building first gun

[bruno]

so i've decided i'm going to build a long range shooter. would eventualy like to get into competition, but for now it's going to be a 600+ yard gopher bomb.

what caliber would you use for such a gun, don't particularily like the .223, but might go with 22-250. i already handload, and will get a custom barrel to mount on a savage action. please say why you would choose each caliber or why not. thanks

 

[Boomer]

On paper the .22.250 appears to be all over the .223, but in the field, hits with either beyond 300 yards seems to be equally challenging. Having said that the .22-250 is one of the most successful varmint rounds available. If you are going to be loading to .22-250 levels, consider the .243 for slightly more versatility. If long range shooting is in your future you will want to choose a fast twist barrel to accommodate heavy for caliber long range match bullets.

 

[Mystic Precision]

9 or 8 twist 22/250 will do the trick. Stuff 75/80gr Bergers or AMax and have fun at very long distances.

I love my fast twist 223 but the 22/250 will have a much more appealing splat factor and buck the winds way better.

12 twist is commonly found in factory 22/250. A light fast bullet doesn't do much at LR - been there. Better with the highest BC bullet and fast twist.

If you stay with the 308 bolt face, you can spin on a barrel more suited to competition at any time. 6BR, 6.5 mystic/260AI, 308, whatever.

The 223 bolt face is more limiting if you can't find parts.

Jerry

 

[bruno]

i was thinking of the 6.5, also .308 or 300 win mag. i can't decide which one, but i don't particularily like the 308. no reason, just opinion. i know tons of guys use it with great success, but i thunk there are other calibers that perform much better.
seeing as i will be using a custom barrel, the choice has nothing to do with availability of parts, only components.
any other suggestions?

by the way, i like the looks of your 6.5mystic.

 

[Mystic Precision]

Thanks about the 6.5 Mystic. Been a wonderful project that just keeps a smile on my face.

Larger cals increase recoil which can be disturbing when shooting alot. Barrel wear also goes through the roof when you start pushing large magnums.

For a varminter, the 22cal is the best cal for med range shooting. For longer distances most of the time, the 6 and 6.5 are amazing but costs, recoil and barrel wear go up.

As you might have read, I shoot my 223 to a mile so you don't need a boomer to reach out. Of course, it gets tossed around in the wind but that is part of the fun.

If you stay with the Savage action, you will never be stuck with just one choice. The prefit barrels allow you to swap as you see fit. Takes me about 5 mins to swap out a barrel.

Shoot one barrel in the morning, swap to another after lunch. Yes, its that easy.

so why not have a fast twist 22.250, then a 6 or 6.5, then whatever suits your fancy.

The 308 is a hugely popular rd but is not a good varmint choice. Ballistics are horrid and richochets are a very real problem (too slow, bullets too tough).

Go small, go fast....

Jerry

 

[Obtunded]

If you are looking at getting into 600M competition and want to hunt varmints, I vote for the 6BR hands down, no contest, end of discussion.

Building the gun in a 1:8 twist would allow you to use 70-95 grain varmint bullets - no problem - for gopher shooting and have the twist for stabilizing the ultra-accurate 105-108 grain match bullets for 600M+ competitive shooting. (I simply use 105's for everything, and as my shooting buddies will attest, 1000M gopher shots are not only possible, they happen with satisfying regularity)

Barrel life with a good quality barrel will be 2500-3000 rounds; you'll be lucky to get half that with a 22-250 or 243. The 243 is not knwn for competitive accuracy and I know of nobody personally using them for 600M competition. There is a the odd one floating around in the AI version, but barrel life is really not very good.

 

[bruno]

i like the idea of being able to switch calibers quickly, although why not just build two guns?

i'm also toying with the idea of building my own stock, probably a laminate thumbhole.

will probably tor with a bushnell 6500.

not to familiar with the 6.5 cartirdges, but will look into it more.which 6.5's should i be looking at or avoiding?

 

[MagnumPeanut]

6.5x47 lapua. I've been reading up on it and it looks sweet. Gotta buy lapua brass tho .

6mmbr is the most practical and efficient cartridge for benchrest shooting and targets out to 600+ yards IMO.

I don't recommend 22-250. If you already had one and wanted to try sure, but if you spend all the money and it doesn't preform then it wouldn't be cool.

223 would hold together batter than 22-250 at long range. Same with 243, 7mm-08, 308, 300 WM. Its all preference.

