Building a precision rifle in short action caliber, caliber advice

Mike112288 said:
I had my first custom rifle built last year on a bighorn tl3 in 223 rem. If I built a second one this year perhaps on a impact precision action, what caliber would you go with for an occasional target shoot nothing competitive. Just long ish range bottle blasting and Steel plates. 6.5 creedmor, 308, 22 creedmor, 22 br or some 7mm cal? I’m thinking even a 308 would be good enough but a creedmor would be nicer with its trajectory. Any ideas?
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6.5 Creedmoor is a great caliber. No Question. Another slightly more versatile choice could be 260Rem.
 
I just got my 6.5 creedmoor finished. I ran 140gr Hornady match ammo through it last Sunday, it shot nice. I really like that cartridge, so nice to shoot. Just waiting for my casings to come in so I can reload my 130gr. Wish I could post pics of the gun, but I can't. So here is what I have. Remington action, which was trued. Benchmark Barrel heavy varmint, Accuracy AX chassis system.....really impressed with that to be honest. Trigger tech and topped of with a S&B. But overall, the 6.5 Creedmoor is a nice caliber, JMO.
 
Flip that sounds like a super nice build. I have the SAME barrel on my bighorn tl3 223 rem build. Heavy varmint benchmark which looks like a tank barrel haha. That chassis is nice. All of it is nice. Haha..... I’m leaning on the 6.6 Creedmoor cuz of factory ammo availability should I not get back into reloading. The 260 rem is what i think id go for if I was still reloading. Just for the extra FPS over the Creedmoor. I think I’d still to 140-150 grain rounds with high b.c for the Creedmoor
 
I don't have a Creed, but do have a 260 and 6.5x47 - there is so little difference, period.
Altho the 260 has a bit more case space, the other (Creed and x47) can run higher pressures than the 260, and hence similar performance. The x47 (and Creed) with the 30 degree shoulder have all the advantages of that (easy tuning, less trimming, less powder for similar performance) over the 260.
If you get a 260 barrel that shoots 140's in the high node, you're set! but my experience (and buddies) is that the CM and x47 perform the same with 130-140 gr loads.
As for factory ammo, Creed is where its at. Hard to find 260 factory, and 6.5x47 is a reloader cartridge.
I am not a kool-aid drinker, but i do want to try the Creed - i was so very impressed with the x47 that i have to try the CM. The 6.5x47 and 6mmBR both gave me those WOW moments that i didn't get with any other cartridge/rifle combos that i have owned - Initial load testing with both rifles was crazy - the worst groups were all under an inch at 200.
 
So far I have had a 6.5X47 and a .260. I have used both for hunting. So far as for shooting, I'm liking the Creedmoor, but still getting use to it. For a hunting round, I have to say the .260 with a 130 gr bullet is good, have to wait until this fall to try the Creedmoor out with 130's. I'm thinking it will be just as good as the .260. Going back to the range to get more trigger time with the Creedmoor! come to think of it, kind of wishing I still had the other 2 and try all 3....lol
 
Performance on the 6.5x47, Creed or 260 all all so close I don't think it makes much difference. I went with the 6.5X47 and have been very happy with it. I actually have two of them. 130 Berger at 2950 fps and a 130 Accubond at 2850. Both bullets are very accurate and work great on deer. The 130 Berger load holds enough velocity/energy out to 750 yds for deer size game. What's not to like about that?
 
Mike112288 said:
Many folks were dissing the Creedmoor and now look how many are sipping Creedmoor kool-aid! Lol!
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I think the biggest contributor to 6.5cm's popularity has been the availability of ammo and reloading components. At least that's what was the biggest influence for me. Years ago I couldn't find ammo or components off the shelf for 6.5cm, so I advocated for the 308.
 
Mike112288 said:
Deer past 750?? One hunter on YouTube figured only 350-400 for large game but I don’t hunt so I don’t know
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On paper my 6.5x47 with a 130 Berger will work out to 750 yds on deer. Never done it, but would under ideal conditions. For farther than that the 300 Win Mag with 215’s. It’s always the right tool for the job. I don’t really believe in the one gun to do it all. If I did have to pick just one gun it would be the 300 Win Mag. I use 1800 fps impact velocity and about 1000 ft-lbs as minimum for deer and reliable expansion.
 
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