help me pick a caliber......

[chet]

Thinking of rebarreling/restocking a M70......
Primary use will be varmints, coyotes and such.
I would like it to be capable of killing deer/antelope at -400 yards.
medium - heavy weight bbl.... 24-27 inches.
Must be a short action with a standard bolt face.
Right now I'm leaning towards a 260rem......
a 243win is a possibility, but IMHO is a little light for large mule deer buck.
what would you do?

 

[chet]

whoa!!!! that was post #284 from me :shock:
Is that a sign? what are my 7mm options for short action?

 

[JD338]

7mm-08 :wink:

JD338

 

[desertcj]

If I was in your shoes, I would go with a .260. Better ballistics then a 7mm-08 for long range shooting. I had a plan to put together a .260, but I ended up staying with .243 that the rifle came chambered for.

 

[taylorce1]

How about a 6.5 Creedmore? Supposed to offer .260 ballistics but work better in the short action with long bullets. I've been doing a little reading on it, and it seems interesting.

 

[chet]

ohhhh yessss the 6.5 creedmore....
hey is there such a thing as a 260rem AI?

 

[jmad_81]

YES...!

 

[chet]

oh yeah!!!! that thing looks sexy!!!!!!!!

anybody know anything about 6.5-284?

or maybe I need to look at a regular old 284win?????

too many to choose from

that 260AI is definetly an eye catcher tho

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

Yes there is a 260 AI. From all that I've read, dont waste your time, gains are very little versus the hassle time and money spent fireforming brass.

I'd go with a 243 or 243 AI. Easily capable of 400 yard shots on bigger muleys if there not alarmed or pumped full of adrenaline, lot better for coyotes to then the bigger bores, less kick, more zip, and a super accurate load is what you need for a yote rifle. Shoot 55s at 3800-4000fps for lazer flat trajectory on dogs out to 500 yards, and shoot the 95g nbt at 3000-3100fps for antelope/deer out to 400 yards or more. Heck you can even shoot the 95g VLD or various 105g target bullets out at 1K as well.

 

[Polaris]

Although it is very tempting to do the one rifle thing, you must realize you are making some compromises. A 6.5X284 won't do the varmint work a 22-250 will, and won't dump a 400 yard muley like a 7mm Rem mag with the right bullet. If your cap were 300 yards on big game, I'd say the .260 Rem or 7mm08 would do just fine, one of the improved rounds or .284 based rounds would be better, but 300-400 yards on big game is much more of a long action game. Shorter rounds can get the job done, but honestly are not the best tool for the job. You might consider 2 rifles to truly be happy. You have the makings for a top notch varmint rig with your current gun, and an inexpensive Savage with the Accutrigger in boring old 270 win or 30-06 would work nicely for the big game work until you get around to customizing it. They're not the prettiest thing in the world but they shoot well.

 

[chet]

this is model 70 number 7 in my collection, and it is a duplicate caliber (308win).
I have plenty "big game" rifles to choose from.
I just want to make something fun out of it.
In all likely hood, this build won't ever take a crack at any big game animal. Lets just say it might need to shoot really big coyotes :lol:

 

[CAhunter]

If it was gonna be a "big" coyote gun id go with the 243. Put a 24-26" 1: 8 twist and shoot some 105 amax or vld.

 

[JD338]

Man, I really like the looks of that 260 AI.

JD338

 

[ls1cwby]

Would the 6mm Rem work in your action? It will reach a little farther than the 243.

 

[YoteSmoker]

6BR or 6.5x47 Lapua might be fun for long range coyotes/groundhogs with 8 twist and 95-107 grain bullets/ 123-142 grainers, respectfully.

 

[6mm Remington]

Would the 6mm Rem work in your action? It will reach a little farther than the 243.

+1, go with the 6mm Remington and it will do everything you are asking of it. Great for the smaller animals and still works great for deer and antelope. I've shot an awful lot of them with the 6mm Remington as have friends and they work every time.

With the 6mm it has a little more pop than the 243 and you don't have to AI it as it has IT already!! I personally would go with a 1-9 barrel which will stabalize the heavier bullets and still work great with the lighter ones as well. I think a 24 or 26" would be great. My son's Ruger with only a 22" barrel has the 90 gr. Nosler E-tip smoking along at 3180 fps. I KNOW HOW WELL it worked on his cow elk this year at 350 yards, one shot, and I believe that bullet would also work pretty darn well on coyotes and should not blow a big hole in them. Go with the 6mm and you won't regret it, plus the Winchester short action is long enough that you can seat the bullets out where they need to be. There's not a better round out there for what you are asking it to do in my opinion anyway. Good luck.

6mm Remington
David

 

[BK]

6mm would be cool, but if you're going for a custom barrel, I might be inclined to AI it.

 

[Songdog]

Much as I love the 6mm... I have to say the .243 AI has many advantages... and no drawbacks. Sure, you have to fireform... but after 50-60 rounds you have enough brass to last years, and the .243 isn't giving up before the shoulder bump. The OAL flexibility is a huge advantage when looking at VLD type projectiles. The 6mm Rem can get into some length issues when running 90-105 grainers up into the lands. Best of all... you should be getting 6mm Rem +P velocities... but only have to shoot a 23-24" barrel.

 

[taylorce1]

If it was gonna be a "big" coyote gun id go with the 243. Put a 24-26" 1: 8 twist and shoot some 105 amax or vld.

I just ordered a 1:7 twist McGowen .243 barrel for my Savage! I'm going to run 115 VLD and DTAC as well as 105's if I want. Going to use it to ring steel at long range!

 

[Desert Fox]

If you have the short action with .473 bolt face, then you'll be best served with either 7MM-08 or the 260 Remington.

A 6.5X284 won't do the varmint work a 22-250 will, and won't dump a 400 yard muley like a 7mm Rem mag with the right bullet.

With due respect, I totally disagree with this statement. For varmint work using 100 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip, the 22-250 won't be able to touch the 6.5 at any range. At 400 yards, the 140 grain Berger load (2975 fps) from my 6.5-284 will have at least 100ft/lb more energy when compared with 140 grain factory 7MM Remington Mag load ( Federal Vital shock 140 grain AccuBond load at 3115 fps).