cartridge choice...conflicted

[CanuckR]

260 remington.
It's plain. It's easy. And it just flat out works.
Take pretty much any game in N America. And you can target shoot it over 1000 easy.
Good barrel life. Great ballistics. Cheap components. Jam some 308 brass through a FL sizer if you already have 308 brass. Load it and shoot it.
Or go 260 Ackley if you want to have some more fun.

 

[rl4930]

260ai will burn a barrel as quick or faster than 6.5-284.

 

[Templar Knight]

Go with the 308....ammo is easy to find ; and lots of selection is available. The 308 is by far the most common long range precision cal. at the ranges that I attend ....

 

[nrut]

Ruger Amer. Predator in 6.5 Creed..
140gr. A-max and H4350 = great accuracy at a cheap price!

 

[J996]

.308 is great....until you shoot a .260

I will be swapping caliber when I get the cash for another barrel.

 

[b72471]

For Accuracy {Benchrest Style} there are only two calibers to consider 6mms or 6.5s. These two struggle for top honour, in 6mm the Dasher, 6BR and a few slightly larger cases do very well, in 6.5 the 6.5x47Lapua, 260 and the Swede all shoot great.
You mentioned a build so the barrel should be an 8 twist. The stock should have a flat bottom forarm 2.5" or wider. Adjustable trigger down into the ounces. OH yes the SCOPE NIGHTFORCE. For a hunting rifle you have that.
Enjoy.

 

[Highwind]

The 260 makes it a bit different yet applies to all of your criteria. The 7mm08 is no slouch either.

 

[kawicrash]

One of the 6.5's if I was doing a build.
Varmints to moose, and a good b.c. and s.d. with proven long range performance.

 

[CanuckR]

260ai will burn a barrel as quick or faster than 6.5-284.

You are the only one I have ever heard say that. Any personal experience with that? or reasoning as to why?
Much less case volume and has a steep shoulder angle. Both are things that should help it live much longer than a 6.5x284

 

[hawkmp9]

.308 seems the obvious choice.
7mm is a great round if you plan on doing some moose or elk, but punching paper is a bit more expensive.
Of course I'm sticking to rounds on your list.
But, my personal fav is .270win.

 

[rl4930]

Yes. Not personally, but a friend of mine cooked his ackley tube in 800 rounds.

 

[FromTheNorth]

lots of replays and other choices's added to the list. I'm always open to others and it boils down to cost vs effectiveness. The 308 is a reliable round, and cheap to feed...altho, some have mention the 6.5x47Lapua, and doing some digging on this it seems like my kind of round. Being Lapua brass, it is a little more, but it seems a better bang for my buck. for the guys who have experience with this cartridge, just how much can you get out of the brass on average. Again thank you for all the info, every little bit makes a difference, and adds value.

 

[rl4930]

I'm at 8 firings on some cases, primer pockets are still tight. The lapua cases are tough! Just anneal them every 2 or 3 firings. I neck size only.

 

[Alpheus]

Being Lapua brass, it is a little more, but it seems a better bang for my buck. for the guys who have experience with this cartridge, just how much can you get out of the brass on average.

All I can say is I'm on my 6th firing, and haven't lost any brass yet. Primer pockets are still very tight, trim length simply does not grow, and I haven't had to bump the shoulder.
Very versatile cartridge, can use wide variety of powder and bullet weights. So accurate it ought to be illegal.

 

[FromTheNorth]

I'm at 8 firings on some cases, primer pockets are still tight. The lapua cases are tough! Just anneal them every 2 or 3 firings. I neck size only.

I'm moving to Kincardine and i have a few shops that i deal with in the area that can supply, but there is always Hirsch to order from if necessary. I have done any annealing before so thats going to be new to me.

 

[cdn shooter]

Pretty hard to beat the 6br for what you're after.

 

[rl4930]

All I can say is I'm on my 6th firing, and haven't lost any brass yet. Primer pockets are still very tight, trim length simply does not grow, and I haven't had to bump the shoulder.
Very versatile cartridge, can use wide variety of powder and bullet weights. So accurate it ought to be illegal.

I've noticed the exact same as you. No trimming or bumping. I shoot 130's and 140's with varget and h4350. Federal 205m primers have worked well, so has br4's.

 

[CanuckR]

Yes. Not personally, but a friend of mine cooked his ackley tube in 800 rounds.

That sucks for your buddy.
I don't think that is the norm, but crap happens.
My 243AI is toast at 1500 but that's about what I expected.

 

[FromTheNorth]

for the 6.5x47,is there much difference between an 8 twist and 8.5. I realize its going to vary between different bullets, but thats what working up loads are all about and what works best with the rifle.

 

[8x68]

He's shooting 500yds, not 1500.



Overkill, hard to find brass. And barrel burners.

308 is perfectly suitable to what the OP is asking. 7-08 works nicely too.

Sorry disagree. 308 and 7mm-08 will give mediocre results a 500yds...even more so if there is any wind variance plus it's a boring round. 7mm Rem Mag, 26 or 28 Nosler will be a hell of a lot more accurate. I will concur that they will wear barrels quicker. He asked for an opinion I gave him mine.