Okay Men, I have a McMil Edge stock cut for a M-70 action, also have a South Carolina Winchester M-70 action, standard bolt face, were you guys going to build a utility varmint/hunting rifle for around the farm what would it be, I'd like to keep it above 243 cal, I'm leaning hard on 6.5x284 Lapua, standard 284 Win, or maybe a 280 AI, I already have a 7mm Mashburn Super, heavy 300 Win Mags and a big 338 cal.

Rifle will be for coyotes, hogs, deer etc out to a long 700 yards here at the farm and possibly longer shooting elsewhere.

Thanks in advance.

6.5/284

Thanks Elk, wondering what the latest/greatest bullets may be in 6.5 and 7mm? I don't venture here much.

haven't used anything but the 147 eld's in the PRC. no reason to......

Thanks Huntsman, upping the ante, and noting where you reside, would you bust a bull elk in the lungs with one?

Flip a coin and use what wins.

you "need" a 6.5 something

I have never understood the want for a 6.5-284 and would probably go PRC, 6.5x55 AI, 6.5-06 in that order.

LOL Elk.

Thanks CRS, 6.5 slot needs filling, i'll research PRC, am familiar with the Swede but not an AI'd Swede, 6.5-06 or even 6.5-06 AI has always had appeal.

Thinking about railing a Nightforce 4-14 SHV to go with it.

Assuming you are starting with a standard bolt face...which is an easy fix with any competent ‘smith.

Have it opened up and go 6.5 PRC. Easy pick over a 6.5x284...
I have both and shoot both.

I’d 147 an elk in the lungs any day...

6.5/06 or, my favorite, the 256 Newton. For ease of loading, the 6.5/06 is likely best. GD

double post

.284 based case in a CRF action requires someone with the time and know-how to make it feed properly. It's not some cosmically impossible task, but, certainly needs to be a topic of discussion with your smith if you lean that way.

of course..... But, I'd also bust them thru the shoulders past 250 or so.

Josh, Thanks for the info, i'll look into the a bit more, sounds interesting.

Greydog, the 6.5-06 remains a strong contender if not for ease of brass alone, it will be a high horsepower contender as well.

Horse, good to know about the 284 case fitting, Thank You.

Great news Huntsman, Thank You too.

In 6.5 [264] what barrel maker would you Men send the action and stock too? Twist?

No doubt an 8 twist...

What barrel contour are you after?

I’d order a barrel or buy off the shelf somewhere and send it to Shaen.

Google 131 ACE Blackjack before you make up your mind.

A .700 BC (G1) bullet at 131 grains doesn’t suck.

My rifle is off getting a 1:7.5 tube for it now.

Dave

After pondering some more, I think a PRC would be the way to go. Factory offering, easy. You are going to want more horses behind the bullet than the swede or AI swede can muster. You can do the 6.5-06, but doesn't the PRC accomplish the same thing? In a factory offering, non-wildcat, saami specs?

With one caveat, will the PRC function through the action? I have been down the ill functioning and feeding road before.

If you want to go looney, then all bets are off.

Keep it simple and go 6.5-06. Brux or Bartlein 1/8 twist.

6.5-270 for the win.

6.5x47 Lapua

Josh, 8 twist it will be, barrel contour would be ideal at .600 ish at 27-28 inches, may imbalance the little Edge stock a bit but that's okay, I routinely carry 16 lb bull barrel Sharps rifles in 45-110 and 50-90, I'm used to hand sliding a rifle to find a carry point ; ] Who's Shaen?

iddave, those look pretty good and bring a 25-06 or AI'd version into the mix, I do have a set of Redding 25-06 AI dies.

CRS, 10-4 on the PRC, I didn't realize it had been a factory offering, more research to do, taking into account a little more 'Smith work to get it running smooth.

one horn, I've always enjoyed the k.i.s.s. solution when available, that, and the action I have to work with is standard long, makes the 6.5-06 a strong contender still.

LOL 7mmMato, a few of us here are thinking alike.

peeshooter, I've always thought about the 6.5x47 Lapua or the 284 version for the cool factor and impossible to top [that I've worked with] Lapua brass, Thank You.

I built my 6.5-284 on pre-64 with 26” Krieger, long before the PRC round came out. I like the 6.5-284 and Lapua brass. If building today, I’d look at the PRC, not sure which round would win out. Both are good. And 8 twist is where it’s at, at least for me. I shoot mostly 140 Hunting VLD’s to good effect.

If I was less of a Loony, it may get more hunting time. Right now, I’m on a ladder stand with my Hart/Hunters Edge 7-08, shooting 140 SGK HPBT with which I killed a 120# fat doe at last light yesterday.

A Loony’s work is ever done.

DF

Avoid the 6.5-284 and 284 on a model 70 CRF action. You will be disappointed with the feeding unless your gunsmith is willing to put a bunch of time working on the feed ramps, etc. I’d go 6.5-06, it’s simple and matches the ballistics of the 6.5x284 without all the hassle.

A couple nice build no doubt DF, loony, such a small word that takes so much time and is so expensive.

Sakohunter264, that's making more sense as this progresses, I like simple, AND effective, and iirc, Lapua makes '06 brass too.

A good smith can make it slick. You’re right about a 6.5-06 being easier, but my pre-64 6.5-284 feeds as slick as any rifle I have. And I have some good’uns.

Milling the follower spine narrower is one thing he did to accommodate the fatter round. I’m sure he polished the rails. It takes some tweaking.

DF

147 ELD, .7 bc, but 50 fps slower in 6.5 PRC than the 6.5 rem. saum, wonder what a necked 7mm WSM to 6.5 would run? and would any keep up with the old 6.5-06?

Six five '06 ready to run out of the gate, no bolt/rail/follower work, Lapua brass available, need to check ballistics on 6.5-06.

6.5-06 about the same as 6.5-284, mine pushes a 140 VLD at 3K fps over max load of RL-17, 48.5, IIRC. Check that to make sure or PM me later. Looking over a food plot, not near my data.

DF

I assume the rifle is a LA?

I'd go 6.5x55 and use the excellent Lapua brass.

Plenty of magazine room for long, pointy bullets, and none of the feeding issues of the 284 case.

I have one of those, too, on a 98 FN action. Great old round Not quite as fast but does get the job done.

284 feeding issues aren’t really issues in the right hands. But ‘06 and Swede are easier.

DF

When I do another long action cartridge, it will likely be a .270, twisted to spin these:

https://bergerbullets.com/product/270-caliber-170-grain-extreme-outer-limits-eol-elite-hunter/

I know it sounds odd but I have my reasons:

-If I need it, factory .270 ammo is available anywhere.
-More .277 high BC VLD type bullets are starting to show up. With bullets similar to the Berger linked above it will hang with pretty much anything out there. Someone on this forum often voices the astute observation that “bullets matter more than headstamps.”
-I have more DRT kills with a .270 than any other cartridge. Probably just luck of the draw when compared to other cartridges but it inspires much confidence.
-Finally, similarly to the 6.5 Creedmoor, I’d do it just to irritate all the haters. 😂😂

John

If the PRC is going to have feeding issues... 6.5-06 would be the way to go.

I love the sentimental Swede, but I do not think it has enough horsepower for you. That is why I suggested 6.5x55 AI at first.

I was going to take a new to me Swede to the range this morning, but the wind was howling when I got up. Will probably end up perusing some gun/pawn shops instead.

A looney's work is never done.

Now you are talking!

My next build is going to be exactly that. Problem is, I have two 338-06's and a 416 Remington in the works right now.

To heck with the 270 detractors.

Just getting started with the 338-06, liking it so far. Loading for bud’s .416 Rem. Loaded him some “rabbit loads” with 350 Speer at 2,200 fps. Will work up to full house cape buff stuff later.

DF

My 416 is a never fired Model 70 classic. Took it to the smith to get it detailed. Dakota Arms open sights, a good solid bedding job, smooth out the trigger and 3 position safety. Will give the bore a DBC treatment before shooting.

Just picked up a bunch of 350gr Speers to start. Then the serious development will begin with 350gr Barnes TSX or TTSX. Once I get the load dialed in and open sights filed in, back to the smith for a Cerakote job.

Hoping TAC or H4895 will get me to 2500 plus fps.

Thinking a return to Africa in 2021 or 22.

John, the 270 would be what I'd do, but since it didn't come up by the OP I didn't venture into the red light district of the 270. Hence the 6.5x55 recommendation.

Go 25 cal and use the 131 gr. bullet it will do every thing you wanted . Cheers NC Just make sure you get it twisted fast enough

Be sure to share your results. I’m interested.

Sounds like a really nice rifle you’re putting together.

DF

On a Model 70, me three.

A fast twist 270 would be fun. Tweak some noses too.

Gunner I have 6.5-06 and a 280 A.I. reamers if you need them. I just did a M-700 with a 8 twist Rock Creek in 6.5-06 and finished it at 25". Set in a "McWoody" it is about a #4 contour. Necked down about 70ish .270 brass and will fire it early next week. PM me your cell and I will send some pics.... Dana

Did it. Rebarreled a Kimber 84L to 270Win with a 1:8 Lilja factory contour dupe @22”. 150gn ABLR’s @ 3050 via r-26 in Rem brass.

Can’t imagine going with those 170 Bergers @ .661 vs a150 ABLR @ .591 Given the velocity and mag box confines one would lose w/the extra 20gn of bullet weight........

Thanks DF, useful info Sir.

Brad, yes, standard long action, I'm seeing Lapua brass for a lot more cartridges these days, a very good thing indeed.

