Tactical bolt action rifle caliber choices: .223, .308, .243 or 6.5mm Creedmoor ?

joe.grey

joe.grey

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Hey all, need your input please!

My background with rifles is strictly military with 5.56 and 7.62. I was a marksman with the 5.56 caliber so I have a pretty good grasp of that caliber and its ballistics. Now that I am a civilian and want to continue practicing the sport of shooting, I find myself with many more calibers to choose from, which I greatly appreciate. For the moment, I am waiting on my PAL which should arrive in 4 to 6 weeks so I am doing much reading and educating myself on the different calibers and rifle setups at my disposal. As the title suggests, I am interested in the following calibers: .223, .243, .308 and 6.5mm Creedmoor. I would appreciate your input in helping me narrowing it down.

Here is some extra information that can help you help me:

1- I have access to a shooting range that can allow up to 1000m and a few that mostly allow for 100m to 300m. So access to long range is available. Most of my shooting will be done in the 300m to 600m range where available.
2- My military experience is with the .223 and the 7.62. No experience with the .243 or the 6.5mm CM.
3- Eventually, I would like to get into competitive shooting, something along the lines of tactical competitive matches. I am also interested in hunting, up to medium sized game (deer).
4- I do not have any experience in hand loads as ammo has always been supplied by the military and, obviously, was NATO stamped. In time, I may opt for hand loads but for the moment, factory loads will be my go to supplier.

Also:

1- I fully understand barrel twist vs grain weight.
2- Recoil: I want to keep it between the .223 and .308
3- Ammunition: I want something that is fairly available. For example, the 6.5mm CM seems to be an awesome caliber for precision shooting and has served hunters well but when I search for sellers, they either do not carry it or for the few that do, it is out of stock...and there are few sellers that do carry it !

So, there you have it! Can't wait to read your recommendations and suggestions.
 
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The Creedmoor would be a good choice , much easyer on barrels than a 243. If your going to shoot a lot of rounds and I thing you will if your goal is to compete then you should seriously look at getting into reloading. If you don't want to get into reloading right away then you should consider the 308
 
Welcome to the forum.

For the shootin your looking at I would suggest the .243 and the 6.5cm but because you're not reloading My choice right now woild be to go for the .308 or .223 in that order. .308 can get you out to 1000yrds for target shooting and is almost always available everywhere. The .223 is always available and can get out a ways too but not as well as the .308
If you choose to get into reloading then the possibilities are almost endless for long range target calibers but until then I would go with the .308. Good calibre to learn with and can keep you going do a long time
 
.223 Rem (in a Tikka Varmint if I was buying). According to their web site it has an 1 in 8 twist rate. Any other 1 in 9/8/7 would do, I just found getting the load right for 90 gr .224 bullets difficult so 1 in 8 seems ideal to me. .223 is pretty versatile when it can shoot 60 - 80 gr bullets. The best part is you can pretty much always get ammo/reloading components and they are about as inexpensive as it gets.

heh heh, sorry about the editing...bad habit.
 
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r204 said:
The Creedmoor would be a good choice , much easyer on barrels than a 243. If your going to shoot a lot of rounds and I thing you will if your goal is to compete then you should seriously look at getting into reloading. If you don't want to get into reloading right away then you should consider the 308
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I have read that the .243 is a barrel bruiser and that is a factor. As for the .308 suggestion, it seems the viable one for the moment as it is quite available and it seems to have good factory loads also. Thank you.
 
Ed82 said:
Welcome to the forum.

For the shootin your looking at I would suggest the .243 and the 6.5cm but because you're not reloading My choice right now woild be to go for the .308 or .223 in that order. .308 can get you out to 1000yrds for target shooting and is almost always available everywhere. The .223 is always available and can get out a ways too but not as well as the .308
If you choose to get into reloading then the possibilities are almost endless for long range target calibers but until then I would go with the .308. Good calibre to learn with and can keep you going do a long time
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Yes, the .308 seems the way to go for the moment, according to my needs.
 
redshooter said:
.223 Tikka Varmint. According to their web site it has an 1 in 8 twist rate. Any other 1 in 9/8/7 would do, I just found getting the load right for 90 gr .224 bullets difficult so 1 in 8 seems ideal to me. .223 is pretty versatile when it can shoot 60 - 80 gr bullets. The best part is you can pretty much always get ammo/reloading components and they are about as inexpensive as it gets.
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I am aware of the twist rate and grain weigh ratios but is that an effective round for deer hunting in the 400m-600m? As for tactical competitions, it does not seem to be a common caliber. I do agree that the availability of this ammo is not an issue and yes, its not a wallet killer...but is it a viable round for competitive shooting up to 1000m?
 
redshooter said:
I skimed over the Deer part...not the best choice for a deer...could be done but I'd probably pass.

Here's a length thread started by Jerry aka Mystic Precision for you to check out.http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/384761-90gr-Berger-VLD-and-the-223-500m-Group-1-1-16-quot-X-1-8-quot-see-post-357?highlight=223+f-class
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Deer: up to 150m, I think the .223 could get the job done with the proper grain weight.

