Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Best Short Action caliber rife for Mule Deer/White tail out to 400 yrds????

Buy: 7-08, due to lousy selection of .260 factory rifles.

Build: 6.5x47 Lapua

I have a .250 Savage in the works. Can't wait to see what I can do with some 80-100 grain bullets at 2800-3100 fps. I don't imagine they will have a problem handling deer at 400 yards.

Now u're talkin! You left "Boring" way out in left field!



Going 3000fps for a mere 97 years!! (3.058992e+9)

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400 yards is not that far-- it's before the squirrels start to messin' with your bullet-- and light barrels do just fine out to well beyond that. Put it this way- I have a 10" 400-yd plate that's just there for checking groups etc. No real challenge to hit it.

I'd go 7-08 first choice and .308 second choice. I'd be real happy with either. Right now I'm finishing up with, I hope, a very light 7-08 mountain rifle to take mulie hunting, along with my 7 WSM.

There's something about .308 that's never lit my candle. It's just too damn... practical.

Just dumped both of my .308 Win rifles. There wasn�t anything they could do that my .30-06�s couldn�t do just as well or better. Good cartridge, yes. Practical, yes. Right for me, no.

The fact that it's a wannabe 30-06 kinda puts the stank on it for me, too.

7-08 has no such stank. It is what it is.

I just purchased a 6.5x47L. I was going to have one built, but found a second hand one very very close to the same specs. Haven't shot the rifle yet, nor taken game with it, but I'm pretty sweet on the concept, and expect to embrace it wholeheartedly.

I expect it to recoil lightly (even in comparison to a .308), have reasonable ballistics, have plenty of space to reach and chase lands in a standard 700 SA mag (even with VLD's), and be a "boy" chambering, to paraphase dogzapper.

Sticking with chambering's I have some experience with, the 7/08AI has left me quite pleased. I primarily shoot the 162 Amax in it, but plan to bullet up for elk in the future.

The 7/08 is a wannabe' 280...

But see, it isn't! .280 isn't anything of note. 30-06 on the other hand is "the" American cartridge.

I mean from day one, the .308 was "almost" a 30-06. That's like being almost John Wayne or something. It's weak.

The .280 is probably the coolest cart of all time sir. Clean it up.

That would be the 300 H&H .... and it big brother 300 WBY

I don't think finishing second to the Duke as being weak ....

The 308 would be suitable. I also like the 260 and 7-08. But for only 400...a 243 would be enough.

That said, I like the 7-08 best.

What makes a certain cartridge best??? Best at what? ... Never understood the question. ... I never made stuff ded with a 260 or 308 ... BUT, I'm sure out to 400 yards either would be quite dandy .... I chose the 7/08 ... but I don't think its best ... a 260 in your hands may be mo better or a 308 in someone else's hand may put us both to shame ...

Since none of the cartridges I'd choose will fit in a short action, I'd go with the .308 because it's accurate and it's cheaper to shoot.

308

At 400 yards? Really? Pray, do tell why the 7mm is better out to 400 yards?

Thought the guy said SHORT action

He did... I'm fairly certain the 308 Win, 7mm-08 Rem and 284 Win are short action cartridges.

I'm a simpleton and am trying to get to the bottom of how a SA 7mm is superior to 400 yards...

While I certainly agree about the H&H, a short action cartridge it ain't.