Shooter71 here....

I don’t foresee any feeding issues with the PRC case out of your action. The 284 case can cause problems with the rebated rim. Remember the Win 70 action is quite a bit shorter than a Rem 700, and that’s why guys seem to have trouble with them in the Rems. That’d be something else I’d keep in mind going forward with some of the recommendations presented.

I just cycled 10 loaded 6.5 PRC rounds through a 70 action and it didn’t give me a hiccup.

I think a 24” tube would be plenty barrel length for anything you build in that stock. I happily run mine at 18”, but it was built to run suppressed 100% of the time.

Difference of opinion here, but I wouldn’t be building a hunting rifle around one bullet. IE 131 Blackjacks...esp being made by Sierra.

Hondo, oh damn! never I thought I'd see/hear about a fast twist 270 Winchester lol, i'll give it some research, Thanks.

Thanks northcountry, I looked that 131 up yesterday, very interesting, the 6.5x47 Lapua is starting to shine with it's longer barrel life offering.

LOL MadMooner, tweaking noses at the long range rifle rock shoot with a 270 would indeed leave a mark, especially if you won and loaded that case of Samuel Smith Imperial stout in your truck and drove away smiling ; ]

Thanks okie, PM on the way.

Josh, thanks for the Shooter71 tip, now I know who to look for, 27 or 28 inches of barrel will be okay for this build, it wont be a walking hunting rifle, mainly back porch varminting, or as said earlier, throw it in a big Pelican and go shoot rocks with buds for beer ; ]

With the 6.5 PRC being basically a short magnum, a lot of bullet could indeed be left out of the case, something I hadn't thought about with the 6.5-06 and a standard M-70 mag box, I would be deep in the powder supply with some projectiles.

About the 131 Blackjack maker, I did some reading up on the 'Sierra' 150gr bullet in 6.5, not the best reviews, with some even reporting bullet blow up due to high twist barrels.

If you are set on a 6.5, have you considered the new 6.5 Weatherby RPM? It has more capacity than the PRC and the 284 case. I would also consider a 6mm CM over a 243 simply due to the bullets in factory ammo.

The Hornady 147s haven’t been immune to that either. Blowups seem to be happening more in 5R barrels from my experiences. My Bart 2B PRC was POOFing them started at 2945. 6.5 SAUM was keeping them together but there was enough “damage” done to the jackets that BC degradation was extremely high. Both get 139 Scenars fed through them, which isn’t a bad compromise.

I know there are LOTs of people that are running the 147s at those velocities without a hiccup. My two barrels just wouldn’t...

Thanks Micky, have never heard of the 6.5 RPM, will look it up, I'm a hand loader and wouldn't purposefully shoot any factory load save the 22LR and 12 Gauge.

Well damn Josh, that has me thinking the longest, skinniest Barnes LRX/Nosler LRAB for my needs, a damn 300 lb wild boar facing away isn't going to be impressed with any bullet marginally remaining in tact at 75 or 750 yards.

Personally I’d wait till he turned broadside anyhow....grin...

Lots of good options out there. Like I said, plenty of people shooting 147s at magnum velocities with good luck.

surely to hell the 270 Winchester and it's new bullet for fast twist wont end up being the be all end all.........................

If a fast twist, vld'd up .270 rifle is allowed to the results would meet or exceed most other equivalent chamberings. Sadly, there would be no more Creedmoor speak. Those industrious little engineers diligently trying to find something new could be scrambling for a job. Just pontificating life

Of course not. While going down range, any bullet of a given BC at a given velocity is going to perform very similarly to a different bullet of like BC and velocity. Doesn’t matter what cartridge it’s launched from. But, factory ammo availability rates a thought, especially if you do any airline traveling for your hunting. If the PRC grabs as solid a foothold as the Creedmoor did, it will surely rate consideration.

As pointed out above, give some thought to magazine length if leaning toward the .270. When I made the suggestion, I was thinking 700 length magazine. Others are shorter...

John

Any of the 6.5 listed above would be cool. Some of the wildcat calibers especially those based on the 284 case are just more problematic to get work.

The boring solution is a 25-06, 257 roberts, 6.5x55,, 270 or a of course the campfire favorite the 6.5 creedmoor

The Kimber long action magazine constraints have been mentioned often. Definitely facing some limitations there. Not sure what COAL the long action Winchester will allow, so would definitely do some measuring before going with an ‘06 case with long VLD type bullets. A long action 700 magazine will allow about 3.7” so no worries there.

Edited to add that a little googling tells me the LA M70 magazine is 3.4”. So, were it me, for anything in an ‘06 case, I would load up a dummy or two with the longest bullet I will shoot through it and see what’s what before jumping in.

John

Thanks again Hondo and 1911, I'm really starting to like the sounds of the 6.5x47 Lapua, in a long action I would have miles of bullet shank to leave out of the case, I'm going to look up ballistics and see what folk are getting with the little banger.

Pretty much dupes the 6.5CM and 260 in performance....

6.5 PRC or 6.5 Creed Moor. 6.5 X 284 to much of a gamble getting the reamer match the brass and dies. IMHO and about 2.5 K wasted!

I’ve had a couple of 6.5x47s and really like the cartridge. That being said, in that length magazine, it offers nothing over the Creedmoor and affordable factory ammo is waayyy more available for the Creedmoor.

John

10-4 on the double dupe Josh, I'm going to measure max mag box length, then check to see if any aftermarket are available to give a little more working room, also going to check and see how much i'll have to seat a long 143? LRAB or 147 ELD.

Thanks kkalaska, dang right, talk about slapping the grin off a new build, due diligence is paramount.

Thank You too Hondo, I mathed the little 6.5x47 in my head a bit, seems RL-17 or H-414 may give 2700-2800 fps with the 147 ELD's and 25-26 inches of barrel, if doable would be a descent little wind bucker, another guesstimate is around .210-220 freebore should allow near 3.000' coal if needed, especially to keep those long missiles out of the already strained powder column.

In that magazine, the CM will give all the OAL you need and a hair more powder capacity, multiple choices in quality brass and lots of affordable factory ammo.

Don’t be too quick to go with too long a freebore. Been plenty of barrels cut with too much. Give yourself a short enough freebore to chase the lands a bit as it erodes. It’s counterintuitive but the long nosed VLD bullets require less freebore than conventional bullets, not more. Dummy rounds with all the bullets you’re going to shoot is a good idea. Have your chamber based off the one with the shortest base-to-ogive measurement, giving yourself some to chase the lands.

John

Lordy dang, never thought I'd look up the Creedmoor, guess I better check it out, but, I already have 200 more new Lapua 6.5 Swede cases out in the load shop for a little Swede hunting rifle, Redding dies too, decisions, decisions.

Edited above for more detail.

But Swede might be a good deal in that 3.4” magazine. Make some dummies.

John

10-4, Thanks for the hit Hondo, coal runs 3.100" with 140 NPT's on my hunting Swede, it's on a DWM 98 Mauser, i'll get some time after tomorrow amd order some 147 ELD's and 142 LRABS and have a look.

Very good advice there...

Here. Left to right, all with 147s at the shoulder junctions.

6.5x55 3.105
6.5x47L 2.825
6.5 CM 2.880
6.5 PRC 3.030

For 700+ I go with 7mm...

But if I were going to go nutz on a 6.5, why not go 26 Nosler

3.470 to the lands with a 140 Berger VLD. Win 70 box is 3.400....

Doesn't sound like a very appealing way to start to me.

Josh, Thanks for the pics, that damn near makes the case for the 6.5x55 Swede.

Spotshooter, I already have:
7mm Mashburn 160gr NAB's at 3228 fps
300 Win Mag, 210gr LRAB's at 3000 fps
338-378, 300gr NAB's at 3000 fps

I have plenty of heavier long reachers, looking for something milder to fill a gap but still be able to dispatch odd angled shots on hods, deer during season, coyotes and other vermin here on the farm.

Josh, the 6.5x55 with 142 LRAB's or 147 ELD's will make it easier for me to clean the slop in the long action.

After looking at Josh’s pics and measurements, and since you already have good 6.5x55 brass, I’d do that or the improved version. Improved version should put you right there with 6.5-284 and 6.5/06 performance.

John

Makes sense.

And, you'd have Lapua brass and all the room you'd need in a 3.4" mag to do what you want with long ogive bullets.

And, no feeding issues with fat rounds, although that's not a big problem if someone knows his stuff.

DF

Forgot to mention, modern actions, top quality brass, modern pressure, new powders and bullets really energize the old Swede, AI notwithstanding....

Not yo grandpa's Swede, for sure...

DF

No hands on with the Swede but would guess 100fps more than a Creedmoor at like pressures?

John

It definitely is a good one. Great brass and RL26, H4831, RL23, 7828 will make it sing. Improving it just makes it that much better.

Hondo, damn the work anyway, hate it when that gets in the way of having fun here. leaning really hard towards the standard Swede, trajectory is math and easily repeatable most of the time, the improved version giving a few clicks less wind wont, to me, outweigh maybe one third or more barrel life over the standard.

DF, one thing I'm really looking forward too, there may be a new powder not yet tried that could bring some magic, always part of the fun of exploration, and hell yes on the Lapua Swede brass, tough as a damn boot heel it is, i'll be pressuring up all I can get while still maintain accuracy.

Beretzs, thanks for those powder hits, the right one may lie right there in that lineup, 142 LRAB's should hold their integrity, especially at Swede speeds, the 147 Horns are yet to be tested, another possibility is a Barnes LRX of some persuasion, they damn sure wont fly apart due to centrifugal force.