You also have to think of how much you wanna spend each time you pull the trigger? How fast will you burn out a barrel? 223 is cheap and its fun to shoot. 6mmbr is cheap too.

 

[maynard]

For someone who, "would eventualy like to get into competition", there are lots of options to think about when it come to caliber. F class shooting is a fairly new concept (less than 20 years old on a national level) and evolved from Target Rifle which is shot with iron sights off the elbows. In the begining F calss was shot with .308 or .223 target rifles with scopes and bipod mounted on them.
This class is still out there and shot at the national and international levels, without turning into an equipment race. Yes some guys have RPA/Barnard actions, yet some are still shooting Musgraves and CIL's. Some have the latest Nightforce scopes and some are shooting Bushnell 4200's. They are limited to a max 156 gr bullet in .308 and 80 gr in the .223.
I guess what I am getting at is that someone that "would eventualy like to get into competition" should try this class first. If someone new goes straight into F Open class they are sure to be disappointed after getting a few lessons from the big dogs.

 

[Ice-Pick]

My vote if for the 6 BR,,, Record breaking/setting possibilities at 6-800 yds, dynamite at 3-500 as well.

31" Barrell, 1-8" twist, 107gr sierra's or 105 Lapua's , 29gr. Re/15 gets you 2875fps from Lapuas


Ask Obtunded about his, too.

Mike.

 

[CyaN1de]

My vote if for the 6 BR,,, Record breaking/setting possibilities at 6-800 yds, dynamite at 3-500 as well.

31" Barrell, 1-8" twist, 107gr sierra's or 105 Lapua's , 29gr. Re/15 gets you 2875fps from Lapuas


Ask Obtunded about his, too.

Mike.

That rifle looks VEEEERY familiar!!!

If you do decide to go for a 22-250 you can easily upgrade the barrel to any of the popular competitive cartridges (6BR, 6.5x47L, etc...) when the factory barrel goes south.

Remington actions are hard to beat for ease of getting to shoot well with a few gunsmith tweaks.

 

[Mystic Precision]

not to familiar with the 6.5 cartirdges, but will look into it more.which 6.5's should i be looking at or avoiding?

There are no 'bad' 6.5's. They just fill a niche which may or may not suit your needs.

The smallest to biggest popular cartridges are 6.5 Grendel/PPC; 6.5 BR/Dasher/BRX; 6.5X47L/Creedmore/XC/IHMSA; 260R; 6.5 Mystic/260AI/6.5Swede; 6.5 Swede AI/ 6.5 - 6mmRem; 6.5-284/6.5-06.

You just increase the case capacity allowing for more energy to push heavier bullets faster. They can all be made to be equally accurate - not necessarily at the same speeds.

The larger you go, the faster the barrel wear but the higher the velocity potential. The easier it is to reach common operating velocity with heavier bullets.

The smaller you go, the higher you need your operating pressures to get the same performance. This is important if using commercial actions. They can also be tempremental when run at elevated pressures. In their design parameters, no more no less difficult to work with then anything else.

Decide what type of rifle you want/function, what you want to do with the rifle, how far you want to shoot - pick your poison and have fun.

There are now so many awesome bullets that any application can be filled.

There is a very nice post on the 6.5 choices a few posts away. Again, there are no right answers and lots of solid opinions.

If you are looking at a LR blaster, I like the 260AI/Mystic/Swede case volume as a do anything, no brainer way to launch the heavies in moderate length barrels at desireable velocities.

Some like them bigger, others smaller. It's all good.

Best thing is spin on a barrel and go have fun. In a good season of shooting, the barrel will be toast and you will get a chance to play with something new.

Who knows, by then the hot concept might be a 25 or 5.8mm????

Jerry

 

[Ice-Pick]

Thought you might find it familiar, laff.
Had the bushnell tactical on it for that pic, now sporting an NXS.

M.

 

[Obtunded]

my 6X47... (Now back to a 6BR)

Another in 6BR... (you might get the impression I love 6BR)

 

[crout]

so i've decided i'm going to build a long range shooter. would eventualy like to get into competition, but for now it's going to be a 600+ yard gopher bomb.

Me too!!
What a dilema.
thinking I mught have to sell all my rifles and build 2
probably .223 for longer barrel life plus cheaper to reload for and out past 400yards with the same bullet weight it performs similar to 22-250
the other would be something in 6.5 looking long and hard at 6.5x55 or 6.5x47L. both have pretty good barrel life and long range awesomeness