Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Caliber Recommendation for LR Elk and Mule Deer

I'm thinking of buying a Cooper for elk and mule deer and LR for me is 4-500 yards. I was looking at a 6.5-284 and after doing some research it seems that barrel life is about 1000 rounds, I don't want to spend that kind of money only to have to replace the barrel.

I don't want a magnum and was thinking about a 280 shooting 168 grain LR Accubonds, please tell me what you think or recommend a caliber. I have five 30-06's so I don't want another one. Thanks.

30-'06 is perfect

With 500 yards being your top end, I would sink some money into really good glass for one of your 30/06s, and find a load using 155 Scenars or 185 Bergers that shoots tight.

Boring, I know. Just what I'd do, though.

Tanner

500 max opens a lot of doors....

Stuff one of your '06's with the new 190 grain Accubond LR through a 26 inch barrel. mtmuley

7-08...and dont look back.

Assuming you can actually get your hands on them....

Think Cooper still replaces shot out barrels for free. Worth a call....

Cheers

W

How many big game rifle barrels have you shot out in your life?

Guys thanks, woofer I will give them a call, Form, none but I plan on shooting about 200 rounds/year and don't want a shot out barrel on a very expensive rifle in 5 years!

get the Cooper in 280 and load whatever 160/168 shoots well......simple really.

For 500 yards you could even go with some kind of 140.....

or,...just use a 30-06

300 WSM, you've already got a head start on the components....

That ain't it. Get the chambering you want and forget the barrel life bs. I can all but guarantee that you won't wear a BG hunting barrel out.

I can also guarantee that you won't wear a 6.5-284 barrel out in a hunting rifle in 1k rounds. Competition use of a barrel is in no way representative of what to expect from normal use. Do the math on how much you will have spent on ammo by the time you burn a barrel out. A rebarrel is chump change in comparison.

Most flatter themselves believing they will burn out a barrel.

I would hope a few if you are posting in the LRH section.

this is exactly what I thought, and it sounds like you're leaning a little that way anyway.

another option would be to rebarrel one of your 30-06's. but if you're set on a cooper, the 280 will do all you want.

280 is great.....30/06 is great. I doubt there would be enough difference to be concerned about at 400-500 yards,and likely to 600 yards,as far as I have shot a 30/06.

Yeah the graphs will show some differences but the two are so similar I'd be happy to put either to work on elk or mule deer at those distances. Pick a good bullet, buy piles of them for either cartridge and shoot a lot.

I would not give a thought to burning out a barrel on an expensive rifle...it costs as much to put a new barrel on a cheap rifle as an expensive one. Besides, barrels are expendable commodities, like bullets,made to be used up and replaced.

When we burn out barrels in 1K rounds with a 6.5x284, we are talking about 20 shot strings of fire. Nothing is harder on barrels than long strings of fire. You can probably get 2K or more rounds out of 6.5x284 with normal use....I am really just guessing there because all of the 6.5x284 barrels I have burned out were toasted shooting f-class. The one hunting 6.5x284 I own has about 400 rounds down range and while it does not look pristine through a bore scope, it does not look like the surface of the moon either.

I like the 280 Idea and you might even consider a 280 AI !

500 yards is quite a ways out there. Hopefully, that won't be the norm. If it is however and you don't want a magnum, 30-06 is your best bet.

"Best bet"! That is a bold statement. Upon what do you base "best"?