I need my ass kicked for not grabbing that Benchmark 6.5, stainless, 8 twist, fluted barrel in the classifieds a couple days ago!

Std. Swede may feed a bit smoother than the AL version and with the new powders, I think the original could be cranked up to some pretty impressive performance levels. Way different from the 100 yr old version. This old gal has come a long way in over 100 yrs., advances mostly in the last decade, or even the last few years.

DF

I agree, with 26 a 140 Nosler at 2900 doesn’t seem like I’m beating anything up. I’d probably Improve if building from scratch though, just to never worry about trimming. I’d bet Gunner can find a smith to make it feed slick.

You’re right though, in a regular LA a Swede OR Improved Swede should feed, allow you to put Bullets where you want and be a dream to load for with Lapua brass.

Gunner could speak to it and it would feed slick, afraid not to.

Ha!

DF

I think you standard Swede decision is a great one. Good performance, good barrel life and should feed slicker than snot. Would definitely have it throated to your specs though. Factory Swede throats are all over the place, some extremely long. Not sure how most of the reamers are but would definitely not leave that to chance.

John

That’s a darned fact DF!

Gunner, don't neglect the 139 Scenar. My Swede (Shilen/98 Mauser) really loves that bullet and also the 155 Mega. With Lapua brass, I think this rifle is becoming a Lapua snob...

And you know how many critters Scenarshooter (Pat) has killed with that bullet. It's very accurate, has great terminal performance. It has a thin jacket like a VLD, but holds together better. The lead alloy must be harder (just guessing).

Bottom like, it works.

DF

DF, yes Sir, it's all going to be easier all the way around going standard, I don't expect i'll be disappointed, thanks for the tip on the Scenars too, I was not aware Pat used the 6.5 139's on game, just the 30 cal 155's, i'll give em a look and run some programs on them.

Beretzs, dang big buddy, 2900 with a 140 is smoking, a man may near an even 3K with 27-28 inches of barrel, that's a fine length for back porch picnic table pig and coyote smoking.

Hondo, you bet, will send dummy rounds off for build, do you think throating for a coal of 3.000 inch would be good? damn plenty of bullet shank to chase throat erosion as well as generous mag box length for the chasing, truth be told, and so many guns to shoot, I may never need to do that.

I would pick a few bullets you are going to focus on and seat those bullets where the heal of the bullet is just a hair above the neck/shoulder junction. Current wisdom says you want to stay above the neck/shoulder junction because that’s where a donut may form, particularly if using bushing dies. That being said, due to magazine constraints, I’ve shot rounds seated well into the case for years without seeing the ill effects of my ignorance. However, if the magazine length allows it, avoiding the donut area is probably a good idea. Based on Josh’s pics and measurements, your 3.4” box will allow you to do that, no problem.

Use the dummy that has the shortest cartridge base-to-ogive measurement. That will allow you to reach the lands with any of the other bullets too. Tell your smith to throat so that your dummy kisses the lands. That should allow you to chase the lands for a bit, since the Swede has a fairly long neck.

I have come across ‘smiths that don’t do throating separately. If hard set on using that ‘smith, that would require a custom reamer, or possibly one of the reamer manufacturers would have a design very close to your specs. I know of at least one reamer manufacture that will make a reamer based on the dummy you send them. I would be surprised if most of them wouldn’t do that.

Is it necessary to be able to kiss the lands? Maybe not, but some bullets give their best accuracy that way, so no point in taking that option off the table. If your bullet prefers some jump, you can always seat deeper.

John

Good stuff, Thanks again Hondo, this is going to be one hell of a fun rifle, no recoil, not much noise, heck, I may be able to teach little Wife to hog/coyote hunt with this one while I'm gone.

Careful, that girl may out shoot you...

Can't have a fragile ego when you teach the ladies to shoot.

DF

LOL, you're exactly right DF, I had a blast working with her teaching her to shoot handgun, she picked it up fast, after a bit of instruction I told her whatever I do, YOU do not take your eyes off that box, empty that pistol into the box REGARDLESS! headphones on and the pistol started popping, she feigned away a bit at me hollering in her face, swinging arms all around, jumping up and down, but never once took her eyes off the box, at conclusion when I was down picking up brass she said, WOW, I felt the pistol, the blast and you screaming at me was vibrating the whole side of my body, what a RUSH!!!!......working with girls is just cool man, plus, I've always been to dimwitted to be fragile.

Alright, goodies ordered.

31" Krieger #15 7.5 twist, standard 4 groove, .820" muzzle, stainless barrel on the way to Smith, he'll cut some really nice right hand helical flutes, and finish barrel at 28 inches.

140gr Nosler RDF's
147gr Horn ELD's
150gr Matchkings as well as a steel 20 minute NF rail on the way to me, Smith said i'll be having fun in no time.

I went with the 7.5 over the 8 twist in case some genius comes up with a longer bullet in 6.5/264.

How’s he gonna throat it? Freebore length?

John

Yessir Hondo, i'll make up dummy rounds when my order gets here and send em on up.

We talked about throating, says he can add freebore if needed, will know more when he measures the dummys, also told him I wanted to be able to chase the throat with the 3.4 mag box length, he said No Problem.

I'm prolly going to build a 6.8 PRC sometime in the next year!

Hoping they'll start making more fast twist bullets besides just the Berger, but I'll live with that one if need be.


Mike

6.8 on the 6.5 or 300 PRC case?

Have a blast with it ROTR, what ever it may turn out to be, cant remember, but someone is making a long .277" missile besides Berger.

Thinking .300 so I can neck down to crush fit in chamber and control headspace.

It's on the list, I have another rifle in parts I have to get put together a Remage, and I've got one just back from JKOB that I need to get into a stock...so It's on a backburner....I found out about a fairly close PRS match and I'm within 2 hrs of the CMP range in Talladega so should be able to stretch it a little.


Mike

There used to be some custom makers I don't remember if it was MATRIX or something for the .300 Ultra-Mag necked down to .277



Mike

Just thinking off the top of my head.... but I think you’ll be well over the maximum FPS they usually allow on steel targets.

And I don’t think I’d be wanting to shoot a 6.8/300 PRC in much positional shooting. YMMV though...

Sounds like a cool project anyhow.

ADDING freebore is making the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I’d be worried about it being TOO LONG.

John

Less is so very often,wayyyyyyyy more. Hint. Congratulations?!?

Recently peeled a rather fantastic 6.5-06 spout,to make room for a .284"-06 spout. Why? Bullets are wayyyyyyyy more important than headstamps,Trajectory is Physics and wind is Voodoo. Hint.

Very easy to squirt a .796 BC crowding 2800fps,arrange a Smooch and leave plenty of room in da' 'box. Good brass is easily scored(Lapooey),false shoulders ALWAYS arrange finite/precise headspace control,recoil is rather modest and the belly holds plenty of pokes(5). Hint.

Marty's 45 Mo-Mo 1913 rail,pinned in place electrically,one of them there '12x LRTSi's,Matt's S/S bottom,a HEAVY filled MacaMillion,throated to my particulars in a MTU Bart' 8.5" RPM and (1) Brass Monkey. Hint.




Headspace in FULL control,with countless Virgins. Hint.



Miles remaining in da' 'box with a Smooch and by literal design. Hint.



First (3) and only pokes on hunnert yard paper,in my typical "beautiful" weather. Hint.(grin)



EASY way to arrange a Pile Driving Ass,grant copious barrel life,VERY modest recoil and simply SINISTER wind slipping abilities,less ever having to trim a case. Hint.



Startin' velocity,ain't arrivin' velocity and I'm routinely impressed by how many overlook that constant,while forgetting ALL about the wind. Hint.

Good Talk.(grin)

Laughing!.......................

Stick---Who's Matt I like the looks of that Bottom Metal?

Josh---I know less than nothing about PRS I just want to shoot farther than a couple hundred yards and I'm range limited! So will have to figure that out.

Mike

Matt Williams. He and his Pops,both made good stuff,whether paired or doing their own thing.

Much prefer it,to say a Marty steel M4,as Matt's schit locks up like a fhuqking bank vault. Hint.



Holster your 6.8 Notions,reel yourself in and grab a Vudoo 22LR. BEST equipment move you'll ever make.

Keep schit FUN,keep schit simple and keeo schit real. The Vudoo has no equal.

Thank me later.

Hint.....................(grin)

Can you get that knob fixed? Looks like someone lost a Christmas tree decoration. GD

You are a Notorious Knob Gawker...you "lucky" kchunt. Hint. Congratulations?!?

Few things fhuqking funnier,than a Drooling CLUELESS Retard,trying to "talk" rifles. Hint.

Bless your heart,for doing your best.

Hint.

LAUGHING!....................

Crap I'm slow. Is that a 280 or a 284 on a LA?

Ok seen it now. 7-08ai on a LA. Is that legal?

Vanilla 280...

The brass ball crush is EPIC.

the want.... only since its accurate enough to have won many a long range match... vs the others you mention. Accuracy is important when talking long shots...

Thanks for the intel!

The one in the works is a 7" twist .223 for 75gr and up

Mike

Pretty sure I have one of their M-70 extractors in my .270 wsm! Way better than the factory unit...

Mike

LOL, same thing I told 'Smith, I thought/think the Swede has a chit-ton of freebore as is.

