to other cartridges of this capacity in uniformity yielding longevity in advance of other designs.

It is winning matches. Superior to 6.5-284 for 1000? No, but it is excellent and a worthy consideration.

Regards,

Peter
 
I have seen sectioned .308 Win. brass from all the major manufacturers and Lapua brass had ther thickest base, but metallurgy is just important or more so than design. Germans and Finns have a better grip on relative hardness. I heard at the Shot Show that a 338LM rifle was tested by putting bullets in various parts of the barrel and fired, yielding 120,000 measuerd psi. This was was done 3 times and the cartridge case stayed together. There was a bulge after the second firing, but no seperation even after the third firing.

Regards,

Peter
 
I was recently necking-up some 308 brass for my slayin' gun in 338 federal. Running 308 Winchester brass up the mandrel was fairly easy, but Cheese n rice, the Lapua brass is tough.
 
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