Caliber choice

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Breu

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I'm researching a medium range target rifle. I've been shooting .22lr bench for about 2 years, and want something bigger. I will get into reloading, and will probably start out with a .223, however, if I want to start with a less common round, like a 6.5 for example, is there a place that you can buy less common ammo in bulk to hold me over until I'm proficient at reloading?
Thanks guys
Brent
 
If you are going medium range , stick to .223 and .308 if you want cheap bulk , but remember, you will have cheap bulk ammo.

Less common is only akin to reloading unfortunately.
 
223 is probably best as match ammo can be purchased for it for a reasonable price.

308 is also a good choice but I think you will probably pay more for match ammo. If you shoot a lot of rounds in a day, you will have to deal with the repeated recoil impulse.
 
Low cost shooting with decent accuracy to 500-600 yards, go with a 223 with a 1-9 twist and shoot 69 smk bullets
When a cartridge is selected for military use, ratio of barrel life / power / accuracy / cost Have been studied for quite a while.
So choosing one instead of one of the new fancy faster, fast barrel burner, more costly to load, is not always a bad choice.
 
OP- I'm in the same boat. I shoot a lot of 22 and I want move up to 223. Just about to go ahead with a rem700 sps tactical AAC-Sd in 223.

I had a 308 when I was new to shooting and it was too much. I drveloped a flinch. Well I need to rid myself of that. I think it's about gone with all the 22lr I fire. Hopefully 223 will be a good next step for me.
 
Rapier46 said:
OP- I'm in the same boat. I shoot a lot of 22 and I want move up to 223. Just about to go ahead with a rem700 sps tactical AAC-Sd in 223.

I had a 308 when I was new to shooting and it was too much. I drveloped a flinch. Well I need to rid myself of that. I think it's about gone with all the 22lr I fire. Hopefully 223 will be a good next step for me.
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Be mindful of twist rate and bullet weight when choosing a factory rifle. If your wanting to shoot out to say 500-600 yards, a slow twist is going to limit you from the prime bullets for such task.
 
223 is a poor choice both for performance and for developing confidence in reloading. Simple put, it is so small that it is too sensitive in every aspect. Lots of folks tout the championship "mouse gun"; most of those same folks are gunning for top spot with a different caliber.
 
Your first box you load can be more accurate than factory rounds... make the leap and get into reloading, the sooner the better... a small cartridge (like a 223) is always cheaper to shoot than a larger one...
 
Please disregard this statement.

max-x said:
223 is a poor choice both for performance and for developing confidence in reloading. Simple put, it is so small that it is too sensitive in every aspect. Lots of folks tout the championship "mouse gun"; most of those same folks are gunning for top spot with a different caliber.
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Just trying to save the OP time. It's absolutely an accurate cartridge, and most serious folks go thru a 223 phase- it happens. I did. You'll save money they said. You'll learn lots they said. The last thing I learned from my 223 foray was that it's a waste of time because the real world performance will never be there, and time is the most irreplaceable factor in the whole equation. Shoot inside 300y on paper and the 223 does a good job- the same job the 22lr will do, but the 22lr will teach you more about fundamentals and actually save you money.
 
I shoot both 22lr @ 100 and 223 at 100-200 I don't think the knowledge overlaps that much between 22lr and 223 especially when the learning curve and practical distances don't usually parallel.

I feel shooting 22LR to 100M is about all I can get to skill wise and 223 to 300 may be possible.. and reloading skill are a whole other matter.
 
max-x said:
Just trying to save the OP time. It's absolutely an accurate cartridge, and most serious folks go thru a 223 phase- it happens. I did. You'll save money they said. You'll learn lots they said. The last thing I learned from my 223 foray was that it's a waste of time because the real world performance will never be there, and time is the most irreplaceable factor in the whole equation. Shoot inside 300y on paper and the 223 does a good job- the same job the 22lr will do, but the 22lr will teach you more about fundamentals and actually save you money.
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This is so far wrong! .223 maxes at 300y? You clearly don't have enough experience to give advice here. I use a .223 in FTR...have a few trophies with it. Shoot it out to 1100-1200y VERY accurately. A 22LR it is not!
 
Of course the 308 and 223 are both very inherently accurate and are hard to beat for ammo availability and price. If not reloading and looking to a 6.5 round the 6.5 CM has serious merit. Quality match ammo is available from Winchester and Hornady ...only downside is that it will be a bit more costly than some of the other bulk ammo out there
 
The steps that a lot of people seem to make are 223, 308, and then something like 300wm....or a wildcat in a dedicated target rig. Some of those previous wildcats became so popular that they are now pretty much adopted as standard calibers....6.5x284, and 6.5 Creedmore....seem good examples.
 
I don't believe I specifically indicated that the 223 max range is 300yd, and I'm not sure how my apparent lack of experience should preclude me from spouting vile heresy on a forum. I will however note that beyond 300 yd, it is an inherently handicapping cartridge, even with a berger heavy. If your rules indicate you may only use a 223/ 80.5gr or 308/155 gr, then you aren't in bad shape as the two choices are close to ballistically identical. If you aren't restrained by such rules, there are much better options. Yes, 223 will teach you how to read wind. Yes, it will drop like a 155 308 bullet at range. Absolutely, you can shoot it at extreme ranges accurately. But, in order to shoot at any extended range, and do it well, you begin to encroach the cost bracket of higher performance cartridges, in which case you might as well pick one of those better performers because either way you're going to be paying for it. For an extra ten to fifteen cents per shot compared to 223 you can now have a cartridge with remarkably better performance and usability.
 
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