Damn Stick, a lot of trouble and a lot of nice pics in that post, Thanks, but, I already have the .284" covered in an 8 twist 7mm Mashburn, only have a hunting load for it now, it would run the heavies to 3K if needed, 160 AB's run 3228.
.308 is covered too with 210's at 3k, and 230's at 2860.
.338 cal as well, 300's run 3K, but 2900 is a hell of a lot easier to shoot good, just trying to fill a 6.5 void.

Rabid,

This is one of many Dissenter's Rifles,I keep in the larder. 7.5" RPM 223 SALAMI with 75 ELD's at 2950fps ala Lever' in R/P's lit with 400's,wearing 6x MQ and Two-ounce S/S Shilen and fhuqk the Safety. Hint.

Lotsa FOV to catch trace/impact with and an easy way to impart MQtitude,upon the unsuspecting.(grin)




Have more than a few others both in 223 SALAMI and Aye-Eye. 7" RPM in Rock,Brux,Bart' and HawkHill,along with James Gang spouts...for 88's.

BC do some thangs.....................(grin)




500,

Your 7mm Manbun won't even keep pace with a Vanilla 280. Hint. Congratulations?!?


Manbun 160 AccuBombs at 3228fps. Hint.





"Lowly" 5 in the belly,Lapooey brass'd,modest recoilin' 280 SALAMI and 180 ELD at 2800fps. Hint.





What receiver are you Manbunning upon? Who's spout? RPM? Freebore? COAL? Base/rings/glass? Boolits just happen to matter wayyyyyyyyy more than headstamps. Hint.

Backwards ain't forwards.

Just sayin'.

Hint.....................(grin)

Standard ao and western elk hunting rifle build, 8.5 lbs all up.

pre-64 H&H mag super grade action
8 twist #3 Brux at 26.5 inch.
Coal with 160ab 3.585, 20 thou off.
Box 3.600" will eject 3.700 as is, Wyatts box would go 3.800"
NF SHV 3-10x42
S&K rings and bases
McMil super grade stock, standard fill
all steel black matte cerakote
Would boot 180 ELD's 3K to 3100.

Well guess I don't need to wildcat anything now!


https://www.nosler.com/27-nosler


Mike

Being a 270 looney, I may have to get one!

8.5 twist was the part that got me excited!

If you build it they will come,,,,,, out with more better bullets for LR and soon the .277 will be taking over the world!

Whew ha ha ha!

Whewww ha ha !!!!!

If you really want to get excited, check out two dumb butt simple cases:

280 with 180g eld M

280 AI with the same

I do have a 6.5/06 and smaller cases.


https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/7mm-.284-180-gr-eld-match#!/

Even the lowly 7/08 with this bullet or the 7/08 AI is really kicking some butt way on out there!

We have been shooting the 175g Nosler LRAB in the 280 and AI with some amazing results, easy bullet to tune, with great results on white tails.

180g Hornady eldm in a 8.5-8T blows most choices away.

Barrel life in a 7/08 with the 180g eldm is simply beyond belief! Same for AI!

I copied someone else from this board and claim no credit.

The 270 high bc stuff is going backwards!!!

Keith, reckon that big 180gr ELD would hold together getting it's guts spun out from an 8 twist 7mm Mashburn Super at 3000-3100 fps?

Berger is bringing out a 190 gr 7mm bullet too!


http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com...0-grain-long-range-hybrid-target-bullet/


Mike

Not Keith... but I’ve had ZERO problems (or heard of any) keeping the 180 together at 3100 in 9 twist barrels.

Good deal, Thanks Josh, i'd guess it to be a good killer too?

Damn, already studied upon their 156gr in 6.5, it may be another contender for my new Swede build.

I fling them at 2950-3000, but haven’t had any issues from an 8” twist, either.

It kills just fine.

I'd shoot 30338 a message on here about the 180 ELD Gunner. He used them out of a 7 Rem and had some interesting notes from killing animals.

I have some 180 Scenars I am planning to give a shot in the Mash this year, but they are still quite a bit less aerodynamic than the 180 ELD, but seeing the 220 Scenar work pretty well in the 300 RUM made me a believer in those bullets.

I’m still on the fence myself with the 180Ms at magnum velocities, say north of 3000, on game. Familiar with Kurt’s happenings with them too...

I’m firmly in the Scenar camp in all calibers when starting velocities are around that 3000+ mark.

Thanks Josh and Jordan, I have next to no experience with target type high b.c. bullets killing game, save several hogs with the old 208gr Amax leaving at 3K from my 300 Win.

Thanks Beretzs, will do, maybe I can math that over to the effectiveness of the 147 6.5 ELD, all that said and iirc the range, I hit a 200+ pound black Russian boar in the ham at 588 yards with my 300 win mag firing 210 LRAB's at 3K, the bullet exited his neck in the crease where it joins the shoulder, DRT! I have to pick a bullet in 6.5 that will do that, may wind up with the 142gr LRAB's over the RDF's, ELD's and Bergers, I've already turned into an old vagina, even want to put a coyote or mangy pos hog down as quickly as possible.

Right on about the Scenars Beretzs and Josh, with what little I saw, and have read of Pat's adventures with them, plus running a 155 through a 120 yard hog with my REPR, could have put a 20oz pop bottle in the offside ribs, wish they made a higher b.c. bullet in 6.5.

I am a newby with those sorta bullets on game. The 147 ELD from my 6.5 Creed has been nothing less than excellent in my opinion on deer. Just nice entry/exits with great damage internally. The 220 Scenar from the 300 RUM worked the same on deer. I carried it hoping to try it on an elk but nothing volunteered for that. I can see where the ELD's pushed pretty fast could get pretty nasty. Some like that effect, and some don't. I think I like what I see with the Scenar's integrity and giving up a skosh of BC doesn't hurt me too awful much at all.

Gunner, I am with you a 100%. If I could make the ABLR work in a few more rifles I'd probably use them more. They seem to offer a good amount of BC, along with awesome expansion and a decent base that'll plow through most anything.

I bought 10 boxes of the 175g LRAB, they work in all calibers I shoot 280 AI and 7 RM. 175g LRAB penetrates deer, near and far. I sort by ogive length.

Never being satisfied, I ordered a 7 Mashburn and 7-300 practical reamers along with unithroater. I will try the 180g eld-M at those speeds this year, barrels will finish at 27", #5 contours with Gentry muzzle breaks.

I shot some acceptable groups with a custom 7 STW this year with the 180g eld-M, we shot some does at the end of season here in SC, and a coyote. All died in their tracks. I am hopeful that the 180g eldm will be holding up as these shots were 100-125 yards with MV of 3150 fps using R#33. I had complete penetration on the does, one shot from a quartering angle. Hogs will be the test.

I am hoping that my horde of old Winchester brass will hold up in the Mashburn and 7/300 Practical...we will see how the primer pockets last. I just tried the 180g Hornady eldm in a 7/08 that I throated out, glory be, 2640fps shooting tiny groups with H4350, will try R#17 next. Lapua brass is holding up the primer pockets well. 8.5 twist is my choice.

Hard to believe, but a std 280 or AI throated for the 180g eldm using lapua brass maybe the holy grail using only a fraction of the powder of a 7 STW. A standard 280 will be very easy to work with regarding using Lapua brass.

As is soooooooooo very often the case,less is more. Pun be intended. Hint. Congratulations?!?

Nuzzler has as of yet,to make a boolit worth a fhuqk...but they're probably still TRYING. Hint.

Starting velocity,ain't arrival velocity and the faster things start,the FASTER they lose speed. It is NOT lineal. If/when talking the same boolit,at different launch speeds,the initial disparity do not correlate down range. Read that again. Now one more time. Hint.

What can/will/do happen,is the integrity compromise of a given projectile,both due to lineal velocity and rotational. Skin 'er back and a whole 'lotta dots connect,by literal default. Hint.

I'll greedily take the 280's mild manners,vastly superior brass(Lapooey),extry rounds in the belly,COAL advantages(shorter case),great reduction in recoil/noise and better ES/SD values...if only for starters. Hint.

300Winny 210 Nuzzler AccuBomb at the cited 3000fps.

Hint.




"Lowly" 280/180 ELD at 2800fps.

Hint.




Pass the 7-08 and hold the Fluff.

Hint................(grin)

BS, how are the 180 ELD's holding up for you in larger animals like moose and such? I'd imagine outta the 7-08 they work excellent since they are started in a solid speed window and only get better downrange.

The Mashburn should be a piece of cake with the 180 ELD's. I have a Henricksen reamer coming with a live pilot so I can throat rifles how I want. That has been my issue with the Mashburn is the reamers are all over the map. With the 3.650 mag box I had one gun that was sorta short throated, but still worked decent and this current one is a mile long, but must be straight enough to shoot as it handled the 195 Bergers real well at 2950 with RL33 with a mile of jump.

I'll be watching Keith with your hog results with the 180 ELD. The aero form is heads and shoulders above anything I have used to this point.

I have a Remington action and a Shrike at the house I am making into a 280 to copy you all that are miles ahead of me on building them. I am wanting a lighter weight rifle for longer hiking days, but with some reach. Thinking that'll get set up for the 175/180 ELD's since I am hoping it'll be gentle enough on them to not grenade on elk bones. I like being able to use Lapua brass for cases as well. Makes life easier.

NP. I can't speak to other people's experiences, but as an extreme example I've seen the 180 ELD drive through a large bull moose, nearly head-on, and the bullet entered the brisket and exited behind the rear offside rib. I estimated the penetration to be somewhere around the 4' mark. The bullet was started at ~2940 fps from a 7WSM and the shot was taken at about 30 meters.

