Don't tell my wife I asked you this...

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canoetrpr

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Just North of Toronto
Trying to decide what the next calibre / rifle is that I should set my sights on ... you know, in case something just happens to come up for sale.

I have a Ruger .308 Mark 2 target which I enjoy shooting at the range immensely. I just purchased a Winchester 70 30-06 featherweight for hunting. Just love it. I've never hunted before but I hope to start next fall; deer, moose, caribou, elk, that sort of game.

95% of my shooting will be at the range but I just love beautiful hunting rifles. I'm enjoying long range shooting so I've wondered about a flatter shooting calibre that can take similar game as my 30-06. How about 6.5x55?

OTOH, I think it might be more sensible to have something like a 22-250 or a .243 or a .223 so that I can dispatch the odd coyote efficiently (although I'm sure my current rifles would do it just fine). I'd only be doing it to a problem creature that comes after my calves or chickens but I'd rather not have to deal with a bloody mess either.

Any suggestions on what rifle to look at as well next? Sako A7? Although wood is so much nicer.

Oh, and I'm just starting to reload so I don't mind a calibre that is expensive and harder to find commercially.
 
223 or 243 or 6.5x55 all work. The 6.5x55 is the best of the three if you reload which you indicate you are startng. If was looking for a 6.5 a tikka t3 without a wood stock would be my choice. With you having a 308 and 30 06 a 6.5 would not work. Trust me if you the 6.5x55 you will never use the 308 or 30 06 again. Some of the 6.5 bullets such as lapua scenar have a very high bc and are used for long range shooting. If I was looking for a small calibre gun the 6.5 is the best for long rang shooting, hunting yote, and deer. Really will easily fit all three. That is why I have I one. Zastava makes a 6.5 with a wood stock. The barrel twist is only 1 in 9. May have trouble with heavier bullets like a 140 and up. Berger makes a long range vld in 140 and recommends a 1 in 8 which is the tikka.
 
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You already have 2 rifles that are capable of hunting most game in North America so go to a smaller caliber so you can do more econoical shooting. I would look at a 223 for cheap availible brass or my personal favorite the 204 Ruger.
 
Something cheap to shoot.
You have the mid and big fur covered.
CZ 452, an old Browning T-Bolt or Winchester 69A.
These three are just fun and accurate to shoot.
Plus the warm of the wood makes for eye candy.

The 6.5x55 would be a great chambering to own.
I miss mine and have the taste buds tasting.......... :D
 
Should have added the fact that I have a CZ 452 already. I love that rifle. Very nice to shoot and does not make a hole in your pocket. I'm going to practice as much off bench shooting as I can with it for hunting practise. Although I really do enjoy shooting the my hunting riflel; winny 30-06.

220 Swift sounds good too.
 
Another thought that come to mind is that it would be really nice to have a rifle with a set trigger; like a Sako Bavarian or CZ 550 Lux. One with iron sights would be even better. I'm only shooting scoped now but iron sights would open up a new challenge at the range at 200 and 300 m. Hmm... what about one of those in 30-06 or .308?

Always nice to have guns that I can actually choose from to take out on a hunt and enjoy at the range. Realistically I won't be hunting much coyote as I don't intend to kill something unless I'm eating it or it is bothering my livestock; and we have been trouble free for 3-4 years.
 
I have a couple of .243's an old browning I learned to shoot on and a Tikka t3 for my son, I also have a 6.5x55 Sako 85 grey wolf, both calibres are excellent for mid-longish range. Both shoot well within a good scopes adjustment capability out to about 900 yards in the hands of a good shooter. The .243 has varmint rounds around 55 gr. and can be loaded up to 110-115 grain long range bullets. The sako is a truly enjoyable rifle to shoot and seems to put bullets closer to where I want them than a lot of other guns I have shot . The others are accurate but the sako just makes you grin when it is time to check the target .Personally I would probably buy up some ammo/ components for the guns you have now if you don't have lots on hand already . A safe full of guns isn't much good if you can't find components to reload, or ammo to feed it.
 
I think you should be losing sleep over your quarter-bore deficiency. I'm a big fan of the .250 Savage and .257 Roberts, but I wouldn't turn my nose up at a .25-06 or a .257 Weatherby.