As for that link: thank you, much interesting info in there! .223 looks interesting indeed
 
.223 gets my vote, because of the fact that you can usually shoot twice as much of it. However the hunting aspect throws a bit of a wrench in there, as some places have minimum calibre restrictions, and .223 is a bit underpowered past 200m or so.

In that case, .308 gets my vote.
 
Stevebot-7 said:
.223 gets my vote, because of the fact that you can usually shoot twice as much of it. However the hunting aspect throws a bit of a wrench in there, as some places have minimum calibre restrictions, and .223 is a bit underpowered past 200m or so.

In that case, .308 gets my vote.
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The more I think about it, hunting would be under 150m.
 
1. Congratulations on achieving "Marksman" on PWT3; you may be the only one here. :)

2. If you want to shoot a lot, your best bet is to go with 5.56/223 because of the sales that pop up with bulk ammo, either from Norinco or now with American/Federal 500rds/$200. What I chose was the Mossberg MVP because I liked that it took STANAG (AR) mags. You can get them in either a long 24" varmint barrel, or a shorter patrol style if you want to carry the thing around and hunt with it.

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If you end up choosing 7.62/308 anyway, Mossberg makes those, too.
 
Petamocto said:
1. Congratulations on achieving "Marksman" on PWT3; you may be the only one here. :)

2. If you want to shoot a lot, your best bet is to go with 5.56/223 because of the sales that pop up with bulk ammo, either from Norinco or now with American/Federal 500rds/$200. What I chose was the Mossberg MVP because I liked that it took STANAG (AR) mags. You can get them in either a long 24" varmint barrel, or a shorter patrol style if you want to carry the thing around and hunt with it.

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If you end up choosing 7.62/308 anyway, Mossberg makes those, too.
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1- 2R22R Recon - 2001. Thank you but there is no way I am the only one here who has achieved Marksman!!!

2- I just read some interesting articles on .223 ballistics with heavier grain and 1:7" twists and my mind seems to be pretty much set on the .223. Now to find a suitable 1:7" twist barrel.
 
Be careful with the 223 and heavier bullets. This is an experts cartridge combo for somebody well versed in reloading and match shooting. It has been popular in F-Class in years past but most of us who used it dropped it after a while. It can be an extremely frustrating combo to get shooting right.

The 308 is probably your best choice. The 6.5 CM while being an excellent choice is limited in brass quality and is not well supported in the shooting community. If you want to shoot precision matches then the 308 is the universal choice while the 6.5 will put you into an open class where there aren't many competitors.

Look at the 260 Rem or 6.5 x 47 Lapua for choices other than the CM. Lapua makes brass for both.

Steve
 
Consider: if precision shooting with longer distances is the goal, start reloading now. Factory ammo just doesn't cut it

If you reload for precision shooting, the core tools and procedures are the same regardless of the chambering so your investment can span all the options you will want to try.

The odds of you staying with just one option for more then a season is highly unlikely.. Once you start and see all that is possible, it takes a strong resolve to not look over the next hill. So I wouldn't get caught up in trying to find your 1 true life mate.

Look at your goals and priorities for the next season. Work towards that. Then change as you see fit and as you are exposed to other options.

I have had the pleasure of shooting damn near everything considered accurate. Even designed my better mousetraps. I now spend most of my time on the 223 and 308. They work, simple to set up, lots of info out there.

For general plinking even to 1000yds (and beyond), the 223 is hard to beat. I would suggest bullet weights from 68gr to 80.5gr. All are easy to load and tune for. Use standard components and no more fussy then the match 308 ammo (or any other precision cartridge by the way) I make.

8 twist is ideal.

the 90gr VLD's offer wonderful ballistics but can be tricky to set up.. Not an option until you become a very experienced loader.

As for 1 rifle for two tasks... forget about it. First off, hunting rifles today are so inexpensive, why would you want to heave a big heavy pig of a rifle through the bush?

And Yes, most precision rifles are going to be heavy with stocks set up for position shooting and peak accuracy... not lugging quietly through the hills.

Enjoy your quest. There are as many options and opinions as there are shooters. Look at the cost of shooting and see if what you think you want, agrees with your wallet.

Add reloading into the mix asap.

Jerry
 
Unless you are going to play with very heavy .224 bullets, like 90gr VLDs, you don't need a 1:7 barrel. 1:8 may be optimal; 1:9 will do well with 69gr, perhaps some 75gr bullets. 69 and 75gr match grade ammunition can be purchased. Cheap 55gr ball is OK for casual shooting at shorter ranges.
There is excellent .308 precision ammunition available. Stuff like the Hornady 155gr match. It shoots very, very well in most all rifles.
However, if you are going to shoot seriously, you will want to handload. $2 a shot for factory match grade .308 gets old fast.
I have shot .308 for years. Last two seasons I went to .260. Past 500m, the difference is dramatic.
 
Not sure what part of Canada you are in but here in Alberta you need .240 minimum caliber to hunt deer with so that would exclude the .223
I think the .308 would be perfect as ammo is reasonably priced with lots of options but the .243 would work as well
 
+1 for 308 for both aspects of target and hunting. and 308 is a breeze to reload for compared to some calibres, lots of data and components out there
 
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