That’s excellent info Jordan. Thank you. That is plenty of digging for me on elk sized critters I normally hunt.

'retz,

I've never whistled one at a Moose,but the 180 ELD(Whizzum's/7-08's) and 147's(Kreedmires) are mainstays for a buncha friends who do. Nobody is gunning anything different,after the fact.

A 700 based 280,is incredibly forgiving in COAL and you'd really have to try,in order to fhuqk throating up. A nice/easy no bullshit way to fly,with an incredible return on recoil to performance ratio.

Hint...............

I was figuring a 280 in a 700 with even half a thought should handle just about anything within reason and it doesn’t suck to have Lapua brass to work with from the get go.

Good intel on the 180. Thank you.

7/08 is shooting very well with 8.5 twist at 2640 fps with 26" barrel with H4350, will be interesting to see what R#17 does with the 180g eldm.

I throated the barrel to where the base of the bullet is seating right on top of the powder, a bit deeper than the "talking heads" would like. It would not surprise me if I got 2500 rounds out of this Krieger barrel or a tad more.

I use Lapua brass(LRP), never tried any Alpha brass or making brass from 308 Palma brass.

Does anyone know if the dimensions of the Alpha brass is a tad smaller than the Lapua in the Web?

I can see where that’s a fun shooting combo as well. I don’t know if I’d do the 26” barrel but I’d bet I wouldn’t lose too awfully much cut back to a 22.

We hunt out of fixed stands, so barrel length is no issue. We hike out to the stands which are 15' off the ground, pull the gun up with a rope.

In the 280, I am shooting a load right out of the Nosler #4 manual, 162 eldx with imr 7828, fed 210, at 2960 fps on a 27" barrel with Lapua brass. I don't have the twist to run the 180's. Button I used on the reamer that fit the barrel was a .2774 a tad large as .2770 is normal except with Brux which is .276.

I will start off with a #5 contour and often will get a second chamber when the leade has grown .170 or so. Depends on how washed out the barrel is in front of the chamber. My reamer has the standard throat length, and I just seat the 162's deeper, Lapua brass of course.

I let my buddy borrow the reamer and his 280 is 23" length and he is shooting an Endron powder at 2900 with the 162, and he is running remington brass. He is too cheap to buy lapua and does not care how many firings he gets out of his cases. He works up a load, verifies zero from year to year then hunts....that is it.

Sounds like a good set up Keith. I’m assuming you’re using 700’s as well? Those sound like good set ups for what you’re doing.

Gunner, apologies for mixing up your thread buddy!

Damn sure can’t argue with that...

Beretzs, you bet, i'll try to make the little bonded Nosler shoot in my Swede, not thinking it'll be too much trouble to rid 700 max yard vermin here on the farm with it.

Keith, Thanks again for the on the ground experience Sir.

Stick, my old 300 ran pretty well with your 280, grabbed my load book coming in from tha barn last night, my 300 ran 230 Berger OTM's to 2869, only rag holed 5 at 100 never stretched it.

Damn right B, 4ft of moose would cover anything I'd ever do here, Thanks for that report Jordan.

Hell no buddy, ler er rip, I don't care if a thread I start drifts a hundred miles of topic, this, to 22LR to scopes and bullets all the way up to the 20/50 Anzio, it's all good, there may be some useful information some other reader is looking for.

My bullet order will be in today, going to seat the three dummy rounds of each bullet just like you have these here for the Swede Josh, if they get here early enough, i'll get them and the rifle off to Mr. Feldkamp today, barrels already headed to him from Brunos.

That should be a heckuva set up Gunner. Did you decide to stick with the Swede as it is?

Yessir, standard Swede Sir, thought is, fire forming, then trimming and loading again for a few more FPS is not worth the trouble in this case, shorter barrel life, etc.

Makes sense to me!

Show nuff, the first hog I hit with that Swede will be in excess of 500 yards, they all have been, and regardless of which bullet I end up with, I'm going up there and finding that sombitch with a big knife in hand for a mountainside autopsy.

I have a funny feeling it may be the 150gr Matchking, we shall see.

I have a very dear Aussie mate who built a rifle around the Barnes 210gn .338 X Bullet.
I called it the lifetime project as he was always doing something to it including engraving and gold inlays to the originally, .458 Super Grade action.

The Lifetime project didn't like that bullet, so after all these years is now a .358 RUM. He says he happy with it but..........

LOL Damn AGW, sometimes things have a funny way of panning.

Alright, work day complete and so is a little shop fun time, dummy rounds made.

140gr RDF's at 3.070 coal
147gr ELD's at 3.105 coal
150gr SMK's at 3.120 coal

Best I can do here at the farm with a caliper says the RDF has the shortest base to ogive length by a rch at .740, 147 horn went .744, 150gr SMK went .770.

I'll be looking for 29-3000 fps with whichever bullet is most accurate, 28 inches of barrel and Retumbo should get it there, BR2's to get it lit, this is going to be a fun project, package will leave for 'Smiths tomorrow.

Cartridge base to bullet ogive right? Measurement should be 2.xxx”. I use one of these but there are others.

https://www.sinclairintl.com/reload...-style-bullet-comparators-prod83792.aspx


John

Hondo, no Sir, these measurements were from bullet bases to end of ogive, cartridge base to ogive with bullets seated with base of shank to base of neck were the same caliper on a bench top rudimentary way.

140 RDF 2.395
147 ELD 2.385
150 SMK 2.370

Thinking the SMK needs to be the one chambered for, it's the shortest and will give more working room for the other bullets, haven't even looked at the 156 Berger EOL, or big Matrix bullet.

The dummy's are being sent with bare bullets taped to the outsides for the 'Smith to put some real [correct] measurements before he starts cutting.

Based on your measurements I’d also go with the SMK.

John

Yessir, Bud of mine that has all the fancy tools like the one you linked is out of state working, so I had to eyeball a caliper on a bench top, the 'Smith has the dummys as well as bare bullets in case he needs to make em up the way he likes, package is shipped, now the waiting begins.

Thanks for all the help Men.

Smith will have barrel from Brunos, action and stock from me on Fri, he called last night, we went over the build, he said I'd have it in my hands in 6 weeks maximum, hell of a deal, I best get a scope ordered!

And go shake that 8lb jug of Retumbo ; ]

If you can find some RL26 that’d be a good one too! Heck, I’d bet with that long barrel your old H4831 will get some good speeds as well.

Thanks Buddy, i know where some 26 is, and have plenty of H-4831 and H-1000, was out casting 780 grain 50-90 Sharps paper bullets a minute ago, Retumbo jug feels like it's got a least 5lbs in it, so that's GTG.

6.5 Swede is in the mail headed this way, Karl said he was able to perfectly match the color for the NF rail and rings to match the dark earth paint on the 3-12 LRTS, black cerakoted action and bottom metal with a big 28 inch helical fluted bead blasted barrel all sitting in a black speckled dark earth McMillan should make a sharp looking rifle, I cant wait to see AND shoot it.

Many Thanks for all the guidance and suggestions along the way Men.

Look forward to hear how it shakes out for you!

For the type of hunting you'll be doing my choice would be a 25-06 or .280AI.

If this isn’t an issue, and if you’re looking for some extra velocity, I’d be looking at the 6.5 RPM .

On the other hand a 6.5 - 280 AI has a similar velocity profile,
with easier brass sourcing.

Either way it’s not too hard to extend the mag length a bit.

My 9.3 is built for the 286 NP. My 275 Rigby is being built for the 175 NP. I'm gathering components for a 338-06 which will be built around the 210 NP.

SKane, Thanks, I will report right here.

gunswizard, you can read in this thread I already have an 8 twist 7mm Mashburn, heavy barrel 300 Win mags that fire 210gr ABLR's and 230gr Bergers, also have a big 33 that chunks 300 grain Accubonds out at 3000 fps, I have it covered, this build was to fill a small niche in the lineup.

bluefish, sounds good, I bought a pre-64 270 with a rusty bore, sent it to JES for a rebore to 338-06, oddly enough I chose the 210gr Partition for that rifle, with H-380, it will fire half inch three shot groups at 2800 fps bedded nicely in an old Rimrock stock, it's a hell of a lightweight hunting rifle.

Yes, indeed. And also the pics!!

You bet, i'll have Wife e-mail some pics to Beretzs or DirtFarmer, maybe they can post em for us, I'm going out on a limb and saying 'll get an accurate 2900 fps from the 147 ELD's or 150gr SMK's, the 28 inches of barrel and tough Lapua brass, along with H-1000 and Retumbo will certainly help that effort.

Looking forward to the pictures Gunner!

Hey big Buddy, got the rifle off the truck, three pics on the way to your e-mail from Wifes cell phone.

gunner,

There's still some daylight - let's see some targets.

LOL, i've been at it since 3 a.m. this morning, Wife just set a chicken and a pile of baked beans and coleslaw in my lap that would choke a bull elephant, I'm starving ; ]

Okay, three quarters of a chicken down and a big Samuel Smith Imperial stout in the furnace.

I went with the heaviest bullet I have for testing this new build.

New 6.5 Swede Lapua brass
52.5 grs H-1000
150gr Sierra Matchking
BR-2
c.o.l. 3.200" kissing, have mag box length of 3.400 to chase throat.
vel 2892 fps from 28 inch stainless #15 Kreiger 7.5 twist, .820" at muzzle.

Fired another round through chrono right quick, went 2894, may be a fluke, but looking good, didn't even get to the Retumbo or H-4831 sc, the 147 Hornadys will be that speed and then some.