A 6.5 Swede would be great, ditto a .260 Remington.
 
I think the OP needs a 260 Rem or perhaps the 243, it's might fine too, and a subcription to the Whipped magazine. awol, where the Hell R U? Please post the Whipped mag site for applications for some of these misfortunate guys! They seem to be popping up rather frequantly of late!
 
canoetrpr said:
Trying to decide what the next calibre / rifle is that I should set my sights on ... you know, in case something just happens to come up for sale.

I have a Ruger .308 Mark 2 target which I enjoy shooting at the range immensely. I just purchased a Winchester 70 30-06 featherweight for hunting. Just love it. I've never hunted before but I hope to start next fall; deer, moose, caribou, elk, that sort of game.

95% of my shooting will be at the range but I just love beautiful hunting rifles. I'm enjoying long range shooting so I've wondered about a flatter shooting calibre that can take similar game as my 30-06. How about 6.5x55?

OTOH, I think it might be more sensible to have something like a 22-250 or a .243 or a .223 so that I can dispatch the odd coyote efficiently (although I'm sure my current rifles would do it just fine). I'd only be doing it to a problem creature that comes after my calves or chickens but I'd rather not have to deal with a bloody mess either.

Any suggestions on what rifle to look at as well next? Sako A7? Although wood is so much nicer.

Oh, and I'm just starting to reload so I don't mind a calibre that is expensive and harder to find commercially.
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Far be it from me to attempt to dissuade someone from purchasing a new rifle, but perhaps if you're new to hunting, you should concentrate on practical field shooting skills with your .30/06, and take the money that could have purchased a new rifle and invest in some handloading tools. Handloading not only provides more ammunition per dollar, it allows you to choose very specific performance levels for your rifle. There is no centerfire ammo less expensive than shooting cast bullets propelled by a pinch of pistol powder. This stuff has a very low blast signature, and light recoil, making it pleasant for shooting at paper, and is great for small game shooting. A few rounds in your pocket to provide camp grub is never a bad thing, but if your rifle is sighted for full powered loads, as it should be, you'll have to learn the hold for the reduced loads. Moose, deer, and caribou span a half ton difference in weight and not surprisingly the bullet and impact velocity that is optimal in one case might leave something to be desired in the next, although a 180 gr bullet at .30/06 velocities does most things quite well. But typically the range to target is very different as well, moose and deer tend to be close range gigs, while caribou can provide the opportunity of a long shot. Thus where a heavy blunt nosed, deep penetrating bullet, is suitable for moose, a lighter, faster, and less strongly constructed bullet is a better choice for caribou. I could carry on quite happily with my .30/06 as my primary, if not my only, general purpose rifle. Your M-70 is excellent for the purpose.

Marksmanship training at the range is fine for getting the rifle sighted in and learning the basics of field positions, natural point of aim, trigger and breath control, and learning what to do about the wind. Much of that practice can be done by dry firing at home with a coin balanced on the top of the barrel near the muzzle. You don't even need to go to the range for that. But hunting is not conducted on the range, or at home. Its conducted in the bush and swamps, so that is where you should be conducting you practice. When shooting at game, you don't have a bulls-eye to shoot at, so get some silhouette targets of game animals, set them out in realistic settings, at arbitrary ranges. If for example your target is 20" tall, it appears to be the correct size at about a third of the distance that a living game animal does; so it appears to be the size of a 300 yard animal at 100 yards. Determine what shots you can make and which are too much for you. Situate yourself so that not all shots can be taken from "easy" positions. Frequently grass and vegetation is too high in order to shoot prone, or a target is encountered so close that nothing but a standing snap shot is going to work. Use your imagination, mix things up, challenge yourself.
 
As above... considering you've not been hunting before, it might be an idea to delay any further procurement of rifles until you get some experience, as it may temper your interests. For example, when I first started hunting deer in Central Ontario, I used a bolt action. I came to find that a bolt action was sub-optimal for our type of hunting. Additionally, a detachable magazine was a very desireable feature. I now use a Rem 760 pump for most of my deer hunting.
 
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