Will fire for accuracy tomorrow.

BTW, unfired new cases miked .477 at the casehead.

50gr H-1000 went .477"
51gr went .447.5"
52.5 miked .448"

All cases fell from the rifle.

Sounds like a winner!

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]

Sounds like you have a long action and no aversion to something a little unusual. My buddy is in the process of building a 6.5 Sherman, which is kind of a 6.5-06 Improved with the shoulder slightly forward. You could look into that if 6.5-06 is too boring...
Sounds like you have a fun project going on.
Cheers,
Rex
EDIT: I posted this after reading the first page of this thread without realizing there were 8 more pages. My post is likely totally irrelevant - Now I get to read the other 8 pages.

I was a long action guy for LR until I saw a 7 RSAUM - damn thing matches my 280AI ballistics in a tighter package.

Any guess what my next build is.

Looks great! Why not move that rear scope ring back a couple of notches. Ring spacing is a scope’s best friend.

Thanks Buddy, I hope so, and many Thanks for posting the pics to Sir.

TRex, you bet, were I to build any 'medium' 6.5 Swede, 257 Roberts, 7X57, I'd always use a long action, just more room to work with.

LOL, and no flies on the 7 RSAUM either, good luck with the build.

Thanks Jordan, will do, had Karl install them for me so he could bed the rail, I may move both fore and aft before I'm through.

Dang SKane, I should have took your advice and shot last night instead of having supper, was out at first light this morning to shoot, saw a lot of traffic at church 400 yards South out next to the HWY, called a Bud that goes to church there and ask what's up at the church, they're having some kind of all day church service in shifts, PLUS having some sort of memorial service for some poor dear recently departed.

I may be an asswipe sometimes, but wont shoot during church services on Sunday, so have to wait till tomorrow, rains will be here by noon.

So cant shoot, Wife and me loaded several meat boxes and a few handguns and went to give some of both to some old folk my parents know, they are scared, and scared to go to the grocery store, maybe those old folks with a revolver/shotgun and some beef/deer/elk/buffalo/axis/nilgai/wild pig breakfast sausage will be doing a bit better through this cluster FU-K gift from china!

A word or two about Kampfeld Customs, Karl does a hell of a good job, and doesn't jack the damn dog for three years getting a project completed, this rifle has a 14" LOP and a 28 inch barrel, it still balances just an inch in front of front action screw, wont be hard carrying at all should I want to take it for a walk.

With four rounds in the mag, 10.5 lbs is not bad at all either.

I believe the 147gr ELD's would open on game to 700 yards better than the 150gr SMK's, i'll have to wait and see which on the rifle likes best, speaking of the lowly standard 6.5 Swede, the 150gr SMK leaving at 2892 fps is still packing 1118 fps at 1800 yards here at 555 elevation Oklahoma, for an initial 700 yard max back porch picnic table deer/pig/coyote rifle, i'll take that all day long, was pleasantly surprised when I ran JBM to 2K late last night.

Said no one. Ever.

BS, I bet yo Pappy says it all the time, I can hear it now, "This looks like a good spot for you to sit Dad" then BOOOM!!!, Pappy shoots another 180 class Kansas buck before you get out of earshot!

Hopefully you get the accuracy at that velocity, stars don't always align.

For reference, my first PRC I shot the 150 SMK to 1850 or so, plus it added a couple hundred more FPS over the Swede. I was super to over 2K.

I think you made a great choice in all aspects of that build.....

Hell of a deal, and Thanks aalf, if I get out and bughole 5 at 100 tomorrow it's going to be tough to try the 147 Horns, but I should anyway if they're "better/quicker" killers at extended ranges, I don't even want a coyote or pig that needs killing to die slow, I appreciate the help/opinions and experience along the way Sir.

I've killed a couple handfuls of critters with SMK's, and they've performed well for me, but I don't trust them to be terminally consistent like I do the AM/ELD-M. Especially at distance where impact velocity is getting low.

Thanks for the real world information Jordan, I appreciate it, and noted.

Alright, first 5 shot group in the books, I guess around a half inch ragged hole, forgot my caliper, was in a hurry, shot between early rain showers, after first round I headed up a few clicks, then though hell with it, I'm on paper, shot five more, believe i can cut that in half getting a good trigger, using the factory moa trigger, which is pure crap, I have an Ernie's Spring, don't know if I should install that or get a good aftermarket, my heavy 300 is around 8 ounces, sure makes breaking a good shot easy.

Pic sent to beretzs, maybe he'll have time to post it up today. along with you guys' help, Karl done some damn fine work and made this project easy, I believe I can work with that 150 SMK!.

Here it is Gunner! Great shooting buddy.

Seems like that rifle may shoot too.. Looking forward to seeing what the 147's do out of it as well.

Very nice!

Thanks for posting the pic Big Buddy, I appreciate it, Yessir, the rifle wants to shoot, was looking at the 147 ELD's, being three grains lighter, but with a bit more bearing surface, I may drop a few grains and work back up, find a kiss COL and see what they will do, I need a 1 pound Timney in that rifle.

Thanks to You too Jordan, one thing about the little Swede, the barrel was just warm after 6 shots, something to be said for only 52.5grs powder, may get some good mileage out of that throat.

^^^^^^^^^^^^Damn, sheer exhaustion coupled with dyslexia sucks!^^^^^^^^^^^^^

50gr miked .477"
51gr miked .477.5"
52.5gr miked .478"

Pockets should remain good and tight at these psi levels, but not as tight as my hat band when I wrote the above.

I think you'll have a blast with that set up. So many awesome .264 bullets to try!

Darn right beretzs, haven't even bought any 153 Hornadys or big 156gr EOL's, think i'll give that full box of 140gr Nosler RDF's to a kid in town, he and his pappy have a couple 6.5 Creedmoor's, all in all it was a damn good morning, hell, I even got the mailbox loaded with Karl's money before the storm hit!

Don't discount the 140 VLD's either......

Thanks aalf, will keep them in mind, appears the 147 Hornadys kiss at 3.140 inch, loaded up some rounds to chrono when the weather clears, I'm hoping they shoot better than the 150 SMK's, meanwhile, I'm sure enjoying this dry shirt, rainy, muddy farm work is never not fun! ; ]

The 139 Scenar is a damned good shooting bullet but it isn’t at the cutting edge of BC anymore but danged if it doesn’t shoot pretty easy.

Thanks Buddy, I remember that bullet coming up earlier in this thread, had me wondering about the 140 VLD's for hunting that aalf recommended, I still think the 147 ELD will be the best lr hunting bullet that I've been working with so far, just wish that big 150 SMK had a tip.

BTW, would any of you target/hunting hands bother with the Ernie spring I have, or go ahead and order a 1 to 1.5lb Timney or other good aftermarket trigger?

I’d try the spring Gunner. It won’t cost you anything and if you still hate it a timney is only a call away.

Thank you Sir, ANYTHING will be better than what I was trying to massage this morning!

They can be stiff in my opinion. Sometimes the spring helps, when it doesn’t, Timney is a good way to roll.

I just got some of the Elay springs, ordered last week for my T1Xs and a spare for a T3X.
They do lighten up the trigger pull nicely.

10-4 Big B, I appreciate it.

Kimber7man, Thank You too.

Well holy damn what a fun morning at the bench!!!!!, the little Swede put 5 of the 147gr ELD's into a ragged hole at 100 yards, had a set of calipers this time, but didn't bother to measure, was shooting dew North into an 8mph wind out of the North.

53.5gr H-1000 sent them out at 2962 fps.
147 ELD
BR-2
COL 3.140" light kiss
Vel 2962 fps
11 fps E.S. for three rounds through chrono
Casehead .478"

Man this is a blast, the little Swede is starting to rare up and bark like a big dog! , the only thing different I did versus the 150gr SMK was dry fire that rifle about 100 times last night to get a feel for the heavy trigger, with little Wife on the front lines at the hospital everyday and staying up at another piece of property we have over in Arkansas I didn't bug her a bit with the dry firing.

Ernie's spring or a good Timney will only make today more easily repeatable.

I believe Gunner has this rifle about done! Great shooting buddy!

LOL! Thanks again Big Buddy, I was LMAO when that hole got bigger with every shot, a man has to control the excitement and get the rest of the rounds fired, last shot was high and left a bit, holy crap this is fun!

The little 147 Horn leaving at 2962 ought to knock some hair off a pig or coyote! LOL, I see my 700 yard white Sharps rifle gong up on the mountain too! ; ]

Oh yeah, that's about perfect for that 147. They have been real easy for me so far.

Now you just need about 500 of them and some LR time on your steel!

You bet, a good trigger and get the scope and zero stop set for the load, a little JBM mil info and a range finder handy ; ] here piggy piggy!

I'm really happy I went with the plain old Swede!

I have a 65x06 that was built around a 140gr Hornady Spire Point seated out so the base of the bullet was seated right at the junction of the neck and shoulder. Worked out very well! I've gone ahead and tried 129gr Hornady's in it and they do shoot very well but the 140gr will out shoot them. Best strictly from accuracy point is the 140gr MK. I think if I was to ever have another rifle built it would be built around a certain weight bullet. I like bullet's seated to the base of the neck. Got into that years ago with a 7mm Rm Mag. Old Sako L61 thaut not as good as the 139 t was great with 139gr bullet's but up around 160gr still shot well but not as well as th 139gr. I figured loading out the old 160gr Speer Hot Core the same way might improve it. Made up a dummy round and had a gunsmith in Kalispell, Montana fit it to the chamber. What a difference! Accuracy was absolutely terrific and something I didn't expect, amount of powder went way up. From a load of 67grs of N205 I went up to 59grs. No idea of velocities as back them we didn't have chronographs like we do now. I've found over the years that my best loads came either just off the lands or bullet seated to the base of the neck if I could do it. In my present 65x55, I can't reach the lands and two ways it shoot great is to the base of the neck and one bullet dia into the case. I think all the 6.5x55 chamber's are long like that and would guess it's because the European's preferred the long bullet's in it!

Sounds like you've been six fiving it for a good long spell Don, they're great fun and give a lot of bang for the recoil buck, my new rifle has next to no recoil, I had to set the 147 Horns 60 thou deeper over the 150gr Sierra Matchkings, had my chamber cut for the Sierra as it was the shortest bearing surface, that way I can chase the throat, and with a long action I can chase for a good long spell.

That'll do!!

And BTW, with a build like that I wouldn't screw around with the trigger and would go straight to what you know will work best. I've got replacement springs in some of my budget builds/rifles, but when I have a rifle/barrel like you've got there, I want the best trigger I can get to take advantage of the accuracy potential of the rig.

Thanks Jordan, sounds like I need to order a Timney and get it installed, I did find my little punch kit and brass hammer out in the shop this morning, hate to be a bother, but a couple more questions.

Would you razor edged shooters bother with trying to get to an even 3000 fps, or leave well enough alone?

Would any of you guys bust a 200lb buck or boar in the last rib quartering away with a 147 ELD from 2 to 700 yards? I may want to take this rifle deer hunting this fall.

Thanks in advance,
Gunner

1) Leave it alone. Trying for another 30-40 fps is not worth it when you've found a load that shoots like that! A bullet as slick as the 147 ELD will cut the wind and retain velocity extremely well, even if it starts out 40 fps slower.

2) I would, indeed. In which case I'd be even more content to leave MV at ~2960 fps rather than trying to push it faster. I've only seen a handful of BG killed with the 147, and a friend killed his elk this year with the 147 at about 250 meters, IIRC, but all have produced exit wounds. Now all of those bullets left the muzzle at ~2650-2700 fps, so I'm not sure how it'd do at PBR with a 2960 fps launch speed, but once the bullet gets out to 100-200 yards, I'm confident it'd perform very well. Maybe others have experience running it through flesh at about 2800-2950 fps impact velocity.

I’m with Jordan. Even up close it’ll still trash the insides Gunner. They were pretty decent hitting the jugs at near muzzle velocity if 2775.. I’ll see if I can find some pictures I took.

Those hit the jugs about 20 yards from the muzzle. The 143 was 2753 and the 147 was 2775 at the muzzle.

Fantastic. Mass produce that load. Well done.

Jordan, great, i'll leave it be, reminds me of something an old Sharps Rifle Bud said, "when it's working right, don't even change your shorts and socks!" good to know about the animal kills, also remember earlier in this thread about the heavy .284's on moose, and even Bull Rider Don saying he'd 147 a bull elk in the shoulder at 200 yards, that gives me a little faith as I have very little on game experience with target/match type bullets.

beretzs, now that you mention it, the liver and lungs would be chit-canned, even if they were to run, and 'without' an exit, their noses would have to be blowing blood like a shower nozzle, easy tracking indeed, and most likely a very short job at that, to get a 147 down to 54.4 grains would have to be a lot of tore up animal behind it, Thanks for legwork finding those pics Sir.

LOL, Thanks woodson, it was all my pleasure Sir. around a mil up and a half mil right should have that load close to punching centers at 100.

No problem Gunner.

I am a slow user of those bullets as well, but the few, long, heavy ones have worked real well. Just a different kind of work. Probably about like that AMax load you use in your heavy 300. They work cause they have a pile of mass and shred a bunch of stuff.

Yessir, plus, the old 208 Amaxs' at 3.600" left at 3000 fps over 80gr Retumbo and 28 inches of barrel, they, along with only one example in the 210gr ABLR have always exited LR deer and pigs here at the farm, even the little 155gr Scenar loafing at 2700 fps from my REPR really messed up a 120lb wild porker at my neighbors henhouse, 100 yards only, but damn that bullet made a hell of a hole in the ribs on exit.

BTW, almost forgot, did get a Timney ordered from MidWestGunworks this afternoon, they're on sale for 118 bucks.

Good deal on the trigger Gunner.

When are you going to air that devil out on some of that long steel you have!?!?!?!

Good Morning! I usually only shoot the steel here at the house with my Sharps rifles, save for a few pock marks on them from me back porch post practicing with my 7.62 REPR with 2.5-10x24 NF, that's fun too, I should order an AR-500 plate and drive a couple T-Post, that would let me move the plate around to different ranges, but, I'm betting the 147 ELD's wouldn't be to hard on that 7/16ths mild steel.

I certainly could do some shooting today

My longest range targets, 700 and 820, are 1 1/8”mild steel. At 100 yards, my 6.5 Creedmoor will penetrate 3/4” into it. At 700 and 820, it just puts a very small divet in it, something you can feel with your fingernail. My closest AR500 plate is 200 and nothing even scratches it at that distance. Amazing stuff.

John

Thanks for that info Hondo, appreciate it Sir, I have to run to the vet before noon today and pick up years supply of Heartguard? for my dogs, after that, i'll load some 147's in the Swede and get it dialed in for some 500 yard gong shooting, if that flies okay, i'll twist on up to the 700 yard gong on the mountain, they're both 7/16ths mild steel, hopefully at those ranges I wont beat em up to bad.

Looking forward to that shoot Gunner!

LOL, three pics to your e-mail from Wife, Big Buddy, two pics at 500 and one 700, around 2.5 inches center to center for three shots at 500, 5.5 inches center to center for three at 700 yards.

That little Swede is cracking me up, it slaps that steel pretty damn hard with the 147gr ELD's, dialed 2.2 mils for 500 and 3.8 mils for 700, didn't dial a bit of wind after the 100 yard zero and re-set the caps, wanted to see how the little bullet acted on it's own, very surprising.

See, you don't need the extra 30 fps after all...

LOL, it was a WHOLE 38 fps Man! ; ] I need to get to where I can do this sitting on my tail with back against bench and off a set of sticks and prone with a bi-pod like we would shooting at game, reminds me of what you said about a good trigger and getting all a rifle has to offer.

I think this rifle has a whole lot more to offer:

It has a crap factory moa trigger
I load from an old Lee Classic press
Prime on the press
Have a set of Lee 6.5 Swede dies
Don't check run out
Don't do anything to the primer pockets
Don't weigh and sort brass and bullets
Don't turn/uniform necks
Don't have a weather station

I shudder to think what one of you guys could do with this Swede.

The trigger and an education in wind reading, both via a wind meter and other means, can help the long game especially from compromised positions, but none of the loading details you mention matter if it keeps grouping like your first outing with tight ES and SD numbers.

Great! and good to know, also glad I wont have to buy all the cool tools a Bud of mine that I mentioned earlier in this thread has, he's OCD about all the steps I mentioned, my dumbass hit the clear button on the chrono before I remembered to check SD numbers, but E.S. was 11 fps for three, were I holding on game at 5 and 700 instead of steel earlier, I would have naturally held a bit [2 or 3 inches] left for drift, this build sure is a lot of fun.

I think it's going to handle my 5 to 700 yard vermin chores quiet easily.

Gunner, I believe you have a keeper!

Thanks for posting the pics again beretzs, sure glad I have some smart i.t. friends or I'd be SOL!

That Swede is a hoot, really fun to shoot, i'll go ahead and load all the remaining brass with the 147 ELD's, when the new trigger gets here, i'll see if I can tighten those up a little, was shooting dew North with about a 8-9 MPH wind out of the S/SW, it would hit me in the back of the head, then back of the head and left ear, guessing that moa trigger breaks around 4 lbs.

Oh, and never mind those giant lead splashes at 500 yards, I couldn't hit that red bull that day to save my soul from the devil, 16 LB 45-110 Shiloh Sharps bull barrel hunting rifle with full buckhorn barrel sights and a copper penny front sight guiding 530gr paper patch bullets, all in all, and holding at 6 o'clock on the bulls eye, same place you'd brisket hold on an animal, that's 5 dead buffalo, elk, moose, zebra, eland, kudu or wildebeest.

You liking the LRTS ok?

John

Yes Sir Hondo, love it, ran the power up and down very early and very late up the mountain and into the trees and brush, cant see any problems getting on animals, really nice light gathering and beyond clear glass to my eye, black bulls eye up at 700 is about 13 inches across, had no trouble quartering that pie on 12X, imho, it's a perfect choice for what I need to do with it.

I built a 6.5 and a 6 mm 284 for a long range farm gun..
I actually prefer the Sako 300 why. It was built around the 200 gr AB..it's 7 lbs and sports a mini brake. My son whacked a coyote with it this winter at 532 yds.

They’re a sleeper at Doug’s price. Hard to beat them for the steering ability too. I’ve heard of a couple turds but no more than any other SWFA or NF really.

Yessir! and right on the steering too, I simply hit JBM and went to the bench, dialing for 5 and 700 yards was near on the money, thinking my groups are a bit low was from me yanking on that staple gun moa trigger raising the damn butt off the rear bag.

Nice, this build will handle the light farm work just fine, 338 cal. 300gr Accubonds at 3000 fps is only a different rifle grab away here, they really are ugly ; ]

Yes sir. It’s nice when they do what they’re told. Anything less ain’t worth messing with for a rifle like that.

Jesse Gunner, when you just have to lay the hammer, that’s gotta be the one!

You bet, walk over there and twist for 7 again in the morning and i'll bet it'll be right there. would you even fool with the big 150gr SMK's being as I'm after quick kills, or find someone to give em too?

LOL, and that's a 9.5lb rifle you can carry and hunt with, it rails a 2.5-10 NF compact, those numbers out to 2K are hard greetings bringers! ; ]

I’d find someone to give them to and get 500 of the 147’s.

10-4, will do my Friend, found out yesterday the Dad of the two guys I spoke about earlier having two 6.5 Creedmoor's and giving them that box of 140 RDF's recently bought a PRC, bet that speed demon will fling those SMK's, i'll have to ask him what twist he has.

Well, damn! the covid put my fed-ex order behind, wont get my new Timney till Monday! sure wanted to install it shoot today.

Well, tracking said delayed, fed-ex truck showed up anyway, have trigger set around 1.5lbs or less, passed the bolt slam/buttstock bounce test with aplomb, will shoot Monday, all day staggered church services again today from the little country church sitting 400 yards out by the highway, guess i'll be nice again.

Gunner's Swede at 900...





I'd say you have a winner in those 147's brother!

Thanks again for posting the pics Big Buddy, what a fun little cartridge and rifle, crazy winds, 5 to 8+ and gusting out of the E/NE, was shooting near dew North, had to move my bench over to the next pasture to get to 900.
I could have used another tenth more mil elevation and a tenth LESS right wind, to have em in the black bull, I didn't listen to You, Jordan and aalf, that little squirt of a bullet is indeed slippery in the wind. ; ]

Can you zoom in and see that white speck up on the mountain?

All in all, three rounds in 6.5 inches isn't too bad I guess, that bullet is still packing 1875 fps at 900 yards, a little more fine tuning and it'll be ready for farm work.

BTW, in case anyone else is playing with the 6.5 Swede and heavy target type bullets, I needed something to do about an hour before dark this evening.

54 grains H-1000 sent the 150gr SMK's to 2936 fps av at 3.200" col in my rifle, only fired three rounds but had an 8 fps E.S.

That little missile stays super sonic to 1800 yards ; ] casehead expansion was .478" from .477" on the brass before loading, still not leaning to hard on the old girl.

54.5 gr H-1000 sent 150gr SMK's through the chrono at 2970 fps with a 9 fps ES, will shoot at 900 tomorrow and see how they fly, case head expansion on twice fired brass still reading .478 inch, perfect!

No shoot today, twisted BIG wrenches on heavy equipment, wore out as a pair of jumper cables at a hillbilly funeral.

150gr SMK's went 9.5 inches for three at 900 yesterday in some goofy winds, they did fly truer to the bc/mil/JBM calcs, believe I can experiment with seating depths to get them shooting a little tighter at 100, it's a hell of a little bullet that smacks the steel with a resounding whop! at that distance.

Nice to have two good loads for the 6.5x55, if comparable accuracy can be had, which ever bullet is the quicker, more reliable killer will be the one.

Nice Jerry! Sounds like a winner. Now it’s time to make meat.

Line some jugs up at 100. Lets see the carnage.

LOL, I don't have any plastic milk jugs Buddy, get my milk straight from the cow, the old Lady up the road may get bent if I start shooting up her one gallon glass jugs ; ]

I can check with a logger buddy to see if he's been saving me any more 5 gal hydraulic oil buckets, I have a couple myself.

BTW, I'm really liking that little 3-12 LRTS, what a sweet glass, and plenty of magnification for shooting vermin at 700 yards.

Oh yeah, those pails will work well too.

And for sure. We put a 4.5x18 LRTSi on my cousins 28 Nosler. Excellent optic and I should call Doug for another one. I’m sure I will regret not doing it for what he is charging for them.

10-roger on the buckets, will drill some at 100 and see what's left of the little 147 ELD's, and yes you should, bet those scopes are only going to go up, and one certainly spoil sitting on a safe top as a spare, or for a future build.

We indeed have a sickness!

That is a darned fact!

Gunner,

You kill anything with your Swede yet? How’d it go?

John

Hello John,

No Sir, haven't shot a thing with it, I did loan it to an old Friend, he took it to Wyo for an antelope hunt back in Sept, he took his antelopes, then loaned the rifle out to others at camp, IIRC that rifle took 6 antelope, farthest shot was 566 yards, the little 147gr ELD's leaving at 2960 coupled with a dope card, good rangefinder and the LRTS made it easy, even for a few novice longer range shooters in his camp, he stated that rifle/bullet put those antelope down "Right Now!" I was glad to hear that.

BTW, complete pass throughs, no bullets for me to study ; ]

The 147’s are mean on deer sized animals for me as well.

I hate 5R, they spin bullets apart. Make mine 4 groove and 6 groove.

Good deal Gunner. Glad it’s gotten some use. Looks like it really came together nicely.

John

Good to hear big Buddy, saving grace here at the farm is most 'any' critter hit will be in the North pasture, minimum of 450-500 yards away, will cut the little 'target' bullet some slack ; ]

IIRC my 8 twist Bart is 4 groove.

John, yes Sir it did, been having fun with a bunch of buds that built/bought 6.5 PRC's, 6.5-284, and 6.5 Creeds, the little Swede holds it own with 147's at 2960.

The 175 ELD shot fine from my 5R 8 twist.

Well, the little 6.5 Swede did it again, going on two years, only coyotes for me so far, not including a bunch of Antelope on a loan out, about two hours ago was another coyote, 536 yards, could have used a tic more right wind, nearly missed that boney bastard, the 147 ELDM's leaving at 2950 are serious medicine for vermin.

And no, this wasn't a real hunt, went out to take a whizz through the backyard gate, saw movement up in the North pasture cross fence, damn near busted my old ass on the concrete running back to get rifle, ear plugs and rangefinder in my socks, and yes, threw the rifle across one of Wifes picnic tables on back porch, i guess sometimes you have to take what shows 'when' it shows, love the little rifle and bullet.

Thanks for all the guidance on this build Gents.

Good to hear it Gunner. Got a pile of those 147s waiting to go into use once my Berger stash is depleted.

Thanks Buddy, they'll serve you well, you wouldn't believe the CRACK that came back to me from impact, i guess hitting the neck right in front of the shoulders will do that LOL!

That sounds terminal lol.

Nice shooting buddy!

You bet it is Sir.

And Thanks Big B, i should really try to bust a buck with this rig and make it work for a living this season.

Thanks for not posting a pic of you shooting in just your undies and socks.. Trying not to imagine the whole scene.. ha ha..

Good shot Gunner. That's where I like to hit them to. I need to go out and shoot the steel yote now!!!

LOL, Damn!!!! ; ] socks and jeans buddy, panties are for girls and old folk that cant control their bowels, dont wear 'em, i would like to apologize for that visual, Wife rule is all boots off at front door LOL, i shot that thing at 5:35 p.m. yesterday evening, yes, bust that steel man, pistols are fun and i always have one on my belt, dont shoot them that much, but i LOVE rifles!

You should shoot that new pistol shoot in the handgun forum. I'm not a pistol shooter either, but grew up with them. The steel yote I refer to is at 400 yards. Not really within pistol range. Usually when I'm at the range, I have to go over there and shoot it just for fun..


Sometimes I'll just shoot it once and leave:


I think the 300 RSAUM would have taken a real yotes head off with this shot:


I need to take the new 300wby out with its new Pacific Research stock and see how it fares at 400. Doesn't seem to do too bad at 100. Preliminary results:


That rifle is a sweetheart to shoot now too, with its new stock. Really liking the ergo's.. It was painful before with its hard red pad:

I bet that 178 ELD at Weatherby speeds will turn a coyote into chunks.

Ha ha.. probably. I have a bunch of those bullets on hand, so I figured I'd give them a try. I won't shoot this rifle much. Fired off 50 at the range the other day, working on loads and getting the new scope dialed in. Boy that 1" pachmayr works great for soaking up recoil though. Also tried some 180gr BTSP interlocks. Those were more consistent shooting than the ELDX. POI was different though. They shoot to the right compared to the LRX and ELDX. I'll likely work on a good 175 LRX load for the rifle, but hate to load up something different than what my pre 64 likes. One of the shops has some 212's I may try..

I picked a 280AI for the chores you’re asking about op.

I just read through this entire thread and thoroughly enjoyed it. I guess I’m kinda partial to Gunner and many other guys that posted here on this thread. It’s not often that a thread goes 15 pages (my screen) and not a rude comment or flippant response. It’s almost like friends having conversations with friends….friends that respect one another. 👍

Thanks guys for a wonderfully refreshing read and nice job on a beautiful rifle Gunner.

I dig the 212’s myself. Or 208’s. Both offer alot of slippery.

6.5mm PRC seems to have a lot of backing these days. I would strongly consider that cartridge instead of either a wildcat or a cartridge no longer supported by major manufacturers.

Just look at the .348 Winchester. Great cartridge. Impossible to find ammo for.

Funny you should mention the 348 winchester. He has one that I sold him. A damn nice 1937 model 71 in fact. If you knew gunner, you'd also know he has a huge assortment of rifles chambered in various hard to find cartridges. I don't think that is a huge issue for him.

Thanks buddy BSA, and nice shooting, i best leave the pistoleros and their challenges be, some can be quite touchy, kinda like in the optics forum, yes that 300 would leave chunks ; ]

My two picks:

6.5x55 Swedish OR 7x57 Mauser